Restrained: movement, attacks and Dexterity saves
Restrained has broader combat effects than Grappled, but it is not automatic incapacitation. Keep the creature’s available actions separate from its movement and roll penalties.
Use it at the table
- Set Speed to zero and prevent it from increasing.
- Give incoming attacks Advantage and the creature’s own attack rolls Disadvantage.
- Give its Dexterity saving throws Disadvantage. Resolve escape through the effect causing restraint.
Make the call
A Restrained creature attempts a Dexterity saving throw. Must it automatically fail, or does it roll with Disadvantage?
The ruling
It rolls with Disadvantage unless another effect says otherwise.
Restrained specifies Disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws. Automatic failure of Strength and Dexterity saves belongs to conditions such as Paralyzed and Stunned. A restrained creature can therefore succeed on a Dexterity save. Read each condition’s listed effects rather than replacing all severe conditions with a single common penalty.
Watch for this mistake
Restraint does not itself say the creature cannot take actions or speak. An action to escape might still be available, but its check, DC and required action come from the net, spell or other restraining effect.
Ask the table
What causes the restraint, what is its escape procedure, and which exact roll is being resolved?
The source rule
SRD 5.2.1, page 187. Read the official PDF.
While you have the Restrained condition, you experience the following effects. Speed 0. Your Speed is 0 and can’t increase. Attacks Affected. Attack rolls against you have Advantage, and your attack rolls have Disadvantage. Saving Throws Affected. You have Disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws.
Source and reuse
This work includes material from the System Reference Document 5.2.1 (“SRD 5.2.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available at dndbeyond.com/srd. The SRD 5.2.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, available at creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.
The explanation, example and table prompt are Table Ready adaptations; source text has been reflowed and tables reformatted. This guide and its printable card are available under the same CC BY 4.0 license. Independent reference; no official affiliation. These rules are optional for our system-neutral adventures.