Prone 5e: What the Prone Condition Does (2014 and 2024)
A prone creature in 5e is lying on the ground. Its own attack rolls have disadvantage. Attacks against it have advantage if the attacker is within 5 feet and disadvantage from farther away. It can crawl or spend half its Speed to stand up, but it can't stand while its Speed is 0.
What does the Prone condition do in 5e?
Prone means you're on the ground: knocked down, tripped, or lying flat on purpose. It's one of the most common conditions in play because so many monsters, spells and weapon tricks cause it. The full condition list lives in conditions in 5e; here's prone in detail.
| Who is rolling | Effect |
|---|---|
| The prone creature attacking anyone | Disadvantage |
| An attacker within 5 feet of the prone creature | Advantage (melee or ranged) |
| An attacker more than 5 feet away | Disadvantage |
| The prone creature making a saving throw | No change |
| The prone creature moving | Crawl (each foot costs 1 extra foot) or spend half its Speed to stand |
The 2014 and 2024 rules work the same way here. The 2024 text adds one clear line the old rules only implied: if your Speed is 0, you can't stand up.
How much does it cost to stand up from prone?
Half your Speed (the 2024 rules say to round down). It doesn't use your action. A human with 30 feet of Speed stands for 15 feet and can still move 15 feet and attack.
- Dropping prone: free. It costs no movement.
- Crawling: every foot of crawling costs 1 extra foot, so 30 feet of Speed crawls 15 feet.
- Speed 0: grappled, restrained or otherwise stuck at 0? You can't stand up until that ends.
- Dash helps: Dash gives extra movement, so a slow character who gets knocked down can still stand and cover ground.
How much does prone change the odds?
Advantage and disadvantage are big swings. Here's what they do to an attack that normally needs an 11 or a 13 on the d20:
| Needs on the d20 | Normal | Advantage (melee vs prone) | Disadvantage (prone attacker, or archer vs prone) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 50% | 75% | 25% |
| 13 | 40% | 64% | 16% |
Knocking a target prone before your melee allies swing is one of the cheapest ways to raise the party's damage. Advantage also nearly doubles the chance of a natural 20, from 5% to 9.75%. That matters for a Rogue's Sneak Attack or a Paladin's smite. More on the math in advantage and disadvantage.
How do you knock a creature prone?
- Shove: in 2024, an Unarmed Strike option. The target makes a Strength or Dexterity save (DC 8 + your Strength modifier + proficiency bonus) or falls prone. In 2014 it's an Athletics contest. The target can be no more than one size larger than you. See grappling and shoving.
- Topple (2024): the weapon mastery of quarterstaffs, mauls, lances and others. On a hit, the target makes a Constitution save or falls prone. See weapon mastery.
- Spells: Grease (Dexterity save), Command with "Grovel", and Hideous Laughter all leave targets on the floor.
- Falling: a creature that takes falling damage lands prone.
- Unconscious: creatures knocked out also fall prone.
Should you ever go prone on purpose?
Yes, against archers and spellcasters with attack rolls. If the only enemies are 60 feet away with longbows, dropping prone gives every one of their shots disadvantage. On your next turn you pay 15 feet to stand. It's a bad idea if a melee enemy can reach you, because they get advantage instead.
Example: your level 3 ranger is caught in the open by three hobgoblin archers 80 feet away. Each needs a 12 to hit you. Standing, each arrow lands 45% of the time; lying prone, each lands about 20% of the time. Dropping costs nothing, and next turn you spend 15 feet standing up and Dash for cover.
Prone does nothing against saving-throw spells. Lying flat won't help against Fireball.
How do you run prone monsters well?
- Wolves are the classic: a 2024 wolf's bite knocks a Medium or smaller target prone on a hit, no save. With Pack Tactics, the next wolf already has advantage, and now the prone target gives it again. Players learn fast to stand up and fight back to back.
- Prone plus grappled: a grappled creature has Speed 0, so it can't stand up. That's why the grapple-and-shove combo is so strong. See the Grappled condition.
- Remember the distance rule: monsters shooting at a prone character from range attack with disadvantage. DMs often forget this in a busy fight.
Common prone mistakes
- Giving ranged attackers advantage: only attackers within 5 feet get advantage. From farther away it's disadvantage.
- Making standing up an action: it costs movement, not your action.
- Applying it to saves: prone changes attack rolls, not saving throws.
- Letting a grappled creature stand: Speed 0 means no standing.
FAQ
How much movement does it cost to stand up from prone?
Half your Speed, rounded down. A character with 30 feet of Speed spends 15 feet to stand and has 15 feet left. If your Speed is 0, for example because you are grappled, you can't stand at all.
Do ranged attacks have disadvantage against prone targets?
Yes, if the attacker is more than 5 feet away. A ranged attack from within 5 feet gets advantage from the prone target instead, but most ranged attacks also suffer disadvantage for having an enemy within 5 feet, so the two cancel out.
Can you drop prone for free in 5e?
Yes. Dropping prone costs no movement. Players do it to make distant archers attack with disadvantage, then spend half their Speed to stand on their next turn.
Does prone affect saving throws?
No. The Prone condition doesn't change saving throws, so a prone creature makes its Dexterity save against Fireball normally.
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