Conditions and Damage Types

Damage in 5e is categorized into 13 types. Resistance halves the damage, immunity negates it, and vulnerability doubles it.

• Bludgeoning: Blunt force — clubs, falls, constriction, being thrown against a wall
• Piercing: Puncture — arrows, spears, teeth, thorns
• Slashing: Cutting — swords, axes, claws

Nonmagical vs. magical: Many creatures resist or are immune to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks. A +1 sword or a Monk's Ki-Empowered Strikes count as magical for this purpose.

• Acid: Corrosive substances — acid splash, black dragon breath
• Cold: Freezing — cone of cold, white dragon breath, extreme cold
• Fire: Burning — fireball, red dragon breath, lava
• Lightning: Electrical — lightning bolt, blue dragon breath
• Thunder: Sonic — thunderwave, shatter (not the same as lightning)

• Force: Pure magical energy — magic missile, eldritch blast, wall of force. Force damage has almost no resistances or immunities in the game.
• Necrotic: Life-draining — inflict wounds, blight, shadow attacks
• Poison: Toxins — poison weapons, cloudkill, green dragon breath
• Psychic: Mental — psychic scream, vicious mockery, intellect devourer
• Radiant: Holy/divine — guiding bolt, spirit guardians, solar attacks

• Resistance: Take half damage (rounded down) from that type
• Immunity: Take no damage from that type
• Vulnerability: Take double damage from that type
• Multiple sources of resistance don't stack — you still take half
• Resistance and vulnerability cancel each other out if both apply