How does legendary resistance work?
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Legendary resistance is a powerful ability in Dungeons & Dragons that allows certain creatures, typically legendary creatures like dragons and liches, to automatically succeed on a saving throw they would otherwise fail, by expending a daily use of the feature, which a creature will often have 3 of. This ability can be used to resist various types of damage or effects, making legendary creatures even more formidable opponents in combat, and it is an essential aspect of their legendary actions and lair actions.
Understanding Legendary Resistance
What is Legendary Resistance?
Legendary resistance is a special ability that can be used by legendary creatures to auto-succeed on a saving throw. This ability is usually limited to a certain number of uses per day, and it can be a game-changer in combat.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How many times can legendary resistance be used? Legendary resistance can be used a limited number of times per day, usually 3 times, depending on the creature.
- How do legendary reactions work? Legendary reactions are not the same as legendary resistance; instead, legendary actions are a special type of action that can be taken by certain creatures, such as dragons and liches, using legendary action points that are recovered with each turn.
- What is the legendary resistance rule in D&D? The legendary resistance rule allows a monster to auto-succeed a save it would’ve otherwise failed by expending a daily use of the feature.
- Can players get legendary resistance in D&D? Yes, any player who reaches 20th level should indeed get legendary resistance.
- Does legendary resistance override portent? No, legendary resistance means the creature automatically succeeds the saving throw, so there’s nothing that can be changed with portent.
- Can true polymorph use legendary resistance? True polymorph does not claim anything about legendary creatures, so it can be used to gain legendary resistance.
- Can you use a legendary resistance on Counterspell? No, counterspell and dispel magic invoke ability checks involving the spellcasting ability, which is not a saving throw, so legendary resistance is irrelevant.
- Can you use legendary resistance with shapechange? Yes, shapechange allows you to gain the benefit of legendary resistance, and you can adopt a new form to gain more uses of it.
- Can a surprised creature use legendary resistance? No, if surprised, a creature can’t use legendary actions, including legendary resistance, until after its first turn in combat.
- How many legendary resistances does Tiamat have? Tiamat has 5 legendary resistances per day.
- Can you stack damage resistance? No, resistances of the same type don’t stack; multiple instances of resistance or vulnerability that affect the same damage type count as only one instance.
- Does polymorph allow legendary actions? No, you can’t use any legendary actions or lair actions of the new form when using polymorph.
- Does portent negate disadvantage? Yes, portent overrides disadvantage, but it must be used before the dice are rolled.
- Can you take legendary actions when stunned? No, losing the ability to take any actions, including lair and legendary actions, is devastating for monsters that are stunned.
- Is there a limit to the number of legendary permanents with the same name that can be controlled on the battlefield? Yes, the legend rule states that you can’t control more than one legendary permanent with the same name at the same time.