The Yeti’s chilling gaze paralyzes the party where they stand…except for their wily Druid hidden behind a stalagmite. The Sorcerer is just within her reach—if she can restore him, they may just have a chance. As the Yeti turns the Druid dashes from behind the stone, deftly applies Lesser Restoration, and dives for safety once more. The Sorcerer’s eyes spring to life with thanks, and revenge…
Table of Contents
What is Lesser Restoration 5e Spell?
Lesser Restoration 5e is a life saver when party members are blinded, deafened, paralyzed, or poisoned. It’s certainly a case of Less is more!
Lesser Restoration 5e Stats
| Level | 2 |
| Casting Time | 1 action |
| Range/Area | Touch |
| Class | Bard, Cleric, Druid, Paladin, Ranger, Sorcerer*, Warlock** & Artificer |
| Components | Verbal, Somatic |
| Duration | Instantaneous |
| School | Abjuration |
| Attack/Save | None |
| Damage/Effect | Healing |
How Does Lesser Restoration Work?
The text from the Player’s Handbook reads: “You touch a creature and can end either one disease or one condition afflicting it. The condition can be blinded, deafened, paralyzed, or poisoned.“
Lesser Restoration, sometimes called Minor Restoration, was just called Restoration in the 1st edition. It was very powerful and could even restore lost levels. In 3rd edition, Restoration was broken into its Lesser and Greater versions. Now, in DnD 5e (5th edition) it can only cure blinded, deafened paralyzed, or poisoned, as well as one disease such as Sewer Plague or any of the other diseases that may come up during a campaign.
You don’t want to be stuck with any of these status effects. Make sure there’s someone who can cast Lesser Restoration.
How to Use Lesser Restoration
Lesser Restoration has a few different requirements to use. So we’ll break it down to keep it simple. Most of the time you should be able to use it without any problems, but there are a few situations when you won’t be able to.
First off it’s a level 2 spell so you’ll need to of course know the spell and then also have an available 2nd level spell slot.
Next comes casting the spell. It requires both verbal and somatic components. This means your character has to speak and has to have their hands free to cast it. If your character is gagged or bound, they won’t be able to cast the spell. Finally, it’s a touch spell so your character has to be able to reach out and touch the target.
Who can cast Lesser Restoration?
Any Divine casters can cast Lesser Restoration. Divine casters harness the power of god or nature to summon their spells.
These classes can cast Lesser Restoration:
- Artificers
- Bards
- Celestial Warlocks
- Divine Soul Sorcerers
- Clerics
- Druids
- Paladins
- Ranger
What does Lesser Restoration in 5e do?
Lesser Restoration cures one disease, or a blinded, deafened, paralyzed, poisoned, or poisoned creature. But why is this so crucial?
At low levels, these four conditions can be brutal:
Blinded lasts for a minute and gives attacks against you advantage, gives you disadvantage on Attack rolls, and makes you automatically fail ability checks that require sight. Blind also cancels lots of spells, makes your strikers weak, and your tanks ineffective.
Deafened lasts for a minute and makes you automatically fail any ability check with hearing. If your DM is keeping you honest, it also stops you from communicating effectively with other characters and coordinating attacks.
Paralyzed lasts for a minute and stops you from moving or speaking. You also automatically fail Strength and Dexterity Saving Throws. Attacks against you have advantage, and any Attack against you within 5 ft is a Critical Hit.
Poisoned lasts for a minute and gives you 1d4 of damage plus disadvantage on Attack rolls and ability checks. It’s also a common spell for enemies in the early game.
Don’t be fooled by the “a minute” part. A minute in a DnD battle is an eternity. One of these conditions is bad enough, but these conditions can also stack. If one of your party members has multiple status effects, they are basically out of commission. If that party member is your healer, you may be in double trouble.
Early battles can easily get out of hand if you can’t restore these annoying status effects with Lesser Restoration. A simple disease can also debilitate you or spread to others.
Lesser Restoration only costs a level 2 spell slot but can cost you big time if you don’t take it along. Don’t question it! The Lesser Restoration questions below are ok, though.
Lesser Restoration vs Greater Restoration?
There can be a lot of confusion between these two spells, and despite the naming, you’ll probably be using Lesser Restoration and find it more useful than Greater Restoration.
To make it simpler you can think of Lesser Restoration as the equivalent of over-the-counter medicine and Greater Restoration as seeing a specialist doctor or getting surgery.
Lesser Restoration cures status conditions that you’ll find most often during adventuring. Things like blindness, deafness, or poison which typically can change the tide of a single fight can be cured mid-battle with Lesser Restoration.
Greater Restoration deals with much more serious ailments that will affect your character after a battle is finished and much harder to get rid of. Things like petrification, curses, and loss of ability scores are much more serious and require a stronger spell. On the plus side though these conditions are a lot less common and will usually only hit during tougher fights or boss battles.
It’s not always necessary to have Greater Restoration readied, but Lesser Restoration is typically more useful in most battles.
Lesser Restoration 5e FAQ
Is Lesser Restoration Good?
Yes, Lesser Restoration can remove several different status ailments that can destroy your combat abilities mid-fight. A muted spellcaster loses access to most of their spells if they can’t speak and a fighter that’s blind is going to have a hard time hitting anything.
Can Lesser Restoration remove curses?
No. To remove a curse you need Remove Curse, Greater Restoration, or some other method. Greater Restoration costs 100gp of diamond dust, so you’re better off trying Remove Curse.
Can Lesser Restoration remove madness?
Yes! You can cure short-term or long-term mental illness with Lesser Restoration. Madness is a mental illness, which counts as a disease. You need to use Calm Emotions or Greater Restoration to cure indefinite madness. Remove Curse or Dispel Evil may also work, depending on the source of the madness.
Can Lesser Restoration cure fear?
No, and neither can Greater Restoration. You can suppress the Frightened status effect with Calm Emotions or end it with Dispel Magic if Frightened is being caused by a current spell.
Can you use Lesser Restoration on yourself?
You can cure Blinded, Deafened, and Poisoned with Lesser Restoration, but not Paralyzed. Paralyzed stops you from moving or speaking, which cancels out both the “Verbal’ and “Somatic” components of Lesser Restoration.
How good is Lesser Restoration in 5e?
Lesser Restoration can make or break your party! A good GM will have you encounter Blinded, Deafened, Paralyzed, and Poisoned here and there, so you need to be ready. If you can’t cure these status effects your campaign can go sour—quickly.
Can lesser restoration cure any disease?
Yes. As the rules are written lesser restoration can cure any common disease.
What can lesser restoration do?
Lesser Restoration cures any common disease or removes the blinded, deafened, paralyzed, or poisoned conditions.
Can lesser restoration regrow limbs?
No. Lesser Restoration only cures diseases or the blinded, deafened, paralyzed, or poisoned conditions.
Can Lesser Restoration cure vampirism?
No. Vampirism can only be cured by a Wish spell.
Can Lesser Restoration cure lycanthropy?
No. Lycanthropy can be cured with a remove curse spell if they are infected. Those born with Lycanthropy need a Wish to have it removed.
Can Lesser Restoration cure charm?
No. Greater Restoration is needed to remove the effects of charm.
Can Lesser Restoration cure petrification?
No. Greater Restoration is needed to remove petrification.
Can Lesser Restoration cure blindness?
Yes. Blindness is one of the conditions that can be cured with Lesser Restoration.
Lesser Restoration may not be flashy, but it gets the job done! Check out our Aid 5e Guide for another indispensable and underrated DnD spell.
Curing A Disease
Blinding Sickness
Player’s Handbook, page 277 (can be inflicted through the Contagion spell)
The target’s eyes turn milky white; they are blinded and gain a disadvantage on Wisdom checks and Wisdom saving throws.
Bluerot
Ghosts of Saltmarsh, page 234
Only targeting humanoids, disgusting blue boils grow on their victim’s face and back. Its victim also becomes vulnerable to radiant damage and gains underwater breathing capability.
Bluerot
Ghosts of Saltmarsh, page 234
Only targeting humanoids, disgusting blue boils grow on their victim’s face and back. Its victim also becomes vulnerable to radiant damage and gains underwater breathing capability.
Cackle Fever
Dungeon Master’s Guide, page 257
Only targeting humanoids (except for gnomes), victims often suffer from fits of mad laughter. The disease can inflict exhaustion and psychic damage to its victim.
Filth Fever
Player’s Handbook, page 277 (can be inflicted through the Contagion spell)
Its victim suffers from a terrible fever; they have a disadvantage on Strength checks, Strength saving throws, and attack rolls using Strength.
Flesh Rot
Player’s Handbook, page 277 (can be inflicted through the Contagion spell)
Its victim’s flesh starts to decay; they gain a disadvantage on Charisma checks as well as vulnerability to all types of damage.
Mad Monkey Fever
Tome of Annihilation, page 40
Originating from the thin, blue, odorless mist that creeps through the jungles of Chult, its victims suffer from long-term madness.
Mindfire
Player’s Handbook, page 277 (can be inflicted through the Contagion spell)
Its victim’s mind suffers from a fever; they gain a disadvantage on Intelligence checks and Intelligence saving throws. Also, its victim behaves as if the Confusion spell was cast on them.
Seizure
Player’s Handbook, page 277 (can be inflicted through the Contagion spell)
Its victim suffers from fits of bodily shaking; they have a disadvantage on Dexterity checks, Dexterity saving throws, and attack rolls using Dexterity.
Sewer Plague
Dungeon Master’s Guide, page 257
Originating from the sewers, stagnant swamps, and other similar sources, a humanoid creature inflicted by this can suffer from exhaustion.
Shivering Sickness
Tome of Annihilation, page 40
Originating from insects living in the jungles and marshes of Chult, its victims can suffer from blurred vision, disorientation, and even lesser HP regained during rests.
Sight Rot
Dungeon Master’s Guide, page 257
Its victim’s eyes start to bleed and eventually blind them; they can suffer from penalties to attack rolls and ability checks that rely on sight.
Slimy Doom
Player’s Handbook, page 277 (can be inflicted through the Contagion spell)
Its victim starts to uncontrollably bleed; they gain a disadvantage on Constitution checks and Constitution saving throws. Furthermore, when they take damage, they become stunned until the end of their next turn.
Throat Leeches
Tome of Annihilation, page 40
Originating from parasitic leeches living in the forests, swamps, and rivers of Chult, its victim can suffer from throat inflammation, shortness of breath, and exhaustion.
Curing a Condition
Condition: Blinded
Capable creatures in MM: 28 out of 450
Sample creatures: Behir; Demilich; Giant Frog; Shambling Mound
Capable creatures from other sources: 120+
Condition: Deafened
Capable creatures in MM: 5 out of 450
Sample creatures: Adult Bronze Dragon; Androsphinx; Deep Gnome; Mummy Lord
Capable creatures from other sources: 24+
Condition: Paralyzed
Capable creatures in MM: 36 out of 450
Sample creatures: Beholder; Ghast; Ghoul; Mummy; Spectator
Capable creatures from other sources: 112+
Condition: Poisoned
Capable creatures in MM: 39 out of 450
Sample creatures: Chuul; Giant Spider; Night Hag; Sprite
Capable creatures from other sources: 120+
Which Subclasses Can Access Lesser Restoration?
Subclasses that can access Lesser Restoration: The Celestial
Originating Class: Warlock
Subclass Source: Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, page 54
Class Source: Player’s Handbook, page 105+
Subclasses that can access Lesser Restoration: Clockwork Soul
Originating Class: Sorcerer
Subclass Source: Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, page 68
Class Source: Player’s Handbook, page 99
Subclasses that can access Lesser Restoration: Oath of Devotion
Originating Class: Paladin
Subclass Source: Player’s Handbook, page 85
Class Source: Player’s Handbook, page 82
Subclasses that can access Lesser Restoration: Divine Soul
Originating Class: Sorcerer
Subclass Source: Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, page 50
Class Source: Player’s Handbook, page 99
Subclasses that can access Lesser Restoration: Life Domain
Originating Class: Cleric
Subclass Source: Player’s Handbook, page 60
Class Source: Player’s Handbook, page 56
Races that can use Lesser Restoration:
Races that can use Lesser Restoration: Aasimar
Racial feature allowing the ability: Celestial Legacy
Source: Dungeon Master’s Guide, page 286
Races that can use Lesser Restoration: Halfling (Mark of Healing)
Racial feature allowing the ability: Spells of the Mark (needs to have the Spellcasting or the Pact Magic class feature)
Source: Eberron: Rising from the Last War, page 43
Bryan Truong
Before starting GameCows with his wife Kendra, he used to teach English Language Arts in the US. He combined his love of gaming with education to create fun game-based learning lessons until he eventually decided to run GameCows with Kendra full-time. He’s known for pouring over rulebooks in his spare time, being the rule master during game night, and as the perma DM in his DnD group. Bryan loves board games, writing, traveling, and above all his wife and partner in crime, Kendra.
