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If a druid is wild shaped into an animal when they are hit by an effect that imposes the petrified condition, are they:

A. A petrified version of the animal they turned into.
B. A petrified version of the druid, the petrified condition ending the wild shape.

If A, can they then be reduced to 0 HP through attacks to return the petrified druid back into druid form, and would that end the petrified condition?

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    \$\begingroup\$ Wild Shape also has a time limit of (Druid level / 2) hours, which may expire while petrified, even without damage. (If time passes for the druid in that state.) \$\endgroup\$
    – Peter Cordes
    Sep 14, 2021 at 2:39
  • \$\begingroup\$ related: rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/191481/… \$\endgroup\$
    – Andrew A DeMarco
    Sep 14, 2021 at 3:46
  • \$\begingroup\$ That earlier question is only vaguely related (except as inspiration for asking), since no petrification happens when immune. More relevant: What happens when a polymorphed creature is petrified? is presumably very similar to Wild Shape, except points that hinge on wording in the ability vs. spell. \$\endgroup\$
    – Peter Cordes
    Sep 14, 2021 at 3:58

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They are a statue of the beast form.

Petrification would not change their form, except to turn them into a stone statue of whatever beast form they were in. There is simply nothing in the definition of Petrified or the description of Wild Shape to indicate otherwise.

When reduced to 0 hit points, their statue appearance does not change, but you substitute back in the druid's usual stats.

The Petrified condition states:

A petrified creature is transformed, along with any nonmagical object it is wearing or carrying, into a solid inanimate substance (usually stone)

So the material of the now petrified beast form is solid and inanimate. However, conditions propogate through WIld Shape transformations. So when reduced to 0 hit points and Wild Shape ends, they are still petrified.

Now, when reduced to 0 hit points, Wild Shape states:

You automatically revert if you fall unconscious, drop to 0 hit points, or die.

So you revert back to being your usual self, as in, you are back to using your normal druid stats. But because your physical form has been petrified and is now solid and inanimate, the form of the stone would not change into your usual druid form until the petrification ends.

To give a needed caveat, this is, I think, the best reading of the rules for this interaction, but there is room to rule that the appearance of the statue is now that of the druid. And to be clear, the only difference between these two rulings appearance. Regardless of how you rule the appearance of the statue, the statue goes back to using the druid's usual stats when Wild Shape ends.

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    \$\begingroup\$ so your stats revert but either way you remain petrified? \$\endgroup\$
    – Andrew A DeMarco
    Sep 13, 2021 at 15:49
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    \$\begingroup\$ @AndrewADeMarco correct. \$\endgroup\$
    – Thomas Markov
    Sep 13, 2021 at 15:55
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    \$\begingroup\$ I would expect that what occurs when the petrified status is lifted is also affected. if the status were lifted (somewhat) immediately -> the druid would remain transformed, if the petrified character were damaged (or enough time elapsed) -> the druid would return to normal form as part of the process of being un-petrified. This might be worth spelling out (assuming you have the same read). \$\endgroup\$
    – Dave
    Sep 14, 2021 at 15:54
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They are a solid inanimate substance

Initially this is in the shape of and has the statistics of the beast. However, once the Wild Shape ends it transforms into the shape of and the statistics of the druid.

There is no indication that the Petrified condition interacts with the Wild Shape feature at all and since there are no secret rules in 5e it doesn’t. If left alone, the Wild Shape will end and the “statue” will change.

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    \$\begingroup\$ There are no hidden or secret rules, but it's also expected that the DM will come up with rules / rulings for what happens in corner cases. Having the statue morph or not both seem valid options to me, with possible implications for how magical petrification and/or Wild Shape really work in the campaign world, e.g. for what might happen in other corner cases. \$\endgroup\$
    – Peter Cordes
    Sep 14, 2021 at 2:23
  • \$\begingroup\$ @PeterCordes I agree, but the OP knows the DM can make a ruling, they are interested in what the rules say about this. There’s already an answer expressing the opposite view - I like to offer a choice. BTW I may or may not be answering the way I’d rule. \$\endgroup\$
    – Dale M
    Sep 14, 2021 at 2:34
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    \$\begingroup\$ I feel like corner-case answers where the rules don't clearly cover the interaction should always remind readers that DMs should think about how they want it to work in this case. Rather than implying that the best course is to apply a lawyerly reading to the text of the rules and tease out interactions. It's useful to attempt that, for sure, but I'd like this answer a lot more if said the rules are compatible with ruling this way. The way you phrase the "no secret rules" argument makes it sound like an argument against DMs deciding what's "sensible" and making that happen. \$\endgroup\$
    – Peter Cordes
    Sep 14, 2021 at 4:06
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    \$\begingroup\$ Especially in rules Q&As like this, it's easy for people to lose sight of the basic principle of D&D that the DM should be deciding how things work, making up rulings when the situation isn't covered. I feel like it's more a case of "DM should rule" than "no secret rules, therefore each effect works independently, whatever that even means". \$\endgroup\$
    – Peter Cordes
    Sep 14, 2021 at 4:10
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When the druid is petrified, Wild Shape should end immediately, as the character is now inanimate, a condition which most definitely implies a state of non-consciousness. (It might be possible to rule that the Unconscious condition doesn't apply, but it's a stretch.) Since both effects are basically instantaneous, it's up to the DM to decide whether the shape change or the solidification happens first. If the shape change happens first, you have a statue of a druid. If the petrification happens first, you have a statue of a beast.

Because the petrification is what causes Wild Shape to end, it would probably make more sense to rule that it happens first. That said, I think an interesting compromise would be to rule that both effects happen simultaneously and you're left with a statue of a hybrid in mid-shift.

Either way, the stats applicable to the statue, should the need arise, would be those of the druid.

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    \$\begingroup\$ Petrified most certainly does not give the unconscious condition. If it did, it would say so, rather than giving the Incapacitated condition (unconscious includes Incapacitated). This answer is simply incorrect. See here for more details: Does a petrified creature stay conscious (and mentally sane)? \$\endgroup\$
    – Thomas Markov
    Sep 14, 2021 at 11:51
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    \$\begingroup\$ The accepted answer to the question you linked says "Petrified includes the mental component of unconsciousness, in so far as that state is represented in rules text at all". Other answers also mention the subject having no mind and being non-living. Seeing as how the petrification can be reversed, I hesitate to classify it as death, but the subject is quite clearly not conscious. That said, I will edit to clarify. \$\endgroup\$
    – João Mendes
    Sep 14, 2021 at 12:15
  • \$\begingroup\$ @ThomasMarkov In that answer I don't see any conclusion. Top (and accepted) answer says you get unconscious in everything but the name (= you are unconscious), second says you don't, then you have many others. But applying some common sense - you wouldn't call statue unconscious only because nobody would ever think otherwise, as it doesn't have brains at all. \$\endgroup\$
    – Zizy Archer
    Sep 14, 2021 at 13:17
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    \$\begingroup\$ I think this is a good answer, suggesting a well justifiable ruling that the "revert if you fall unconscious" condition in the description of Wild Shape includes states that are similar to the specific Unconscious condition defined in the rules. This situation doesn't have a clear RAW solution, and this ruling would make a lot of sense in my opinion. \$\endgroup\$
    – neonblitzer
    Sep 14, 2021 at 16:22

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