In what state is a person affected by Hypnotic Pattern? Can they make saving throws?

Question

I'm reading the Hypnotic Pattern description and it says "Charmed, Incapacitated, Speed (0)" and "Snaps out of it, if being shaken or takes damage."

Then I read the various states you can be under:

• Charmed: can't attack the caster
• Incapacitated: can't take actions or reactions - is a save an action/reaction?
• Immobilized (Speed 0): Somewhere between Paralyzed, Restrained and Stunned — which all say you auto fail Strength and Dexterity saves and people have advantage on attacking you.

If I were to Fireball an individual (or group) under the influence of Hypnotic Pattern, would they get a Dexterity save to duck out of harm's way?

Answer 1

Hypnotic Pattern has no impact on a saving throw whatsoever. It imposes both the Charmed and Incapacitated conditions and having a speed of 0 does not automatically impose the immobilized, paralyzed, restrained, or stunned conditions, it just means you have a speed of 0. In fact, immobilized isn't even a condition in 5e.

Rules for saving throws can be found on page 179 of the Player's Handbook and nowhere does it say that they use either an action or a reaction, it simply says they "represent an attempt to resist a spell, a trap, a poison, a disease, or a similar threat" so being Incapacitated has no effect on this.

Being charmed means you can't attack or target the charmer with harmful effects but in no way affects your ability to "resist a spell, a trap, a poison, a disease, or a similar threat".

Conditions and spells that do affect savings throws explicitly note this fact in their descriptions.

Answer 2

A save is neither an action nor a reaction - if it were, you would need to use your action or reaction in order to make a save. Effects that influence saves should always be clearly noted, because the save mechanic is an important part of the game.

Speed 0 is not the same as applying the Immobilized condition - except for sharing the effect on speed of course.

Creatures under the influence of Hypnotic Pattern may take Dexterity saves as normal (no penalty or disadvantage).