How do undead react to healing spells?

[holywhippet]

Does healing magic harm undead in 5th edition like it did in 3rd edition? I've only got the PHB and it doesn't indicate as far as I know.

[Ninja_Prawn]

Nope, normal healing magic does nothing to undead in 5e. They ignore it completely, as per the specific clauses in the various healing spells.

Radiant damage is your 'holy kills zombies' thing now.

[Mhl7]

Does healing magic harm undead in 5th edition like it did in 3rd edition? I've only got the PHB and it doesn't indicate as far as I know.

Nope. It does not.

Usually cures are ineffective on undead and construct. If this is the case, it is specified by the source of healing (e.g. cure wounds).

[Millstone85]

Here is the weirdest bit I have seen so far about undeath in 5e.

According to Jeremy Crawford, when a creature with the undead type is reduced to 0 HP, and otherwise mechanically dead, the corpse still has the undead type. Consequently:
* Raise Dead still doesn't work on that corpse.
* Revivify does work, but brings back an undead.

That's right, the "Revive Kills Zombie" trope is not only averted but inverted. Revivify makes zombies walk again.

[holywhippet]

Hmm, that last part matches up with the campaign I'm playing in. Some shopkeepers were killed then turned into zombies. I asked if they would be raised later by the store owner and the DM said that their bodies had been corrupted by the process so they could not be raised.

[Arkhios]

I'm surprised that if you have the PHB but still don't know how undead react to healing spells when each of those spells clearly state at near the bottom of their descriptions whether they affect constructs and undead or not.

I'm sorry, but it made wonder did you even read the spell from the book, or just assume something with old rules (which, needless to say, are outdated in this edition)

[NNescio]

Does healing magic harm undead in 5th edition like it did in 3rd edition? I've only got the PHB and it doesn't indicate as far as I know.

5e did away with the distinction between positive and negative energy effects. Healing effects now heal creatures, and necromantic damage deals damage. Radiant damage deals, well, radiant damage. This happens regardless of creature types, unless they have specific resistances, immunities, or traits. The general rule is that healing effects heal both undead and living creatures, and both necromantic and radiant damage deal damage to both undead and living creatures, unless a specific exception is made within the rules (under the description for the damage or healing effect, under specific creature traits like a Vampire's Regeneration or a Zombie's Undead Fortitude, under a creature's vulnerabilities, resistances and immunities, etc.).

That said, most Clerical healing spells do have a specific exception inserted into the spell text which explicitly forbids healing undead (and constructs), e.g.


(...) This spell has no effect on undead or constructs.


(...) This spell has no effect on undead or constructs.


(...) This spell has no effect on constructs or undead.

So, undead creatures cannot be healed by those spells. They can, however, be healed by other healing spells which do not have a specific provision forbidding healing undead, such as Regeneration, Heroes' Feast (unless it's an incorporeal undead who cannot eat), Goodberry and Aura of Vitality, because, again, the general rule is that undead are healed by healing spells (like all other creatures), if no specific exception is made against them.

Other healing effects like healing potions, Keoghtom's Ointment, healer's kits (used in conjunction with the Healer feat), and short/long rests also work normally on undead.

(Of course, if said healing effect has specific language like "...living creatures" or "...has no effect on undead or constructs.", then it would have no effect on undead, because, again, specific beats general.)


Here is the weirdest bit I have seen so far about undeath in 5e.

According to Jeremy Crawford, when a creature with the undead type is reduced to 0 HP, and otherwise mechanically dead, the corpse still has the undead type. Consequently:
* Raise Dead still doesn't work on that corpse.
* Revivify does work, but brings back an undead.

That's right, the "Revive Kills Zombie" trope is not only averted but inverted. Revivify makes zombies walk again.

I think Crawford goofed up there because that interpretation makes it almost impossible to revive a PC who was turned into an undead (by Death Tyrants and other creatures with 'spawn undead minions on kill' effects). Not even True Rez would work unless you atomize the corpse completely.