[RPG] Can undead be frightened

conditionsdnd-5eimmunitiesundead

So in a campaign as a paladin, I cast Wrathful Smite and hit an undead creature. Can undead be affected by the frightened condition?

Best Answer

Some yes, some no. And it's a surprisingly-even split.

There's no general rule on undead: either the Frightened condition (PHB Appendix A) or the Monster Manual's section on undead (MM pp.6-7, "Types") would be the places to look. But each specific undead's stat-block describes whether it is immune to the Frightened condition. (Is there any reason to why the list of undead that can be frightened seems counter intuitive? addresses the "why" of this.)

For reference, the MM has the following Undead which...

cannot be frightened:

Banshee, Death Knight, various Liches, Flameskull, Ghost, Mummy and Mummy Lord, Revenant, and Shadow.

can be frightened:

Death Tyrant, Crawling Claw, Ghast, Ghoul, Bone Naga, various Skeletons, Specter, Wight, Will-o'-Wisp, Wraith, and various Zombies.