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Each ghast has a stench trait that can poison someone if they start their turn within 5 feet of the ghast and fail their saving throw. What happens if a creature starts their turn with multiple ghasts within 5 feet? Does the character make one saving throw or multiple? I know magical effects don't overlap but I don't see that the stench trait is considered magical.

The stench trait also says you are immune for 24 hours if you pass a saving throw. Does passing the save for one give immunity to all or just the ghast stench you saved against?

Allan Mills
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Make a saving throw for each ghast nearby, on a success you become immune to that ghast's stench.

A monster trait isn't a spell, so overlapping spell effect rules do not apply. Make a save for each ghast your PC is next to.

The trait says (emphasis mine):

On a successful saving throw, the creature is immune to the ghast’s Stench for 24 hours.

It doesn't say that you become immune to "ghast Stench" or "Stench from ghasts", but rather "the ghast's Stench", meaning just the one you saved against. If you save against all of them you are immune to those ghasts for 24 hours, but if you fail some you'll have to save against those ones next turn.

Note that Poisoned is a condition and so you wouldn't stack that effect, you would be just poisoned if you failed 1 or 20 saves.

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GreySage
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  • There isn't really anything to stack as far as poisoned is concerned anyway. You get disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks from it. – Allan Mills Jan 12 '19 at 00:04
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    "A monster trait isn't a spell, so overlapping spell effect rules do not apply." - This is... well, technically it's accurate, but DMG p. 252 has a broader guideline on combining game effects: "Different game features can affect a target at the same time. But when two or more game features have the same name, only the effects of one of them—the most potent one—apply while the durations of the effects overlap." (This was added in errata.) – V2Blast Jan 12 '19 at 05:34
  • This is the correct answer. Rather than say what it doesn't say ("Stench from ghasts") though, you can show what it doesn't say (and better document your answer) by quoting an example of the language used for a monster where making a save does make you immune to all of them, for example, troglodytes. – Kirt Aug 23 '22 at 06:27