Does Polymorph Remove Exhaustion?

Question

In Critical Role Campaign 2 Episode 118, jester was suffering a point of exhaustion from a failed survival roll and chose to cast polymorph on herself. Matt ruled that the point of exhaustion did not carry over to the polymorph form. Is that right? Can you just polymorph/true polymorph to get out of exhaustion?

Answer 1

Exhaustion persists through polymorph

Poymorph does replace the creature's game statistics:

The target's game statistics, including mental ability scores, are replaced by the statistics of the chosen beast. It retains its alignment and personality.

Exhaustion however is a condition, not one of the creature's game statistics. Because of that, it does not get replaced by polymorph, and the polymorphed creature still has a level of exaustion. This is similar to other effects that are not part of the creature's game statistics, like spell effects or diseases.

Of course, it is entirely up to the DM if they want to rule differently, and in the case of Matt Mercer here just like in the case of any DM, it can often be better to make some fast ruling and keep the game and action going, rather than to stop everything to pore over rule books to figure out how it exactly works. Especially if that ruling does not break anything, and has no long term negative consequences.