D&D 5E Going Without Sleep

[Jester David]

There are rules included in the PHB/ Basic Rules for going without food and water. And in the Ability Check section there is the suggestion that Constitution checks could be used to stay awake and avoid falling asleep.

But when would you need to do so? After how much time should someone have to make a check to avoid falling asleep?
And what would the penalties be for being unable to sleep?

 

[Lanliss]

I would say one after 24 hours, then maybe every 4-8 hours after that. After 48 hours without sleep, gain a level of exhaustion for every success.

EDIT: Should note, I doubt it is completely realistic to die after 3-4 days without sleep, but it seems simple enough to work with.

 

[Xeviat]

https://www.sleepio.com/articles/sleep-science/how-long-can-you-go-without-sleep/

3-4 days is a bit too short. I'd probably give a point of fatigue on a failed constitution check to stay awake. The lack of HP recovery and spell recovery will drive the party to rest first.

 

[Lanliss]

https://www.sleepio.com/articles/sleep-science/how-long-can-you-go-without-sleep/

3-4 days is a bit too short. I'd probably give a point of fatigue on a failed constitution check to stay awake. The lack of HP recovery and spell recovery will drive the party to rest first.

Yep, figured I was going a bit short. Another way to go then could be doing a point of exhaustion for every 24 hours after the first. Of course, after a few points of fatigue it probably won't be the lack of sleep that kills them, considering the average adventuring day.

 

[77IM]

Yeah, I'd make the exhaustion automatic every 24 hours, and only use Con checks to stay awake (i.e. if you FAIL the check you might wind up taking a long rest and recovering an exhaustion level, assuming you're well-fed and comfortable).

 

[Warrior Poet]

I believe some years back the U.S. Department of Defense oversaw flight simulation studies on military pilots in which a control group was compared with a group that had blood-alcohol levels above the legal limit for operating a vehicle, and a third group that had twenty-four (or more) hours without sleep. Results indicated sleep deprivation proved even more detrimental in the simulators than baseline legal intoxication (.08 blood-alcohol content in many parts of the United States).

Which is not an argument for operating vehicles under the influence of alcohol. However, it does suggest that sleep-deprivation is very bad for things like decision-making, dexterity precision, reaction time, and so forth. In addition, there are a growing number of studies examining the effects of sleep deprivation among medical residents assigned to 24- or 36-hour shifts on ward, and the results aren't good.

Which is the long way around to say that, in addition to the saving throws, you might also consider sleep-deprivation effects expressed as things like penalties to dexterity-based activity, reductions on intelligence-based and wisdom-based checks, and similar, as well as eventual h.p. damage at some point. Sleep deprivation is bad. There's a reason our brains need rest cycles.

Still learning,

Robert

 

[dmnqwk]

The main thing to consider when actively avoiding sleep is are they active or passive when doing so? If, for example, they are simply travelling through a jungle and trying to avoid sleep it'll be different to if they are racing to find a cure for a mysterious ailment. Again these would both differ from simply trying to stay awake because they are simply trying to catch a monster at night via an ambush while maintaining their normal activities in the daytime.

My recommendation would be something along the following guidelines:
1) The first night requires no check and the character suffers no additional penalties.
2) On the second night onwards Wisdom checks DC 3+1/night (so 5 on the 2nd night, 6 on the 3rd etc) because it is willpower and a mental aptitude to stay awake as opposed to a physical one.
3) For each night past the first where sleep is skipped, a Constitution check DC 8+1/night is required or the character suffers an additional level of insomnia.

Insomnia Table: (effects are cumulative)
1: You suffer no ill effects.
2: You find it difficult to focus on tasks. You have disadvantage on all ability checks.
3: You find it difficult to focus on anything . You have disadvantage on all attacks, and saving throws.
4: Concentration becomes extremely difficult. You may not concentrate on any spell, and any task requiring you to concentrate requires a Wisdom check DC 10 or it fails automatically.
5: You barely keep it together. You cannot perform any task requiring proficiency and to recall information such as a password or code requires an Intelligence DC 15 check.
6: You fall asleep.

Recovery Time (based on the highest rank of Insomnia the character experienced)
Rank 1-2: After a single night of sleep the character will recover to rank 0 on the table.
Rank 3-5: After a single night of sleep the character will be reduced to rank 2 on the Insomnia Table. For every 2 nights without sleep 24 hours of rest is required to reduce Insomnia to 0.
Rank 6: After a single night of sleep the character will return to rank 4 on the Table. After 48 hours of rest they will be reduced to rank 2. For every 2 nights without sleep an additional 24 hours of rest is required to reduce Insomnia to 0.

Future Deprivation: If the character is required to repeat sleep deprivation within a period of 1 week per Insomnia rank achieved, the DCs are increased by 5.

 

[Flamestrike]

The main thing to consider when actively avoiding sleep is are they active or passive when doing so? If, for example, they are simply travelling through a jungle and trying to avoid sleep it'll be different to if they are racing to find a cure for a mysterious ailment. Again these would both differ from simply trying to stay awake because they are simply trying to catch a monster at night via an ambush while maintaining their normal activities in the daytime.

My recommendation would be something along the following guidelines:
1) The first night requires no check and the character suffers no additional penalties.
2) On the second night onwards Wisdom checks DC 3+1/night (so 5 on the 2nd night, 6 on the 3rd etc) because it is willpower and a mental aptitude to stay awake as opposed to a physical one.
3) For each night past the first where sleep is skipped, a Constitution check DC 8+1/night is required or the character suffers an additional level of insomnia.

Insomnia Table: (effects are cumulative)
1: You suffer no ill effects.
2: You find it difficult to focus on tasks. You have disadvantage on all ability checks.
3: You find it difficult to focus on anything . You have disadvantage on all attacks, and saving throws.
4: Concentration becomes extremely difficult. You may not concentrate on any spell, and any task requiring you to concentrate requires a Wisdom check DC 10 or it fails automatically.
5: You barely keep it together. You cannot perform any task requiring proficiency and to recall information such as a password or code requires an Intelligence DC 15 check.
6: You fall asleep.

Recovery Time (based on the highest rank of Insomnia the character experienced)
Rank 1-2: After a single night of sleep the character will recover to rank 0 on the table.
Rank 3-5: After a single night of sleep the character will be reduced to rank 2 on the Insomnia Table. For every 2 nights without sleep 24 hours of rest is required to reduce Insomnia to 0.
Rank 6: After a single night of sleep the character will return to rank 4 on the Table. After 48 hours of rest they will be reduced to rank 2. For every 2 nights without sleep an additional 24 hours of rest is required to reduce Insomnia to 0.

Future Deprivation: If the character is required to repeat sleep deprivation within a period of 1 week per Insomnia rank achieved, the DCs are increased by 5.

Good lord.

How about 'Make a DC 15 Con check or suffer a level of exhaustion.'

 

[Jester David]

https://www.sleepio.com/articles/sleep-science/how-long-can-you-go-without-sleep/

3-4 days is a bit too short. I'd probably give a point of fatigue on a failed constitution check to stay awake. The lack of HP recovery and spell recovery will drive the party to rest first.

I'm really putting my low level party through the wringer for this campaign. They're old heads and we're a solid group, so they can handle being the underdog.

The last session ended with the group traveling for a day and getting ready to rest, ostensibly for the night before continuing their journey. I thought it'd be interesting to spring an ambush on them as a prelude to more attackers coming. So if they rest overnight, the horde of goblins descends on them.

This means they have at least a few hours of forced marching followed by a lack of sleep.
And maybe short sleeps the next few nights too.

 

[Jester David]

I believe some years back the U.S. Department of Defense oversaw flight simulation studies on military pilots in which a control group was compared with a group that had blood-alcohol levels above the legal limit for operating a vehicle, and a third group that had twenty-four (or more) hours without sleep. Results indicated sleep deprivation proved even more detrimental in the simulators than baseline legal intoxication (.08 blood-alcohol content in many parts of the United States).

Which is not an argument for operating vehicles under the influence of alcohol. However, it does suggest that sleep-deprivation is very bad for things like decision-making, dexterity precision, reaction time, and so forth. In addition, there are a growing number of studies examining the effects of sleep deprivation among medical residents assigned to 24- or 36-hour shifts on ward, and the results aren't good.

Which is the long way around to say that, in addition to the saving throws, you might also consider sleep-deprivation effects expressed as things like penalties to dexterity-based activity, reductions on intelligence-based and wisdom-based checks, and similar, as well as eventual h.p. damage at some point. Sleep deprivation is bad. There's a reason our brains need rest cycles.

Still learning,

Robert

This was also on an episode of MythBuster, and their tests confirmed driving while tired is as bad as driving while drunk.