D&D 5E How do you handle sleeping guards/monsters/victims?

[Jester David]

I wouldn't worry about the rules in this instance.

Yes, technically, they'd be unconscious and it'd be an automatic critical hit. Which could kill, but could also not. (Unless there's a rogue in the party.) What ends up happening is a prolonged encounter with surprised, unarmed, and unarmoured enemies that are easily dispatched and barely hurt the PCs. While they might grab weapons, it's unlikely they'll have time to donn armour.
It's spending time on a battle that is a foregone conclusion.

Unless the keep is large enough that getting from one side to another could take several minutes. At that point, the trick is killing the guards before they can raise the alarm.
It really depends how many guards...

 

[jasper]

how they got into the barracks in the first place, but that's a whole other issue. ...
They bluff the CQ saying they were delivering pizza.

 

[Satyrn]

In this kind of situation, I would say that humanoids just get killed. In my view, the uncertainty of whether anyone will wake up is reasonably negated by expenditure of resources (pass without trace spell plus time) and removing any potential threats (awake guards) before setting about their grisly work. I'd probably throw in some fun complications along the way, such as a sleep walker, random patrol, or wandering dog. But otherwise, their approach seems sufficient to achieve their goal.

The difficulty of a challenge is not static. It changes based on the choices the players make. In this case, the players made some good choices and the difficulty decreased - and that's a good thing. It means their choices matter.

Aye. I was gonna say the same thing, along with a good splash of [MENTION=37579]Jester David[/MENTION]'s thoughts.

 

[Yunru]

For the second I would have the players make several stealth checks. In reaching towards the victims throat the player would have to avoid making the bed squeak, avoid breathing to hard, or another situational difficulty.

Of course my mass murdering arsonist players never do any of this.

Gee I wonder why?
With even only a 10% chance of failure, three checks in a row has only a 72.9% chance of success.

 

[Nailen]

The rogue/wizard was at +15 on his Stealth rolls...
This barracks is in Rivergard Keep in PotA. They signed up with Jolliver and were assigned bunks. They also brought in a small keg of beer to share with their new guard companions, and to get them to sleep more deeply...

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[DemonSlayer]

In my game, it's an automatic kill unless it's someone high level/important. Advantage on an attack seems ridiculous when you could plunge your dagger in their throat without any resistance. I would not make a player roll to hit in situations like that. If the creature is not humanoid, there might be a chance you mess up, like don't roll a 1.

 

[sekigahara08]

very carefully, so as not to wake them.

 

[Coroc]

So, last night the party had inveigled their way into Rivergard Keep barracks and bedded down for the night. An hour or so later, once everyone (bar the two on watch) were asleep, the party monk cast Pass Without Trace on the whole party (+10 on Sneak rolls) and they proceeded to slaughter the other occupants.

We've always ruled that after casting Sleep the monsters can be dispatched by slitting the throat without needing a roll. So I figured that would be the case here. There was some discussion at the table as we agreed they had to make an attack roll with ADV to hit AC 10 (people in bed asleep do not wear armour).
They have cleared out most of the keep garrison while barely breaking a sweat.

In the cold light of day it all seems a bit easy. Especially as Pass Without Trace lasts an hour. I'm tempted to have it wear off just as the enter the keep.

How do you handle sleeping monsters in your game?

If you rule it this way make a stealth check for everyone involved, with advantage but make it. Some mobs have a deep sleep some do not. If someone botches he makes a noise. Make a perception check with disadvantage for the mobs. If they pass some mob awakens and shouts. The mobs are surprised but normal combat follows.

If someone fails the attack roll he fumbles the throat cutting and the mob screams in pain. proceed like above.

Depending on the kind of mob treated that way the party is in for an alignment check.

Fighting in self defense is a different thing to cold blooded murder.

Any LG and at least any Paladin in the group should strongly object to this procedure unless the mobs are incarnate evil. Maybe with marauding raping orcs it is ok, but soldiers of an enemy city who might be LN alignment themselves it is not.

 

[Harzel]

We've always ruled that after casting Sleep the monsters can be dispatched by slitting the throat without needing a roll. So I figured that would be the case here.

How do you handle sleeping monsters in your game?

For opponents that have been Sleep'd, I allow them to be slaughtered if there is essentially nothing at stake, for example, if the combat encounter is otherwise over. But IMO there are aspects of your situation that would make me treat it very differently. First, noise has a chance to awaken a creature sleeping naturally (although consumption of alcohol could decrease that), and second it seems likely that some guards waking up could have deleterious consequences for the PCs (unless there really are only a few guards and no one else in the keep that might be alerted).

The Sleep spell makes you unconscious, but it also only can be broken with a slap, shake, damage or spell duration expiring. I'm not sure if non-magical sleep has the same rules.

The group made a good choice of using the pass without trace to get into position for the surpise attack, but I would still think a stealth vs perception roll would be needed to make sure that no one wakes up before the attack. Even if the party gets +10 to their stealth roll and the DM decides that being asleep gives the guards disadvantage on their perception check, there is still a chance that the guards could hear the ambush coming.

There is no 'sleeping' condition in the game. Unconcious should be close, but sleeping people are not 'unaware of their surroundings'. I know that I leap out of bed if I hear the sound of a dog about to throw up, so guards should be conditioned to wake up to the sound of someone getting stabbed to death in the bed next to them.

If the rules clarify this, then I would go with what the rules say. If I was going to make a ruling at the table without looking anything up, I would say that every round where someone is attacked then there should be a good chance of people waking up.

I like to imagine what the players would do if the roles were reversed. If I let some assassins get a free surprise attack on them while sleeping they would not be very happy. Especially if the rest of the party does not wake up after the first attack.

Pretty much agree with this, except that for me it is not "like to imagine" - I consider it mandatory that I rule the same way whether it is the PCs attacking or being attacked.

 

[jasper]

...

Any LG and at least any Paladin in the group should strongly object to this procedure unless the mobs are incarnate evil. Maybe with marauding raping orcs it is ok, but soldiers of an enemy city who might be LN alignment themselves it is not.

Tim the Guard, “What is your name and mission?"
Paladin, “Peter Parker the Purple Paladin of Pennsylvania. I am on a secret mission to acquire the invasion plans of my kingdom from your Queen Obi-wan of Ohio.”
Tim the Guard, “Sorry you can’t come in. We a LN kingdom. Go away!”
Peter Parker the Purple Paladin, “But, But, Then I will have to spend summer in Philadelphia!”
Tim the Guard, “Sorry, that sucks.“
Peter Parker the Purple Paladin “Would help to say I the distraction and the rest my group is currently killing the guards in the barracks?”
Tim the Guard, “nope now off with you!”