D&D 5E Can Elves Watch Over the Party Though the Night?

[Charlaquin]

Right, which I thought I made clear initially. An elf can take two watches but they still need 4 hours of not doing anything other than trancing, even being on watch.

Right, agreed, and that's true of both rulings. Just saying that what changed between the initial Crawford ruling and the new one was whether or not the elf would have their spells and HP back during their two watches (or be able to spend hit dice before their two watches, if you use the longer rest times from the DMG). Assuming, of course, that they do their trance for the first 4 hours and take their watches for the second 4.

As far as being on watch while meditating, I've been known to not hear people talking to me while reading a book. If I'm reading a good story I may not even look up if a gaggle of orcs tromped through my living room*. Guess I don't see meditating as any different.

*Although in fairness when I was a kid if my mom mentioned my name anywhere within a 2 mile radius my ears perked up.

Yeah, I agree on that as well. I kinda view trance as like a lucid dreaming kind of state. You may be semi-conscious, but that doesn't mean you're aware of your physical surroundings.

 

[Hriston]

Right ... but they still need that 4 hours of trancing without doing any light activity including standing watch.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it! Well, in my campaign anyway.

EDIT: I did check the most recent sage advice, so I don't see how it matters. Maybe I'm just missing something.

Ah, I read your last sentence as “They still need 4 hours of standing watch.” I.e., to fill in the eight hours. My bad.

 

[Hriston]

Semiconscious is not the same as conscious. (shrug) Not sure where the argument is.

Neither is semiconscious the same as unconscious. I think this must be a glass half full or half empty thing.

 

[Umbran]

Neither is semiconscious the same as unconscious. I think this must be a glass half full or half empty thing.

I think the "deeply into reading a book" analogy is reasonable. Anything you might miss if you were deeply inot a book, you're probably going to miss while in a trance. Disadvantage on perception seems appropriate.

 

[CleverNickName]

Neither is semiconscious the same as unconscious. I think this must be a glass half full or half empty thing.

Not really. You aren't asking about how much water is in the glass; you are asking if there is a glass of water present or not (meaning, you either have a guard or you don't). I've been semiconscious before (I bet that lots of people who've head their wisdom teeth extracted have also been) and let me tell ya, I barely even remember getting from the taxi to my apartment.

The quality of our hypothetical guard ("the amount of water in the glass") is handled by the Perception check, right? Was he alert enough to see/hear the assassins approaching? Was he looking the right direction at the right time? Did a bird call distract him? Let's find out...roll Perception.

So maybe that's the way to do it. Instead of a flat "no you can't do that," maybe I should instead rule that if a guard isn't giving their full attention, they make Perception checks at Disadvantage. Or maybe the creatures hiding in the woods get Advantage on Stealth? Maybe both?

 

[Oofta]

Not really. You aren't asking about how much water is in the glass; you are asking if there is a glass of water present or not (meaning, you either have a guard or you don't). I've been semiconscious before (I bet that lots of people who've head their wisdom teeth extracted have also been) and let me tell ya, I barely even remember getting from the taxi to my apartment.

The quality of our hypothetical guard ("the amount of water in the glass") is handled by the Perception check, right? Was he alert enough to see/hear the assassins approaching? Was he looking the right direction at the right time? Did a bird call distract him? Let's find out...roll Perception.

So maybe that's the way to do it. Instead of a flat "no you can't do that," maybe I should instead rule that if a guard isn't giving their full attention, they make Perception checks at Disadvantage. Or maybe the creatures hiding in the woods get Advantage on Stealth? Maybe both?

Well, typically PCs are resting at night in the dark so they're already at disadvantage on their perception because of dim light. Unless you're generous and there's a moon.

In any case when I'm really in the zone I can ignore just about anything. Especially my wife.

 

[lall]

How works Passive Perception for elf during Trance?

D&D Sage Advice ·

www.google.com

 

[Oofta]

How works Passive Perception for elf during Trance?

D&D Sage Advice ·

www.google.com

Well, that's another tweet I disagree with.

 

[Charlaquin]

How works Passive Perception for elf during Trance?

D&D Sage Advice ·

www.google.com

I don’t think the premise of the question (that a sleeping character’s passive perception doesn’t apply) is accurate. The Unconscious condition says the creature is unaware of its surroundings but doesn’t specify how/if that affects passive perception. And the (admittedly optional) rules for waking a sleeping creature in Xanathar’s guide are based on passive perception, so...

 

[The Glen]

Not unless you want to wake up missing a kidney. Never trust those shifty backstabbing treehuggers