D&D 5E Can Essence of Ether knock out an elf?

[TheCosmicKid]

Essence of Ether, for those who don't know, is a poison that can be found on p. 258 of the DMG.

Elves, for those who don't know, are a humanoid race that can be found on p. 21 of the PHB.

Read as written, I'm pretty sure the answer to my question is "yes". Elves cannot be put to sleep by magic, but Essence of Ether is neither explicitly magical nor does it use the word "sleep". My real question is what makes sense conceptually. Essence of Ether's unconsciousness does use rules similar to the rules for magical sleep, so does that mean it's a sleep-like state? If so, do you think elves would be immune or resistant to it, since sleep is just something their bodies don't do?

 

[Jester David]

Elves are immune to sleep, not unconsciousness. But that does seem to be more sleep based. I'd rule "no".

 

[aco175]

The poison states that the creature makes a Con save or become poisoned for 8 hours. The creature is also unconscious. The creature wakes if it takes damage or is shaken.

It does say that the target becomes poisoned and elves can be poisoned. One of the affects of being poisoned is unconsciousness. It may be designed to make someone immune to sleep be able to in effect be put to sleep by making them poisoned. It doesn't say that the poisoned condition is cured once the character is woken and should still be for the 8 hours.

I would tend to go with it being able to knock out elves. Of course elves would be aware of it and hunt down dealers and known users of it to prevent the poison from being widespread.

 

[Sebastrd]

Since a primary tactic of drow has long been to incapacitate opponents with sleep poison, that their most hated opponent has always been other elves, and that elves have been immune to magical sleep in every edition I can remember, I'd say that sleep poison probably works on elves.

 

[Oofta]

I would also let ether work on elves. They aren't being put to sleep, they are knocked unconscious and they are not immune to poison.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Elves are not even immune to being put to sleep. The ability says "Magic can't put you to sleep" If something puts someone to sleep as long as it's not magic it works on them. So poison works.