Eladrin trance - 'waking' penalty?

[Narluin]

Trance: Rather than sleep, eladrin enter a meditative state known as trance. You need to spend 4 hours in this state to gain the same benefits other races gain from taking a 6-hour extended rest. While in a trance, you are fully aware of your surroundings and notice approaching enemies and other events as normal.

The thing missing from this text is what penalty there is, if any, from exiting the trance.

Say an eladrin in a trance notices an approaching enemy (makes passive perception check, no surprise). Can he immediately exit the trance? Without penalty? Or should exiting a trance incur the same penalties as being woken from sleep?

My group has ruled no penalty. But as the eladrin, I feel a bit guilty (seems a pretty powerful perk) and wonder whether this is correct.
I've been unable to find any official - or otherwise! - clarification. How do most of you rule on this?

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I would agree, that ther e should be no penalty, but you still are unarmed and unarmored like anyone else.

 

[Ryujin]

No penalty. Unlike a creature that sleeps, you are fully aware of your surroundings.

 

[SmoothZey]

no penalty and for the unarmed and unarmored thing ... if ur eladrin wear a leather armor (or any armor without check penalty), i don't think u have any kind of penalty on ur AC. If you took quickdraw ... it say ''you can draw a weapon as part of the same action used to attack'' so as long as you pass the passive perception check ... i dont think u have any penalty.

 

[Narluin]

No penalty. Unlike a creature that sleeps, you are fully aware of your surroundings.

See, I don't equate 'you are fully aware of your surroundings' with 'you are fully responsive'.

Failing any official clarification, I'd rule that, while being fully aware of the surroundings, the mind is still in a restful state; and that to actually *respond* to an outside stimulus would require exiting the trance, which would incur similar penalties to being woken up from sleep.

It still leaves this as a great advantage (being fully aware is much better than being unconscious). I just think being fully responsive as well is a bit OPd.

Plus, I'm annoyed that I've been singled out as being on guard duty before, during and after my short trance!

And to the other post about not having armor/weapons... erm, not necessarily. When adventuring, my party doesn't tend to take off all but the heaviest armor. And when in a trance, I don't see why I can't have my sword sitting right next to me ready to roll.

 

[john112364]

I agree with everyone else. No penalty.

Unless you count the fact that you get to man EVERY watch during an extended rest a penalty. And if something sneaks up on the party IT'S YOUR FAULT! (Unless you know the "Shift Blame" ritual.)

 

[Mort_Q]

Isn't the penalty that you don't sucsessfully complete your extended rest?

 

[Infiniti2000]

What's the penalty for waking up from sleep?

 

[Garthanos]

What's the penalty for waking up from sleep?

A couple of my friends have had "grumpy and mean to allies and enemies a like" as their personal awoken in the middle of it penalties... their concious/subconcious method of penalizing those doing the waking I suppose.

In source material

Heros dont usually have much problems, comedy relief characters and lucky heros usually stumble about and accidently harm or avoid the bad guys in what appears to be a dazed state.(Bilbo Baggins as an early example).

 

[Ryujin]

See, I don't equate 'you are fully aware of your surroundings' with 'you are fully responsive'.

Failing any official clarification, I'd rule that, while being fully aware of the surroundings, the mind is still in a restful state; and that to actually *respond* to an outside stimulus would require exiting the trance, which would incur similar penalties to being woken up from sleep.

It still leaves this as a great advantage (being fully aware is much better than being unconscious). I just think being fully responsive as well is a bit OPd.

Plus, I'm annoyed that I've been singled out as being on guard duty before, during and after my short trance!

And to the other post about not having armor/weapons... erm, not necessarily. When adventuring, my party doesn't tend to take off all but the heaviest armor. And when in a trance, I don't see why I can't have my sword sitting right next to me ready to roll.

"While in a trance you are fully aware of your surroundings and notice approaching enemies and other events as normal."

Compared to the "... you're unconscious. You wake up if you take damage or if you make a successful perception check (with a -5 penalty) to hear sounds of danger" in the section on sleeping? Sounds to me like the sleeping condition is the issue. Eladrins don't do it.

My character meditates with his sword in hand, laying across his lap, and while wearing his (leather) armour.