Elven spellcasters at rest

[candidus_cogitens]

What does your elf spellcaster do after his or her four hours of reverie? Play solitaire? Read a novel? Play with her familiar? Keep watch?

Another question: what does your DM allow? The books say you can't do anything physically or mentally demanding, including using skills, talking, or moving around. Does that effectively eliminate the possibility of your elf posting watch while resting? Does it rule out reading, humming, playing a soft melody on your fiddle??

 

[Crothian]

Correct, the other 4 hours are basically spent meditating. Sort of like the same thing wizards do during that eight hours of the Identify spell.

 

[-Ekimus-]

Well, the 2 DMs that we have and play with, it is essential to keep watch at night. its basically a D6 to get ambushed, and if no one is keeping watch, we all get Coup De Gras'ed without any possibilities, like listen checks, etc. It's great to have elves in that situation so you dont get screwed, and everyone can have a full nights rest. Other than getting ambushed, we just skip over the remaining time to get the session rolling. Thats my experience with it.

 

[Darkness]

Moved to Rules.

 

[Thanee]

We allow keeping watch after the 4h, but we are not too strict with this 8h restriction for elven casters anyways (as it doesn't seem necessary or even reasonable (to us at least)).

Now the 8h recent casting limit, that's the real restriction!

Bye
Thanee

 

[Shard O'Glase]

I'm as restirctive as possible on this rule. They weasled this fairly signifigant benefit for elves into the flavor text, acting like it wasn't one of their beneifts so it gets as small of a in game benefit as possible out of me.

 

[Zaruthustran]

Elfs who are trancing (what a dumb term) are able to keep watch. Even people who are dead asleep get a listen check to hear people approach; certainly a non-sleeping Elf should be able to make the same sort of check.

Maybe give a Trancing Elf a -2 circumstance penalty to Spot and Listen. While his eyes are open and he can certainly hear, his mind is not focused on the job.

-z, who also wishes wotc did a better job explaining trance.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

It's called reverie.

And we usually split the watch between the two elven characters (both some sort of wizard). But again, we're only three charakters in the Party (the other being a half-elf druid) and it would be very hard otherwise.

Also, the "can't make skill checks" doesn't mean he can't take an idle look around. It's not as effective as prowling the camp's perimeter, but enemies won't creep up on a sleeping party and slay them.
Also, spot and listen checks usually occur whenever you're awake and someone happens in your sensory range.
You're the elven spellcaster, you had your 4 hours of reverie, and now you don a blindfold and earplugs, for every cricket's chirp will ruin your rest. Doesn't sound right. So I say you can just sit (or lie) there without ruining your rest. You won't be able to hear a squirrel cough, but you don't have to be blind and deaf!

 

[candidus_cogitens]

For those of you who want to review the rule, it is on p. 154 of the players handbook.

It occurred to me that when it says you have to refrain from movement, it may not include such things as turning your head or pacing back and forth, since "movement" in the d20 system generally refers to actual travel to a different position.

And then if you take into account what KaeYoss said--that you can hardly expect an awake character to not listen or see anything--you pretty much HAVE to allow them to make listen and spot checks as well.

So, I'm leaning towards allowing them to keep watch.

 

[mkletch]

It's called reverie.

It's called trance. See the PHB p120. It was reverie in 2E, but it was cut because that was even more stupid than trance. Seems trivial, but the details are everything...

Some skills use is passive, like spot, listen or intuit direction. Other skill use is more active, like craft, profession or alchemy. It is the active skills that are prohibited.

As for the no-sleep thing being a huge benefit, I'm assuming that the -2 Con more than makes up for it. That is the harshest of the racial ability tradeoffs.

-Fletch!