How to deal with Sleeping Characters - Need info ASAP - Game tonight

JDragon

Explorer
Ok,

Sorry to hit you all with a quick response ? but I know this group can handle it. :-)

Heres the situation...

The party is in town and will be sleeping at an INN that the bad guys have access to including dup keys to the parties rooms.

The plan is, using the dup keys to slip into the parties rooms and steal their all the backpacks, hopefully without waking the party members.

This is where I need help. How should I deal with the party waking up? Listen DC's, checks to make up and so on.

I realize it will have to be modified based on their actions, but I need a base to work from. I'm hoping they will think they are safe and not post a watch. :-P

JDragon
 

log in or register to remove this ad

well it would be opposed checks off the bat with a penalty to the listen check of like -20 or something I think for sleeping. Can't remember exactly what the penalty is but know it isn't a light penalty.
 

JDragon said:
Ok,

Sorry to hit you all with a quick response ? but I know this group can handle it. :-)

Heres the situation...

The party is in town and will be sleeping at an INN that the bad guys have access to including dup keys to the parties rooms.

The plan is, using the dup keys to slip into the parties rooms and steal their all the backpacks, hopefully without waking the party members.

This is where I need help. How should I deal with the party waking up? Listen DC's, checks to make up and so on.

I realize it will have to be modified based on their actions, but I need a base to work from. I'm hoping they will think they are safe and not post a watch. :-P

JDragon

I give sleeping characters a -10 circumstance penalty on their Listen checks. A successful Listen check will wake a character.

Just set the base DC on what the PHB gives for various actions, and modify for range accordingly.

For example: A man in platemail (Listen DC 0) walks through the door, which is 25' (+2 DC) away from the sleeping character. The character must make a Listen check with a DC of 2 and a -10 penalty to his roll. If he makes it, he wakes up. If the armored man moves closer, the character can make another Listen check. In fact, the character should probably get a new Listen check each round the armored man moves in the vicinity.

For sneaky types, have them make a Move Silently roll to set the base DC. They can take 10 on this roll as long as they are not under immediate duress (in combat, etc.).
 

I'd say -10 to listen checks, against the invader's move silently checks. Simple as that.

Of course, any party that doesn't alarm the door somehow gets what they deserve.

-The Souljourner
 



It's almost the same thing. -10 on a roll that's going to average 10.5 :)

I think he's rationale is that a dice roll simulates an active use of a skill and sleeping made it impossible to be active :)

-10 works for me too :)

IceBear
 
Last edited:

Souljourner & Schmoe & Berk

Thanks for the quick response. Sounds good to me just wasn't sure and wanted a second opinion.

IceBear

What would taking a 0 mean, would it ve like taking 10 and adding skill/ability mods?

Thanks

JDragon
 

Yeah, assume they rolled a 0.

I'd probably give the -10 penalty because:

1) On average it's the same as Sean's suggestion, and;

2) Ambushing a sleeping party is probably not going to go well for the players. Given then they could all die if no one hears anything, letting them roll at least gives them the sense that they have some control over their fate.

IceBear
 

I agree with Sean Reynolds. It is equivalent to taking 0 on a check. Since at close range the difficulty to hear something take place is often less than 0, normal conversation or a failed move silently check will in general wake someone up.

Against a rogue of any level, you are probably dead - which sad to say is realistic.

Furthermore, on the round you wake up, I normally only allow a partial action.
 

Remove ads

Top