Question about Elf Trance

[Anubis]

Okay, this replaces sleep for an elf. I have a few important questions.

1) How much like sleep is trance?

2) Can you trance in armor without incurring the penalties of sleep?

3) How aware of your surroundings are you in trance and is it like sitting Indiand style meditation?

4) With a ring of sustenance, an elf need only trance 30 minutes, correct? (Basically cutting "sleep" time by 75% as with actual sleep?)

 

[Dash Dannigan]

1) Not quite like sleep, it is a deep thoughtful reverie or meditation over the days activities and how it relates to the elf's life thus far. Keep in mind though an elf needs only 4 hours of trance a wizard or cleric elf would still need another 4 hours of rest (i.e. relaxing, quiet, etc. though awake) to meet the total 8 hours rest needed.

2). I'd imagine that the need to reach reverie and peace of self for an elf would require such attachments to the outside world as armor to be removed as per other sleepers.

3). Yup, indian-style meditation posture and not very aware of their surroundings being in a relatively deep reverie, I have trancing elves a bonus however for waking compared to their sleeping companions.

4). Sustenance ring does indeed decrease the time by the same percentage, however all other requirements still apply for casters and to receive their new spells.

 

[ZSutherland]

I don't think there are any official rules anywhere to answer your questions (though it'd be nice to be wrong as long as someone points it out), but here's what I do.

1) I assume that trance is not particularly like sleep at all, but I do make the assumption that the character's eyes are closed (no spot checks), and takes the "listener distracted" penalty on listen checks and cannot take 20 on listen checks w/o coming out of trance. This could theoretically get complicated if the elf in question managed to get scent or tremorsense or some other non-standard humanoid sense, but I'd adjudicate with the above in mind.

2) I'd adjudicate this as with regular armor but one step up in the elf's favor (can't remember the exact rule). So, if you suffer from sleeping in light armor normally, the elf can trance in light. If the Endurance feat removes the penalty for sleeping in light armor, an elf with Endurance can trance in medium armor. I say this because yes I figure you're sitting lotus, or seiza or somesuch, which isn't as uncomfortable as rolling around in your sleep with 20 pounds of metal for bedding & sheets, but you're also trying to relax.

3) see 1 & 2

4) I've actually always ruled that that function of the ring doesn't work for elves at all. IMC, the trance, since it isn't sleep, implies that elves don't need sleep as all the other humanoids do. They just need a time to quiet the mind, contemplate and learn. The ring reduces sleep requirements. Elves don't sleep. Hence, that part doesn't work for them.

Z

 

[Anubis]

Any other thoughts? There seems to be some disagreement on the armor and ring of sustenance issues.

 

[kreynolds]

IIRC, the Sage ruled that a ring of sustenance does not affect trance. I could be wrong about that though.

 

[Gwydion The Quick]

Ok, then another question regarding the elven trance. If an elf character wants to rttake a complete bed rest will he/she be in trance for 24 hours or sleeping this time normally?

 

[kreynolds]

Complete bed rest is not 24 hours of sleep. It's 24 hours of resting.

 

[Hypersmurf]

I agree completely with ZSutherland regarding the ring.

The ring provides its benefit with two hours of sleep.

Elves do not sleep.

-Hyp.

 

[Dash Dannigan]

I think the real question here is why does a ring of Sustenance that requires the spells Create food & water have any affect on the wearer's Sleep at all? Shouldn't it just mean that the wearer just doesn't have to eat or drink as much??