Sleep

[Harmon]

Kinda curious about the thoughts on sleep and how you feel about the rules regarding sleep.

Is it possible to have a character function using "power naps" instead of sleeping a full eight? (Forget the rules for a sec, consider your own sleeping habits, with regards to this part of the question.)

Do you think its possible for a wizard to get his required sleep/rest of eight hours so that the following day s/he can memorize spells the following day while living out in the wilds/dungeon/etc?

 

[Felix]

I knew a guy in high school that took about fifteen 20 minute naps a day and functioned just fine. Every now and again you'd be walking accross the quad when Gary would lie down on a bench and take a nap. 20 minutes later he'd get up and get back to what he was doing. Crazy, but it worked for him.

As for wizards, they need 8 hours of rest to clear their mind; they don't have to memorize spells immediately. They just have to spend an hour studying their spellbook to fill their entire allotment of spell slots. Theoretically, a wizard could rest for 8 hours, stay awake for 2 days, and then memorize his spells. I would impose concentration checks for being exhausted, but that'd be a house rule.

As for needing sleep, does it say anywhere that character actually have to sleep? It's implied, but nowhere does it say "A PC has to have X hours of sleep each night or he becomes fatigued." Or maybe it does, and I just haven't seen it.

 

[Three_Haligonians]

Strangely enough I was just flipping through the DMG a couple nights ago, and found this section in it:

"The game has no rules for trying to stay awake through the night . . . you have to be ready to make up checks for such non-standard activities. Using the example situations above, staying awake might be a Constitution check (DC 12, +4 for every previous night without sleep), with an elf character gaining a +2 bonus on her check because an elf is only giving up 4 hours of trance instead of 8 hours of sleep." (pg 33)

Anyway, I know that's not the question of the original post, but just thought I'd put it in there incase you're interested,

R from Three Haligonians

 

[Crothian]

Kinda curious about the thoughts on sleep and how you feel about the rules regarding sleep.

Is it possible to have a character function using "power naps" instead of sleeping a full eight? (Forget the rules for a sec, consider your own sleeping habits, with regards to this part of the question.)

Spellcasters are a differnt breed since by the rules they need rest, but if we ignore that then its more then okay for people to take powernaps and be okay. a two hour nap every 12 hours while not optimal is enough to get a person by. Its what sleep experts recommend for people who have to stay awake long hours like disaster relief personel. Learned that from Piratecat!!

 

[Knightfall]

Interesting... reading. However, I'm off to do jusst as the title so simply states... Sleep.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Do you think its possible for a wizard to get his required sleep/rest of eight hours

You could always just ditch the 8 hours rest for arcane casters to bring them into line with divine casters. (Why didn't WotC want arcane casters standing watch at night I wonder?)

 

[Harmon]

Very good points. A little change up on the current line of thought.

I have a Ranger that travels with a group, he spends much of his time with just one spell (he can't get anymore at present) so what he does is- when the party stops to rest he catches a nap. He takes multiple watches at night to help the four spell casters in the group, but he gets his full eight (the GM threatened negitives for not enough sleep), the GM also seems to disagree with my sleep ideas.

On a personal note- I can't think of more then a half dozen nights in my thirty plus years of life when I got eight hours of sleep. Guess I am just not thinking clearly

Thank you for your thoughts and please, any thoughts on rules or where to find stuff on sleep in D&D, please forward it.

 

[Silveras]

Very good points. A little change up on the current line of thought.

I have a Ranger that travels with a group, he spends much of his time with just one spell (he can't get anymore at present) so what he does is- when the party stops to rest he catches a nap. He takes multiple watches at night to help the four spell casters in the group, but he gets his full eight (the GM threatened negitives for not enough sleep), the GM also seems to disagree with my sleep ideas.

On a personal note- I can't think of more then a half dozen nights in my thirty plus years of life when I got eight hours of sleep. Guess I am just not thinking clearly

Thank you for your thoughts and please, any thoughts on rules or where to find stuff on sleep in D&D, please forward it.

You might also want to check out the Players Handbook, p. 164 (3.5 version), on Forced Marches.
If you keep exerting yourself without enough rest, you make Fort saves vs. an increasing DC. Failure causes you non-lethal damage, and you become Fatigued.

Speaking as a player, sounds like an interesting quirk that would help define the character's personality. Party stops for 2 minutes to check the map, and when ready to move, someone has to "wake the ranger".

Now, speaking as a DM, if one of my players suggested the same, I would probably deny it. Why ? Because as DM, I have more than enough to keep track of without having 1 PC out of 4 or 5 be a special case regarding sleep. How many naps did X get today ? How long were they ? The party was stuck at a door for 20 minutes while the Rogue "took 20" on the lock... did X get a nap in then ? Has X had enough sleep that he can stay awake all night and keep going in the morning, or should he be stumbling from exhaustion come sunup ?

Granted that D&D is, in general, a "game of exceptions", I would not be thrilled with the idea of having something else to make sure is not being abused.

What might work, though, is a home-brew feat. If "power napping" is a acquired trait, a feat that let you get rest in small bursts that added together might be Ok. Speaking as a DM, I would be less worried that it might be abused if it was paid for with a Feat slot.

 

[coyote6]

I think Piratecat should write up some sleep rules.