D&D 5E Sleeping in armor

[evileeyore]

It's all dependent on how restrictive the armor is.*

I've napped in Roman style Lorica Segmentata, a (clamshell) Breastplate, Hard Boiled Leather, Chain Hauberk, and Scale Hauberk.

The worst was the Breastplate (followed by the Hard Leather), very hard to get comfy in, ended up slept sitting up - so if you can do that you're fine-ish. I was a bit knackered, but not really slowed down. I imagine having to sleep that way for multiple days would be rough.

The other armors were okayish, once I removed the gorget (neck armor) and nut cup. Something I could get used to, but I really wouldn't want to.



* Based on my personal experience, if you're already making sleeping in "the rough" difficult (ie making Endurance checks to sleep well), then Celebrim's system seems fair. As for armor "sucking the heat from you", not so. Most heavy metal armors have a thick padded cloth worn under it, otherwise the spots it rubs on your body would get raw fast. This thick padded Arming Coat is pretty damn good at keeping the heat in.

Some armors skip the Arming Coat (Lorica Segmentata) because it's banded armor over thick leather. So it too is a bit warm (though the open and breezy leather skirt helps keep you cooler).

This was all in Florida, both in Summer (high 90's fall over dead from heat stroke) and mid-Winter (dropped to below freezing) weathers. In the Winter I'd favor heavier armor, it keeps you warmer. In Summer I'd favor "Barbarian" style semi-nude combat. With our humidity and heat... any armor will kill you faster than the enemy.


So no. I wouldn't bother making my PCs take off their armor. If I wanted to be "semi-realistic" I'd adopt something similar to Celebrim's Endurance checks. Which in 5e most Fighter type will be making easily.

 

[Evenglare]

So here's the real question, if sleeping in armor doesn't matter why would you never sleep in it? Why even have the rule of donning armor?

 

[Kaylos]

Because it isn't comfortable. As species, humankind does all sorts of things for comfort, even take unnecessary safety risks, as I can attest from working in Safety in Manufacturing. Also, the longer you wear clothes or armor, the more soiled they get which can lead to hygiene issues with the body. Armor strapped to the body will chafe over time, also causing skin issues.

But when it isn't safe, the body can manage to all sorts of strange things. I am a heavy sleeper, sleep like the dead. Nothing wakes me. Yet in Iraq as an Infantry Platoon Leader, I slept very light. Certain sounds would wake me an instant to full wakefulness ready to move like I was being attacked (cause that could have been the case). I also went a 3 month period were I rarely slept more than 4 hours a day, and much of the time that was not in a full shot. Yet I managed to be awake an alert. The first month Iraq during the invasion, I regularly slept in my body armor.

The armor needs to come off at some point so you can do some hygiene, and wearing armor can cause problems in the heat. But when it comes to sleep, the body will sleep regardless of how uncomfortable you may be. What matters is if you manage to get an REM cycle in or not that will really determine how the sleep itself will affect you.

 

[Sadras]

Thanks [MENTION=6778092]Kaylos[/MENTION] and [MENTION=1768]evileeyore[/MENTION], I appreciate the feedback.

 

[manuzed78]

the body will sleep regardless of how uncomfortable you may be.

You're probably right BUT the quality of your sleep is NOT the same
that's why an exhaustion rule is pretty good I think.

and don't forget that modern armor have nothing in common with ancient armor in wich you can cut yourself turning over in your bed

 

[Kaylos]

My experience is that as long as I got a REM cycle, I would be awake and alert.

Now if you are more than uncomfortable or discomfort affects you greater than the average soldier, then being uncomfortable may very well have interrupted a REM cycle, making you groggy. My wife is this way. She is a very light sleeper and her REM cycles are easily interrupted. She regularly sleeps 9-10 hours a day, but it is not uncommon for her to be groggy all day. Anyone who sleeps like her would have made terrible soldiers.

 

[Kaylos]

If you really want to account for the effects of Heavy Armor for roleplaying, relating it to heat+humidity+heavy labor would be more realistic. Wearing Heavy armor in heat could rapidly raise exhaustion levels. With high humidity, this effect happens at much lower temperatures than dry heat. Heavy labor would wear you out quicker as well in any level of heat or in the sun. Even in the cold, you do not want to wear too many clothes doing heavy labor. In the case of warm temperatures, wearing heavy armor might make it more difficult to recover from rest. Kind of like sleeping in 100 degree+ with a heavy blankets.

Heavy Armor that is well fitted does not really affect your ability to move or act quickly, but economy of movement becomes much more important while fighting in it, because you do wear out faster.

 

[evileeyore]

So here's the real question, if sleeping in armor doesn't matter why would you never sleep in it? Why even have the rule of donning armor?

Hygiene. Armor repairs. Cleaning the armor. Sexual encounters. Not being in a dangerous place or situation (many cities would frown on non-Watch personnel wearing armor). Etc.

My experience is that as long as I got a REM cycle, I would be awake and alert.

Now if you are more than uncomfortable or discomfort affects you greater than the average soldier, then being uncomfortable may very well have interrupted a REM cycle, making you groggy. My wife is this way. She is a very light sleeper and her REM cycles are easily interrupted. She regularly sleeps 9-10 hours a day, but it is not uncommon for her to be groggy all day. Anyone who sleeps like her would have made terrible soldiers.

When I was younger and in great shape I was the same. 2-4 hours of sleep most days, the occasional "crash day" of 8-10.

Now that I'm older and in crappy shape my insomnia really puts a cramp on my capacities. Now I medicate on the bad nights to ensure I fall asleep and stay asleep. Which has it's own drawbacks.

If you really want to account for the effects of Heavy Armor for roleplaying, relating it to heat+humidity+heavy labor would be more realistic. Wearing Heavy armor in heat could rapidly raise exhaustion levels. With high humidity, this effect happens at much lower temperatures than dry heat. Heavy labor would wear you out quicker as well in any level of heat or in the sun. Even in the cold, you do not want to wear too many clothes doing heavy labor. In the case of warm temperatures, wearing heavy armor might make it more difficult to recover from rest. Kind of like sleeping in 100 degree+ with a heavy blankets.

Definitely. Every year at at SCA tourneys here in Florida they have Northerners who come down and wear their heavy armors... every year there are one or two who "fall out" from heat stroke or heat exhaustion because they aren't used to dealing with the heat and humidity and think they can just run about wearing heavy leathers or metal armor and because they are young and strong and fit "that stuff won;t affect them".

Even in the cold, you do not want to wear too many clothes doing heavy labor.

The "danger" there though is more from sweating heavily in your clothes and then when you stop laboring those dampened clothes cool very, very rapidly and don't retain heat the way are supposed to. It's honestly better if laboring heavily in the cold to remove a few layers to cool you before you're sweating and then put those layers back on when you're done working out.

I've had socks and pants get sweat soaked and then had ice form on them when I stopped working (of course riding on the back of the truck in wind and cold didn't help).

 

[Evenglare]

So basically sleeping in armor should have no ill benefits? Interesting.

 

[Dausuul]

I hadn't thought much about this before, but given that most PCs are hardy adventuring types who make their living traveling in the wilderness and battling horrible monsters, who regularly camp in dangerous areas at risk of ambush, it does seem a bit silly to make them such delicate flowers that sleeping in armor is troublesome. And since it also simplifies and speeds up play, I've got no problem allowing it.

People adapt. I can well imagine that I would have trouble sleeping in armor because I'm not used to it, but if I did it every night, I'd adjust after a while. A veteran fighter camping out in a monster-haunted wilderness might have trouble sleeping without armor!