GMMichael
Guide of Modos
GM: You step through the ajar, oversized doors to find a gruesome sight. In the moonlight, the ceremonial balcony is an exhibit of desecrated bodies, some propped up, others arranged in bloody piles on the floor. At the far end by the railing your opponent, the werewolf blackguard, tears at another corpse, relishing his work. What do you do?
Rhonda (the knight): I move forward to get into my battle-stance. I...
Ray (the wizard): hold on - I put a hand out on the knight's arm. "I got this." I cast Sleep. (Rolls) 18 should do.
GM: Anyone else acting? (Heads shake) let's see how sleepy he gets (rolls 7). Um, the BBEG lays down for a nap.
Rhonda: (Whispering) perfect. I ready my crossbow and aim for his head...
Sleep spells, also known as "the monster stops defending itself" spells. Are they always 1st-level spells? Why? Should the level be higher?
The fifth edition of Sleep doesn't grant a saving throw, and the target "falls unconscious." That could end the spell pretty quickly, if the target was standing up when it fell asleep. Isn't falling on your face (or worse, your weapon) worth 1 point of damage? My version of Sleep is a little more gentle on the recipient: "the target lays down and goes to sleep." But both can leave a villain vulnerable to a coup de grace, no?
How do you treat Sleep magic? Does it mean the automatic end of a fight, or is its value more in-line with other 1st level spells?