Your Ruling: Magical Sleep

[uzirath]

I always figure that lucky one-shots like a Sleep spell or similar can be awesome if the group is pumped about it. If they’ll be reminiscing about that time they slew the vicious werewolf in two turns, then I’m good with that.

If I sense that it will feel anti-climactic to the players, then I might do some quick thinking to add complications. Might be an unexpected defense (e.g., immunity to non-silver weapons or a spell that allows it to teleport to a bolt hole if knocked unconscious), or another layer to the story. Maybe there are two werewolves working as a team and the other will leap out of the shadows. Or this werewolf is merely the thrall of a more powerful lycanthrope (or a demon, etc.). Maybe allies of the werewolf will seek revenge. Maybe the rumored treasure is missing or hidden. That sort of thing.

Obviously, this will depend on the game style and table contract. If we’re doing OSR, then I wouldn’t mess with it; sometimes you get lucky.

Edit: In GURPS Magic, the Sleep spell description specifies that a standing victim will collapse without waking up, so I wouldn’t quibble on that front.

 

[GMMichael]

So what I'm hearing is that Sleep is cool so long as:

1 the spell allows an opponent to fall on his face and not wake up,
2 the opponent can't be killed outright while sleeping,
3 the opponent has been so thoroughly throttled that she's about to die anyway,
4 it affects only non-threats/wimpy opponents.

1 and 2 are immersion-breaking, while 3 and 4 represent a spell I wouldn't be interested in learning. Not as a war mage, anyway.

Should Sleep be a thief spell instead? Sneaking along a corridor, there's a guard directly in front of the door you need to access. Armored guard. Can't use your crossbow - too loud. Can't sneak attack - too much armor. Cast Sleep, however, and try to catch that guard before he hits the ground and all that clanking armor alerts the rest of the guard.

I always figure that lucky one-shots like a Sleep spell or similar can be awesome if the group is pumped about it. If they’ll be reminiscing about that time they slew the vicious werewolf in two turns, then I’m good with that. . .

Obviously, this will depend on the game style and table contract. If we’re doing OSR, then I wouldn’t mess with it; sometimes you get lucky.

Edit: In GURPS Magic, the Sleep spell description specifies that a standing victim will collapse without waking up, so I wouldn’t quibble on that front.

Good call. If the players would all get giddy about it and recount the story for weeks, yeah, let it fly.

I'm glad GURPS addresses the narcoleptic-opponent problem. The D&D5 spell doesn't mention falling, but the unconscious condition does. "Falls prone." Supine is not an option Falls Bovine should be an option, too. Don't some cows sleep while standing?

5e: rulings, not rules. The problems also arise if you play a game other than D&D. Does anyone know how Cypher or Fantasy AGE handle it? I should know, I have both around here somewhere...

Quick scan, but I found out how these games handle Sleep: they don't. I didn't see any sleep spells in the basic books. Specifically Numenera, not Cypher (different book, I think).

 

[Umbran]

You're being a nitpicker

"Maybe we should do X?"
"Nowhere else does this result in X."
"Nitpicker!"

 

[Bohandas]

Does 5th edition not have an HD cap on targets. In 3e it's of rather limited usefulness because it can only affect 4 HD of creatures in total

 

[Stormonu]

No HD cap, but it does affect the target with the smallest HP total first. So if you're worried about the BBEG getting Sleeped, put some minions around him.

And if he'd be out via Sleep, Fireball (or some other damage spell) would have easily been just as good...

It's a good stealth spell or capture spell. Nothing wrong with it.