Unearthing Arcana: Sleep

OK, here is the first post if you’re curious why I’m offering the variants below. Basically: because spells like Sleep “bypass” hit points, which are the standard way of defeating enemies in D&D. No, there is nothing wrong with the players having more options to defeat the monsters. I love when my players think outside the box (and I’m a great fan of crazy stunts in combat or of players that like to use grapple, for example). My issue with spells like Sleep is that they’re lazy/boring ways to defeat enemies. If at least they party used them to place a powerful monster in sleep and them sneak by, that would be fine; but the truth is that most tables use Sleep to kill lots of unconscious enemies without giving it a second thought.

Let’s see if past versions of this dweomer are of any assistance:

OD&D’s version: A Sleep spell affects from 2-16 1st level types (hit dice of up to 1 + 1), from 2-12 2nd level types (hit dice of up to 2 +1), from 1-6, 3rd level types, and but 1 4th level type (up to 4 +1 hit dice). The spell always affects up to the number of creatures determined by the dice. If more than the number rolled could be affected, determine which "sleep" by random selection. Range: 24"

Alright… no help at all here.  Looking at AD&D 1^st we get a lot more details (for example, I didn’t knew, but it seems possible to order a target to “sleep” using Command). In fact, the AD&D 1^st version let it clear that you can kill a victim of sleep at the rate of “1 per slayer per melee round” (you gotta give Gygax credit, the guy was consistent). AD&D 2^nd tries to lessen things by stating that attacks against sleeping targets are “automatically successful” (which is very “videogame” but not at all reasonable). I believe that if you’re using the Player’s Options rules or D&D 3^rd we can safely assume that sleeping targets are victims of a coup de grace.

I checked some other Fantasy d20 and found either the same version of the spell (or no spell at all). One curious case was Arcana Unearthed/Evolved (one of my favorites d20s), where there’s no offensive Sleep spell but lots of beneficial spells around the theme of sleeping and dreams. Another of my favorite d20s - that's Fantasy Craft - clearly states that sleep is a terminal situation (i.e. you are toast) and usually grants a bonus on the saving throw for any PCs.

Let’s see what interesting variants we can make (note that one doesn’t exclude the other):

1D6 VARIANTS ON SLEEP

1 – No Rest for the Wicked – The caster ushers a Power Word that sends the target(s) to sleep in the Dreamlands. This is a deep sleep, from which the target can be awoken only through magic or damage. The Power Word comes from the Dreamlords, who desire slaves to work for them. Thus, killing a target of this spell offends the Dreamlords, who punish the caster and the killer by trapping them in the Dreamlands. This curse can be felt by anyone before they kill a target of this dweomer. While cursed, a short rest requires 24 hours of sleep and a long rest requires 1d6 days of sleep. The only way to get rid of the curse is to appease the Dreamlords (for example, after a ritual, the Dreamlords inform that caster that she must place a full tavern to sleep and keep them slumbering for “three days and three nights” or any other crazy idea of the DM). 

2 – Through the Gates of Horn & Ivory – The casters opens the Gates of Dream, placing the targets in a deep and comatose sleep. However, each victim of this spell is a living vortex from the Dream. Killing or wounding a target forces the attacker (and caster) to roll a saving throw against this spell. Clever parties often use this spell on a guard, and them use the sleeping guard to place more guards in sleep (they often have to carry their spellcaster, who usually also falls into the Dream). An interesting side effect of this spell, is that there is a 50% that any target passes into Dream through the Gates of Ivory, thus gaining insight into the future. If the caster waits for the spell duration to pass and talks with the target, he may gains the benefit of an Augury spell (just roll a 50% to see if the a target speaks the truth, the caster can’t know for sure, although if he’s also one of the victims, the DM might tell him if he crossed the Gates of Ivory or Horn).

3 – Little Death – The caster places the target(s) in a comatose sleep so deep that most assume that they’re dead (magic or a successful Medicine check can verify that the targets are only sleeping). The target(s) only awake at the end of the spell’s duration or through magic. That’s the good news. The bad news is that killing a target will bring her back as a vengeful undead (the DM decides the type of creature and the time… maybe the victim returns right away, as a wight, or perhaps it waits for the best opportunity, attacking as a wraith later while the caster is without slots or trying to gain the benefits of a short/long rest). This is a necromantic spell.

4 – The Burden of Mortality – What distinguish mortals from gods (or the dead) is that only mortals actually have to rest (rest, not dream). This dweomer works by transferring a caster’s fatigue and “sleepness” to the target. Killing the target actually backfires the entire thing, inflicting 1d4+1 Exhaustion on the killer and the caster (automatically, no save). The good news is that if the caster has Exhaustion, casting this spell either reduces the caster’s Exhaustion by 1 or affects +1d8 hit point of targets. The caster can only reduce his Exhaustion by casting this spell once every 24 hours. This is a transmutation spell.

5 – Dreams of the Old Ones – The caster send the target(s) in the dreaded dreams of the Great Old Ones, in the darkness between the stars. The target(s) are left sleeping but screaming and writhing in agony at the horrible revelations of those timeless entities. Awaking or killing a target from this spell sends a psychic backlash against the caster and the one responsible for awaking or killing the victim, inflicting a temporary madness (check the Dungeon Master’s Guide). The good news is that if the caster listens to the target’s ramblings for the entire spell duration she gains Inspiration (the Great Old Ones are beyond time and space, and thus able to see the unfolding of future events from multiple perspectives).

6 – Sleep Without End – The caster beseeches the rulers of Feywild to trap the victim in the deep dreams (or nightmare) of the Fair Folk. Only magic or a trigger will awake the victims. Names aside, this spell actually has a base duration of 10 minutes, although it is said that using a higher spell slot can increase the duration considerably (possible to permanent at 6^th level). Killing a victim of this spell inflicts the wrath of the Fey against the killer and caster, who grow old (they gain an elderly appearance, suffering a -2 penalty to all die rolls, half Speed, dealing half damage and having their hit point maximum reduced by 25%). The curse can only be lifted by another Fey Lord or a wish. Here are some crazy triggers to awaken a victim without incurring the curse (bizarrely, the knowledge is intuitive to anyone who approaches a victim):

Roll a d6!

• 1 – You must kiss the victim (and both must succeed at a Charisma save or become madly in love with each other);
• 2 – You must give to the victim your must valuable or powerful item and you can’t remove it from them for the next 7 days;
• 3 – You must tell them (and everyone around), in a loud and clear voice, your deepest and darkest secret;
• 4 – You must swear to never hurt or let them be hurt for 7 days;
• 5 – You must obey them as a servant for the next 7 days, otherwise you’re polymorphed in some small animal for the same period (or a lycanthrope or maybe even a kobold or goblin, in the last case forever);
• 6 – You acquire a fey bane for 7 days: (1) you can’t touch iron and are vulnerable to it; (2) you must always tell the truth and any oath is binding; (3) you can’t accept help or gifts from anyone unless you pay for it the correct price; (4) you can only gain the benefits of long/short rests while naked and in the wilds.