D&D 5E Can Elves Watch Over the Party Though the Night?

[Lakesidefantasy]

Is there any need for a party of sleepy adventurers to set watches through the night when there's a trancing elf in the house?

In the past, I've ruled against it, but I'm thinking of changing my position. I don't like setting watches anyway. It's confusing and complicated and rarely leads to any fun in my experience. What are your thoughts?

 

[Coroc]

Yea and no. I tend to rule that elf needs less sleep and if he does he does keep up a higher level of consciousness than other races.

So an elf in a totally worn out party needing a long rest is an advantage: he only needs half the night, so in a party of four he can take two watches, allowing a rest of 10 hours to grant all chars a rest of 8 hours. Otherwise a party of four would need much longer when they want to meet both conditions: each member rested for 8 hours and always a watch put up.

Also if there is a noise or such by enemies approaching the resting party and assuming all party members are sleeping, any elf in the group gets a perception check with disadvantage and wakes up on success.

 

[Nthal]

On one hand watches are silly, unless you love midnight surprises.

In the current edition I have always said no. They can be quickly awakened and, yes they can stand watch longer, but someone has to take their spot.

Considering the Warforged ability "Sentries Rest" is much more explicit than Trancing (and more useful) I stand by it.

Is it fun? No. I used to, long ago make con checks to see if you stayed awake for your watch. Now, I shrug and only make a point of it when I want drama of some type.

 

[PsyzhranV2]

Given that elves while trancing are either reliving the day's experiences (if they're not drow) or staring into an all-consuming black abyss (if they're drow), I'd say they don't have enough of their senses at their dusposal to maintain watch.

Depending on the setting of course.

 

[Charlaquin]

I don't like setting watches anyway. It's confusing and complicated and rarely leads to any fun in my experience. What are your thoughts?

Good instinct. Setting watches is a waste of table time. Much better in my view to assume everyone takes a roughly even shift at keeping watch and if the rest does get interrupted, roll randomly for which character was on watch when it happened. If there’s an elf or a warforged in the party who want to take more than one watch shift, or the players specifically say that they want to do something else weird with the shifts you can adjust the probabilities as necessary, but most of the time it won’t matter that much anyway.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Elves can't but warforged can.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Yea and no. I tend to rule that elf needs less sleep and if he does he does keep up a higher level of consciousness than other races.

So an elf in a totally worn out party needing a long rest is an advantage: he only needs half the night, so in a party of four he can take two watches, allowing a rest of 10 hours to grant all chars a rest of 8 hours. Otherwise a party of four would need much longer when they want to meet both conditions: each member rested for 8 hours and always a watch put up.

Also if there is a noise or such by enemies approaching the resting party and assuming all party members are sleeping, any elf in the group gets a perception check with disadvantage and wakes up on success.

Just a note, a character doesn’t have to sleep for 8 hours to get a full rest by the rules.

“
Long Rest
A long rest is a period of extended downtime, at least 8 hours long, during which a character sleeps for at least 6 hours and performs no more than 2 hours of light activity, such as reading, talking, eating, or standing watch. If the rest is interrupted by a period of strenuous activity — at least 1 hour of walking, fighting, casting spells, or similar adventuring activity — the characters must begin the rest again to gain any benefit from it.”

In my own games, you don’t have to sleep to get a long rest. If you don’t sleep for at least 4 hours, you do have to make a save vs exhaustion (DC=10+(3xnumber of days without sleep)), though, and it becomes 6 hours to avoid a save if you have a level of exhaustion, then 8 hours for 2+ levels.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Yup. A long rest usually consists of 6 hours sleeping and 2 hours watchkeeping. So long as there are at least four people in the party setting a watch has no overall impact.

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

Sorta. Meditating elves may be aware of their surroundings but they're not actively keeping watch over the camp. I'd give them disadvantage on perception tests to spot anyone trying to sneak up on the camp.

 

[Coroc]

Just a note, a character doesn’t have to sleep for 8 hours to get a full rest by the rules.

“
Long Rest
A long rest is a period of extended downtime, at least 8 hours long, during which a character sleeps for at least 6 hours and performs no more than 2 hours of light activity, such as reading, talking, eating, or standing watch. If the rest is interrupted by a period of strenuous activity — at least 1 hour of walking, fighting, casting spells, or similar adventuring activity — the characters must begin the rest again to gain any benefit from it.”

In my own games, you don’t have to sleep to get a long rest. If you don’t sleep for at least 4 hours, you do have to make a save vs exhaustion (DC=10+(3xnumber of days without sleep)), though, and it becomes 6 hours to avoid a save if you have a level of exhaustion, then 8 hours for 2+ levels.

Yep sorry got that wrong, still an elf saves time just in case.