Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Harmor 02-20-04, 05:10 AM	1. Arcane Caster: Cast Alarm and share the password with your team. 2. Any, Druid/Ranger: Buy guard dogs to help the person on watch...at least the guard dog is another set of eyes. 3. Rogue: Set a rope around the perimeter (Craft (trapmaking) and Hide as a synergy bonus), to make a trip wire with all those 50-foot ropes you have...connect it to a bunch of Bells and there's a chance that a creature might trip it. 4. Fighter types: Wear a 'sleeper', this is armor you wear while sleeping. Wear light armor if you don't have the Endurance feat or wear medium armor if you have the Endurance feat. 5. Arcane Caster: Rope Trick the entire party and sleep there (just make sure you have no extradimentional containers). Anyone have any other ideas on how to keep your character alive while they sleep?
Heron_Marked_Blade 02-20-04, 06:22 AM	The great mage Mordenkainen, evidently, was pretty worried about getting snuck up on while he was sleeping. 1) Mordenkainen's Faithful Hound (lvl 5 spell) cast next to your bedroll. 2) Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion (lvl 7 spell) with an Alarm spell cast around the doorway. Warning: Subject to Dispelling.
pres_man 02-20-04, 09:34 AM	Originally posted by Harmor 4. Fighter types: Wear a 'sleeper', this is armor you wear while sleeping. Wear light armor if you don't have the Endurance feat or wear medium armor if you have the Endurance feat. This is what I use. My dwarf paladin, whose equipment is all masterwork dwarven items, has a night shirt - a masterwork chain shirt that is. :D
lantzer 02-20-04, 10:35 AM	Um, set someone on watch? Nothing wrong with alarm spells. Druids get that snare spell at a reasonably low level. Trained Animals can be put on a watch, like people. They all have low-light, and some have scent abilities.
Harmor 02-20-04, 10:18 PM	Putting a fighter or cleric with a +2 spot and +1 Listen check is not good for most night encounters. Granted, the human radar (Rogue), usually will spot danger before danger trys to suggle up with you in your bedroll. Rangers are a close second with everyone far behind. We usually set double shifts (especially in Evil Campaigns). Usually three 4-hour shifts starting from 7 pm to 7 am. An two hours in the morning to prepare to leave (casters to memorize spells and eat, plan of attack, review plans/directions/orders), and off we go at 9 am. 5 pm stop travelling and rest for 2 hours before going to bed. That's pretty much our regime.
Bopple 02-20-04, 11:14 PM	5. Arcane Caster: Rope Trick the entire party and sleep there (just make sure you have no extradimentional containers). According to FAQ, there is no hazard of blowing up of extradimensional containers in the extradimensional space of Rope Trick or etc.
Spiritwolf00 02-21-04, 09:39 PM	Try reducing the amount of hours spent sleeping. . . If you have Elves in the party, They only need 4 hours of "Sleep." You could also buy a ring of sustenance - with it you only need 2 hours of sleep. or Climb a tree. Dont leave that camp fire Burning all night for every bad guy in the area to see. Find a secure/secluded area to sleep in. Other good Ideas have been listed above
Ehelonna 02-21-04, 11:35 PM	Originally posted by Heron_Marked_Blade The great mage Mordenkainen, evidently, was pretty worried about getting snuck up on while he was sleeping.Leomund was a bit like that too... but he used lower level magics. The tiny hut is quite good (level 3), it will heat/cool and provide dim illumination, removing the need for a camp fire... it even keeps out the rain. It is also opaque from the outside but transparent from within, providing quite a bit of protection from ranged attacks and charging foes... plus a few spears set in the ground can be a problem to someone that steps through blindly. At level 4, you get the secure shelter. No heating or cooling, but you do get bunk beds, stone walls and alarm spells.Both last 2 hours per level... so that should do for your overnight accomodations. If you need the heating/cooling abilities, you can put the secure shelter inside a tiny hut. :D
Geethree 02-22-04, 01:51 AM	I always just set watches.
Perseus 02-22-04, 02:42 AM	-I ran a gnome in a campaign where we were constantly being attacked by large creatures at night (dire wolves, wyverns...etc...). I slept underneath a fighter's shield surrounded by big, juicy humans.
Save_vs_DM 02-22-04, 07:31 AM	Heh, I love Leomands Tiny Hut. My Gnome Mystic Threuge actually just made a new magic item. It's a little box that will create Leomunds Tiny Hut 1/day for 10 hours. Best of all it only cost him 6000 gold to make. My party loves this item. A nice, instant house. Oh, and don't forget that your familiars can also take your watch as well. An owl makes a great sentry at night. Cheers, Save-vs-DM
DM Zoc 02-22-04, 08:50 AM	Boots of Levitation/Invisibility
Beamup 02-22-04, 12:11 PM	Originally posted by Harmor 4. Fighter types: Wear a 'sleeper', this is armor you wear while sleeping. Wear light armor if you don't have the Endurance feat or wear medium armor if you have the Endurance feat. Works particularly well with Mithral Chain. AKA "the mithral nightie."
kasanthegr8 02-22-04, 10:58 PM	use a alarm spell or get someone who you trust to keep watch (a familiar is useful in this case)
TheGogmagog 02-23-04, 01:41 AM	I came up with, I think, a clever contraption. Using the 3.0 trap creation rules, I created a simple trap that cost 100gp (only because thats as cheap as they could be). The description is simply a string-trip wire connected through eyelets on tines to a bell. Game statistics were Spot DC 29, Disable DC 1. Reset manual. Effect audible. I haven't checked it with the 3.5 SRD Trap creation table. They were also handy in alarming hallways and caves behind us when covering new ground. They could also be modified to drop a thunderstone, or to use the alarm spell. I think I had a limit, maybe 50' of string, so you could put 4 or more of them surrounding your camp about 4 inches off the ground. My character had craft trap, to set it up each night, but it should be a DC 20 check, achievable by taking 20 as long as you don't have an int penalty. My DM liked the idea so much, they earned a spot in the shops catering to adventurer's right next to the continual flame coins and lanterns (used to be continual light cast on stones in 2e). They arn't recomended to replace watch, just eliminate the suprise round. Some DM's go overboard on night enounters... some groups ask for it. Perhaps you could put some effort into finding more secure campsights (paying for a room) to reduce the random encounter percentage.
fruits and vegetables 02-23-04, 09:57 AM	never thought of it but i guess mordenkainen did have a safety nerosis. faithful hound secure shelter magnificent mansion watch dog .....pretty paranoid i would say.
BW0222 02-24-04, 03:12 AM	My druid standards are: * Drop a blanket on the ground, wildshape into a wolverine, dig down 15', and bring the blanket down with you. * Wildshape into a leopard and find a tree. * Wildshape into a fish and sleep in a river. * Wall of stone and make a small tower three sided tower with a roof (5'x10'x10') * Animal messenger, speak with animals, and some good berries. * Detect plants or animals, speak with animals, and some good berries. (Park a herd of elk around the camp) * Put up 10 tents. Firetrap 6 of them. * Ring the camp with horses (+ speak with animals). * Elven tree tents. * Move earth. (Rampart and moat) Control water if necessary. * Plant growth. * Extended wall of thorns. * Snare. * Firetrap some little wooden boxes and leave them around the camp. (Intelligent things like opening boxes) * Woodland stride and some blackberry bushes. * Island, river, cliff face, etc. + wildshape into a bird. * Nocturnal animal companion. (Owls, bats, etc.) * Cord, pots, and pans. Lots of choices for druids.
DM Zoc 02-24-04, 03:20 AM	Wild Shape into an Orca; rest half of your brain at a time.
fruits and vegetables 02-24-04, 03:57 AM	would that not mean you are using your wildshape ability just for sleepinG? there would not be much time left to use it on anything elsE.
Vega_Engi 02-24-04, 04:19 PM	You have: 1. Alarm. 2. Guard dogs. 3. Rope trap. 4. Sleepers. 5. Rope Trick. I scry to know, where you are and the fact that you are actually asleep. I use improved invisibility, i have a silenced casting feat. I fly and look for a dog. I cast a silenced sleep spell on the dog. I use detect magic to find alarms and dispell them. I try to evade the guard, but cast charm person on him if necessary. Rope wont work, because i fly. Sleepers will no grant saves (especially relfex ones). Vs Rope trick I scry then dispell and attack. This is all possible because you forgot nondetection.
Orcish Fury 02-24-04, 06:36 PM	Here's a cheaper method than most mentioned: Sleep in a tent with the flaps tied shut on the inside. You'll certainly hear it if someone tries to cut the tent open.
MeepoTheMighty 02-24-04, 07:05 PM	Originally posted by Vega_Engi Vs Rope trick I scry then dispell and attack. Your scrying would only show that I'm in a little extradimensional bubble. You'd still have to figure out where I was when I cast the spell in order to dispel it.
MeepoTheMighty 02-24-04, 07:05 PM	Originally posted by Vega_Engi Vs Rope trick I scry then dispell and attack. Your scrying would only show that I'm in a little extradimensional bubble. You'd still have to figure out where I was when I cast the spell in order to dispel it.
Ipsissimus 02-24-04, 07:10 PM	...and I thought our group was paranoid. We use: A good Survival check to find a suitable place to rest, Rope Trick, setting 3 watches, and having the paladin's mount if not used yet watch throughout the night, along with any familiars. Figuring if something is stealthy or crafty enough not to startle the horses, it was meant to be a random encounter.
Geethree 02-24-04, 07:54 PM	Originally posted by Orcish Fury Here's a cheaper method than most mentioned: Sleep in a tent with the flaps tied shut on the inside. You'll certainly hear it if someone tries to cut the tent open. Your listen checks suffer, what, a -10 penalty to an already relatively soft sound? That doesn't sound very effective.
Harmor 02-24-04, 08:07 PM	We happen to be traveling during the winter. So we spend about 2 hours making the following camp. 1. We find a clearing and setup a campfire. 2. We either pack or move the snow to the outside of a 20-foot radius from the campfire. 3. The moved snow forms a small drift that requires x4 movement to move though. 4. The packed/cleared snow requires x1 movement. If there is a storm or heavy snow half way though the night it turns to x2 movement. The camp fire illuminates 20-feet and then shadowy illumination to 40-feet. However, the small wall doesn't permit us to view anything within 5-foot of the wall unless we're on the edge of the circle. Here is the setup below: ......HH....... .....HHHH...... ....HHppHH..... ..HHppppppHH... ..HHppppppHH... H = Heavy Snow (x4) .HHpppFFpppHH.. p = packed snow or no snow (x1) .HHpppFFpppHH.. F = Camp fire ..HHppppppHH... ..HHppppppHH... ....HHppHH..... .....HHHH...... ......HH....... So far this has worked well. We usually see whatever is coming up to us before it gets to the outside snow drift. We have a cart, where our halfing rogue stands and can see over the drift. However, if someone is attacking while on the snow drift they get a +1 to hit us (from height). Other than that, and the OBVIOUS camp we left behind, we've been successful and happy.
Orcish Fury 02-24-04, 09:49 PM	Originally posted by Geethree Your listen checks suffer, what, a -10 penalty to an already relatively soft sound? That doesn't sound very effective. At least a tent would slow down something long enough so that your guys on watch might notice something. Better than being Coup de graced in your sleep cause you were just in a bedroll.
Harmor 02-25-04, 12:45 AM	Yeah. A tent gives total concealment and you could probably rig your tent with all your utentiles and stuff to make some noise to give you a circumstance bonus to wake up. I personally cast Alarm on the tent before I goto bed.
CaptMeathead 02-25-04, 02:17 AM	Originally posted by Beamup Works particularly well with Mithral Chain. AKA "the mithral nightie." I myself prefer "the Mithral Thong"! :D
Lord Arkhaven 02-25-04, 11:52 AM	*forms conga line* Daern's Instant Fortress-HEY!-Daern's Instant Fortress!
Beamup 02-25-04, 12:13 PM	Originally posted by CaptMeathead I myself prefer "the Mithral Thong"! :D Now THAT chafes.