How Do Your Characters Sleep (And What Does That Say About Them)?

Ergoni woke with a sudden start, her eyes shooting open and her muscles tensing. The smell of wood smoke filled her nostrils, and the quiet breathing of her companions mixed with the sound of crickets rang in her ears. She uncurled her fingers from the hilt of her sword, and let her jaw relax.

"There is nothing in those woods that means you harm," a soft, gravelly voice whispered. "Go back to sleep. I will wake you at dawn."

Ergoni rolled over, squinting against the firelight. The hulking figure silhouetted against the flames had blued-steel skin, with hair the color of soiled snow. The naked blade across his thighs glimmered dully. She'd never once seen the sword sharpened, nor seen its owner rest his eyes.

"I could watch," she said.

"No need," Cithaugua said. "Though if you wish to keep me company for a time, I could make tea."

It does get lonely, some nights.

How Do Your Characters Sleep?

Sleeping is one of those universal experiences we all have out-of-game, and it's something we often hand-wave in game. After all, as long as a character receives their 8 hours of rest for the purpose of regaining all their abilities, healing, etc., most of us don't really think that sleep is all that interesting. But like a lot of other elements, as I mentioned in What Do Your Characters Eat? as well as Why Does He Do That ? (Thinking About Your Character's Habits), those little mundane things are often where you find some of the most memorable impacts.

Just one more cup... I want to finish transcribing this scroll before dawn.

The most obvious place to begin with is to ask whether your character has some ability that renders their sleep schedule completely unique, and thus makes them unusual in the world (or at least in the party). In Dungeons and Dragons 3.5, for example, elves didn't truly sleep; they simply meditated in a trance for four hours or so to refresh themselves. In Pathfinder there is an alternative tiefling trait that says the character never has to sleep, though they may sleep if they wish to, or can be forced to through magical means. Pathfinder also has traits like Awakened From Stasis that state a character was kept in a kind of cryo-stasis for years, and one of the effects on their system is that they only sleep for 2 hours a night with no ill effects. I even wrote a trait for the game in Bastards of Golarion, Rest For The Wicked, that allows a character to heal rapidly from ability damage while they sleep.

Once you know the mechanics of how your character sleeps (or doesn't), the next question to ask is what kind of sleep they get, and how it affects their lives.

For example, is your character used to roughing it in the outdoors, able to curl up on roots or in a cave and awaken refreshed and ready to go the next day? Or are they the sort of character who at least needs a bedroll and a pillow made from their folded cloak in order to get any real rest? Alternatively, is your character so inured to the trail that a bed is just too soft for them, and even at an inn they have to curl up on the floor, or sleep out on the balcony in order to have a familiar-enough environment to nod off? Or do they travel with a cart or wagon, allowing them to bring a little bit of civilization out into the wilds with them?

I swear, I don't know how those lords in their castles ever manage real rest.

The last thing you should ask is what kind of sleep routine your character has, and what sleep means to them.

For example, does this character pray before sleep, or conduct any other sort of ritual? Are they an early-to-bed, early-to-rise sort, or are they used to standing the third watch so they only get really sleepy around the time the first gray light of dawn peeks through the trees? Do they drink a particular blend of tea to help make sure they get good rest? Lastly, is this character's sleep quiet and restful, or challenging and full of terrors?

Night terrors are surely common among adventurers (especially those with the all-too-common backstory of seeing their parents murdered before their eyes when they were children by ogres, trolls, and other monsters), but it's far from the only sleep-related condition a character might find themselves dealing with. Characters who've come into contact with potent magic items, or who have a grand destiny before them, might have recurring dreams on the subject. Those with mysterious magic, or inscrutable patrons, might receive visions and commands in their dreams to provide guidance to their actions (and you might find 100 Random Oracular Pronouncements quite useful if you're looking for phrases for someone to remember upon waking).

You might even have something as simple as a tendency to sleepwalk, necessitating precautions before you turn in for the night.

Explore, and See Where It Takes You

The oddest details crop up in the most mundane places, and sleep preferences can say all kinds of things about a character. For example, the career mercenary who sleeps in her armor and just rolls herself up in her cloak might just be doing that out of habit, or it could be a metaphor for how even when she's unconscious she's not leaving herself vulnerable. The wolf druid might have trouble sleeping alone, always trying to curl up to others for a sense of community and protection, reassuring themselves that they're safe so they can fall deeply asleep. And the former bandit might come awake at the slightest change in the ebb and flow of the natural world around them, on their feet and ready to fight before even those on watch know they're being attacked.

There's a lot of potential in this area... so poke around, and see what comes out as a result!

Also, if you're looking for more nocturnal inspiration, check out 100 Dreams and see if anything in it speaks to you.

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That's all for this week's Fluff post! If you've used this in your games, share a story down in the comments!

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