I have a scenario in mind for something I'm writing, and wanted opinions on how it would work mechanically.
An imp has suggestion as a spell-like ability, and can get quite a good Stealth roll. Could this imp sneak into a sleeping person's bedroom and use suggestion on a target without waking them up? Being asleep doesn't affect whether or not they get a save, but is that enough to wake the target up?
The way I'm picturing it right now, the imp would have to make a Stealth roll vs the sleeping target's Perception check. Probably easy money, since as I've written the imp up he's got something like a +14 Stealth check (he's got a couple of class levels), and you get a -10 penalty to Perception checks while you're asleep. It casts suggestion as a SLA, meaning it's done silently and without any detectable components. The imp has telepathy, so it doesn't have to reveal itself using speech - it can communicate the suggestion to the target and be mostly undetectable at the same time. Target gets a Will save. If it fails, the imp whispers the suggestion into the sleeping target's mind and leaves, content that it will be remembered in the morning and acted upon. If the save succeeds... I'm not sure what happens.
A corollary question - does the caster of a suggestion know before he says anything that it's worked? I can certainly see an argument that having someone talk to you telepathically would wake you up, but if the suggestion save was successful, does the imp still have to say something? Or are they essentially the same action, and you do them both at the same time?
How would you adjudicate this situation?
From the magic section:
A creature that successfully saves against a spell that has no obvious physical effects feels a hostile force or a tingle, but cannot deduce the exact nature of the attack. Likewise, if a creature's saving throw succeeds against a targeted spell, you sense that the spell has failed. You do not sense when creatures succeed on saves against effect and area spells.
So the imp would know if the target saved or not.
AS to the target waking up, this is more hazy territory.
Looking at the Dream-weaver witch It specifically calls out that the a target that saves successfully does not wake up. I think I would give the target a DC 0 perception check to notice the hostile tingle. I use DC 0, because usually noticing it is automatic, but with the -10 sleeping penalty, a target could fail.
Looking at the Dream-weaver witch It specifically calls out that the a target that saves successfully does not wake up. I think I would give the target a DC 0 perception check to notice the hostile tingle. I use DC 0, because usually noticing it is automatic, but with the -10 sleeping penalty, a target could fail.
Ah, excellent suggestion! I think that's a very good solution.
A creature that successfully saves against a spell that has no obvious physical effects feels a hostile force or a tingle, but cannot deduce the exact nature of the attack.
I'd say a "hostile force" causes people to wake up. The target was asleep when the SLA was used though, so no Spellcraft checks to identify anything. The mark might be the paranoid type and decide to search the room. But with Impy well hidden, and probably in the shape of a raven or a rat, nothing should come from it apart from a disturbed sleep.
Oddly enough, I think Suggs the Imp has a bigger problem when Sleeping Beauty does fail the save. Because Telepathy is a form of communication, and sleeping people aren't aware enough to understand you.
Telepathy on a sleeping target..., that should wake them Or not work as a means of suggestion.
Why not? They make self-help tapes to play while you're asleep for exactly that reason. Telepathy should work even better.