This magic weapon warns you of danger. While the weapon is on your person, you have advantage on initiative rolls. In addition, you and any of your companions within 30 feet of you can’t be surprised, except when incapacitated by something other than nonmagical sleep. The weapon magically awakens you and your companions within range if any of you are sleeping naturally when combat begins.
So I am reading this description and the part I bolden is what I have trouble understanding. So what sort of situations will this not work? Also when someone is wielding such weapon does that eliminate the need for nightly watches? Or does the wake up effect happen only once combat starts.
A few examples of nonmagical sleep type incapacitation:
Hypnotic gaze; The charmed creature’s speed drops to 0, and the creature is incapacitated and visibly dazed.
Banishing Smite; ...If the target is native to the plane you’re on, the creature vanishes into a harm less demiplane. While there, the target is incapacitated.
Feign Death; ...the target appears dead to all outward inspection and to spells used to determine the target’s status. The target is blinded and incapacitated, and its speed drops to 0.
Symbol; Pain: ...Pain. Each target must make a Constitution saving throw and becom esincapacitated with excruciating pain for 1 minute on a failed save.
With those examples, and the definition of incapacitated, I hope you have a better understanding of that clause.
It does not remove the need for nightly watches if you have anything other than a combat encounter which might interrupt your rest.
It reads to me that you wake on the initiative roll to avoid being surprised and woken ready for combat. I'd propose that you'd be in a prone state (having just been asleep) but not surprised.
Nonmagical sleep is sleep that wasn't induced by magic such as the Sleep spell. In other words, if you're sleeping naturally, you can't be surprised, and the weapon will wake you and your companions.
If you're incapacitated for any other reason, including magic, being knocked unconscious by 0 HP or being drugged into unconsciousness, you can still be surprised.
It wakes you up when combat starts. So someone could come right up to you, and you wake up the second they start swinging their sword assuming you fail your perception check.
It won't wake you up if a thief comes through your camp and steals your belongings.
Oh, so many fun things an enemy can do to you that aren't combat. Including putting. net over you and staking it to the ground. When you do wake up you will be pretty much helpless. Stealing all your stuff isn't combat. Casting non-attack or non-damaging spells likely isn't combat (but check DM interpretation on that). Aiming a missile weapon at you from a prepared position giving cover isn't combat, yet.
The wake up comes when combat starts. So on the initiative check, which you would get advantage on. No check for surprise, the weapon gives its warning instead. Characters who were sleeping would still wake up prone, but would be awake from the beginning of the first round.
I would still set a night watch. Think about a party in the wilderness, days from anywhere. They go to sleep, secure in the knowledge that their weapon of warning will wake them in case of trouble. In the morning they find their mounts, all their gear, everything that wasn't on their persons gone, stolen while they slept.
Oh, so many fun things an enemy can do to you that aren't combat. Including putting. net over you and staking it to the ground. When you do wake up you will be pretty much helpless.
I would most definitely rule the net thing as an attack. The net actually IS a weapon in the player's handbook. Just because you're covering them in their sleep with it, makes it no less an attack, than tossing it at them while awake. If stabbing you with a dagger while you are asleep is an attack, so it covering you with a net. Both are using weapons for what weapons do. Any attempt to physically restrain a person is a grapple attack as well. No, sorry, you have no way to do anything like this. You can't even attempt to drop their tent on them, as that too would be categorized as an attack. Now granted, in the tent scenario, if the tent was closed and they were asleep, the might not be able to get up from prone, ready their weapon, and exit the tent before it collapses on them...
Yeah, if all your party sleeps in full armor with their weapons at their sides, then there's not too much of a need for having a watch set up... but you're still going to start the round prone. It also doesn't protect you if, say... a thief wanders into camp and just starts stealing shit without attempting to hurt anyone. I'm reminded o fa time in my current campaign when the person on watch got a Nat 1 on Perception, and didn't notice a bunch of Kobolds sneaking up and grabbing anything shiny they could get their hands on.
basically if under the effects of a spell or enchantment the dagger wont wake you, same with it being removed from your person in natural sleep. you have to be holding it or sheathed on your person for the effect to work
I wanted to ask about the weapons of warning relative to traps. What if non-sentient dangers are encountered, such as a pit trap? Does that just start earning them 30 feet out? Wouldn’t potential danger, say in a Forrest be overwhelming? Snakes, wolves, branch that could fall, insects that bite? Seems like it would be mentally deafening . I’m having a hard rime with this one as a DM.
Mechanically all it does is give the wielder advantage on initiative - and them and their companions within 30 ft of them can't be surprised (except as quoted above) and they're woken if they're sleeping when combat starts. That's it.
The bit I think you're sticking to is the first sentence: "This magic weapon warns you of danger." That's just flavour text to explain how it does what it does mechanically.
I know this is an old thread but figured I'd put in my two cents. Even with my assassin rogue having a dagger of warning, we still set watches. The dagger only warns you when combat starts. So if you're asleep, without a warning weapon, you might miss the first round of combat, plus you can be surprised, giving enemies a huge advantage (the cleric I played before almost died due to being attacked by surprise in his sleep). With the weapon, you will at least be woken up when combat starts, and enemies don't get advantage from surprising you. Plus whoever's wielding the weapon gets advantage on initiative. Also, sleeping in medium and heavy armor isn't a good idea because you will not gain a full rest, according to Xanathar.
Granted, this is all RAW, and as DM, you could rule differently.
I think it depends on the DM, I would personally count a creature deciding to kill you as combat starting so you wouldn’t be woken by the sword when you were hit…because that would happen anyway
That is accurate, and the only function of the weapon. It warns you of danger - and if you are sleeping - it sends a mental 'alarm' to wake you up. As for 'when combat starts'..... the dagger is not sentient, so it cannot interpret that condition.
The revised Weapon of Warning magically awakens you and allies within 30 feet of you from nonmagical sleep when combat begins, granting Advantage to Initiative. It definitely interpret when combat begins.
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This magic weapon warns you of danger. While the weapon is on your person, you have advantage on initiative rolls. In addition, you and any of your companions within 30 feet of you can’t be surprised, except when incapacitated by something other than nonmagical sleep. The weapon magically awakens you and your companions within range if any of you are sleeping naturally when combat begins.
So I am reading this description and the part I bolden is what I have trouble understanding. So what sort of situations will this not work? Also when someone is wielding such weapon does that eliminate the need for nightly watches? Or does the wake up effect happen only once combat starts.
A few examples of nonmagical sleep type incapacitation:
With those examples, and the definition of incapacitated, I hope you have a better understanding of that clause.
It does not remove the need for nightly watches if you have anything other than a combat encounter which might interrupt your rest.
It reads to me that you wake on the initiative roll to avoid being surprised and woken ready for combat. I'd propose that you'd be in a prone state (having just been asleep) but not surprised.
Oh I see.
Nonmagical sleep is sleep that wasn't induced by magic such as the Sleep spell. In other words, if you're sleeping naturally, you can't be surprised, and the weapon will wake you and your companions.
If you're incapacitated for any other reason, including magic, being knocked unconscious by 0 HP or being drugged into unconsciousness, you can still be surprised.
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It wakes you up when combat starts. So someone could come right up to you, and you wake up the second they start swinging their sword assuming you fail your perception check.
It won't wake you up if a thief comes through your camp and steals your belongings.
Oh, so many fun things an enemy can do to you that aren't combat. Including putting. net over you and staking it to the ground. When you do wake up you will be pretty much helpless. Stealing all your stuff isn't combat. Casting non-attack or non-damaging spells likely isn't combat (but check DM interpretation on that). Aiming a missile weapon at you from a prepared position giving cover isn't combat, yet.
The wake up comes when combat starts. So on the initiative check, which you would get advantage on. No check for surprise, the weapon gives its warning instead. Characters who were sleeping would still wake up prone, but would be awake from the beginning of the first round.
I would still set a night watch. Think about a party in the wilderness, days from anywhere. They go to sleep, secure in the knowledge that their weapon of warning will wake them in case of trouble. In the morning they find their mounts, all their gear, everything that wasn't on their persons gone, stolen while they slept.
I would most definitely rule the net thing as an attack. The net actually IS a weapon in the player's handbook. Just because you're covering them in their sleep with it, makes it no less an attack, than tossing it at them while awake. If stabbing you with a dagger while you are asleep is an attack, so it covering you with a net. Both are using weapons for what weapons do. Any attempt to physically restrain a person is a grapple attack as well. No, sorry, you have no way to do anything like this. You can't even attempt to drop their tent on them, as that too would be categorized as an attack. Now granted, in the tent scenario, if the tent was closed and they were asleep, the might not be able to get up from prone, ready their weapon, and exit the tent before it collapses on them...
Yeah, if all your party sleeps in full armor with their weapons at their sides, then there's not too much of a need for having a watch set up... but you're still going to start the round prone. It also doesn't protect you if, say... a thief wanders into camp and just starts stealing shit without attempting to hurt anyone. I'm reminded o fa time in my current campaign when the person on watch got a Nat 1 on Perception, and didn't notice a bunch of Kobolds sneaking up and grabbing anything shiny they could get their hands on.
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basically if under the effects of a spell or enchantment the dagger wont wake you, same with it being removed from your person in natural sleep. you have to be holding it or sheathed on your person for the effect to work
I wanted to ask about the weapons of warning relative to traps. What if non-sentient dangers are encountered, such as a pit trap? Does that just start earning them 30 feet out? Wouldn’t potential danger, say in a Forrest be overwhelming? Snakes, wolves, branch that could fall, insects that bite? Seems like it would be mentally deafening . I’m having a hard rime with this one as a DM.
Mechanically all it does is give the wielder advantage on initiative - and them and their companions within 30 ft of them can't be surprised (except as quoted above) and they're woken if they're sleeping when combat starts. That's it.
The bit I think you're sticking to is the first sentence: "This magic weapon warns you of danger." That's just flavour text to explain how it does what it does mechanically.
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I know this is an old thread but figured I'd put in my two cents. Even with my assassin rogue having a dagger of warning, we still set watches. The dagger only warns you when combat starts. So if you're asleep, without a warning weapon, you might miss the first round of combat, plus you can be surprised, giving enemies a huge advantage (the cleric I played before almost died due to being attacked by surprise in his sleep). With the weapon, you will at least be woken up when combat starts, and enemies don't get advantage from surprising you. Plus whoever's wielding the weapon gets advantage on initiative. Also, sleeping in medium and heavy armor isn't a good idea because you will not gain a full rest, according to Xanathar.
Granted, this is all RAW, and as DM, you could rule differently.
I think it depends on the DM, I would personally count a creature deciding to kill you as combat starting so you wouldn’t be woken by the sword when you were hit…because that would happen anyway
I think I will use this as a spidy-sense. Any intended danger.
That is accurate, and the only function of the weapon. It warns you of danger - and if you are sleeping - it sends a mental 'alarm' to wake you up. As for 'when combat starts'..... the dagger is not sentient, so it cannot interpret that condition.
The revised Weapon of Warning magically awakens you and allies within 30 feet of you from nonmagical sleep when combat begins, granting Advantage to Initiative. It definitely interpret when combat begins.