Sleep-Related Subclasses (Homebrew Catalog)
The Power of Rest
The power of rest extends throughout the multiverse. A normal long rest can restore a creature to full health even if they had to make Death Saves earlier that same day. This isn't changing any of the RAW, but instead offering an explanation for why they're the way they are.
These subclass options are centered around the tremendous powers of rest and sleep. Xanathar's Guide to Everything (2017) offers the Circle of Dreams Druid subclass, which focuses on location and transportation. This catalog features different sleep-centered subclass options for the Artificer (Anesthesiologist), Bard (College of Slumber), Cleric (Dream Domain), Rogue (Sleepwalker), and Wizard (School of Thought):
| Subclass | Aspect of Sleep |
|---|---|
| Artificer (Anesthesiologist) | debuffs and exhaustion |
| Bard (College of Slumber) | healing |
| Cleric (Dream Domain) | divination and buffs |
| Rogue (Sleepwalker) | deception and self-awareness |
| Wizard (School of Thought) | nightmares and intruding into others' minds |
Where Credit is Due
This is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
Image: "The sleeping dragon" by Shimhaq
Concept Idea by TheElderWorm
Expanded Conditions
The following conditions are based on the ideas of online articles, YouTube DnD creators, the 5th edition RAW, and my own ideas.
Bloodied*
A creature who is Bloodied has 50% or fewer remaining hit points.
Well Bloodied*
A creature who is Well Bloodied has 25% or fewer remaining hit points.
At Death's Door*
A creature who is At Death's Door has 10% or fewer remaining hit points.
*(describing one's remaining hit points)
Confused
If a Confused creature attempts to make an attack, it must first roll a d100. On a result below a 51, the creature's next attack targets the creature nearest to it, whether the target is a friend, a foe, or somewhere in between. A Confused creature has disadvantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws.
Dazed
A Dazed creature has its speed halved and disadvantage on Strength and Dexterity saving throws. This condition cannot stack with itself.
Disoriented
If a Disoriented creature attempts to cast a spell with a casting time of one action, it must first roll a d12. On a 6 or lower, the spell doesn't take effect until the creature's next turn, and the creature must use its action on that turn to complete the spell. If it cannot, the spell is wasted.
If a Disoriented creature attempts to make a weapon attack, it has disadvantage and cannot take a second action or bonus action.
Poisoned (Reworked)
A Poisoned creature has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks, and takes 1d4 poison damage at the start of each of its turns. The damage die increases after five minutes of being poisoned, to a maximum of a d12.
At the end of each of its turns, a creature may attempt to expel the poison by making a Constitution saving throw (DC is 10 or half the poison damage, whichever is higher).
Slowed
A Slowed creature cannot move as quickly as it otherwise could. A Slowed creature:
- has its speed decreased by 10 feet,
- has its AC reduced by 1,
- has disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws,
- cannot use reactions, and
- can only use an action or a bonus action on its turn, not both.
A Slowed creature can never make more than one attack per turn.
Soporific
The Soporific condition only affects creatures who are already nearing unconsciousness. A Bloodied creature (having half or fewer remaining hit points) takes an immediate 1d6 psychic damage upon becoming Soporific. Any creature who is At Death's Door (having 10% or fewer remaining hit points) and becomes Soporific takes the 1d6
psychic damage and is automatically knocked unconscious until the end of its next turn.
Artificer (Anesthesiologist)
Poison Dart, Fog
Artificers specialize in the creation of magical items and weapons, and the Anesthesiologist archetype is no different. These artificers are drawn to the power of sleep: more specifically, the weakening effects of sleep on the body. Despite their name, they are not healers, as their goal is to sap life away, not to revive it.
As an Anesthesiologist, you understand that true power lies in one's ability to weaken others. You devote your craft to the creation and perfection of anesthesia to find new ways to debuff and paralyze your enemies before you or your allies can finish them off.
Anesthesiologist Expanded Spells
3rd level Anesthesiologist feature
Starting at 3rd level, you always have certain spells prepared after you reach particular levels in this class, as shown in the Anesthesiologist Spells table (see below). These spells count as artificer spells for you, but they don't count against the number of artificer spells you prepare.
| Spell Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | bane, sleep |
| 5th | blindness/deafness, hold person |
| 9th | feign death, slow |
| 13th | confusion, death ward |
| 17th | modify memory, synaptic static |
Bonus Proficiencies
3rd level Anesthesiologist feature
When you adopt this specialization at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with glassblower's tools. If you already have this proficiency, you gain proficiency with one other type of artisan's tools of your choice.
You also become proficient with simple blowguns (see The Player's Handbook, 2013) and advanced blowguns.
Local Anesthetic
3rd level Anesthesiologist feature
You have studied sedatives and expanded upon both their powers and storage methods. During a short or long rest, you can create Sedative Weapons in various glass forms: (advanced) blowguns, syringes, and vials.
Thanks to your knowledge of glassblowing, the Sedative Weapons you craft each have an AC of 20, as they are much harder to destroy than they appear. When you attack with any of the Sedative Weapons, you can add your Intelligence modifier, rather than your Strength or Dexterity modifiers, to the attack and damage rolls.
When a creature is hit by your Sedative Weapon and must make a saving throw, the DC is your spell save DC.
You can create one type of Sedative Weapon (including ammunition and storage) at a time, and can change the Sedative Weapon type whenever you finish a short or long rest, provided you have glassblower's tools in hand.
Advanced Blowgun with Darts
When you select this weapon type, you can make a number of tranquilizer darts equal to four times your artificer level during a short or long rest.
The Scientific/Magical Approach to Rapid Tranquility (SMART) Glass is an advanced blowgun, a ranged weapon with the following properties:
- Ammunition taken: Tranquilizer Darts
- Range: 30/60 feet
- Reloading (2): This weapon can be fired a number of times equal to its reload score before you must spend one bonus action or one action to reload. You must have one hand free to reload this weapon.
- Damage: 1d4 piercing damage + 1d4 poison damage. A creature hit by a tranquilizer dart must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or become Slowed until the end of its next turn.
Syringe Daggers
When you select this weapon type, you create two identical syringe daggers, which each have the "light" property, as well as the following properties:
- Damage: 1d4 piercing damage + 1d6 poison damage. A creature hit by a syringe dagger must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or become Dazed until the end of its next turn (this effects one creature per turn.)
Vials of Fog
When you select this weapon type, you can create and (re)fill a number of glass vials equal to your proficiency bonus during a short or long rest. These vials are Tiny in size and have the "two-handed" property, as well as the following properties:
- Guided Release: As an action, you can open a vial of gaseous sedative and release it in a 15-foot cone. Once opened, a vial is empty until you spend a short or long rest (re)filling your vial(s).
- Damage: Each creature within the 15-foot cone must make a Constitution saving throw. This weapon ignores resistance to poison damage and treats immunity to poison damage as resistance to poison damage, as the gases are inhaled by the target(s). On a successful save, a creature takes 1d6 poison damage. On a failed save, a creature takes 2d6 poison damage and takes on both the Poisoned and Soporific conditions.
The Poisons of Sedative Weapons
Constructs and Undead are not affected by the poison damage or various conditions caused by your Sedative Weapons aside from effects caused by the Vials of Fog.
Extra Attack
5th level Anesthesiologist feature
Starting at 5th level, you can attack twice, rather than once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Sleeper Agent
9th level Anesthesiologist feature
You are immune to poison damage and to the Poisoned condition, and can hold your breath indefinitely, though you must breathe out to use your Advanced Blowgun.
In addition, you cannot be put to sleep by magical means or against your will, and require one less hour of sleep during a long rest than what is considered "normal" for your race.
General Anesthetic
15th level Anesthesiologist feature
Your Sedative Weapons each increase in damage by one hit die (ex: d6 to d8) for each type of damage dealt. These weapons count as spellcasting focuses and gain the following additional properties:
- Advanced Blowgun: Once per turn, when you hit a creature with this weapon's attack, it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or become Disoriented until the end of its next turn.
- Syringe Daggers: Once per turn, when you hit a creature with this weapon's attack, it must succeed on a Strength saving throw or become Stunned until the end of its next turn.
- Vials of Fog: Once per turn, when you hit a creature with this weapon's attack, it must succeed on an Intelligence saving throw or become Confused until the end of its next turn.
Bard (College of Slumber)
Soothe Sayer
Bards are one of the most "utility" of all the official classes, as they have the ability to inspire (buff) allies, distract enemies, cast spells, use a variety of weapons, and even heal others. Bards who take part in the College of Slumber focus on the healing aspect of sleep.
As a part of the College of Slumber, you understand that rest is literally the root of the word "restorative." In choosing this college, you devote yourself to the ability to heal your allies, both during rests and even mid-combat. Whether you have an official "healer" in the party or not, you are able to heal and amplify your allies' vitality.
Bunk Buds
3rd level College of Slumber feature
Whenever you perform a Song of Rest, you and any friendly creatures who hear your music are granted an extra boost. You, and any creature that both hears you and regains hit points via hit dice, each gain additional hit points equal to your Bard level. As usual, no creature can surpass its hit point maximum.
Further, any friendly creatures who hear your music but do not roll hit dice (including you) gain temporary hit points equal to your proficiency bonus.
Slumberjack
6th level College of Slumber feature
Your words can sustain even those approaching death. When you see a creature within 30 feet of you drop to zero hit points, you can use your reaction to spend a Bardic Inspiration die to stabilize that creature. The stabilized creature then gains temporary hit points equal to the Bardic Inspiration die roll.
Nighty Knight
14th level College of Slumber feature
The restorative power of sleep surges within your magic at all times of day. When you or another creature within 60 feet of you cast any healing spell, you can use a bonus action or your reaction, respectively, to spend a Bardic Inspiration die and add the result to the number of hit points regained by the target creature(s).
Cleric (Dream Domain)
Reams of Dreams
While clerics are often given the role of "party healer" automatically, clerics in the Dream Domain focus instead on the divination made possible through dreams and sleep. Dreams bring about great portent and insight into what is to come; this quickly becomes one's saving grace.
Deities in this domain include both Dream- and Sleep-related deities such as the Mesopotamian goddess Mamu, the Greek gods Morpheus and Hypnos, and the Egyptian god Bes. Also included are deities like Savras (Forgotten Fates), Istus (Greyhawk) and Sivilyn (Dragonlace).
Dream Domain Spells
You gain domain spells at the cleric levels listed in the Dream Domain Spells table (see below).
| Spell Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | identify, sleep |
| 3rd | fortune's favor, see invisibility |
| 5th | catnap, counterspell |
| 7th | arcane eye, Mordenkainen's private sanctuary |
| 9th | dream, Rary's telepathic bond |
Bonus Proficiency
1st level Dream Domain feature
You gain proficiency with heavy armor.
Bonus Cantrip
1st level Dream Domain feature
You know the guidance cantrip, which doesn't count against the number of cleric cantrips you know. For you, it has a range of 30 feet, rather than a range of 5 feet (to physically touch the target).
Auspicious Day
1st level Dream Domain feature
You recognize the omens brought forth by your own dreams. After you finish a long rest, you can touch one willing creature (including yourself). The chosen creature gains temporary resistance to the first type of damage it takes before its next long rest. The creature keeps this resistance until it completes a long rest.
Channel Divinity: Supreme Insight
2nd level Dream Domain feature
Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to bless your allies with a vision of their enemies' defenses. As an action, you can bless a number of friendly creatures of your choice equaling your Wisdom modifier who are within 30 feet of you. Those creatures are blessed until the end of your next turn. The next time each of those creatures hit a target with an attack, the damage dice are doubled, and then the blessing ends.
Daydreamer
6th level Dream Domain feature
As an action, you can speak telepathically with any creature you can see within 60 feet of you. So long as the creature understands a language, it can understand you, whether or not it knows the same language as you. The creature lacks the ability to respond to you telepathically.
Blessed Strikes
8th level Dream Domain feature: directly from Tasha's Cauldron of Everything (2020)
You are blessed with divine might in battle. When a creature takes damage from one of your cantrips or weapon attacks, you can also deal 1d8 radiant damage to that creature. Once you deal this damage, you can't use this feature again until the start of your next turn.
The Promised Day
17th level Dream Domain feature
You gain Ethereal Sight, the ability the see into the Ethereal Plane, out to 60 feet. In addition, you may grant your Auspicious Day benefits to a number of creatures (including yourself) equaling your Wisdom modifier. You may choose to grant these benefits to each creature of your choice at once, or at different times throughout the
day. As usual, this resistance ends upon completing a long rest. You regain all expended Auspicious Day uses after finishing a long rest.
A Quick Disclaimer
Each of these subclasses are each centered around the powers of sleep and rest. Thus, characters who choose these subclasses cannot be Warforged or other constructs.
Rogue (Sleepwalker)
Snork-Mi-Mi-Mi-Mi
Rogues are vastly different from other classes, special-izing in stealth and deception instead of fighting strong opponents head on. The Sleepwalker subclass highlights the Rogue's deceptive nature. After all, who hasn't pretended to be asleep, then returned to their secret (and possibly shady) affairs once the coast was clear?
As a Sleepwalker Rogue, you place great importance on your ability to feign innocence, and what better way to do this than through sleep? And though you often fake being unconsciousness, your ability to traverse into and out of consciousness leads to greater intuition and skill. You have learned that if you really try to, you can manifest your faux sleepwalking in subtle yet potent ways.
Bonus Senses
3rd level Sleepwalker feature
When you choose this subclass at 3rd level, you become more aware of your surroundings, especially when you (are pretending to) sleep. You gain 10 feet of both darkvision and blindsight, which stack with any darkvision and blindsight you already have, as well as the Blindsense feature you gain at 14th level in the rogue class.
Somnolent State
3rd level Sleepwalker feature
Whether it's real of not, you learn to sleepwalk, and can control the powers of your subconscious even when you're not fully awake. As a bonus action, you can enter a Somnolent State which lasts for one minute. While in this state, you have advantage on checks made to retrace your steps or revisit places you've been to in the last hour.
Further, few would expect a sleeping person to hurt them. When you're in your Somnolent State and hit a creature with your Sneak Attack, that creature must succeed on a Constitution saving throw (DC = 10 or half the damage dealt, whichever is higher) or become Dazed until the start of your next turn.
Your Somnolent State ends early if you take damage equaling twice your Rogue level in one hit, or if you end it early as a bonus action.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses after you finish a long rest.
Eclectic Narcoleptic
9th level Sleepwalker feature
You can hide in plain sight when you pretend to sleep. As a bonus action, you can simulate sleep by either lying down or leaning up against something. You gain a +10 bonus to Deception or Performance checks (your choice) when you take this bonus action, which lasts until you move or take an action or a reaction.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses after you finish a long rest.
Lucid Dreamer
13th level Sleepwalker feature
By 13th level, you have a newfound understanding of how to dodge around, twist, and break the truth. You gain proficiency in Charisma saving throws.
Hypnopompic State
17th level Sleepwalker feature
Your sleepwalking performance is so realistic that it even tires out your enemies. Your attacks all impose the Soporific condition. Further, whenever you hit a creature while in your Somnolent State, that creature must make an Intelligence saving throw or become Disoriented (DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier) until the start of your next turn.
Wizard (School of Thought)
Big Brain Energy
Wizards, the ultimate utility casters, specialize in different schools or orders of magic. Sometimes, wizard orders combine elements of other schools: most notably, War magic is a combination of abjuration and evocation magic. Similarly, the School of Thought is a combination of enchantment and illusion magics, as the emphasis of these wizards is to invade the mind and psychically diminish enemies from the inside out.
As a Wizard of the School of Thought, you recognize that the quickest way from "Point A" to "Point B" is simply to go through whatever obstacles are in the way. By gazing into the minds of others, you can easily materialize their darkest nightmares or simply put them to sleep.
Attuned Mind
2nd level School of Thought feature
You have a heightened awareness of and connection with those who you have encountered before. Whenever you make a History or Perception check related to a person you have met at least once, you are considered proficient in the History or Perception skill and add double your proficiency bonus to the check, instead of your normal proficiency bonus.
In addition, you can perform a 15-minute ritual to bond your own mind with the minds of up to five willing creatures. You become Pensively Bonded to each creature in the ritual, all of whom must be present for the ritual to
work. You can spend an action to see through one Pensively Bonded creature's eyes and hear what it hears until the start of your next turn, gaining the benefits of any special senses that the creature has so long as you are within 100 feet of it. During this time, you are deaf and blind with regard to your own senses.
You must perform this ritual again whenever you add, replace, or remove a creature from your Attuned Mind. Its effects last for a number of days equaling your wizard level, ending early if you are knocked unconscious or killed.
Dulled Senses
2nd level School of Thought feature
You emit a 10-foot radius aura of sleep-inducing energy. Any creature of your choice that starts its turn in your aura must succeed on an Intelligence saving throw against your spell save DC or take 1d6 psychic damage.
Ever Mindful
6th level School of Thought feature
You have constructed mental walls to protect yourself and sharpen your magical prowess. Once per day, you can cast sleep at first level without expending a spell slot. You yourself cannot be put to sleep by magical means or against your will, and require one less hour of sleep dur-ing a long rest than is considered "normal" for your race.
Dream Reaper
10th level School of Thought feature
By fusing enchantment and illusion magic, you learn how to twist dreams into nightmares and terrify your enemies. You gain the following spellcasting options:
-
Before casting an enchantment spell with a casting time of one action, you can cast fear as a bonus action without using a spell slot. The spell ends at the end of your next turn.
-
Before casting an illusion spell with a casting time of one action, you can cast enemies abound as a bonus action without using a spell slot. The spell ends at the end of your next turn.
After you use one of these spellcasting options, you cannot use this feature again until you finish a long rest.
Coup de Grâce
14th level School of Thought feature
Your coma-coaxing aura increases to a 30-foot radius. Any creature of your choice which starts or ends its turn in your aura and fails the initial Intelligence saving throw takes 1d6 psychic damage (as usual) and becomes Disoriented. On a successful save, a creature takes half damage and does not become Disoriented.
As a reaction, you can force one creature who passes through your aura to make an Intelligence saving throw. On a failed save, the creature becomes Disoriented even if it does not end its turn in your aura.
Further, your aura imposes the Soporific condition.