Deep Slumber
Deep Slumber can put a total of 10 Hit Dice of creatures to sleep in Pathfinder 1e and D&D 3.5e. It is a third-level spell with a 10-foot-radius burst, a full round of casting and Close range. Sleeping enemies can be passed quietly, but their companions can wake them. The fifth-edition panels below provide clearly labelled campaign adaptations.
Deep Slumber at a Glance
| Published legacy spell | Bard 3, Sorcerer/Wizard 3; up to 10 HD total, lowest HD first; Will negates and spell resistance applies. |
|---|---|
| Legacy reach and duration | Close: 25 ft. + 5 ft. per two caster levels; 1 minute per caster level. Casting takes 1 round. |
| D&D 2024 adaptation | Original third-level conversion: chosen creatures in a 10-foot-radius Sphere; staged Wisdom saves; Concentration. |
| D&D 2014 adaptation | Use published Sleep with a third-level slot: a 9d8 current-hit-point allowance; no saving throw or Concentration. |
| Wake-up rule | Damage or deliberate physical help can end the sleep. Use the edition panel for the required action; normal noise alone does not wake legacy sleepers. |
Rules by Edition
The published Pathfinder panel is open first. The two legacy editions have a 10-HD limit; the fifth-edition adaptations use their own mechanics and are labelled accordingly.
Deep Slumber — D&D 2024 Adaptation
Campaign adaptation — unofficial. This original third-level spell expands the 2024 Sleep framework to a 10-foot-radius Sphere. Its level and larger radius are campaign rules, not published higher-slot benefits of Sleep. GM approval is required; this conversion has not been playtested.
| Level / school / suggested access | Level 3 Enchantment; Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard with GM approval. |
|---|---|
| Casting time / range | Action / 60 feet. |
| Area / targets | A 10-foot-radius Sphere centred on a point within range; creatures you choose in it when the spell is cast. |
| Components | V, S, M (a pinch of sand or rose petals; no priced component). |
| Duration | Concentration, up to 1 minute. |
| Defence / damage | Wisdom saving throws against your spell save DC; no attack or damage. |
| Higher-level slot | No additional effect. |
Each chosen creature makes a Wisdom saving throw. On a success, it is unaffected. On a failure, it has the Incapacitated condition until the end of its next turn. It then repeats the save: success ends the effect on it; failure gives it the Unconscious condition for the remaining duration. The first failure does not yet make the creature Unconscious or stop its movement.
The spell ends on a target if it takes damage or a creature within 5 feet of it uses an action to shake it out of the effect. This also works during the initial Incapacitated stage. Losing Concentration ends every remaining effect. Dispel Magic and the duration limit also apply normally. The initial Sphere selects targets once; it is not a continuing zone that catches later arrivals.
Creatures that do not sleep, and creatures with Immunity to Exhaustion, automatically succeed on these saves, following the 2024 Sleep framework. Apply any other relevant creature features normally.
Published alternative: prepare the ordinary level-1 Sleep spell and use its 5-foot-radius Sphere. Its published description gives no improvement for a higher-level slot. For another published third-level control option, see Hypnotic Pattern.
Framework source: 2024 Basic Rules: Sleep. The expanded radius and third-level assignment above are original.
Deep Slumber — D&D 2014 Adaptation
Campaign adaptation — unofficial name. Use Deep Slumber as a campaign name for the published 2014 Sleep spell cast with a third-level slot. Prepare or learn Sleep; this approach uses its existing scaling rather than adding another official spell-list entry.
| Spell / school / class access | Sleep, Enchantment; Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard. Use a third-level spell slot. |
|---|---|
| Casting time / range | 1 action / 90 feet. |
| Area | Creatures within 20 feet of a point you choose within range. |
| Components | V, S, M (a pinch of fine sand, rose petals or a cricket; no priced component). |
| Duration | 1 minute; no Concentration. |
| Capacity / defence | Roll 9d8 for the current-hit-point allowance. No saving throw or attack roll. |
| Higher-level slot | +2d8 for each slot level above 3; a fourth-level slot gives 11d8. |
Roll 9d8, then work from the creature with the lowest current hit points upward. Ignore Unconscious creatures and creatures unaffected by the spell. A creature falls Unconscious if its current hit points fit the remaining allowance; subtract that amount before moving to the next creature. Allies in the area can be affected. Hit Dice and Challenge Rating are not used in this calculation.
A sleeper wakes if it takes damage or someone uses an action to shake or slap it awake. The effect also ends when its minute expires or it is dispelled. Undead and creatures immune to being Charmed are unaffected; specific magical-sleep immunities still apply. This version has no ongoing Concentration to break.
Example: a roll of 38 can put creatures with 17 and 19 current hit points to sleep, leaving an allowance of 2. A third creature with 40 current hit points is unaffected.
Source: 2014 Basic Rules: Sleep. The published 5d8 starting allowance gains 2d8 per slot level above first: 5d8 + 4d8 = 9d8 at third level.
Deep Slumber — Pathfinder 1e
Published rules — Pathfinder 1e. Deep Slumber puts up to 10 HD of creatures into magical sleep. Its third-level spell level and Close range replace those of the base Sleep spell; the remaining procedures below are inherited from that edition’s Sleep.
| School / core class level | Enchantment (Compulsion) [Mind-Affecting]; Bard 3, Sorcerer/Wizard 3. |
|---|---|
| Casting time | 1 round, inherited from Sleep. |
| Range | Close: 25 ft. + 5 ft. per two caster levels. |
| Area / capacity | One or more living creatures within a 10-foot-radius burst; up to 10 Hit Dice total. |
| Components | V, S, M (a pinch of fine sand, rose petals or a live cricket; no assigned gp cost). |
| Duration | 1 minute per caster level; no ongoing Concentration after casting. |
| Defences | Will negates; spell resistance Yes. Use a third-level spell’s save DC. |
| Scaling | Caster level improves range and duration; the 10-HD capacity remains fixed. |
Choose the burst and work from the eligible creatures with the fewest Hit Dice. Among creatures with equal HD, those nearest the burst’s centre are affected first. Each creature reached within the 10-HD allowance receives the spell’s normal Will save and spell-resistance protection. A remainder too small to affect the next creature is wasted. Allies can consume the allowance.
Sleeping creatures are helpless. Slapping or wounding one wakes it; normal noise does not. Awakening another creature takes a standard action and is an application of Aid Another. The spell does not target creatures already Unconscious, constructs or undead. Apply magical-sleep and mind-affecting immunities where a creature has them.
One round is not one standard action. Casting completes immediately before the caster’s next turn and can be interrupted before then. Once completed, the spell requires no ongoing Concentration. It ends on a sleeper through waking, successful dispelling or expiry; it is not marked as a dismissible spell.
At caster level 5: a wizard’s range is 35 feet and the duration is 5 minutes. The allowance is still 10 HD. The normal save DC is 10 + 3 + the casting ability modifier, before other bonuses.
Sources: Pathfinder Deep Slumber and its inherited Sleep rules.
Deep Slumber — D&D 3.5e
Published rules — D&D 3.5e. Deep Slumber affects 10 Hit Dice of creatures in total. It uses the following third-level profile and the full inherited Sleep procedure, with Close range.
| School / core class level | Enchantment (Compulsion) [Mind-Affecting]; Bard 3, Sorcerer/Wizard 3. |
|---|---|
| Casting time | 1 round, inherited from Sleep. |
| Range | Close: 25 ft. + 5 ft. per two caster levels. |
| Area / capacity | One or more living creatures within a 10-foot-radius burst; up to 10 Hit Dice total. |
| Components | V, S, M (a pinch of fine sand, rose petals or a live cricket; no assigned gp cost). |
| Duration | 1 minute per caster level; no ongoing Concentration after casting. |
| Defences | Will negates; spell resistance Yes. Use a third-level spell’s save DC. |
| Scaling | Caster level improves range and duration; the 10-HD capacity remains fixed. |
Begin with the eligible creatures that have the fewest Hit Dice. Break equal-HD ties by distance from the point of origin, affecting the nearest first. Remaining Hit Dice that cannot fit the next creature are wasted. Targets have a Will save and spell resistance; the spell’s save DC uses its third-level spell level. Friendly creatures can be caught by the same allocation.
A sleeping creature is helpless. Slapping or wounding it wakes it, while ordinary noise does not. Awakening another creature uses a standard action through Aid Another. Unconscious creatures, constructs and undead are excluded from targeting; specific sleep or mind-affecting immunities apply normally.
The inherited 1-round casting finishes immediately before your following turn and exposes you to interruption while casting. After resolution there is no ongoing Concentration. Waking, successful dispelling or the end of the duration removes the effect. There is no dismissible (D) entry or automatic increase above 10 HD as caster level rises.
Sources: 3.5e Deep Slumber and the inherited 3.5e Sleep.
How the 10-HD Limit Works
Hit Dice measure a legacy creature’s underlying creature or class dice. They are not its current hit points or its Challenge Rating. Creatures with 2, 3 and 5 HD fit the 10-HD allowance exactly; each receives its own applicable defences. Two creatures with 3 HD leave only 4 HD available, so a following 5-HD creature cannot be affected.
Position the burst carefully. A low-HD ally can be reached before a stronger enemy. A single creature above 10 HD exceeds the ordinary legacy spell’s capacity, even when wounded. Those limits do not become a hit-point allowance or a Wisdom save in another edition.
What Changes Between Editions?
- How targets qualify: PF1e and 3.5e allocate 10 HD. The 2014 approach spends a 9d8 current-hit-point allowance. The original 2024 conversion uses Wisdom saves.
- How long casting takes: the legacy spell requires 1 round and can be interrupted before resolution; both fifth-edition approaches take an action.
- How sleep develops: the legacy and 2014 effects put affected creatures directly to sleep. The 2024 conversion first causes Incapacitated, then requires a second failed save for Unconscious.
- What sustains it: the 2024 conversion requires Concentration. The other versions continue for their duration without it.
- Which immunity matters: 2024 Sleep uses no-sleep and Exhaustion-immunity protections. The 2014 spell excludes undead and creatures immune to being Charmed. Legacy spell exclusions and mind-affecting protections follow their own rules.
Using and Resisting the Spell
A watchman sags against a gateway while his companion rushes to wake him. The party has a brief choice: slip through, stop the helper, or withdraw before the watch recovers. An ally can use an action to wake a sleeper; shouted warnings alone do not replace that help.
Legacy casters can be disrupted during their full round of casting. Against the 2024 adaptation, breaking Concentration frees the remaining targets. In each edition, deliberate waking, damage and Dispel Magic provide counterplay using that edition’s procedure. Passing quietly may gain more than striking a sleeper and waking it.
The Enchanted Sleep of Fairy Tales
In Perrault’s The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood, enchanted sleep lasts a hundred years and fills a castle with motionless sleepers. That is a useful story image, while ordinary Deep Slumber lasts minutes per caster level. A long sleeping-kingdom adventure needs a separate enchantment; Pathfinder’s Mythic Deep Slumber offers its own published extension.
Related Spells and Spell Lists
Sleep explains the base spells in full. Compare Hypnotic Pattern for another control effect. Legacy spell-list references: Bard Spells and Sorcerer and Wizard Spells.
Sources and Licences
The published PF1e and 3.5e Deep Slumber and inherited Sleep rule summaries are Open Game Content under the Open Game License 1.0a. The fifth-edition Sleep framework comes from the SRDs named below under CC BY 4.0; the 2024 Deep Slumber conversion is explicitly unofficial. Original encounter prose and the credited illustration are separate from those rules licences.
Fifth-edition source documents and attribution
2024 rules: SRD 5.2.1. 2014 rules: SRD 5.1. The 2024 panel is an original, unofficial expansion of Sleep. The 2014 campaign-name adaptation uses published Sleep with a third-level slot. Published legacy Deep Slumber remains separately identified.
This work includes material from the System Reference Document 5.2.1 (“SRD 5.2.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available at https://www.dndbeyond.com/srd. The SRD 5.2.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.
This work includes material taken from the System Reference Document 5.1 (“SRD 5.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC and available at https://dnd.wizards.com/resources/systems-reference-document. The SRD 5.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.
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