Witchcraft • Legacy Waking Cantrip

Quick Wakening

Sleeping figure illustrating the Quick Wakening spell

Quick Wakening instantly rouses a creature from ordinary sleep. It does not cure unconsciousness or break magical sleep; it is a small utility cantrip for camps, sentries and sudden alarms.

Quick Wakening at a Glance

Role Wake a sleeping creature immediately
Legacy level Witch 0, Cleric 0
Range Touch
Duration Instantaneous
Key limit Does not end magical sleep

Spell Rules by Edition

5.5e / 2024

Status: no standard spell by this name. Use normal waking rules or an edition-specific effect instead of importing the legacy “segments” language.

5e / 2014

Status: no core spell by this name.

Pathfinder 1e

Status: no standard Pathfinder spell by this name. It is not automatically added to the Pathfinder Witch list.

D&D 3.x Legacy

School Transmutation
Level Witch 0, Cleric 0
Components V, S
Casting Time 1 action
Range Touch
Target One creature
Duration Instantaneous
Saving Throw None
Spell Resistance Yes

The target wakes from normal sleep and is immediately alert. The original rule states that the awakened creature is ready to fight within 3 segments. The spell does not end magical sleep. The somatic component is a sharp clap of the hands.

What Changed?

The “3 segments” readiness rule belongs to an older action system. No modern conversion is assumed.

Best Uses

  • Wake a sentry replacement without shaking or shouting.
  • Rouse a sleeping ally when an ambush begins.
  • Coordinate a camp where silence matters.

Counterplay and GM Rulings

  • Magical sleep: Quick Wakening explicitly does not end it.
  • Unconscious creatures: being unconscious is not the same as normal sleep; this cantrip does not restore consciousness.
  • Counterspell: use the legacy edition’s normal counterspell rules while it is being cast.
  • Dispel Magic: the spell is instantaneous, so there is no ongoing magical effect to dispel afterwards.

In Play

Travelling covens use Quick Wakening as a practical camp spell. A single touch and clap can rouse the next watch without waking everyone nearby or giving an enemy a shouted warning.

Related Spells

Quick Sleeping · Sleep · Witch Spell Lists

FAQ

Does Quick Wakening end Sleep?

Not when Sleep is magical. The legacy text specifically limits the cantrip to normal sleep.

Does the target lose an action after waking?

Use the edition being played. The old “3 segments” wording does not map directly to modern turns.

Sources and Licensing

Rules-source boundary: the modern-edition panels are status guidance only. The legacy mechanics are preserved from Open Game Content.

Revised System Reference Document rules material identified as Open Game Content is used under the Open Game License v1.0a. Original explanations, comparisons, rulings, setting material, tactical guidance and the primary illustration are SpiralWorlds editorial material except where another credit is stated.

Open Game License v1.0a + applicable Section 15 notices

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System Reference Document Copyright 2003, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Bruce R. Cordell, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.

Liber Mysterium: The Netbook of Witches and Warlocks is Copyright ©2003, Timothy S. Brannan and the Netbook of Witches Team.

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