The Oneiromancer's Guide to Practical Dreaming
A New System of Dream Magic for 5th Edition
Table Of Contents
Welcome to Oneiromancy
In the dreams of a slumbering dwarf prince, a strange man approaches. He explains that he is Monsieur Charlemagne, a subconscious entity created by the court mage to ward the prince against psychic intrusion. All the prince needs to do is follow his instructions... and show him the vault where his mind stores the kingdom's secrets.
But thirty feet away, the sleeping form of the oneiromancer smiles slightly, as her avatar peruses the most well-guarded confidences of the Dwarven lords. To break into the sealed underground libraries themselves would have been near impossible- but to lie next to a sleeping dwarf, exhausted after a day's trek on a solitary quest? That, she could do.
The World of Sleep
Oneiric (Adj., Formal) Related to dreams or dreaming.
Oneiromancy (Noun, Thaumaturgical) The magical study and manipulation of dreams, or a spell which accomplishes a similar effect.
As its name suggests, oneiromancy deals with the sleeping mind, and oneiromancers work to mould and penetrate the psyches of their subjects when they are at their most vulnerable. Where questionning a devious wizard might be next to impossible while he is awake, asleep and unguarded secrets may flow freely.
Through their study of the sleeping soul, the oneiromancer becomes an expert in the minds of their targets, able to extract and incept ideas and thoughts from and to the mind of any subject unfortunate enough to fall asleep in their presence. This even extends to a limited control of the waking mind, as the oneiromancer can use the experience with psychic intrusion to wreak havoc on a conscious subject even during their waking hours.
Despite this limited waking domain, the dream is the true canvas of any skilled oneiromancer. A School of such wizards may collaborate to create dreams so elaborate that the subject spends lifetimes in a night of sleep, until either the oneiromancers' goals are achieved or the psychic reserves of the dreamer are exhausted and they fall into catatonic slumber in the primal subconscious wastelands of their ravaged mind.
Changes to 5e
Sleep and Dream are removed from the list of existing spells. Catnap becomes a 2nd-level Oneiromancy spell (see below). In addition, the states of sleep and their relations to dreaming are separated into different conditions as follows:
Sleep States
| Name | Description | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Unconsciousness | Limited or no dreaming. | -7 |
| Normal Sleep | Weak dreaming. | -1 |
| Deep Sleep | Normal dreaming. | +2 |
| Magical Slumber | Vivid dreaming. | +5 |
The Nature of Dreams
Most intelligent creatures that sleep dream. While they dream, they are generally unaware that they are dreaming, but instead see themselves within a representation of their subconscious acting out some memory or mental fiction. Oneiromancers seek to manipulate and warp these dreamworlds to help or harm a sleeping subject.
The Dreaming Mind
A creature's subconscious can be divided into several layers representing the different degrees to which thoughts or memories are buried in their mind- repressed or traumatic memories, for example, may lurk beneath the surface of more placid or pleasant thoughts. For most creatures, their dreamworld consists of three primary layers:
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Superliminal: This is the topmost layer of the dreamworld, involving recent memories, encounters or fictions created by the sleeping mind. Most creatures that dream spend their sleeping hours in this layer.
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Liminal: This layer serves as the transition between the superliminal (conscious) and subliminal (subsconscious) mental layers. Here buried thoughts, doubts, or obsessions live, just beneath the thin protective wrapper of the superliminal, and ocassionally manifesting as disturbing or alluring visions in superliminal dreams.
The liminal layer can be further split into a number of sub-layers: The number of sub-layers for each individual varies, but generally speaking the more wise and guarded a creature is, the more liminal sub-layers they will have representing built-up mental resistance to psychic probing, with their most buried secrets at the bottom.
It is helpful to note that this resistance goes both ways- subjects with many sub-layers are resistant to both external examination and internal introspection, especially if the thoughts they attempt to bury are painful or shameful ones. A helpful estimate is 1 + the Wisdom modifier of the individual (a minimum of 0), or more for particularly repressed minds. -
Subliminal: This is the bottomost layer of the dreamworld. Here rational concepts such as time and space fall apart entirely (as opposed to before, when they are merely manipulated or warped) in an infinite limbo, and complex higher-order thought becomes usperseded by raw emotionality and the unrestrained creative capacity of the mind. Inidividuals (even the owner of the mind) who experience this layer may remain trapped forever, while their bodies slumber catatonically in the waking world, eternities passing in an instant. Creatures at the subliminal layer lose 1d4-1 Wisdom per minute until their Wisdom drops below 0, whereupon they lose their concept of "reality" and become trapped forever, actively resisting any attempt to rescue them. If they escape (even before reaching 0 Wisdom), they lose 1d4 Wisdom permanently.
Anatomy of a Dreamworld
The world of a dream is complex, deceitful, ever-changing. Maps may morph, treasured books be filled with unreadable text, and visions complex metaphors for deeper desires within. Oneiromancy introduces the concept of Dream Scrolls, scrolls that contain the dreamworlds created by another, but even those are warped and filled with the contents of a dreamer's mind- show the dreamer a castle, and his secrets will be buried in a vault he instinctively knows how to access, even if he is not aware of it.
Indeed, even the contents of a dreamer's most private confidences may shift: where the vault in a superliminal layer may contain only minor embarrassments, the vault of the deepest liminal sub-layer may contain quite different secrets entirely. Those hoping to alter a dreamer's mind must access each of these layers, penetrate as deep as they go, and plant the emotional genesis of a foreign idea which will, with luck and circumstance, sprout into a fully fledged superliminal urge.
Constructs
The denizens of any dreamworld (except for the dreamer themselves or anyone they are sharing a dream with) are Constructs, representations of subconscious aspects of the dreamer. These may include people the dreamer knows in the waking world, figments of their imagination, or defensive constructs created by their subconscious to ward off intruders. Dreamers instinctively sense if another entity is sharing their dream (as opposed to merely causing an omen or portent to appear), and their mind seeks to destroy them as the dreamer would destroy their enemies in the waking world. A dragon's dream, therefore, might include draconic guards that burn intruders trying to access their (mental) hoard.
Transitional Portals
Transitions between different layers of the dream can happen in several different fashions, almost always pointing deeper towards the subconscious. Pathways can be created with sufficient subconscious persuasion, usually in the form of long staircases downward or deep caves. Alternatively, if the dreamer falls asleep in the dream through conscious arrangement (via either lucid dreaming or magical assistance), they will have a secondary dream in the dreamworld, and so on and so forth.
Dreamtime and Awakening
Entering the dreamworld is easy- sleeping. Leaving the dream, it so continues, should be equally easy- waking up.
Of course, without a ready external force to wake you waking up from within a dream is often easier said than done- Time passes differently, within a dream.
In general, for each level you go down, time expands as you approach a realm composed purely of thoughts, unconstrained by external concepts such as the passage of minutes or hours. The time of Kronos, time divided into constant, measured units, is ultimately a fiction created by intelligence, after all: the subjective, wild time of Kairos- where a single moment of danger extends into a minor infinity or when a joyous festival seems eternal to our minds- is the only time that dream respects.
For the purposes of gameplay, this mens that time is multiplied by an increasing factor as you descend: A minute becomes an hour at the superliminal layer, and as you traverse the liminal layers a (waking) minute becomes a day, then a week, then a month. At the lowest liminal layers a minute of normal time can become a year or a century, enough for entire lives to pass before you even wake up. Those who are trapped in dream- or worse, at the subliminal layer- may be driven to insanity by their "imprisonment", waking as senile mental octogenerians or gibbering madmen. Woe betide the Oneiromancer the dream-thief who, after persuing the most private details of their subjects lives, lose their way and remain trapped in their minds for virtual aeons, waiting to die alone as aged souls filled with regret, having already forgotten what it meant to be young.
Thus, escape is one of, if not the, most important component of any dream-extraction or dream-entry. Common methods of escaping non-magical sleep include falling, which triggers a body's sense of balance and delivers a psychic shock, and death in a dream, which delivers a similar emotional shock. However, in magical slumber these escapes do not function at the superliminal layer which guards the transition between sleep and wakefulness: falling can only be used to escape sub-layers of the dream, whereas death relegates you to the subliminal layer perhaps eternally. A fall or death in the subliminal world always escapes even magical slumber- however, whether you retain the presence of mind to contemplate such an act is another matter entirely.
Recognising Dreaming
It is the oneiromancer's greatest tool that a dreaming mind covers inconsistencies and embraces a sort of magical realism, convinced that all happening is mundane and "normal". However, it is possible for dreamers to become aware of the fact that they are dreaming, especially in a non-magical dream.
This is generally done through a Wisdom (Perception) or Intelligence (Investigation) check, as alert minds notice inconsistencies in the dreamworld. The base DC for such checks is 14 + the effect of the dreamer's sleep state (See above in the section "Changes to 5e"). Oneiromancers may enhance or induce dreams, in which case the Oneiromancer's spellcasting ability modifier is added to the DC.
This check is separate from checks to divine the origin of visions or portents in a dream, and requires a calm dreamer and at least one action in dream time to complete. If the dream is multi-layered, however, this awareness will only apply for the current layer of the dream: you can easily "wake up" in another dreamworld one layer up without realising it.
Escaping a Dream
"Willing oneself awake" or similar feats can be accomplished, but only if you are already aware of the fact that you are dreaming and in normal sleep at the superliminal layer. To do so, you will need to succeed at another Charisma check with the same DC as recognising the fact that you are dreaming +5.
Implanting an Idea
While extraction of information from a sleeping subject is easy enough with a good memory, inception is another matter. At any point an Oneiromancer may choose to implant an idea in the mind of the their target: For it to implant successfully, it can be an emotional concept (Fear, Resolve, Anger etc.) , a conscious impulse (Change, Dissolution, Alteration), or both. The target must then make a Charisma or Wisdom saving throw with a DC of 5 + 5 times each layer the oneiromancer enters past the superliminal. (Implanting an idea at the third liminal sub-level = DC of 5 + 3 × 5 = 20) . The oneiromancer does not know whether the implantation succeeds, and cannot implant an idea at the subliminal layer, as the chaotic subconscious rejects any foreign impulse.
Remembering a Dream
It is often difficult after waking up to remember a dream you've had, and even if you do the dream often seems strange or bizarre compared to your experience of it. This holds especially true for dreams within dreams, as the mental constructs of your subconscious are often incomprehensible to the conscious or waking mind. In general, vestigial memories of normal dreams at the superliminal layer fade away in 1d6 days, while memories of layers beneatht that fade away in hours or minutes unless recorded immediately.
An exception to this rule, naturally, can be found in the magical omens or visions Oneiromancy inserts into dreams- being produts of magic rather than weak fictions of the mind they are comparatively vivid and seared into the memory of the dreamer, acting instead as a recent event experienced by the dreamer and remembered as such, especially if they contain traumatic or disturbing imagery.
Oneiromancy Subclasses
Different classes have learned to utilise the power of Oneiromancy over the centuries. Those schooled in the ways of sleep are highly sought after for their talents, able to alter the wills of lords and kings from the shadows and change lives with an errant touch from a hooded figure walking down the street.
School of Oneiromancy (Wizard)
As befits their title, the school of Oneiromancy specialises in producing oneiromancers, wizards who specialise in the crafting of dreams. You learn to work quietly while other schools take the spotlight, weaving chaos with your dreams and portents while remaining nearly undetectable yourself. As you focus your talents on this tradition, you gain the ability to subtly weave minds and alter the destinies of empires undetected, with the psyche itself your canvas.
Oneiromancy Savant
Beginning when you select this school at 2nd level, the gold and time you must spend to copy an oneiromancy spell into your spellbook is halved.
Oneiric Alertness
At 2nd level, your experience with and study of sleep allows you to be prepared against effects that induce trance or slumber. Whenever you are subject to an effect which requires you to make a saving throw or become unconscious, asleep or enter a charmed trance, you may add your proficiency bonus to the saving throw. In addition, you always gain the effects of the lucid spell while sleeping.
Dream Mastery
By 6th level, your familiarity with sleep makes your spellcraft particularly potent and your control over dreaming superb. You double your Intelligence modifer whenever an oneiromancy requires your spellcasting ability modifier. In addition, you add your proficiency bonus to your spell save DC for all oneiromancy spells. When in a dream or casting an oneiromancy spell, you make all ability checks and saving throws with advantage.
Focused Willpower
At 10th level, you gain absolute control over your consciousness and mental state. You become immune to effects that cause unconsciousness, sleep, confusion, or charm. In addition, you subtract any levels of exhaustion received afer performing oneiromancy spells by 1.
Primal Somnolence
Starting 14th level, you have mastered the ability to induce slumber in other creatures. As an action or a reaction, you release a burst of somnolent energy targeting all creatures within a 20-foot radius around you. These creatures must make a Charisma saving throw with a DC of your normal spell save DC plus your proficiency bonus. If the creatures are in a 5-foot radius around you, they must make the saving throw at a disadvantage.
On a failure, all creatures around you enter a magical slumber as if targeted by the slumber spell for up to 10 minutes, taking 4d8 psychic damage on a success.
Alternatively, you may direct your energy and target a number of creatures equal to your Intelligence modifier (a minimum of 3 creatures) up to 60 feet away. You may use this feature for a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier (a minimum of once) per long rest.
Dream-Thief (Rogue)
A variant of the Arcane Trickster that specialises in Enchantment and Oneiromancy, Dream-Theives serve as anything from spies to infiltrators. At the highest level Dream-Theives enter the minds of their targets themselves, pilfering important documents straight from the memories of their eyes-only readers without ever laying hands on parchment or tome. Always ready, ever vigilant, the study of the mind and sleep lends the Dream-Thief a veritable toolchest without ever touching their Theives' tools.
Spellcasting
The Dream-Thief obeys the same spellcasting rules as the Arcane Trickster, only choosing from Enchantment and Oneiromancy rather than Enchantment and Illusion.
Cunning Distraction
Starting at 9th level, you learn to hide your movements and incantations necessary for spellcasting with tricks and flourishes. You become proficient with all Gaming Sets. If you succeed on a Charisma (Performance) check against a target's Wisdom (Perception), the target fails to notice the fact that you are casting an oneiromancy spell. You may make the check with advantage if you are not in combat and have a Gaming Set you can use, such as via a card game or a trick performance.
Versatile Dreamweaver
At 13th level, you gain the ability to channel your magic through mage hand to distract and disable targets. You may use the hand to cast oneiromancy or illusion spells with a range of touch.
Counter-Caster
By 14th level, you understand the mind and have honed your vigilance to the degree that you may cast your magic in the moments before an anticipated attack lands. If you are targeted by a melee attack that hits, you may expend your reaction to cast a 1st or 2nd level spell you know. If the spell incapacitates or distracts your attacker, the attack does not land. You may use this feature once per short or long rest.
Domain of Night (Cleric)
The Night holds vast power in the primal imagination. The Night is dark, mysterious, alluring, the boundaries between imagination and reality blurred and unclear, where dream-logic overpowers the rational instincts of the mind. Clerics of the Domain of Night are masters of the dark and masters of the minds that journey there in sleep. Gods or primal entities of the night (Texzcatlipoca, Nyx, Artume, Ratri, Al-Qaum) and those who represent sleep and dreams (Morpheus, Hypnos, Breksta, Mamu) grant their power to clerics who promote the remote, austere principles of the darkness, granting them its strength to unleash on command.
Night Domain Spells
| Cleric Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | Awaken, Lucid |
| 3rd | Oneiric Omen, Darkvision |
| 5th | Slow, Alter Consciousness |
| 7th | Shadow of Moil, Visitation |
| 9th | Share Dream, Oneiric Sending |
Bonus Cantrip
When you choose this domain at 1st level, you gain the minor omen cantrip if you don't already know it.
Shroud of Darkness
Also at 1st level, you can use a bonus action or reaction to create a series of shifting shadows that envelop you or another creature of your choice. Until the start of your next turn, all melee attack rolls against that creature must be made with disadvantage. You may use this feature once per long rest.
Channel Divinity: Wrath of the Night
Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to impose a magical darkness which binds to the eyes of your enemies but not your allies.
As an action, you present your holy symbol, forcing all hostile creatures in a 30-foot radius to make a Wisdom or Charisma saving throw at disadvantage. Creatures that fail are partially blinded by a false darkness: they have disadvantage on all attack rolls for the next 10 minutes and cannot make Attacks of Opportunity. An affected creature may repeat its saving throw at the end of its turn, ending the effect on a success.
Creatures immune to being charmed or have truevision are not affected by this effect. Darkvision does not dispell the magical darkness.
Refined Shroud
By 6th level, you have learned to use your shroud to cloud the minds of your enemies as well as protect your allies. Enemies attacking a shrouded creature must make a Charisma saving throw. On a failure, they become unconscious as if affected by the alter consciousness spell.
Potent Spellcasting
Starting at 8th level, you add your Wisdom modifier to the damage you deal with any cleric cantrip.
Mantle of Slumber
Starting at 17th level, you imbue your strikes and spells with the essence of night for 1 minute, compelling the victims of your strikes to slumber. An aura of darkness surrounds your form and leaps out as you strike with a weapon (both melee and ranged) or spell, or when you are attacked. If the attack lands, the target of your attack must make a Charisma saving throw or become unconscious as if targeted by the alter consciousness spell. If they succeed, they take psychic damage equal to 2d10 + your Cleric level and have disadvantage on the first attack roll, skill check, or saving throw they make next turn. In addition, any enemy that successfully attacks you with a melee weapon or as part of an attack of opportunity must also make the same check.
Undead and creatures immune to being charmed are not affected by this effect.
Practical Oneiromancy
Oneiromancy Spells
Unless otherwise specified, all oneiromancy spells are wizard and cleric spells. The spells below are arranged by level.
Minor Omen
Oneiromancy cantrip
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: Touch
- Components: M, V, S (A pinch of sand)
- Duration: 1 day
You conjure a minor omen in another creature's dream. Select one creature in range. The next time they dream they see a small or tiny inanimate and non-threatening object. If the object contains writing, the writing is subconsciously overwritten by the dreamer. Undead and creatures immune to being charmed or that do not sleep are not affected by this spell.
Lucid
1st-level oneiromancy
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 20 feet
- Components: M, V, S (A mirror)
- Duration: 1 day
This spell allows creatures to be aware of the fact that they are dreaming. Select one creature within range. The next time they dream within the spell's duration they become aware of the fact that they are dreaming, and gain advantage on checks to identify magical intrusion into their dreams. Undead and creatures immune to being charmed or that do not sleep are not affected by this spell.
Oneiric Totem
1st-level oneiromancy
- Casting Time: 30 minutes
- Range: Touch
- Components: M, V, S (A tiny or small object)
- Duration: Until dispelled
You create a totem unique to you that divides the waking and dreaming worlds. Select one tiny or small object within range. After meditating with this object for thirty minutes, this object becomes your dream totem. You always have this object with you when you dream (even if this object is lost or stolen in real life), and only you can use 1 action to instantly determine whether you are dreaming by checking one property of the object. You define what property changes when you are dreaming, such as weight, condition, or duration (if the object can be spun or change form).
This totem does not count towards your number of attuned magical items. The effect of this spell ends if you dispell it or cast it on another object.
Awaken
1st-level oneiromancy
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 30 feet
- Components: M, V, S (A needle or nail)
- Duration: Instantaneous
Select up to 5 creatures that are asleep in range. If they are in non-magical sleep, they instantly feel a prickling sensation in a body part of your choice and wake up fully. If they are in magical slumber, this counts as an attempt to rouse them.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, add 10 feet to the spell's range and select 3 extra targets for each spell slot above 1st.
Alter Avatar
2nd-level oneiromancy
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: Self
- Components: M, V
- Duration: Concentration, until dispelled
You change your appearance within a dream. You must retain your creature form, your speech, and your mannerisms, but may otherwise change your appearance and clothing. To detect this change, another dreamer you are sharing a dream with must succeed in a contest between their Wisdom (Perception) and your spellcasting ability.
Bar from Sleep
2nd-level oneiromancy
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 30 feet
- Components: M, V, S (A thorn)
- Duration: 3 days
This spell forbids a creature from resting or sleeping. Select one creature in range. Every time they attempt to sleep for the duration of the spell, they will fail to do so, eventually waking up without feeling refreshed. They cannot gain the benefits of a long rest while the spell is in effect, and for each day that they cannot sleep, they gain 1 level of exhaustion. Undead and creatures immune to being charmed or that do not sleep are not affected by this spell. The effects of this spell can be treated as a Charm effect on the target.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, add 2 days to the spell duration for each slot level above 2nd.
Oneiric Omen
2nd-level oneiromancy
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: Touch
- Components: M, V, S (A pinch of sand)
- Duration: 3 days
You place an omen, message or portent into the dreams of another creature, which appears if they sleep within the spell's duration. Select one target within range with an intelligence greater than 7. This omen appears as a vignette or object in that creature's dream, but the dream is not otherwise affected.
You may add a message (either spoken or written) of up to 10 words when crafting the omen. The creature is not aware of the omen's origins, but may make a Wisdom (Perception) or Intelligence (Investigation) check to discern a foreign influence. Choose from one of the following effects:
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Weal. A blessing or sign of good fortune. Common representations include flowers, rays of sunlight, or celestial signs. The target gains advantage on the first saving throw, attack roll, or skill check they make after waking up.
-
Woe. A curse or sign of ill fortune. Common representations include skulls, bloodied swords, or demonic visages. The target gains disadvantage on the first saving throw, attack roll, or skill check they make after waking up.
-
Warn. A sign representing impending danger. Common representations include hooded figures approaching, falling down a chasm, or being entombed in stone. The target must succeed on a Charisma saving throw or wake up immediately without gaining the benefits of a night's sleep.
The spell's effect ends after this vision. Undead and creatures immune to being charmed or that do not sleep aren't affected by this spell.
Slumber
2nd-level oneiromancy
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: Touch
- Components: M, V
- Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour
By means of this spell, you may induce a magical state of sleep upon a creature within range. If the creature fails a Charisma saving throw, it falls into a magical slumber from which it cannot awaken until the spell ends. If someone attempts to awaken the creature or it receives damage, it must succeed in a contest between the spellcaster's spellcasting ability and the creature's Charisma.
If it succeeds, it becomes unconscious, and can be awakened on the next turn if the sleeper takes damage or another creature uses their action to shake or slap the sleeper awake. If neither of these conditions are met, the sleeper makes a second Charisma saving throw, awakening on a success or returning to magical slumber if it fails. If at any point during this process the spell ends, the creature awakens immediately.
Undead and creatures immune to being charmed aren't affected by this spell.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, add 1 to your spell save DC for this spell and your contest result for each slot level above 2nd.
Alter Consciousness
3rd-level oneiromancy
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 60 feet
- Components: M, V
- Duration: 1 minute
You create a powerful burst of negative magic which saps the conscious willpower of creatures within range. Select a number of creatures equal to your spellcasting ability modifier within a 20-foot radius centered on a point you choose within range. These creatures must succeed on a Charisma saving throw or fall unconscious until the spell ends, the sleeper takes damage, or someone uses their action to shake or slap the sleeper awake. If they succeed, they take 2d6 psychic damage instead. For each additional creature you select above 1, subtract 1 from your spell save DC for this spell.
Undead and creatures immune to being charmed aren't affected by this spell.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, select an additional creature to target without affecting your spell save DC for each slot level above 3rd.
Oneiric Benediction
3rd-level oneiromancy
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 50 feet
- Components: M, V, S (A pinch of sand and a feather plucked from a sleeping bird)
- Duration: 3 days
You bless the dreams of another creature, soothing its mind and improving its physical condition. Select one target within range with an intelligence greater than 7. The target witnesses a calming vision of your choice the next time they sleep within the spell's duration: this may include the celestial beings, austere vistas, or other similarly charming sights. In addition to the regular benefits of sleep, the target gains the effects of a Lesser Restoration spell upon waking up, and gains advantage on the first saving throw, attack roll, or skill check they make after waking up. The target is unaware of the vision's origin, but the spell can be removed via spells such as Dispell Magic.
The spell's effect ends after this vision. Undead and creatures immune to being charmed or that do not sleep aren't affected by this spell.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the spell's duration lasts for another 3 days and the vision repeats once for each slot level above 3rd.
Oneiric Curse
3rd-level oneiromancy
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 50 feet
- Components: M, V, S (A pinch of sand and a drop of blood from a sleeping bird)
- Duration: 3 days
You curse the dreams of another creature, leaving its mind disturbed and sleep impossible. Select one target within range with an intelligence greater than 7. The target witnesses a terrifying vision of your choice the next time they sleep within the spell's duration: this may include the corpses of their loved ones, the death of the target, or other similarly disturbing portents.
If the portent includes others close to the target, you must have knowledge of how they look and, if they move and speak, how they act. If you so choose or if you perform the spell without the necessary knowledge, the figures appear with blank faces and speak in your voice. The target must succeed on a Charisma saving throw or take 2d10 psychic damage, and wakes up immediately without gaining the benefits of a night's sleep. The target is unaware of the vision's origin, but the spell can be removed via spells such as Dispell Magic.
The spell's effect ends after this vision. Undead and creatures immune to being charmed or that do not sleep aren't affected by this spell.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the spell's duration lasts for another 3 days and the vision repeats once for each slot level above 3rd.
Oneiric Record
3rd-level oneiromancy
- Casting Time: 30 minutes
- Range: Touch
- Components: M, V, S (A blank scroll worth at least 30 gp which the spell consumes)
- Duration: 8 hours
This spell allows you to record a dream constructed either by yourself or by another. Upon completing the activation of the spell, one willing participant enters a dreamspace representing their subconscious. During this period, they are aware of the fact that they are dreaming and thus may lucidly morph or change the surroundings of their dreamworld. Each detail added may require a skill check: For example, an Intelligence (History) check can be used to raise an ancient temple in the dreamworld, or an Intelligence check to replicate a room from memory. The dreamer may utilise tool proficiencies as if they were awake to aid them in sculpting their dream and add objects or mechanisms, but cannot create sentient creatures.
Upon completion of the spell or when the dreamer wishes to leave, they wake up and suffer one level of exhaustion. The dreamer does not gain any benefits from hours of sleep spent in this fashion. The scroll becomes a Dream Scroll containing a record of the dreamworld created.
Psychic Probe
4th-level oneiromancy
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 60 feet
- Components: M, V
- Duration: Concentration, up to 30 minutes
By means of this spell, you may penetrate the unsuspecting mind of a sleeping creature and probe its mental faculties. Select one sleeping target within range. If the target succeeds on a Charisma or Wisdom saving throw (at disadvantage if in magical slumber), it instantly wakes up. If it fails, you may enter its psyche to gather information. For every 5 minutes you spend in the target's mind, choose one of the following pieces of information to obtain from the target:
- Ability. Whether one ability score is Very Low (1-5), Low (6-9), Common (10-11), High (12-15), or Very High (15-20)
- Phobia. Whether it has resistance, immunity, or vulnerability to up to two types of damage
- Self-perception. The amount of class levels it possesses (if any)
- Vulnerability. The amount of dream-layers it possesses (if any)
- Memory. A particularly vivid piece of the creature's prior experience. (if any)
- Personality. One of its particularly bold personality traits, if any.
The creature repeats its saving throw every five minutes, ending the spell's effect on a success. Undead and creatures immune to being charmed or that do not sleep aren't affected by this spell.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5th level or higher, you may spend an extra 5 minutes probing the subject for each slot level above 4th.
Visitation
4th-level oneiromancy
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 30 feet
- Components: M, V, S (A miniature golden key worth at least 30 gp which the spell consumes)
- Duration: Concentration, up to 8 hours
Stepping between the veil which divides minds, you enter the dream of another as a noctural visitor. Select one target you can see with an Intelligence above 7. If they are willing, they fall into a deep sleep instantly. If they are unwilling, they must be asleep and fail a Charisma saving throw. You also fall asleep, and enter their dream. You bring any items you have on your person when you fall asleep into the dreamworld, so long as they are medium or smaller in size. Items in the dreamworld function as they do in reality, including toolkits such as Disguise Kits and skill proficiencies such as Charisma (Performance).
While in the dreamworld, your dream avatar gains a number of temporary hit points equal to your maximum hp. If these hit points are exhausted, you "die" and are ejected from the dream. If the subject of your visitation "dies", the dream ends and you both awake instantly, with the subject taking 4d8 psychic damage and suffering one level of exhaustion. All spell slots and class features are restored, but used features and lost temporary hit points persist between layers.
While you are in the dream, you may cast Visitation again to go one layer deeper so long as the requirements are fulfilled without replenishing class features or temporary hit points. If at any point your concentration is broken (for example, by receiving damage in the dream or waking world and failing your concentration saving throw) or you end the spell's effects, the spell ends and you exit the dream immediately.
Upon waking up, the target remembers the experience as a dream, with less detail each layer the target goes down. However, they may still remember your faces if improperly disguised, with such more tangible memories fading 1d6 days after the target awakes, or at the DM's discretion. You gain 1 level of exhaustion upon the end of the spell's effects.
Mindward
5th-level oneiromancy
- Casting Time: 8 hours
- Range: Touch
- Components: M, V, S (A blank set of scrolls worth at least 100 gp which the spell consumes and a quill)
- Duration: 1 month
You ward your mind with an extra liminal sub-layer. Over the course of one night's sleep, you create the architecture, constructs, and devices that populate this layer, placing it within the hierarchy of sub-layers as you choose. This layer will then trap any intruders attempting to penetrate your mind without revealing any secrets. You wake up with one level of exhaustion and do not gain the benefits of the night's sleep. If you repeatedly cast this spell every month for one year, the layer becomes permanent.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 6th level or higher, you gain an extra sub-layer for each slot level above 5th.
Oneiric Construct
5th-level oneiromancy
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: Touch
- Components: M, V, S (A clay figure bearing the name of the dreamer)
- Duration: 1 week
This spell allows you to create a persistent construct of foreign origin inside the dreams of another creature. Select a creature in range with an Intelligence of greater than 7. It must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw to resist this mental influence. On a failure, a mental construct becomes imprinted onto the subconscious mind of the target. Unlike an omen or portent, this construct acts as a semi-sentient entity, carrying out your instructions to the best of its ability. The construct must resemble your waking creature form, but you may assign mannerisms, speech, and appearance to the construct as you desire. The construct can speak any language you speak and appears every time the subject dreams for the duration of the spell or until it is killed. If you cast this spell every week for a year, the construct becomes a permanent fixture until the spell is dispelled.
Undead and creatures that do not sleep are not affected by this spell.
Oneiric Sending
5th-level oneiromancy
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: Self
- Components: M, V, S (A slip of parchment with the target's name which the spell consumes and a pinch of sand)
- Duration: Up to 8 hours
You attempt to contact a living creature on this plane of existence by sending a message through a dream. You must know the name of the creature and have some concept of its identity, although any extra information you possess about it improves your chance of success. If you have a personal artefact of the creature, such as a lock of hair or a nail clipping, then success is guaranteed. The creature must have an Intelligence of higher than 7, cannot be Undead, and must be sleeping when you attempt this spell. Once you have selected a target, you should make a roll on the following chart using your spellcasting ability and add your bonus to determine your success:
Oneiric Sending Result
| d20 | Result (Effect) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Backlash (Take 3d10 psychic damage) |
| 2-10 | Failed search (No effect) |
| 11-14 | Minor success (Effect equivalent to oneiric omen) |
| 15-18 | Greater success (Effect equivalent to your choice of oneiric omen, oneiric benediction or oneiric curse) |
| 19-20 | Perfect success (Effect equivalent to visitation) |
Oneiric Sending Bonus
| Level of Knowledge | Bonus |
|---|---|
| Name | +0 |
| Basic Appearance | +1 |
| Detailed Appearance | +2 |
| Memory of Interaction | +3 |
| Acquaintance | +5 |
| Close Acquaintance | +7 |
| Personal Artefact | +10 |
You are considered to fall into a magical slumber for the duration of the spell. Upon the end of the spell's effects, no matter the result of your roll, you receive 1 level of exhaustion and do not gain the benefits of a night's sleep.
The Foci is the subject whose subconscious you wish to penetrate- you warp the dream to privilege their projections and constructs, but other aspects from other participants may still leak through (notably, from the Focus). Notice, also, that the fact that you are essentially entering the Foci's mind means that their constructs will populate the dreamworld and attempt to eliminate intruders- including yourself and any other dreamers. You or the Foci may serve as the Focus. If the Foci dies, the spell ends and all targets awake immediately, each taking 2d8 damage while the Foci receives 4d8 damage and all suffering 1 level of exahustion.
All participants bring any items they have on their person when they fall asleep into the dreamworld, so long as they are medium or smaller in size. Items in the dreamworld function as they do in reality, including toolkits such as Disguise Kits and skill proficiencies such as Charisma (Performance). While in the dreamworld, your dream avatar gain a number of temporary hit points equal to their maximum hp. If these hit points are exhausted, they "die" and enter the subliminal layer of the Foci. All spell slots and class features are restored, but used features and lost temporary hit points persist between layers. While in the dream, you can cast Share Dream again to go one layer deeper without granting extra temporary hit points or replenishing class features. If you are about to enter the subliminal layer, you cannot designate a Focus: the primal base layer of the mind cannot be harnessed and is formed from all participants in the shared dream.
Upon waking up, the Foci remembers the experience as a dream, with less detail each layer you go down. At the bottomost layer pre-subliminal, the Foci may only remember scattered emotional impulses, or the seeds of any idea you implanted, perhaps as their own. However, they may still remember your faces if improperly disguised, with such more tangible memories fading 1d6 days after the target awakes, or at the DM's discretion. You gain 1 level of exhaustion every 3 targets at the end of the spell's effects.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 6th level or higher, you may add an extra target for each slot level above 5th.
Mindheal
6th-level oneiromancy
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 60 feet
- Components: M, V, S (A pinch of sand, a set of crushed herbs worth at least 50 gp)
- Duration: 1 week
This spell allows you to ease the mind of a target. Select a sleeping or meditating target within range which you can see. Every night for the next week, they receive the benefits of the lesser restoration spell upon waking up and have pleasing, calming dreams.
Mindwarp
6th-level oneiromancy
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 60 feet
- Components: M, V, S (A pinch of sand, a dagger worth at least 50 gp)
- Duration: Until dispelled
By means of this spell, you may induce a specific mania or phobia within a target. Select a sleeping or meditating target within range which you can see. They must make a Charisma or Wisdom saving throw, taking 5d10 psychic damage on a success and waking up immediately. On a failure, over the course of 1 week they witness a series of increasingly disturbing visions, receiving 2d10 psychic damage each night and waking up without the benefits of a night's sleep, with the cumulative effect that they receive the Madness condition and manifest an Indefinite Madness of your choice.
Alternatively, you may give them a phobia for a certain type of creature or object that causes them to manifest the Frightened condition whenever faced with that creature or object. This spell may be cast on the same target multiple times. This effect may not be removed by dispell magic, but may be removed by a greater restoration or a wish spell.
Undead and creatures immune to being charmed aren't affected by this spell.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 7th level or higher, add 3d10 extra psychic damage on success and an extra effect on failure for each slot level above 6th.
Superliminal Protection
7th-level oneiromancy
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: Touch
- Components: M, V
- Duration: 1 day
You use your understanding of sleep and the mind to protect others against such deletrious effects. Select one willing creature in range. It gains Advantage on saving throws against effects that cause charm, confusion, unconsciousness, or sleep (magical and non-magical) for the spell's duration.
True Awakening
8th-level oneiromancy
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 60 feet
- Components: M, V
- Duration: Instantaneous
You release a surge of positive energy, awakening creatures of your choosing and renewing their resolve. Select up to 5 creatures within range. If they are unconscious (except for unconsciousness due to dropping to 0 hit points) , asleep, in magical slumber, confused, or charmed, the effect ends immediately and they become immune to such effects for the next 10 minutes. They also gain a number of temporary hit points equal to your proficiency bonus plus your spellcasting ability.
Power Word Sleep
9th-level oneiromancy
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 60 feet
- Components: V
- Duration: 1 minute
You channel a word of power that instantly incapacitates a creature by sending it into a deep, magically infused sleep. Select a creature you can see within range. If it has 150 hit points or fewer, it enters a state of magical slumber for one minute immediately and cannot be woken by any means. Otherwise, the spell has no effect.
Dream Prison
9th-level oneiromancy
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: Touch
- Components: V, S, M (A 10-minute hourglass and a set of platinum chains worth at least 5000 gp which the spell consumes)
- Duration: 10 minutes
This spell turns the mental defenses of a creature against them, binding them in an unending coma and imprisoning them within their own mind. Select a creature within range. If the creature has a Charisma of less than 14, it falls immediately into a magical slumber as if affected by the slumber spell. Otherwise, it must make a saving throw at disadvantage, receiving a number of d12s equal to your spellcasting ability modifier in psychic damage on success.
For the next ten minutes, each minute the creature spends in this state of slumber its consciousness is forced to descend one layer deeper as if in a dream unless it can succeed on a number of Charisma saving throws equal to the current number of levels descended plus half your spellcasting ability modifier, rounded up. On a success, it moves up one layer and receives 2d12 psychic damage, breaking free of the spell if it emerges above the superliminal layer, whereupon it receives a level of exhaustion for each layer it has broken free from.
If the creature reaches the subliminal layer before the end of 10 minutes, each remaining minute causes the creature to lose 1d4-1 Wisdom in addition to the Wisdom lost by remaining on the subliminal layer. While the spell is being cast, you must maintain focus on the spell as if casting a concentration spell. If you lose concentration, the creature automatically ascends 1d4 layers per round until you resume casting the spell.
At the end of the casting period, the creature becomes trapped on its current layer, and all layers above become inaccessible to the creature as it becomes permanently trapped in slumber, unable to wake up and losing its sense of reality within the dream even if not trapped in the subliminal layer. Once the spell is complete, it may only be awoken by way of a wish spell or another dreamer that finds the creature in that dream, kills it to send it to the subliminal layer, and kills it again within the limbo state. While in this state, the body of the target functions biologically, maintains involuntary reflexes, requires next to no food or water (similar to a hibernating state) and ages as normal. However, the target cannot perceive, react, or communicate in any way.
Oneiromancy Constructs
Here one finds the constructs and figments of the imagination that inhabit a dreamworld. Constructs borne naturally are reflections of the dreamer, while constructs created via oneiromancy may even affect the waking mind.
Natural Constructs
In a dream, representations of people known to the dreamer or entirely new characters spawned from figments of their imagination are known as Constructs. While they can occupy almost any role and possess any appearance the dreamer can imagine, in general constructs arising naturally in a dream conform to certain archetypes that you can use to determine their statistics and behaviour:
- Self. These constructs reflect the mannerisms and behaviour of the dreamer. Behaviourally they tend to resemble weaker versions of the dreamer, with a few similar attacks or signature spells.
- Alter. These constructs represent the dreamer's perception of friends, families, foes etc. While they may behaviourally represent these characters if the dreamer's opinion is limited and their powers of observation prescient, more often they resemble warped alter egos with characteristics the dreamer associates with them magnified, or even made into caricatures of themselves.
- Ideal. This construct represents an idealised version of the dreamer, usually associated with role models or inspirational figures in the waking world. Due to the dreamer's subconscious influence, these constructs are usually neigh-invincible and extraordinarily powerful, reflecting their elevated status in the dreamer's mind.
- Stock. These constructs are archetypal figures that represent ideas pertinent to the dreamer's psyche: For example, a scholar may see a typical member of his academy, while a paladin sees a fellow knight of the same order. They are often faceless and act in accordance to the stereotypes the dreamer holds around those groups. Stock constructs are ideal disguises for dream infiltrators to take, provided they can act the part.
- Nemesis. The nemesis is every dreamer's greatest fear. This construct represents the unresolved psychological knots that haunt the dreamer, now made literal. They possess the invulnerability of the Ideal construct, but for the opposite reason- the dreamer's inability to let go of these internal struggles means that the Nemesis can never truly be banished.
Magical Constructs
Aside from naturally arising constructs, there also exist artificial constructs, brought into being by Oneiromancers to dwell in either their minds or the minds of their targets. These beings serve multiple purposes: amaneuenses for Oneiromancers who prefer to work through their sleep, mental guardians for vulnerable subjects against mental intrusion, and quiet infiltrators who provide "sage advice"... paid for by your enemies.
Construct Statistics
For the purposes of in-game interaction, construct statistics are determined by the Charisma of the dreamer if they are natural, and the spellcasting ability of the creator if they are magical- this is known as their "base score". Self-constructs and magical constructs share the ability scores of their maker (subtracted by 1d4-1 if a regular construct, and 1d4 if a stock construct), but have a number of d8s equal to their base score modifier in hit points. For example, a natural construct with a base score Charisma of 20 (+5) has 5d8 hit points. They also have an AC of their base score minus 1d4 or 1d6 as above with ability scores. These constructs also inherit their owner's skills and alignments can attack or cast spells their owners know, but can only cast a number of spells equal to their owner's spellcasting modifier.
If the construct attempts to imitate someone else, the abilities and skills should be assigned according to the dreamer's perception of the target (an ideal construct with resistance to fire damage may become immune since the dreamer sees them as unaffected). However, the dreamer's own mental ability scores (Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma) should serve as a cap for any mental faculties possessed by these constructs- it is impossible for a creature to create a construct more intelligent or sagacious than itself.
Constructs, as should now be clear, are significantly weaker than even fairly low-level normal characters. However, their oneiric nature allows them to regenerate each turn and gives them a number of advantages in identifying nocturnal intruders. A sample natural construct with a base score of 18 Charisma created by the dreamer Saito would have the following statistics:
Saito
Human, true neutral
- Armor Class 14
- Hit Points 50
- Speed 30ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 10 (+0) 14 (+2) 9 (-1) 16 (+3) 16 (+3) 18 (+4)
- Condition Immunities Frightened
- Senses passive Perception 13
- Languages Common
Actions
Punch. Melee Weapon Attack: +0 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4+2) bludgeoning damage.
Saito's Self-Construct
Dream-construct, true neutral
- Armor Class 17
- Hit Points 24 (4d12)
- Speed 30ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 7 (-2) 13 (+1) 7 (-2) 13 (+1) 14 (+2) 15 (+2)
- Condition Immunities Frightened
- Senses passive Perception 13
- Languages Common
Self. These constructs reflect the mannerisms and behaviour of the dreamer. Behaviourally they tend to resemble weaker versions of the dreamer, with a few similar attacks or signature spells.
Oneiric Regeneration. At the beginning of each turn, if Saito's Self-Construct has less than half of its maximum hit points, it can regenerate 4d12 hit points. It can only regenerate up to half its maximum hitpoints each turn.
Oneiric Awareness. Saito's Self-Construct has advantage on all Wisdom (Perception) checks related to identifying foreign intrusions into its native dreamworld.
Oneiric Nature. As a natural creation of its dreamworld, Saito's Self-Construct can ignore difficult terrain and receives no fall damage.
Actions
Punch. Melee Weapon Attack: +0 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4+2) bludgeoning damage.
Interaction and Combat
While the dreamworld is an abstract, eternally morphing landscape, there will inevitably come a time (if you set a campaign in a dreamworld) when combat becomes inevitable. For simplicity's sake, combat proceeds as in regular D&D- items function as they do in the waking world, and characters are given a number of temporary dream hit points equal to their real life counterparts. However, there are several ways to reflect the eternally shifting nature of dreamspace even in the midst of heated combat.
Fluid Time
At the start of every round, all characters (including enemies) reroll initiative. Alternatively, if your campaign already uses such a mechanic, players and enemies have static initiative. The goal is to unnerve and unease any infiltrating dreamers by upending the status quo of combat.
Morphic Environment
As the battle wages on, the dream shifts around the players. Roll a 1d12 to determine how the battlefield changes each turn.
| d12 | Environment Effect |
|---|---|
| 1 | Ground beneath a random character becomes quicksand (Character becomes Restrained, DC 15 Dexterity check to escape) |
| 2 | A wall or piece of cover disappears or appears |
| 3 | A random character's weapon falls through their hand as they fall prone |
| 4 | The sky, ground, or a terrain feature change colour |
| 5 | The ground becomes ice or mud (difficult terrain) |
| 6 | Gravity inverses- all characters must succeed on a DC 19 Dexterity saving throw or become prone as they fall onto a solid "sky" |
| 7 | A random previous effect is reversed |
| 8+ | No effect |
Dream Magic
The unstable nature of the dreamworld affects the magic "simulated" by casting dreamers who lack the sufficient experience to control it. Each time a caster not native to the dream casts a spell (thus, any caster in a shared dream) , roll a 1d20 and add your spellcasting ability modifier, subtracting 2 for each layer of the dream you enter. On a 1, roll on the Wild Magic table.
Effects are temporary and do not carry through into the waking world. If you roll a natural 20, you may ignore this result for the 1d6 minutes of local time (time on your current layer). This effect does not carry through to lower or higher layers.
Oneiromancy Items
Dream Scroll
Scroll, uncommon
A thin scroll, holding a series of indecipherable patterns that describe a dreamworld. When burnt and inhaled you receive that dreamworld into your mind, where it persists for 1d4 weeks. The smoke rising from the burning scroll forms shapes hinting at the nature of the dreamworld. The next time you dream (including if you are selected as the Focus for a Share Dream spell) you manifest that dreamworld.
You cannot have more than one dreamworld imprinted in your mind at a time, and the dreamworld fades after the dream or, if you do not sleep in that period, after the period ends. You may copy the scroll onto another scroll as if it were a third-level Wizard spell. If the scroll is inhaled by an unwilling or unsuspecting suspect they must make a DC 15 Charisma saving throw or have the dreamworld imprinted in their mind to the same effect.
Potion of Liquid Somnolence
Potion, rare
When you drink this potion, you must succeed on a DC 15 Charisma saving throw or fall into a magical slumber for up to 8 hours. During this period, any attempt to wake you or any damage you take will result in a DC 15 Charisma check (minus 1 per hour you have been asleep) where you become unconscious on success, and can be awoken next turn as normal. You may choose to fail either saving throw or check. The potion's container holds an oily, golden liquid that spreads gracefully but is difficult to ripple or disturb.
Poion of Wakefulness
Potion, rare
Whille under the effects of this potion, you find yourself unaffected by the natural need to sleep. Instead of sleeping, you may spend up to eight hours each night in a meditative trance, gaining the benefits of a long rest on completion. The potion's effects last for up to 7 days, after which you become immune to the potion's effects for the next month as your body restores its natural balance. This potion's light blue liquid constantly bubbles as if boiling, but never releases any heat.