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I'm playing a changeling dreamweaver witch and I'm using my slumber hex on my sleeping companions to use sow thoughts on them. My question is: if I hex them and they succed the saving throw on will, do they get a perception check to wake up?

Oblivious Sage
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user35543
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    Welcome to the site. Take the [tour]. It's a good idea to wait a little while (often a day) before accepting an answer as quickly accepting an answer sometimes discourages additional answers that can provide additional (although not necessarily better) information. Thank you for participating and have fun. – Hey I Can Chan Apr 25 '17 at 16:54

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The dreamweaver archetype itself implies that a magically asleep creature normally awakens automatically if it feels the hostile force or tingle from succeeding on a saving throw

The changeling-only witch archetype dreamweaver gains at level 2 the supernatural ability dream spinner that says, in part, that, "when a dreamweaver casts a mind-affecting spell on a target that is sleeping because of her slumber hex[, i]f the target succeeds at the saving throw against the spell, it does not wake up" (emphasis mine).

So the designer of your PC's archetype seems to believe that a magically asleep creature does typically awaken automatically—no need to make a Perception skill check!—when the magically asleep creature "feels [the] hostile force or tingle" that comes from having succeeded on a saving throw against an effect with no obvious effects, despite the rules being otherwise silent on this topic. That is, if a magically asleep creature does not normally awaken upon feeling the hostile force or tingle, then the special ability dream spinner is significantly less useful, that part of its effect now the default rather than an exception made for being a member of an obscure race that's advanced levels in a class while possessing an obscure archetype.

Also note that the spell sleep (on which the hex slumber is based) says that "[s]lapping or wounding" the magically asleep creature awakens it, yet "normal noise does not" awaken it. So, because yelling at a magically asleep creature doesn't awaken it, this GM would rule that the verbal component of the spell sow thought—that must only be spoken in a "strong voice"—won't awaken the magically asleep creature either.

Note: A case can be made for the normal noise mentioned by the spell sleep excluding the verbal component of spells and similar magical noise. This GM would not make such a case; the game ascribes too many different shades of meaning to normal for me to make such a ruling.

Hey I Can Chan
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Nothing is mentioned in the rules about that.

The Slumber Hex doesn't require any vocal or somatic component so it can be done in a completely silent way. However it is still an offensive action so your question is legit. Upon looking at the rules for perception:

  • being asleep doesn't change when you are allowed to roll for Perception, it just gives you a -10 on the roll.
  • on the list of events that triggers a perception checks, you can notice: "Notice a visible creature" (if the hexer doesn't try to hide) or, more plausibly "Notice a creature using Stealth" (as the hexer is trying to be stealthy). This check should be actually made before the hex is cast.
  • There is no mention of anything like "being attacked" triggering a perception check. As usually the sleep effects (including the one from Slumber) end when the victim is dealt damage to, we can assume it goes the same for natural sleep, but here there is no "damage dealt", so no reason for that to apply.

So my answer is: they get one to notice you are acting when they sleep, but don't get another one when you cast Slumber on them.

Anne Aunyme
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The best answer is "it's not stated in the rules" so YMMV. Whatever your GM says is how it goes. Unlike while under magical sleep, the GM could say that someone wakes up. The person could feel "something odd".

However, I would rule as follows: if someone has to make a saving throw, that person would be nudged awake.

Why? Because I assume that you are not trying to do something overly bad to your fellow PCs. But what would happen if a night hag or other similar villain came around and did that to your party?

Again, speak to your GM and whatever he says goes. But remember that what works for the goose, works for the gander and expect that you will find yourself on the receiving end of something like that at some point. And when it's a bad guy doing it, you will SCREAM to wake up...

JP Chapleau
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    This was pretty much my gut feeling, too, but edging more toward the idea that succeeding on a saving throw therefore feeling the hostile tingle is sort of a metaphorical slap to the sleeper's soul or whatever. That is, a GM who fixates on literally wounds needing to be inflicted to awaken the sleeper needs to be reminded that some monsters will be unable to awaken their allies without wounding them because they don't have the necessary appendages to give their allies a literal slap! – Hey I Can Chan Apr 25 '17 at 20:52