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The phrasing of the invocation from XGtE pg. 56 is:

You no longer need to sleep and can't be forced to sleep by any means. (emphasis mine)

To me this phrasing sounds like it is specifically referring to means such as the Sleep spell, however I have seen it argued in other places that since Sleep's phrasing is:

Each creature affected by this spell falls unconscious until the spell ends... PHB pg. 276 (emphasis mine)

Since AotM does not make one immune to the unconscious condition, a Warlock would still be affected even with this invocation.

However the phrasing of the spell also uses words like "magical slumber" and "the sleeper".

Is a Warlock with AotM affected by the Sleep spell or not?

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    \$\begingroup\$ This probably should have been two questions, as they're separable and can be answered independently of each other. Basically, "can the sleep spell put AotM warlock to sleep?" and "do creatures that can't be put to sleep count for the hp total of the sleep spell?" \$\endgroup\$
    – GcL
    Mar 15, 2019 at 18:09
  • \$\begingroup\$ Related to question 2: How does sleep interact with undead?, Are undead and creatures immune to charm excluded from the HP count of Sleep? \$\endgroup\$
    – V2Blast
    Mar 16, 2019 at 1:42
  • \$\begingroup\$ I don't think my questions are too broad. They are very specifically worded and detailed enough to receive answers. If the hold is because it's two questions in one, I would argue it's really more of a continuation. Question 2 is only a question if question 1 is answered "no". If question 1 is "yes" then the second half fails to be a question. \$\endgroup\$ Mar 16, 2019 at 4:28
  • \$\begingroup\$ Related: Can the spell Catnap affect elves? \$\endgroup\$ Mar 18, 2019 at 14:59
  • \$\begingroup\$ @KorvinStarmast yes! OP: I did go ahead and edit this down to one question for you so it can be reopened. Feel free to ask the second one as a new question at any point. If you severely object to the change, you can revert the edit I made, however, the question will likely remain closed indefinitely. \$\endgroup\$ Mar 18, 2019 at 15:14

3 Answers 3

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A warlock with Aspect of the Moon cannot be put to sleep by sleep

Sleep says:

The spell sends creatures into a magical slumber. [...] each creature affected by the spell falls unconscious until the spell ends, the sleeper takes damage, or someone uses an action to shake or slap the sleeper awake.

The spell makes it clear that it puts the creature to sleep. Note the many reference to sleep sleeping and awake in the spell effect description. The unconscious condition is simply a mechanical way the game models sleep, but it does not change the fact that the spell indeed puts a creature to sleep.

The Aspect of the Moon invocation says:

You no longer need to sleep and can't be forced to sleep by any means.

Having this aspect clearly then negates any attempt to put the warlock to sleep. And since sleep tries to do just that, the invocation allows them to be completely unaffected by the spell.

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Does Sleep override AotM? No.

Nor does poison, magic dust, or anything. There are no means that will force the character to sleep. Slumber (magical or otherwise), napping, dozing off, or checking your eyelids for holes are all terms that denote sleep, and are things the warlock cannot be forced to do.

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    \$\begingroup\$ To support the first part of your answer, it might help to reference the various parts of the spell description that reference "slumber" and "the sleeper". Sleep is sleep. \$\endgroup\$
    – V2Blast
    Mar 16, 2019 at 1:46
  • \$\begingroup\$ @V2Blast especially since the spell catnap has a similar issue and (apparently) opposite resolution \$\endgroup\$ Mar 18, 2019 at 15:00
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You have hit upon a legitimate inconsistency in the phrasing of the unconscious condition. However, the "fey ancestry" attribute of elves says "magic can’t put you to sleep", and this seems to be universally accepted as applying to the "unconscious" state which the sleep spell effects, including in the reference above. Once again this seems logically to have the same intent as the warlock ability.

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