D&D 5E Camping Equipment Required for Long Rest Houserule

[Fenris-77]

In my current game I ruled that you needed a bed to get the benefits of a long rest. In the wild, sleeping for the night only gives you the benefit of a short rest.

How does your party manage treks through the wild, or any long term adventure more than one day's ride form a bed?

 

[Quartz]

In cold weather (1 - 31 degrees), you need either a bedroll and a shelter or campfire, or a blanket, a shelter, and a campfire.

KISS: if you fall asleep without adequate provision in those temperatures, you die.

And sleeping on the ground without insulation is a good way of losing a lot of heat. People used to make beds of bracken & the like or wrapped themselves in their capes and slept against trees.. Sensible travellers had camping gear on pack animals or porters or both. Your adventurers might take note.

 

[aco175]

I like the idea of this realism. Since your players are on board, you are good.

I like to give out minor items that help with camping and do not have atunement. Something like a bedroll that floats 2 inches off the ground to get a better night sleep. It allows you to sleep in armor. A poor man's instant fortress where it is an instant tent, granted it is a 20x20ft tent with a stove inside and 4 cots. There are also amulets that keep insects away and boots that are waterproof and don't carry dirt.

 

[darjr]

I love the general idea!!

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

In any games I have played or DMed, whenever it is declared the PCs are setting up camp for the night, most of this is taken care of by default: bedrolls, tents, fire, food, etc. It also means they are taking off the necessary parts of armor to get a restful sleep. Setting a watch, setting alarms or traps around the camp, etc, all have to be declared. Middle of the night encounters are generally rare, so making the players go through the list every single time gets very tedious. If they do not have the proper gear for bad weather, they need to find proper shelter, rather than camping in the open, if they want to benefit from a long rest.

 

[Nebulous]

KISS: if you fall asleep without adequate provision in those temperatures, you die.

And sleeping on the ground without insulation is a good way of losing a lot of heat. People used to make beds of bracken & the like or wrapped themselves in their capes and slept against trees.. Sensible travellers had camping gear on pack animals or porters or both. Your adventurers might take note.

This is video game realism. You get all hit points back on a rest. You can't equate it too much to real life simulation.

 

[the Jester]

Hello,

I'm running a game in which weather (including daily high and low temperature) is generated randomly. I use temperature descriptors such as hot, warm, mild, chilly, and cold. I'm also using the Gritty Realism rest variant, but I think what I have here could apply to default resting just as well. The question arose (in part because we're using the Encumbrance variant) whether there was a benefit to carrying a bedroll as opposed to a blanket or just sleeping on the ground. Here's what I came up with based on some quick internet research. Let me know what you think.

I like the basic idea. I might quibble with the specifics, though. And I think you need a "no shelter or blankie needed cuz it's nice out" place on your chart. I've slept out in the rough with nothing, and given appropriate conditions, it's quite nice.

 

[GlassJaw]

I also tend to err on the side of grim & gritty in my campaigns, although I don't like the Gritty Realism variant. Requiring long rests to be 7 days slows down play and isn't fun. But that's another discussion entirely.

Anyway, I have also sought to factor environmental conditions more prominently, especially with respect to resting in the wilderness. I don't want resting to take a week but I also don't want to it to be easy.

Here is the start of a system I've been working on:

Environmental Condition	Hit Points	Hit Dice	Exhaustion	Spell Slots	Disease Recovery	Contract Ailment	Death Saves
Good	All	1/2	2	All	Normal	No	1
Average	All	1/2	1	All	Normal	No	1
Poor	1/2 Max	1/2	0	-1	Disadvantage	DC 5	0
Harsh	1/4 Max	1/4	0	-2	Disadvantage	DC 10	0
Hazardous	Can't Rest

Average is the baseline. It means generally favorable conditions relative to the campaign setting (the baseline for the Sword Coast is going to be different than Dark Sun, for example) and assumes that the PCs have adequate camping equipment, a supply of food and water, the area is safe and protected, etc.

My system also includes options for reduced hit point, hit die, and spell slot recovery, penalties to recovering from a disease and even the chance to possibly contract a disease. These are all DM options of course.

This is all to incentivize the group to plan ahead, make sure they have the proper equipment, and enforce consequences when they push ahead. It also introduces lots of design space to further flesh out the travel activities on pg. 183 of the PHB, increase the role of the ranger, expand the use of the Survival skill (and other skills), etc.

At the DM's discretion, they can adjust the conditions up or down 1 category if the group is unprepared. Even if the weather is comfortable, camping for the night with only the clothes on your back isn't going to result in a restful night's sleep. Conversely, poor conditions (like below freezing) can be upgraded if the group is prepared: cold weather clothing, a tent or shelter, warm fire, etc.

This system also provides a "reward" for smart play: the ability to regain exhaustion more quickly. So the group can choose to push ahead when they know they are prepared and can find safe shelter during their journey.

This system is a subset of a larger system that also adds mechanics to the Lifestyle conditions:

Lifestyle	Hit Points	Hit Dice	Exhaustion	Spell Slots	Disease Recovery	Contract Ailment	Death Saves
Aristocratic	All	All	2	All	Advantage	No	2
Wealthy	All	3/4	2	All	Advantage	No	2
Comfortable	All	1/2	2	All	Normal	No	1
Modest	All	1/2	1	All	Normal	No	1
Poor	1/2 Max	1/2	1	All	Disadvantage	DC 5	1
Squalid	1/3 Max	1/4	0	Lose 1	Disadvantage	DC 10	0
Wretched	1/4 Max	0	0	Lose 2	No	DC 15	0

Same rules as above apply, although the range is expanded. This also assumes an "urban" environment, which again, is going to be relative to the campaign world.

Note: This system could also include rules for the Lingering Injuries variant in the DMG, such as easier or more difficult recovery.

 

[Nebulous]

I also tend to err on the side of grim & gritty in my campaigns, although I don't like the Gritty Realism variant. Requiring long rests to be 7 days slows down play and isn't fun. But that's another discussion entirely.

Anyway, I have also sought to factor environmental conditions more prominently, especially with respect to resting in the wilderness. I don't want resting to take a week but I also don't want to it to be easy.

Here is the start of a system I've been working on:

Environmental Condition	Hit Points	Hit Dice	Exhaustion	Spell Slots	Disease Recovery	Contract Ailment	Death Saves
Good	All	1/2	2	All	Normal	No	1
Average	All	1/2	1	All	Normal	No	1
Poor	1/2 Max	1/2	0	-1	Disadvantage	DC 5	0
Harsh	1/4 Max	1/4	0	-2	Disadvantage	DC 10	0
Hazardous	Can't Rest

Average is the baseline. It means generally favorable conditions relative to the campaign setting (the baseline for the Sword Coast is going to be different than Dark Sun, for example) and assumes that the PCs have adequate camping equipment, a supply of food and water, the area is safe and protected, etc.

My system also includes options for reduced hit point, hit die, and spell slot recovery, penalties to recovering from a disease and even the chance to possibly contract a disease. These are all DM options of course.

This is all to incentivize the group to plan ahead, make sure they have the proper equipment, and enforce consequences when they push ahead. It also introduces lots of design space to further flesh out the travel activities on pg. 183 of the PHB, increase the role of the ranger, expand the use of the Survival skill (and other skills), etc.

At the DM's discretion, they can adjust the conditions up or down 1 category if the group is unprepared. Even if the weather is comfortable, camping for the night with only the clothes on your back isn't going to result in a restful night's sleep. Conversely, poor conditions (like below freezing) can be upgraded if the group is prepared: cold weather clothing, a tent or shelter, warm fire, etc.

This system also provides a "reward" for smart play: the ability to regain exhaustion more quickly. So the group can choose to push ahead when they know they are prepared and can find safe shelter during their journey.

This system is a subset of a larger system that also adds mechanics to the Lifestyle conditions:

Lifestyle	Hit Points	Hit Dice	Exhaustion	Spell Slots	Disease Recovery	Contract Ailment	Death Saves
Aristocratic	All	All	2	All	Advantage	No	2
Wealthy	All	3/4	2	All	Advantage	No	2
Comfortable	All	1/2	2	All	Normal	No	1
Modest	All	1/2	1	All	Normal	No	1
Poor	1/2 Max	1/2	1	All	Disadvantage	DC 5	1
Squalid	1/3 Max	1/4	0	Lose 1	Disadvantage	DC 10	0
Wretched	1/4 Max	0	0	Lose 2	No	DC 15	0

Same rules as above apply, although the range is expanded. This also assumes an "urban" environment, which again, is going to be relative to the campaign world.

Note: This system could also include rules for the Lingering Injuries variant in the DMG, such as easier or more difficult recovery.

That's similar to what I was thinking about, I might borrow some of those ideas.

 

[Benjamin Olson]

I would give them a constitution check before saying they get insufficient rest due to sleeping conditions. Mileage should vary. Advantage to Rangers because this is their jam and they're the class that needs the most love.

Actually as someone who suffers frequent insomnia I think there should always be a constitution check for whether you get a good night's sleep, it should just be a low DC if you are in a comfortable bed at home..