D&D 5E How many combats does your 5e group typically have between long rests, if you have at least one?

[S'mon]

I was wondering if the 5e DMG's stated 6-8 combat adventuring day is common.

 

[Rhenny]

Original Post: I think this one is so variable, I can only approximate a mean number that will never reflect actual session by session play. I've had 6-7 without rest and 4-5, and 1, and 2, and 3. The only thing I know for sure is that it is rarely if ever 8 or over. For me, variety is the spice of life.

Edit: Still, the number of encounters is variable, but the average would probably be 8 or more.

Edit: I totally messed up reading comprehension. I voted as if it were for a short rest. I just now realized it and unvoted.

 

[Shiroiken]

Never really believed in the "combats per day" idea. I typically run either location or timed based adventures, and allow the players to choose their own actions. IME, the players start to get uncomfortable after 5-6 combats, but resting is not always an option.

 

[AaronOfBarbaria]

My players usually try to have their characters complete an entire adventure in a single day whenever possible. Just this last session of one of my campaigns they completed The Sanctuary of Elwyn the Ardent (from B9: Castle Caldwell and Beyond) before they even took a short rest because they didn't want to give the evil woman mocking them from somewhere unseen any more time to prepare ways to stop them than she had already had.

Of course, a very important portion of the "how many encounters?" question is going un-asked: How difficult are those encounters?
I tend to favor a larger number of encounters which are themselves not particularly difficult (as was how most of the classic TSR published modules worked out), and let the difficulty build as resources diminish, over trying to make each and every encounter difficult on its own.

 

[zingbobco000]

I'm running something where a lot of the times, the monsters here the fights from other encounters and join so it's effectively 3 combats in 1 combat. This slightly messes with the data however so I apologize.

 

[Jaelommiss]

Define a "combat."

Does that include a ranged PC taking down a lone guardsman? Is it only set piece battles? What about clearing a tower where the PCs get a couple rounds between each floor to recover? Is that all one combat, or several small ones? What instances where the party sprints under fire from one building to the next?

The reason I ask is because the players in my PotA game decided to strike Rivergard Keep hard and fast. They have been there for less than three minutes and haven't stopped moving and fighting the entire time. If I include each patrol who fell from a single attack it's close to ten combats. If I only count battles that lasted longer than the surprise round then it's only three combats.

Since most of my sessions focus more on the location the characters are investigating (usually without significant combat) rather than discrete encounters, it is difficult to answer the poll.

 

[S'mon]

Define a "combat."

Does that include a ranged PC taking down a lone guardsman? Is it only set piece battles? What about clearing a tower where the PCs get a couple rounds between each floor to recover? Is that all one combat, or several small ones? What instances where the party sprints under fire from one building to the next?

The reason I ask is because the players in my PotA game decided to strike Rivergard Keep hard and fast. They have been there for less than three minutes and haven't stopped moving and fighting the entire time. If I include each patrol who fell from a single attack it's close to ten combats. If I only count battles that lasted longer than the surprise round then it's only three combats.

Since most of my sessions focus more on the location the characters are investigating (usually without significant combat) rather than discrete encounters, it is difficult to answer the poll.

I'd say it was only a 'combat' if both sides get to make attack rolls. Generally if you go out of initiative I'd say it was the end of that combat. If you have a minute between combats then that is two fights, especially if the GM calls for new initiative rolls. If waves of enemies arrive while the fight is ongoing that is one big combat.

 

[Arcshot]

About 2-3 medium encounters. One of them can be a Hard encounter at times.

 

[lumenbeing]

I've found it to be more like 5-8 between long rests. They may take 2-3 short rests during that time. Thats what tier two looks lime anyway.
At tier one, when hit dice are lower, players tend to blow their resources faster. So that feels like maybe 3-5 good fights before a long rest.

 

[Cristian Andreu]

It's usually 2-3 (there's a lot of times without any combat between long rests, though), typically with one being a filler and two being very intense. It can vary, but that seems to be a good average.