D&D 4E What would it take to remove the short rest from 4e?

[Creamsteak]

How much of a backlash (I don't own any 4e books so I don't have any references) would there be if one were to remove the short rest from the game, and instead everything that is refreshed by a short rest happened after every encounter? What about if it was after every milestone?

Is it something heavily linked in the system, or is it really just a mechanic for pacing encounter powers and healing surges? Those are the only two things I'm aware of that are controlled by the short rest.

 

[Happy Funball]

How much of a backlash (I don't own any 4e books so I don't have any references) would there be if one were to remove the short rest from the game, and instead everything that is refreshed by a short rest happened after every encounter? What about if it was after every milestone?

Is it something heavily linked in the system, or is it really just a mechanic for pacing encounter powers and healing surges? Those are the only two things I'm aware of that are controlled by the short rest.

The "5 minute rule" is there to help alleviate all the "what exactly is an encounter" questions that plagued us all at the announcement of 4E. I don't think there is anything critical about the 5 minutes of the rest (in fact, I know there isn't). But I think it is there to anticipate questions of reinforcements, etc. If the fight ends and reinforcements arrive the next round (6 seconds) is that a new encounter? What if you can see them while you are still fighting but they are not in melee? What if you can just hear them? If you are ready to answer these questions in a fair and consistent manner for the players then the "5 minute rule" can be safely eliminated as you propose.

 

[XCorvis]

I think Happy Funball nailed it. As long as you wave your hands and say "fight's over", they may as well get the effects of a short rest. They also don't technically have to rest, I think. They can spend 5 minutes looting, identifying magic, or even running away, and I think it would be fine.

 

[strumbleduck]

Yeah, the "short rest" is just the new name for the thing that happens after combat when the players loot the corpses and heal their wounds. It needs to be a mechanic now because of the encounter powers. The default assumption is that PC's take a short rest at the end of every encounter (around the same time that they ask whether the monsters had any treasure).

There's no problem with getting rid of it, you would just need another mechanic for deciding when encounters end.

 

[captainstewart]

Another thought on the short rest question:

I was just reading the playtest article on the Artificer class that Wizards released about a week ago. In it there are a few powers that must be cast during the "short rest" period, rather than requiring an action. Their explanation is that some of their abilities require more time uninterrupted than can be normally be devoted during an encounter, but not so long as say a ritual.

I personally don't see a reason to need to remove the short rest period, as it seems perfectly natural to me. It my be that my group is new, but it usually takes my group a good 5 minutes or so to reorganize after a fight, flipping power cards back over, getting drinks, and so forth. I figure, if my players need the break, why not let their characters have one as well...

 

[reezel]

How much of a backlash (I don't own any 4e books so I don't have any references) would there be if one were to remove the short rest from the game, and instead everything that is refreshed by a short rest happened after every encounter? What about if it was after every milestone?

Is it something heavily linked in the system, or is it really just a mechanic for pacing encounter powers and healing surges? Those are the only two things I'm aware of that are controlled by the short rest.

I guess the bigger question I have is why do you want to remove short rest?

 

[Creamsteak]

I guess the bigger question I have is why do you want to remove short rest?

It killed my mother. Twice.

 

[szilard]

It killed my mother. Twice.

Ooh! A milestone!

-Stuart

 

[legionnaired]

Removing short rests allow you to do climactic, multistage solo fights.

I like these a lot better than a standard solo encounter, so typically I'll roll three fights together into one massive one, giving the benefit of a short rest after each stage, and a milestone after the second.

 

[Amphimir Míriel]

Removing short rests allow you to do climactic, multistage solo fights.

I like these a lot better than a standard solo encounter, so typically I'll roll three fights together into one massive one, giving the benefit of a short rest after each stage, and a milestone after the second.

I don't think anything prevents you, as a DM, to allow people to spend healing surges and regain encounter powers and then say: "You barely have time to breathe when you hear heavy, iron shod footsteps from beyond the corridor... More Orcs! Roll initiative!"