D&D 5E Interrupting a Long Rest

[iserith]

And by "screw job", you mean...what? Please explain.

Lanefan

I think it could easily be seen as a screwjob if the DM put a time limit on the adventure and also regularly interrupted long rests.

 

[Lanefan]

I think it could easily be seen as a screwjob if the DM put a time limit on the adventure and also regularly interrupted long rests.

Ah, OK.

But, what's the difference here between "screw job" and "unexpected challenge"? If a party realizes two days in that they're just not going to get a long rest (maybe due to environment, maybe due to they can't afford to take that much time off, or whatever) isn't that just a different type of challenge to be overcome?

Lan-"sometimes what seems easy, isn't"-efan

 

[iserith]

You said common sense would tell you clearing a dungeon in under an hour not interrupting a long rest was the incorrect stance, but the designers state that it has to be an hour of strenuous activity to interrupt.

Before we go any further, please tell me how you rule it at your table. Because if you're trying to drag me into a semantic argument over how the sentence is parsed, you can look elsewhere for that discussion. I don't have the time or inclination.

 

[Yunru]

Before we go any further, please tell me how you rule it at your table. Because if you're trying to drag me into a semantic argument over how the sentence is parsed, you can look elsewhere for that discussion. I don't have the time or inclination.

That any strenuous activity interrupts a rest, and that an hour of walking counts as strenuous?

It's less how it's parsed, and more how it should be parsed.

 

[iserith]

Ah, OK.

But, what's the difference here between "screw job" and "unexpected challenge"? If a party realizes two days in that they're just not going to get a long rest (maybe due to environment, maybe due to they can't afford to take that much time off, or whatever) isn't that just a different type of challenge to be overcome?

Lan-"sometimes what seems easy, isn't"-efan

It depends on buy in. Speaking for myself as a player and some players I know, your house rule would just be annoying given there's no real upside to the play experience. I don't think the game is made more "realistic" by that ruling.

 

[iserith]

That any strenuous activity interrupts a rest, and that an hour of walking counts as strenuous?

It's less how it's parsed, and more how it should be parsed.

"Should be?" You mean at your table or other people's tables?

 

[FrogReaver]

Which ignores the other theoretical extreme (that 599 rounds of adventuring can occur without interrupting a long rest). How convenient.

Hell, to take it to a real munchkin extreme, a character could die, and as long as it doesn't take an hour to do so, regain all their hit points at the end of the rest.

Lol. All dead characters meet qualifications of long rest.

 

[Yunru]

"Should be?" You mean at your table or other people's tables?

In general. One way emphasises securing a site to long rest, while being open to abuse from DMs (but hey, what isn't, you're god), where as the other devalues keeping guard, or securing lodgings, and is open to abuse from players.

While both have logical extremes that are nonsensical, one is more intuitive, and places more emphasis on the exploration pillar.

 

[Yunru]

Lol. All dead characters meet qualifications of long rest.

"Being dead" is hardly strenuous, neh? [emoji14]

 

[iserith]

In general. One way emphasises securing a site to long rest, while being open to abuse from DMs (but hey, what isn't, you're god), where as the other devalues keeping guard, or securing lodgings, and is open to abuse from players.

While both have logical extremes that are nonsensical, one is more intuitive, and places more emphasis on the exploration pillar.

One is more intuitive to you. One emphasizes the exploration pillar more to you.

My way is more intuitive to me. My way emphasizes the exploration pillar just fine to me.

There really is no argument to be had here.