D&D 5E Encounter Based Resting

[OB1]

CapnZapp had a great suggestion to simplify, so I am editing this OP to highlight his suggestion at the top of the thread. The original version is kept below this quote for reference.

I'd probably prefer a minimalist Encounter Point variant. Here I've tried to cut down rules language to a minimum.


Gaining Encounter Points
Your DM will award you Encounter Points after each encounter, regardless of outcome. Either the DM or the players track these in a Short Rest Pool and a Long Rest Pool. Both pools reset to zero after a long rest is completed.


Easy Encounter - 0 short rest points and 0 long rest points
Medium Encounter - 1 short rest points and 1 long rest points
Hard Encounter - 2 short rest points and 2 long rest points
Deadly Encounter - 3 short rest points and 3 long rest points


Spending Encounter Points
You spend encounter points when you wish to gain the benefits of a rest. You can still rest without spending encounter points, but this will then not give you the benefits of that rest (but see below). When a rest is interrupted for combat, it must be restarted, but you only need to spend the points when you successfully finish the rest and gain the benefits.


A short rest costs 3 short rest points and requires one hour.
A long rest costs 9 long rest points and requires 8 hours.


Resting without Encounter Points
Even if you don't have encounter points to spend, you can still gain the benefit of a short rest by resting for 8 hours uninterrupted by combat.


Even if you don't have encounter points to spend, you can still gain the benefit of a long rest by resting for 7 days uninterrupted by combat.

In the great tradition of warlords and rangers and OP Feats multiplying threads, I present yet another solution for those who wish to have a mechanical (rather than story) answer to recovering powers so as to force resource attrition and management. Want to credit @CapnZapp for several of the ideas here.

There are several options within this variant, depending on how much your table is willing to constrain the PCs.

Alternate Rest Rules using Encounter Points
Option 1 - When a rest is interrupted for combat, it must be restarted.
Option 2 - Encounter Point Variant - 8 Hour short rests and 7 day long rests do not cost EPs
Option 3 - Encounter Point Variant

Gaining Encounter Points
Your DM will award you Encounter Points after each encounter based on the following per DMG guidelines. Players should track these in a Short Rest Pool and a Long Rest Pool. When points are awarded, they should be added to both pools. Both pools rest to 0 after a long rest is completed.

Medium Encounter - 1 EP
Hard Encounter - 2 EP
Deadly Encounter - 3 EP

Spending Encounter Points
You spend encounter points when you wish to wish to gain the benefits of a rest. These rests must still be uninterrupted by combat. Deduct the points only when you finish the rest. Note that exhaustion levels are still reduced after an 8 hour long rest.

Short Rest Cost
8 Hour Short Rest - 1 EP
1 Hour Short Rest - 3 EP
5 Minute Short Rest - 6 EP

Long Rest Cost
1 Week Long Rest - 3 EP
8 Hour Long Rest - 9 EP
1 Hour Long Rest - 18 EP

 

[Ovinomancer]

Interesting idea, and I like how you balanced EP on short rests with the expected 6-8 encounters per day. However, if I do a medium and a hard and then a 1 hour short rest, and then a medium and a hard and a 1 hour short rest, and then a medium and a hard, I can't afford (like not close) an 8 hour long rest; I can only do a 1 week long rest. Was it intentional to set the baseline here, with a mixture of the standard rest assumptions with the extended rest time optional rule? Or did you (or I) miss a part where you earn EP towards short rests and long rest simultaneously, which would work out both for book assumptions and for the other options you've listed.

 

[OB1]

Or did you (or I) miss a part where you earn EP towards short rests and long rest simultaneously, which would work out both for book assumptions and for the other options you've listed.

It's there but perhaps it needs to be clearer. Right next to long rest is states that the cost is reduced by the number of EPs spent on short rests since the last long rest. So in your example an 8 hour long rest would cost 3 EPs.

I did it this way to account for parties that might not need short rests, or who might want to spend 6 EP on a 5 minute short rest but don't mind spending the last 3 on an 8 hour long rest later.

 

[Ovinomancer]

It's there but perhaps it needs to be clearer. Right next to long rest is states that the cost is reduced by the number of EPs spent on short rests since the last long rest. So in your example an 8 hour long rest would cost 3 EPs.

I did it this way to account for parties that might not need short rests, or who might want to spend 6 EP on a 5 minute short rest but don't mind spending the last 3 on an 8 hour long rest later.

Hah, so it is. Honestly, it might be easier to have two pools rather than having long rest costs vary based on expenditures on short rests. Especially if you have a long break between games and are struggling to recall how many/kinds of short rests you took before the last break.

 

[OB1]

Hah, so it is. Honestly, it might be easier to have two pools rather than having long rest costs vary based on expenditures on short rests. Especially if you have a long break between games and are struggling to recall how many/kinds of short rests you took before the last break.

Good point, I will make the change in the OP!

 

[CapnZapp]

I wish something like this had been an official variant (ie optional) in the DMG!

Sent from my C6603 using EN World mobile app

 

[CapnZapp]

Feedback: While I understand the fun and draw of making a complete system with many knows to turn, now is the time to simplify down to essentials (as if we were preparing to include the variant in a DMG)


I like "options" better than "levels", but really it's stages in that you'd use option 1, options 1+2 or 1-3. And really, the "out" of having free longish rests shouldn't be an optional thing a DM should be able to forget about.

Also, I'd consider dropping the "express rest" idea where you spend lots of eps at the same time.

I could have done a formal write-up but will probably do that only if/when I'll use it in an upcoming campaign.

Plus, it's your thread.

Cheers

Sent from my C6603 using EN World mobile app

 

[OB1]

[MENTION=12731]CapnZapp[/MENTION] Thanks for the feedback! Would love to get your thoughts on a few other things as I continue to refine.

I wasn't too sure about the express rest idea, and for simplicity's sake will probably remove. I think, for these rules to be added as an option in an official book, that they have to fit in less than an eighth of a page.

What about the lower costs for rests that take a longer time, keep or ditch?

Would you recommend removing stage 2 completely?

If we keep stage 2, what changing it to allow for the following instead of the no cost rests?

Recovery Coma - You can enter a coma that lasts a number of weeks equal to your level, at the end of which you awaken having benefited from a long rest. You do not require food or drink during this time, but can take damage from environmental effects. If you take any damage during the coma, you immediately wake up and must start the recovery over again.

For stage 3, I was thinking about adding the following, so that there is at least some hope to recover should you find yourself low on resources and out of EP, figuring that you can probably take on Medium encounters with only at will abilities.

Long Natural Healing - Recover 1 Hit Die per week of rest.

Finally - I probably need to clarify that EPs are only given out if you successfully complete an encounter. Do you agree?

Don't think of this as my thread, I'm interested to see if the community could come up with a true consensus on an optional rule that could be presented for a future UA and eventual inclusion in an AP or Supplement.

 

[Tony Vargas]

For stage 3, I was thinking about adding the following, so that there is at least some hope to recover should you find yourself low on resources and out of EP, figuring that you can probably take on Medium encounters with only at will abilities.

Long Natural Healing - Recover 1 Hit Die per week of rest.

You could couch the whole thing a little differently, and set a long recovery (one of several options for 'long' perhaps), as the base-line, with EP's letting you 'buy' more frequent recovery.

I'm not sure about paying for a faster recovery rather than a more frequent one, if that makes any sense.

Finally - I probably need to clarify that EPs are only given out if you successfully complete an encounter. Do you agree?

Actually, I'd think you should get EPs for getting trounced by an encounter, too. Just not for flirting with one for the sole purpose of acquiring EPs (yeah, players could go there).

 

[OB1]

You could couch the whole thing a little differently, and set a long recovery (one of several options for 'long' perhaps), as the base-line, with EP's letting you 'buy' more frequent recovery.

I'm not sure about paying for a faster recovery rather than a more frequent one, if that makes any sense.

Actually, I'd think you should get EPs for getting trounced by an encounter, too. Just not for flirting with one for the sole purpose of acquiring EPs (yeah, players could go there).

Good thoughts about setting a baseline, I'm going to think about how to rework and simplify.

How about half EP for a failed encounter?