Advice: A less hectic workday for my D&D characters

[Rossbert]

Are there good examples of satisfactory mechanical set-ups that discourage frequent resting between encounters?

Outside of D&D my experience has mostly been Palladium (RIFTS), FATE (Dresden Files), Mutants & Masterminds, and FFG Star Wars.

All of those tend to either assume full recovery between encounters (M&M doesn't limit resources much), or relies on story based time crunches. We had races to intercept shipments, running from various foes, races against other treasure seekers and infestations that were actively spreading.

I don't think any of the systems had rules against frequent rests, just the world had consequences as time passed, but I am curious what systems have rule based limits and what they use.

 

[Fanaelialae]

Are there good examples of satisfactory mechanical set-ups that discourage frequent resting between encounters?

Outside of D&D my experience has mostly been Palladium (RIFTS), FATE (Dresden Files), Mutants & Masterminds, and FFG Star Wars.

All of those tend to either assume full recovery between encounters (M&M doesn't limit resources much), or relies on story based time crunches. We had races to intercept shipments, running from various foes, races against other treasure seekers and infestations that were actively spreading.

I don't think any of the systems had rules against frequent rests, just the world had consequences as time passed, but I am curious what systems have rule based limits and what they use.

One example would be 13th Age. It's been a while since I last looked at those books, so I might not get this 100% correct, but in that system your recharges are based on the number of encounters you've faced. You can fight one encounter and then rest 24 hours, but the next fight you'll be down resources as if you hadn't.

 

[Tony Vargas]

Are there good examples of satisfactory mechanical set-ups that discourage frequent resting between encounters?

There are systems where resting is rarely relevant, at all, so there's no need to be encouraged or discouraged, or where resting deviating from a standard pacinf doesn't impact game balance or play in such a negative way that it need be encouraged or discouraged.

 

[CapnZapp]

In what systems is it reasonable for a party to be clandestinely observed by a cunning, stealthy little monster, with a large force of powerful friends on tap, anxious to set up an 8hr long ambush on his say-so, any time the party rests after one or a few encounters, but never when they rest, tapped out, after a grueling 8-encounter work day?

Oh, and in which of those systems where it is reasonable, is it also necessary to maintain a semblance of class & encounter balance?

Not sure what your point is.

If you're just generally worn out by the main trope of D&D, that the world is dangerous, but never unreasonably so, I really think it is best if you start a new thread.

 

[CapnZapp]

I disagree. Even with high passives, monsters can still roll well. And if the monster hadn't rolled that well, they would have detected him during the encounter.

My players don't typically scout the perimeter before using rope trick. You just had a noisy encounter and want to rest. Do you:

A) scout the perimeter, ensuring that no one is watching but giving anything that heard the noise time to arrive or,
B) use rope trick immediately to vacate the premises.

My players pretty much always choose B.

As for tiny hut, you're going to be scouting for a long time if you want to potentially locate anything that might stumble across you in the next 8 hours.

Finally, not every monster in your game needs to be a clone taken from the MM. That goblin might gave Stealth expertise and have something like a cloak of elvenkind (probably not an actual elf cloak though, unless the goblin wears it as a trophy). His CR might be above that of a standard goblin (increasing his proficiency bonus). Lastly, situational bonuses can be applied. The DM could grant the goblin advantage (or the PCs disadvantage) if the goblin found an excellent hiding spot.

Heck, skill bonuses are a great way to differentiate different tribes. The Shadow Foot tribe is known for being exceptionally sneaky, while the Red Hands live on raised platforms connected by narrow Bridges and are unusually acrobatic. It doesn't change their CR.

You're still feeding the behavior that short-circuits the challenge of the game.

Why have one goblin stay back to watch his friends get massacred only to be able to later make their resting challenging?

The only possible result of this is actively rewarding the players by giving them a challenge to match their chosen action.

But resting should not be rewarded with challenges. DMs should not spend their time thinking about how to make resting challenging.

The players should not have the option to trivialize the existing content in the first place!

 

[Fanaelialae]

You're still feeding the behavior that short-circuits the challenge of the game.

Why have one goblin stay back to watch his friends get massacred only to be able to later make their resting challenging?

The only possible result of this is actively rewarding the players by giving them a challenge to match their chosen action.

But resting should not be rewarded with challenges. DMs should not spend their time thinking about how to make resting challenging.

The players should not have the option to trivialize the existing content in the first place!

I prefer to think of it as allowing the players to set their own level of challenge.

As to why the goblin stayed behind, maybe he's a coward and hid rather than fight. Maybe he was a scout who returned from scouting to see his brethren being slaughtered by the cruel and merciless player characters. There are a plethora of reason for how and why it might occur.

If you make a fight deadly enough, it's not a reward. It becomes a really tense and desperate situation as the players try to figure how to get their characters out alive. Granted, I wouldn't recommend throwing such difficult fights against most groups regularly, unless TPKs are your thing.

IMO players should be incentivized to not trivialize content (but it should be allowed, with possible consequences as you would for any choice). You think it should not be allowed at all. Both seem like valid approaches to me.

 

[jasper]

Don't insult me by insinuating I don't know the module.

I asked you where it says these rules result in a cake walk.

(And again, you won't find it, because every time the jungle is brought up, it's described as a challenge where adventurers risk disease, defeat and death.)

You whole griping is the DMG states an adventuring day is 6 to 8 encounters. You have gripe before the jungle is not challenging enough and you have made changes.
So. TOA page 38 Left column second bullet point. "Check for random encounters see Appendix b."
Appendix B page 193. Wilderness Encounters heading. First paragraph. " roll 3 times a day... 16+ encounter occurs. Roll %. Check the terrain appropriate chart..etc etc etc."
Page 7 Character Advancement heading. Suggested Character levels sub heaing. 2.land of chult 1st - 6th.
end of page numbers.
So if the APL is 5 (min for chapter 3) The wereboar will be deadly if they encounter it. The frost giants will be deadly. Some the npc parties will be deadly. But if you don't roll 16 or better and then roll those on the charts not much is going to challenge a 5th party.
Or are you just being snarky and want "cake walk" to be in the TOA book.

 

[Tony Vargas]

Relying rope trick and tiny hut to rest whenever you want makes it fairly easy to get yourself into a deadly ambush. Maybe there was a goblin hiding nearby who sees you scamper up the rope and runs off to find his friends.

Your suggestion is eminently reasonable in many systems, but 5E is not one of them.

In what systems is it reasonable for a party to be clandestinely observed by a cunning, stealthy little monster, with a large force of powerful friends on tap, anxious to set up an 8hr long ambush on his say-so, any time the party rests after one or a few encounters, but never when they rest, tapped out, after a grueling 8-encounter work day?

Oh, and in which of those systems where it is reasonable, is it also necessary to maintain a semblance of class & encounter balance?

Not sure what your point is.

Lack of threading strikes again.
Does it make more sense with the above nested replies re-constructed?

 

[CapnZapp]

Lack of threading strikes again.
Does it make more sense with the above nested replies re-constructed?

Plase cut to the point and ask me the real question up front. Thanks.

 

[iserith]

The second that the players start making decisions when presented with a challenge, they start modifying the difficulty of that challenge. If they make good decisions, they may reduce the difficulty. If they make bad decisions, they may increase it. Before or after the challenge, deciding on whether and when to rest does the same. If you're okay with player decisions modifying difficulty in the challenge (and why wouldn't you be?), then in my opinion it is nonsensical to view rests differently. The best you can do (and something I recommend) is make the choice to rest more interesting and meaningful by introducing a risk or trade-off that makes sense for the adventure. The system needn't do this for you.