D&D 5E The 6-battle adventuring day, does it even exist?

[Nefermandias]

Did you play HoDQ as part of ToD? I didn't play the latter just the first part. That one is a perfect example of following the 6-8 encounter guidelines. For everything except the overland travel chapter which has 1 encounter per rest. I might go back to it for another post to show it.

Let's do Rime of the Frostmaiden since I'm doing it now. As I said this one suffers from the overland travel problem as the PCs are expected to have encounters on the way to adventure sites.

Spoiler: RofM spoilers

Act I - Ten Towns Quests - Most of these are mini-adventures which I think is great for learning the game. There are 2 'full' ones

Cauldron Caves -
Encounters 6: 2 Harpies, Dire Wolf, Water Weird, Frost Giant Skeleton, Sea Hag and Will-o'-wisp, Crawling Claws
Penalty for long rest: None but players think missing NPCs could still be alive and might die if they rest.

Mountain Climb -
Encounters 5: 1 random wilderness encounter, avalanche, 2 crag cats, Yeti, Yeti
Penalty for long rest: Garret might die

ActII - Most of these adventures have 4 encounters. I think the designers were intending random encounters to make up the difference but there is that overland travel problem again.

Act III - Sunblight

The party can fight the dragon in which case they are probably facing 2 random encounters (or more) plus many encounters with the dragon as it flies from town to town. The penalty for long resting is that the dragon burns down Ten Towns

Fortress: 13 Encounters - 10 Guards, Grandolpha Muzgardt with dragon and 3 Duergar, Mind Master and Mimic, Duergar and Ogre Zombie, 4 Animated Armour, 2 Duergar and 2 Duergar Hammerers, 4 Duergar and Umber Hulk, 3 Rust Monsters, 4 Duergar, Xardarok Sunblight and minions, Duergar Hammerer, 15 Duergar, 2 Hammerers
Penalty for long rest - Dragon is repaired and fortress denizens better able to respond to PC threat

Auril's Abode 11+ Encounters - There are 6 encounters in the shipwrecks, Ghost, Abominable Yeti, 7 Yetis, Ice Troll, Frost Giant, 7 Piercers, Giant Walrus, 2 Frost Giant Skeletons, 4 Tests, Auril (3 forms), Roc
Penalty for long resting - Not given though in Auril's home and she hates creatures who shelter themselves from the cold. Extreme cold is also DC 15 here.

Caves of Hunger - Lots of encounters here. Long rests are punished by harassment from Tekeli-li which may not be a problem. Evil wizards are also on their way.
Doom of Ythryn - Plenty of encounters and PCs are in a race against the evil wizards

That's why we switch to Gritty Realism for overland travel.

 

[ad_hoc]

That's why we switch to Gritty Realism for overland travel.

Yeah I think it's good to do something like that.

Our rule is that long rests are only possible at friendly settlements.

Takes care of the problem while not forcing a narrative jump of 7 days for each rest.

 

[Swarmkeeper]

I'm in the camp that thinks the context of these "6-8 encounter" debates seem largely to gloss over that some tables regularly equate an IRL game session with an adventuring day while others do not... which causes at least some talking past one another.

Most tables probably find it quite challenging to fit in the "recommended"* 6-8 medium/hard encounter (or equivalent) XP budget into a single 3-hour-or-so session.
Most tables probably find it less difficult to fit in the "recommended" 6-8 medium/hard encounter (or equivalent) XP budget spread out over multiple 3-hour-or-so sessions.

*as per DMG pg 84

 

[Mort]

I'm in the camp that thinks the context of these "6-8 encounter" debates seem largely to gloss over that some tables regularly equate an IRL game session with an adventuring day while others do not... which causes at least some talking past one another.

Most tables probably find it quite challenging to fit in the "recommended"* 6-8 medium/hard encounter (or equivalent) XP budget into a single 3-hour-or-so session.
Most tables probably find it less difficult to fit in the "recommended" 6-8 medium/hard encounter (or equivalent) XP budget spread out over multiple 3-hour-or-so sessions.

*as per DMG pg 84

I think this is key.

6-8 medium/hard encounters in a session? most groups couldn't do it or wouldn't like the pace if they could.

But 6-8 encounters in an "adventuring day." however many sessions that takes? That's significantly more reasonable - and that's what it's supposed to be.

Also I put "adventuring day" in quotes because that's relative too! Could be 5 hours, could be 24 hours, could be significantly longer - depending on group.

 

[Oofta]

I'm in the camp that thinks the context of these "6-8 encounter" debates seem largely to gloss over that some tables regularly equate an IRL game session with an adventuring day while others do not... which causes at least some talking past one another.

Most tables probably find it quite challenging to fit in the "recommended"* 6-8 medium/hard encounter (or equivalent) XP budget into a single 3-hour-or-so session.
Most tables probably find it less difficult to fit in the "recommended" 6-8 medium/hard encounter (or equivalent) XP budget spread out over multiple 3-hour-or-so sessions.

*as per DMG pg 84

We regularly split it up over multiple. We're using DndBeyond like my current group, they can track everything online. Even if they prefer pencil and paper, I don't think it's too much of a burden for them to write it down.

I mostly use the alternate rest rules because it works better for pacing (and verisimilitude for that matter) for me. Years typically pass over the course of a campaign so getting a week's worth of downtime is not hard.

 

[Xeviat]

In my games, yes, sort of. The campaign I've been running tends to have 3 deadly fights a day, which is the same xp as 6 medium fights a day. I just like the pacing of it better. Sometimes it gets mixed up, and a deadly fight or two gets swapped for 2 mediums.

 

[Staffan]

That sounds hilarious. I do have reservations about the details, however.

Namely, Control Water doesn't let a spellcaster reduce the water's level. It lets it increase the level or cause a trench to form, but reducing water isn't part of its spell description.

I'd wonder if you were thinking of Create or Destroy Water, but that wouldn't work either. I wouldn't consider a room an "open container" and any decently sized room that lets an aboleth swim free would definitely have more than 10-18 gallons of water considering that doesn't even fill a barrel and roughly equals 1 or 2 cu. ft. of space.

Well, causing a trench is lowering the water, or at least moving it out of the way. It's been a while since it happened – the campaign's been on hold for a year and a half, after all.

 

[Asisreo]

Well, causing a trench is lowering the water, or at least moving it out of the way. It's been a while since it happened – the campaign's been on hold for a year and a half, after all.

Well, I hope it didn't come off that I was accusing you of lying or anything. I was just curious as I've known magic is usually bolstered by having it be able to do something way more powerful than their intended usage.

Interestingly, the part water section of the spell doesn't tell you how big the trench can be, only that it extends across the area. While the imagery of animals and people crossing it from The Book of Exodus would have me determine that it would be 10ft by 10ft paths, I can see that some DM's may arbitrarily rule or let the player decide.

Either way, even with a more generous reading, I wouldn't rule that it does more than displace the water (not destroy it) since that would cause situations similar to the one you've referenced.

Of course, if it was fun, then kudos to your DM. But if someone looks at their fighter and goes "I can't do that..." its best to remind them that the cleric couldn't either.

 

[Zardnaar]

It's not hard coded 1 session irl equals one adventuring day.

It's a lot easier though. We are continuing from last week so will have 3 encounters. Each one is kind of deadly+ RAW.

 

[Staffan]

Well, I hope it didn't come off that I was accusing you of lying or anything. I was just curious as I've known magic is usually bolstered by having it be able to do something way more powerful than their intended usage.

Interestingly, the part water section of the spell doesn't tell you how big the trench can be, only that it extends across the area. While the imagery of animals and people crossing it from The Book of Exodus would have me determine that it would be 10ft by 10ft paths, I can see that some DM's may arbitrarily rule or let the player decide.

Either way, even with a more generous reading, I wouldn't rule that it does more than displace the water (not destroy it) since that would cause situations similar to the one you've referenced.

Of course, if it was fun, then kudos to your DM. But if someone looks at their fighter and goes "I can't do that..." its best to remind them that the cleric couldn't either.

The spell's AOE is a 100 ft cube. Cubes have depth. The only interpretation I can see is that it lets you push the water out of said cube and out to the sides. The room itself is significantly larger than 100x100 ft – more like 150x200, with the water for the most part being 20 ft deep. It was a totally legit use of the spell, and I was actually kind of impressed with the player. It was a bit anticlimactic, but I'm fine with that once in a while. And it's not like the monster was helpless, but it lost its significant advantage of mobility.