D&D 5E What interupts a long rest?

[Rune]

I think I see where you run into problems. The RAW does not say how much you must sleep or perform light activity. Rather it requires sleep (without saying what amount) and light activity (no more than 2 hours) over an 8 hour span. It also allows for less than an hour of fighting etc to be non-interrupting.

My memory matches this claim, but the actual words of the text do not. I think this might be one of those areas that got errata at some point after I learned the rules. But I don’t care enough to check.

A long rest is a period of extended downtime, at least 8 hours long, during which a character sleeps for at least 6 hours and performs no more than 2 hours of light activity, such as reading, talking, eating, or standing watch.

 

[MarkB]

I think I see where you run into problems. The RAW does not say how much you must sleep or perform light activity. Rather it requires sleep (without saying what amount) and light activity (no more than 2 hours) over an 8 hour span. It also allows for less than an hour of fighting etc to be non-interrupting.

Therefore, over 8 hours, you cannot spend more than 2 hours in light activity. You must get some sleep. And you may fight etc for up to anything less than a full hour. If one wants to be exacting, the sleep could in fact be just over 5 hours. Using the rest of the time for light activity (no more than 2 hours) and adventuring (less than 1 hour).

Look again.

A long rest is a period of extended downtime, at least 8 hours long, during which a character sleeps for at least 6 hours and performs no more than 2 hours of light activity, such as reading, talking, eating, or standing watch.

It takes at least 8 hours, and the character must sleep for at least 6 hours of that period.

I suppose an argument could be made for the up-to-an-hour of strenuous activity taking the place of some of that light activity, but to me it's not the most natural reading of the paragraph.

 

[clearstream]

And that all said, I suppose you have thought through the implications of your version?

1. Start a long rest: sleep for 6 hours and perform a minute shy of 2 hours of light activity.
2. Adventure for 59 minutes
3. Perform a minute of light activity
4. Refresh abilities
5. Continue adventuring

Extending is gruesome, mechanically.

 

[clearstream]

My memory matches this claim, but the actual words of the text do not. I think this might be one of those areas that got errata at some point after I learned the rules. But I don’t care enough to check.

Here, for your convenience. And you are right, the errata differs! [EDITED to give the errata'd version.]

Long Rest (p. 186). The first sentence now reads, “A long rest is a period of extended downtime, at least 8 hours long, during which a character sleeps for at least 6 hours and performs no more than 2 hours of light activity, such as reading, talking, eating, or standing watch.”

Again, no more than 2 hours. No more than includes less than, i.e. one hour of light activity. It comes to the same thing (and was what I suggested in my first post in this line.)

 

[MarkB]

And that all said, I suppose you have thought through the implications of your version?

1. Start a long rest: sleep for 6 hours and perform a minute shy of 2 hours of light activity.
2. Adventure for 59 minutes
3. Perform a minute of light activity
4. Refresh abilities
5. Continue adventuring

Extending is gruesome, mechanically.

Sure, if you want to game it like that. But I think that goes against the spirit of the rules at the very least, since they talk about interruptions rather than deliberate excursions.

Here, for your convenience.


Notice that the amount of sleep required isn't defined, amounting to "any", but timings are put on everything else.

Are you maybe working from an old version of the text? I'm pulling from the current version on D&D Beyond, which includes a stipulation of 6 hours of sleep.

 

[clearstream]

Look again.

It takes at least 8 hours, and the character must sleep for at least 6 hours of that period.

I suppose an argument could be made for the up-to-an-hour of strenuous activity taking the place of some of that light activity, but to me it's not the most natural reading of the paragraph.

Reread. The words "no more than" mean it must be less than, not that it must be 2 hours!

 

[clearstream]

Sure, if you want to game it like that. But I think that goes against the spirit of the rules at the very least, since they talk about interruptions rather than deliberate excursions.

Are you maybe working from an old version of the text? I'm pulling from the current version on D&D Beyond, which includes a stipulation of 6 hours of sleep.

I pointed out earlier that it doesn't matter. It comes to N hours of sleep where N can be 5 hours +1 minute (pre-errata) and is 6 hours (post-errata) plus up to 2 hours of light activity (but possibly less, such as when 59 minutes are taken up with adventuring.)

 

[Rune]

Here, for your convenience.


Notice that the amount of sleep required isn't defined, amounting to "any", but timings are put on everything else.

It’s probably best that that got errata. Rereading it, the wording strikes me as ambiguous enough to be interpreted as not actually requiring sleep. And if you do sleep, you can’t do it for more than 2 hours. Almost certainly not the intent, but that “or” was a poor choice.

 

[MarkB]

Ooh, interesting. The top two results I get when I search Long Rest in D&D Beyond have different wordings.

Long Rest
COMPENDIUM - SOURCES->DUNGEONS & DRAGONS VS. RICK AND MORTY

Long Rest A long rest is a period of extended downtime, at least 8 hours long, during which a character sleeps or performs light activity: reading, talking, eating, or standing watch for no more than
to benefit from it. At the end of a long rest, a character regains all lost hit points. The character also regains spent Hit Dice, up to a number of dice equal to half of the character’s total number

Long Rest
COMPENDIUM - SOURCES->BASIC RULES

Long Rest A long rest is a period of extended downtime, at least 8 hours long, during which a character sleeps for at least 6 hours and performs no more than 2 hours of light activity, such as
characters must begin the rest again to gain any benefit from it. At the end of a long rest, a character regains all lost hit points. The character also regains spent Hit Dice, up to a number of dice equal

 

[clearstream]

It’s probably best that that got errata. Rereading it, the wording strikes me as ambiguous enough to be interpreted as not actually requiring sleep. And if you do sleep, you can’t do it for more than 2 hours. Almost certainly not the intent, but that “or” was a poor choice.

Perhaps that is what they wanted to clarify. That a long rest requires N hours of sleep. That was where I started this line of discussion from.