D&D (2024) How long should a Short rest be in 5E(2024)?

[MockingBird]

12 hr real life hard labor days an hour break is a god send. 5 min break wouldn't even be worth taking imo

 

[Vaalingrade]

12 hr real life hard labor days an hour break is a god send. 5 min break wouldn't even be worth taking imo

But not a 30 second fight.

 

[FallenRX]

10-minute short rests with an hour-long cooldown.

5min and other timeframes don't work as well because 5e works on 1 min, 10 min, 1 hour, 8 hour, or 24h to a week timeframes for everything, so 10 minutes is ideal. This method kinda adjusts a lot of the issues with 5e short rests. Guaranteeing at least 1 short rest easily, while keeping the same general timeframe in the rules. It also make better verisimilitude since you are no longer sitting around waiting for 1 hour, but can actively do stuff during the cooldown period, and best of all, since the DM controls the timeframe if they want them to short rest more actively they can just speed up time to allow it easily. Better DM control, better player control, address the issue while not really changing much at all.

I also feel people weirdly obsessed over 6-8 encoutners per day as a balancing point, when i feel this isnt true at all, and 6-8/2 short rests, were seen as more of a limit based on HD rather then anything else, with the games balance assuming maximum resources every encounter, Which has been what crawford have been saying for a few years now(i wouldn't be surprised if they clarify it in the new DMG).

Explains some classes design too.

 

[FrogReaver]

It would depend on what is happening in the story. This is no different than a DM who has an exact time for short rests; they are still making a judgement as to whether X minutes will occur according to the imperatives of the story and then giving that decision to the player. I just make the ruling without worrying about whether X minutes has passed (which will be a made-up number anyway) and just give them the information they care about: do we have time to take a short rest and still have the spell effect going.

Specifically timed short rests lead to weird results because, outside of combat, D&D adventures run narratively, not on timed turns. In AD&D (1e) you could have used them, at least in theory, because out of combat turns were ten minutes, though we seldom if ever paid attention to that rule. Once the game is in story mode, it doesn't help.

Let's map this out.
In current 5e: Cleric Casts Spirit Guardians in battle. The party wants a short rest after the battle. They find that they think is a suitable location to hole up for an hour. After 10 mins Spirit Guardians will end. DM has enough info to make informed decisions around whether their rest gets interrupted and when during the rest that occurs or at least enough info to appropriately set the DC on a fortune style roll to determine that for him.

In your setup: Cleric Casts Spirit Guards in battle. The party wants a short rest after the battle. The party doesn't know what kind of location to look for as they have no idea how long the short rest will be (ex: a 5 min short rest they probably would just do now, a 1 hour short rest they probably would look for a defensible location to hole up in.) I'm assuming in your playstyle this cannot be determined? Also, in your style how do you A) determine if the short rest is interrupted, B) determine whether spirit guardians is up during the interruption and C) determine if spirit guardians is still up at the end of the short rest? -i don't see what narrative details that let you either make a decision directly or help you set a dc for these things?

 

[TheSword]

I would say 59 minutes is too short and 61 minutes is to long.

For all the 5 minute folks you’re not looking for a rest, just that powers come back every encounter.

 

[Vaalingrade]

I would say 59 minutes is too short and 61 minutes is to long.

For all the 5 minute folks you’re not looking for a rest, just that powers come back every encounter.

Yes. That is the point: better class and encounter design. Design bereft of naps or other sequence breaking, pace wrecking twaddle.

 

[MockingBird]

But not a 30 second fight.

Have you ever participated in any type of combat sport?

 

[CleverNickName]

I guess I'm one of those rare people who doesn't want, need, or expect my character to recover to full capacity after every battle. I feel like battle should wear a character down, and in more ways than just hit points. Resource management should be important, in my opinion. (I'm also one of those DMs that tracks spell components, food, ammo, and healing kit uses. Roll20 makes it SUPER EASY.)

So if they remove short rests and rework the game assumptions accordingly in the new edition, I'm going to need an easy way to undo those adjustments. I'll need to be able to click "No thanks" and opt out.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Have you ever participated in any type of combat sport?

They neither lasted only 30 seconds, nor did I ever get an hour nap between matches.

 

[mamba]

Yes. That is the point: better class and encounter design. Design bereft of naps or other sequence breaking, pace wrecking twaddle.

I agree, death to short rests