4e DMs: Allow players a 5 minute rest after EVERY encounter?

[mwiedmann]

Thanks for the replies.

Even though the rules state that encounters are separated by 5 min rests, if the party decides to skip the rest and move forward, I usually consider the next battle a new encounter for the purposes of milestones for action points and such. It usually takes them a few minutes to wander the dungeon and find the next battle. I'm not totally trying to hose them. I just think that the fight, rest, move, fight, rest, move, wash, rinse, repeat can get a little boring. There should be some fear when taking a 5 min break in a hobgoblin fortress that a partol might come along, or that the noise from the last battle my have woken everyone up.

You have to let them rest here and there, but after every battle seems a little much. They should be down a few HPs sometimes when a battle starts. If its a bigger battle coming up I will make sure they rest though.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

I say allow the 5-min rest if the situation isn't too extreme. Encounter abilities are just more interesting.

You only get 2 (or, if human, 3) at-will abilities. Players like more choices in combat.

 

[Crothian]

They get it when it makes sense for them to be able to. Most of the time it happens, but sometimes I like to change things up a little and they don't get the rest before the encounter continues.

It is interesting how it is like the older aditions that assumed there was a rest after every battle.

 

[Oni]

There should be some fear when taking a 5 min break in a hobgoblin fortress that a partol might come along, or that the noise from the last battle my have woken everyone up.

IMHO this kind of thing should happen occasionally to prevent complacency, but not too often because it doesn't really create tension so much a boring combat where you spam an at will.

]You have to let them rest here and there, but after every battle seems a little much. They should be down a few HPs sometimes when a battle starts. If its a bigger battle coming up I will make sure they rest though.

HP's are no longer the long term metric of wear and tear, it's surges.

 

[Ourph]

Having all their encounter powers for each battle makes them a little too powerful in my mind.

I don't get this. They are encounter powers. The game is designed around the PCs using them every encounter. How could this possibly make them "too powerful"?

Is this too harsh? Do other DMs let them rest after every battle?

Unless there is a very good in-game reason (like another room full of monsters just down the hall) yes. I definitely don't try to deny them the chance of a short rest for game balance purposes.

HP's are no longer the long term metric of wear and tear, it's surges.

This.

 

[Mistwell]

Technically, for some characters, you're making them MORE powerful by doing this. For example, if a fighter takes a stance that ends at the end of the encounter, and the end of the encounter is defined by the short rest, then their stance can continue through to the next encounter - saving that character a standard action in the second encounter.

 

[Pbartender]

Technically, for some characters, you're making them MORE powerful by doing this. For example, if a fighter takes a stance that ends at the end of the encounter, and the end of the encounter is defined by the short rest, then their stance can continue through to the next encounter - saving that character a standard action in the second encounter.

Almost...

All stances last "until the end of the encounter, for 5 minutes, or until you use another stance power."

But you're right... I've actually had players avoid short rests specifically to draw out the length of time a stance (or some other lasting effect) lasts.

 

[mwiedmann]

Yes, the players would benefit from some "until the end of the encounter" powers and I would take this into account if they were interrupted.

For the most part I only interrupt their rest if it makes sense. If there are another group of monsters down the hall there is a good chance they will wander down and see what the noise was all about.

There are a few encounter powers like Wizard's Escape and some of the Cleric's healing powers that really make it tough to challenge the party if they have their encounter powers all the time. It's just another way to ramp things up a bit without having to throw extra monsters or harder battles into the mix. That seemingly normal battle isn't such a gimme any more when you are down a few encounter powers.

 

[fba827]

generally allow them to rest between battle. However, once in a while for a change of pace -and- a valid reason to do so (i.e. not just because you feel like it), then there is no harm in making the occasional situation where the rest is not available.

(at least, in my opinion).

 

[S'mon]

If I'm running a 'realistic' hobgoblin fortress, I'll basically treat the whole thing as one big encounter - no short rests unless the PCs are very clever and sneaky so that they somehow avoid alerting all the hobgoblins. A 'balanced' fortress would be no more than Party Level +4-+5 for the whole thing, +7 at a push.

But as has been said, the game is based around a paradigm of short rests between fights. For a typical dungeon crawl this works great and avoids the 50-second work day I commonly saw with 3e.