D&D 5E Does Rope Trick Heal?

[Jester David]

I fail to see how spending a limited resource to create a safe place to short rest is pushing anybody. Why should the DM give a dusty flumph about this at all? It sounds to me like they fairly prepared and executed well and deserve the benefits.

A second level spell slot isn't much of a limited resource at high levels.


The job of the DM is to tell the story, challenge the PCs, and encourage the fun of the players.

If the PCs are using said spell to rest in an unexpected time, that reduces or even negate some of the challenge. And it might lead to the remainder of the story could be anticlimatic, while reducing the tension. This diminishes the fun. Thus, it's in the best interests of the DM to limit that.
Or do something to restore the challenge and increase the tension.

Now, if the PCs need the rest to even succeed and not die—such as recovering from bad rolls or some tactical mistakes—then it might be in the best interests of the DM to let the tactic succeed.


It's up to the DM to look at how rope trick is being used in each situation and decide what will be the most fun at the table.

 

[FrogReaver]

Man, how do you have more XP than me on this forum?

Proof that XP is all people ever worry about

 

[Satyrn]

Proof that XP is all people ever worry about

Fake news!

I worry about Laughs.

 

[Satyrn]

Why is no one laughing with my post?

 

[Mistwell]

Then it's a terribly written spell.

If the intent was to have it function for short rests and work with that rule, it should mention short rests so people know. Why would they hide that?

They didn't hide anything. All but the most pedantic of DMs sees the 1 hour, and knows that's a short rest, and it ends there. This nonsense about it having to be a 60' foot rope (it does not) or it being stenuous activity to enter or exit (it is not) is what leads to this concluson that it's a poorly written spell. But, as I said, that's all nonsense. Obviously so to most people.

 

[Mistwell]

So? Try free climbing a 30' rope, still not an easy climb. Even 10' would be a bitch for low str characters.

It can be a 1' rope. You not need to climb anything. This objection is ridiculous.

 

[iserith]

A second level spell slot isn't much of a limited resource at high levels.

How about all the other levels? A limited resource is a limited resource in my view when discussing a topic broadly. The player choose to learn, prepare, and cast this spell which all come from limited pools (known/learned spells, prepared spells, and spell slots). It costs something to do it. Sometimes that cost is higher or lower depending on the situation.

If the PCs are using said spell to rest in an unexpected time, that reduces or even negate some of the challenge. And it might lead to the remainder of the story could be anticlimatic, while reducing the tension. This diminishes the fun. Thus, it's in the best interests of the DM to limit that.
Or do something to restore the challenge and increase the tension.

Now, if the PCs need the rest to even succeed and not die—such as recovering from bad rolls or some tactical mistakes—then it might be in the best interests of the DM to let the tactic succeed.

Sounds to me like structural problems with the adventure or campaign which is on the DM. If the DM wants to limit short rests to increase difficulty, then time pressure is the optimal approach in my view.

It's up to the DM to look at how rope trick is being used in each situation and decide what will be the most fun at the table.

To be clear, I think it's fair to ambush the characters once they finish their rest and come out of the rope trick, as long as that possibility was at least telegraphed. But to behave as if the players have done something wrong by choosing to use this limited resource and then effectively retaliate while in the DM role as you have described above? Nah.

 

[Mistwell]

I can be super nice and kind to my players. When they're being inventive and creative, I will almost always say "yes". If they're being imaginative I will support and encourage them. And if they're new to the game I will challenge but be fair and generally lenient.

But if they push me, they will find I am a cruel and vengeful god.
Fair as the Sea and the Sun and the Snow upon the Mountain! Dreadful as the Storm and the Lightning! Stronger than the foundations of the earth.

It's that you appear to be WAY WAY WAY overreacting to a simple safe-space-for-an-hour spell use. Just remove the spell from the game if you don't want to function as intended...and yes, it was extremely obviously intended to support taking a short rest in that safe space. Your reaction is weird. Like...questioning past interactions with Jester David level weird. It's over the top, concerning a spell which frankly most people thought was underpowered and they never took it even though they all thought it allowed a safe short rest too.

 

[Henry]

I don't know if Rope Trick heals, but reading this thread is giving me 1 level of exhaustion. :rimshot:

 

[The Crimson Binome]

Just remove the spell from the game if you don't want to function as intended...and yes, it was extremely obviously intended to support taking a short rest in that safe space.

Another solution is to leave it in the game, but reduce the duration to something like half an hour, so it would still be around for other purposes (like providing a convenient rope to climb, or hiding while a patrol passes by), but the players would obviously know that it's not enough time for a short rest.

It's still a super useful spell, even without the healing angle. It's better than Levitate.