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<blockquote data-quote="KidSnide" data-source="post: 5688081" data-attributes="member: 54710">How to handle extended rests in 4e (or resting in any other daily-resource game) is a fundamental part of adventure design that gets far too little attention in GM guidance.&nbsp; Any dungeon designer needs to make the decision about whether the dungeon is a purely passive series of obstacles (like the Tomb of Horrors) or an actively inhabited location where the residents will rally to its defense (like Firestorm Gate) or flee when things go bad (like the kobolds mentioned above).&nbsp; A dungeon designer also needs to figure out whether the adventure is going to take place under time pressure or not.&nbsp; In my experience, one of the major failings of 4e is that, while it provides excellent guidance on what makes a balanced encounter, there is much less good guidance concerning how many encounters (of what level) make a good adventuring day.&nbsp; I also think the stealth/perception rules make it undesirably difficult for PCs to effectively scout most adventure locations, which makes it difficult for players to make well informed decisions about when to press forward and when to retreat.&nbsp; Most players realize that finishing off a faction is better than leaving a runt element to regroup or make off with the treasure.&nbsp; But relatively few dungeons give the players the information to decide whether pressing on is worth it, given the condition of the PCs.&nbsp; Similarly, I find that most &quot;rush into the room to stop the ritual&quot; decisions are based more in narrative logic and trust that the GM is running a level-appropriate adventure than any sort of in-game decision.&nbsp; That's fine in the right type of game, but I find it unsatisfying that out-of-game GM guidance plays such a major role in the decision of whether or not to rest.-KS</blockquote>

[QUOTE="KidSnide, post: 5688081, member: 54710"] How to handle extended rests in 4e (or resting in any other daily-resource game) is a fundamental part of adventure design that gets far too little attention in GM guidance. Any dungeon designer needs to make the decision about whether the dungeon is a purely passive series of obstacles (like the Tomb of Horrors) or an actively inhabited location where the residents will rally to its defense (like Firestorm Gate) or flee when things go bad (like the kobolds mentioned above). A dungeon designer also needs to figure out whether the adventure is going to take place under time pressure or not. In my experience, one of the major failings of 4e is that, while it provides excellent guidance on what makes a balanced encounter, there is much less good guidance concerning how many encounters (of what level) make a good adventuring day. I also think the stealth/perception rules make it undesirably difficult for PCs to effectively scout most adventure locations, which makes it difficult for players to make well informed decisions about when to press forward and when to retreat. Most players realize that finishing off a faction is better than leaving a runt element to regroup or make off with the treasure. But relatively few dungeons give the players the information to decide whether pressing on is worth it, given the condition of the PCs. Similarly, I find that most "rush into the room to stop the ritual" decisions are based more in narrative logic and trust that the GM is running a level-appropriate adventure than any sort of in-game decision. That's fine in the right type of game, but I find it unsatisfying that out-of-game GM guidance plays such a major role in the decision of whether or not to rest. -KS [/QUOTE]

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