D&D 5E (2014) Homebrew Hit Point Recovery

[Daxcor]

Hello everyone,

I am looking to research different types of HP recovery rules. What does your group do when you have a short or long rest? How do you handle HD recovery? Can't wait to see what is out there.

Daxcor

 

[The Crimson Binome]

My house rule is that Hit Dice don't exist, and everyone recovers 1hp per level after a long rest.

 

[Daxcor]

My house rule is that Hit Dice don't exist, and everyone recovers 1hp per level after a long rest.

What about a short rest, anything happen then?

 

[The Crimson Binome]

What about a short rest, anything happen then?

If you have a Life Cleric, they regain their Channel Divinity, so they can bring people up to half.

Fighters recover their Second Wind, although that was also house ruled to provide temporary HP instead of actual healing.

 

[Salthorae]

My house rule is that Hit Dice don't exist, and everyone recovers 1hp per level after a long rest.

Oof! That certainly sets a different tone for 5e games.

Hello everyone,

I am looking to research different types of HP recovery rules. What does your group do when you have a short or long rest? How do you handle HD recovery? Can't wait to see what is out there.

My table uses a mix of a couple of DMG variant option for Long Rests. Short rests are as normal.

Long Rest we use the "regain all HD at the end of a LR and you can use them to heal HP" from Healing Surges (only part we use from that) and Slow Natural Healing where you don't regain any HP at the end of a Long Rest, you have to spend HD to heal any HP without magic.

 

[Tony Vargas]

Oof! That certainly sets a different tone for 5e games.

As long as you have enough spell-based healing, extra-punishing rest-&-time rules just stop coming up, at all. Of course, it means that the band-aid casters blow most of their slots just keeping the party going through a few combats, so the party can't begin to handle 6-8 encounter days, and the non-healing caster or two prettymuch carry the day as far as actually doing dramatic/important things go.

It's prettymuch a caster-appreciation variant. Anyone in their right mind would turn away a would-be party-member who didn't bring substantial spell power and/or his own healing. Fighter? no, you're dead weight (I mean, unless you don't mind just dying, then you're a disposable meatshield), we'll take another Paladin, thanks.

Basically 1e all over again. ;P

My table uses a mix of a couple of DMG variant option for Long Rests. Short rests are as normal.
Long Rest we use the "regain all HD at the end of a LR and you can use them to heal HP" from Healing Surges (only part we use from that) and Slow Natural Healing where you don't regain any HP at the end of a Long Rest, you have to spend HD to heal any HP without magic.

Not bad. Not sure of the point, exactly, but not bad.

I am looking to research different types of HP recovery rules. What does your group do when you have a short or long rest? How do you handle HD recovery?

The most I'll do is vary the availability/duration of Short/Long rests. So on a long journey where you only see occasional
action, short rest is 8 hrs, when you reach a safe/comfortable place to stop, long rest is available only at your destination.
Conversely, an intense raid or dungeon-clearing expedition, 5 min short rests, if you need a long rest, you'll have to leave & come back, and, per tradition, everything will be shuffled around and re-enforced - or just bugged out & stripped to the walls if you were really kicking it.

But, I wouldn't mess with healing separately from the rest of the short/long rest mechanics, doing so would only further exacerbate class balance problems and make encounter guidelines that much less useful.

 

[Salthorae]

Basically 1e all over again. ;P

Hehe, great point. Hireling's are where you get your Fighters at that point.

Not bad. Not sure of the point, exactly, but not bad.

It was kind of arbitrary when 5e came out. Our first 5e DM decided that he didn't like HP just resetting after a long rest because "history".

So we kludged this together. You get something back, but it costs some resources to heal up.

 

[Tony Vargas]

Hehe, great point. Hireling's are where you get your Fighters at that point.

Best part is they rarely last long enough to collect their pay.

It was kind of arbitrary when 5e came out. Our first 5e DM decided that he didn't like HP just resetting after a long rest because "history".
So we kludged this together. You get something back, but it costs some resources to heal up.

Sounds like a little more bookkeeping, but not, like it'd screw anything up particularly badly. Sometimes a little more bookkeepings adds a sense of granularity/realism.

 

[The Crimson Binome]

Hehe, great point. Hireling's are where you get your Fighters at that point.

No, you actually need a competent fighter in order to deal with monsters. Healing, alone, can only get you so far. You need someone with a lot of HP, and good AC, that's capable of dealing consistent damage. Paladins have their own issues, and they can substitute for a fighter in a pinch, but they lack sustainability.

Honestly, the temporary HP granted by the fighter's Second Wind synergizes extremely well with the Life cleric's Channel Divinity.

 

[Salthorae]

No, you actually need a competent fighter in order to deal with monsters.

Sure, hire some Veterans.

Well worth whatever they will charge you. Don't forget to buy them shields. 19 AC, 58 hp, and Heavy Crossbows will work wonders on monsters.

I've done that in a game before where it was just me (warlock) and a bard. We hired like 4 Veterans to go with us and they did all the front-lining while we stayed back and either healed them or blasted foes. Well worth the 5 gp/day each the DM had them charge us (they started higher, but were no match for our Charisma scores and negotiation skills for long term contracts!).