D&D 5E [Homebrew] Rebalancing class resource recovery around less encounters (+ thread)

[FrogReaver]

I would simply allow a player to recharge short rest abilities at any point outside of combat - but only allow at most X recharges. Healing with hit dice still comes on short rests. If you want some variability make each SR class roll a d3 to determine X.

 

[FrogReaver]

Alternatively just turn all short rest abilities into long rest ones and be done with it. Tends to solve basically everything.

 

[FrogReaver]

I'm now thinking about:

Step 1: After a long rest the uses of your short rest abilities are tripled until your next short rest.
Step 2: Upon taking a short rest you choose which abilities to replenish. These replenish as they normally would upon taking a short rest.

You may actually want to change step 1 to double instead of triple.

Models having a lot of energy to start the day with but as you "tire" in the day you never quite reach your max potential that you had right after a good nights rest.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

My rough proposal:

Fighter: 1/SR, recover Second Wind and Action Surge by taking a 5 minute breather.
Battlemaster Fighter can regain 2 Superiority Dice during a Breather.

Monk: 1 S/R, recover Ki equal to Proficiency mod, 5minute breather.

Warlock: 2 Spell Slots at level 1, 3 at 5, 4 at 11. 1/LONG rest, regain 2 slots or any 1 class feature ability that is normally regained during a short rest as per of a 5 minute breather.

Sorcerer: gain arcane recovery but for sorcery points. Not a short rest class, but I find they feel restrained even in short-day games.

Rogue: Is fine. For kicks, maybe give a backstab ability 1/short rest where SA dice are d10 instead of d6 on an attack where the opponent is incapacitated, restrained, surprised, or unaware of the rogue.

Everyone: spend or recover 1 hit die as part of a 5 minute breather, 1/short rest. Long rest only recovers proficiency modifier or con modifier hit Dice, whichever is higher. (Makes Barbarians recover quicker than wizards, which feels right, but everyone recovers a couple/few per long rest, and possibly during the day)

 

[squibbles]

I feel like the most elegant way to get to a 3-4 encounter/day paradigm with "widely applicable rules" is this:

1.) reduce the amount of time that short rests take--5/10/15 minutes, whatever feels right to you.
2.) give PCs a "long rest pool" of short rest feature uses equal to 2x their normal # of uses of each feature.
3.) when PCs take a short rest and recover their short rest features, they deplete their long rest pool.

It's the equivalent of allowing two 5-minute short rests per day, but with less cognitive dissonance.


example:

Branwen the 4th level battlemaster has 3 short rest features: second wind, action surge, and 4 superiority dice.

Her long rest pool at the beginning an adventuring day is 2 second winds, 2 action surges, and 8 superiority dice.

If, on the first encounter of the day, she uses action surge and 3 of 4 superiority dice, she can catch her breath for 5/10/15 minutes and get those features back.

Her long rest pool after the encounter will be 2 second winds, 1 action surge, and 5 superiority dice.


edit: yikes, it looks like @FrogReaver suggested this first