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Hourly resets instead of daily resets [merged]
- Thread starter Quasqueton
- Start date
Quasqueton
First Post
Whoa, that's funny. I've been thinking of posting this all day; I didn't realize I had posted it. Thanks Piratecat.
Just for the record, I'm not defending or arguing for this concept, I'm just wanting to think it all through. . .
As things work now:
Party level Y has X number of encounters of Z difficulty. They are pretty well spent of their abilities and resources, and so decide to break.
With daily resets, that means they leave the adventure/dungeon for 10-23 hours.
With hourly resets, that means they can just stop and rest for 1 hour.
Now, of course, the defenders of the adventure/dungeon may do things during the rest period. Not every situation is going to allow for hour rests -- the party may have to fully pull out anyway.
What really brought this concept to my mind was the recent dungeon adventure I've run my group through. The party would explore for an hour or so, be pretty expended after 1-4 encounters, and then they'd pull out for rest and recovery. Once the spell casters (especially the cleric) has expended their spells (or just their most powerful spells), the Players decide to call it a day, even if it's only been an hour of work. (Some call this wise adventuring; some call it foolish.)
It ended up taking them 5 days to explore about a dozen rooms in the adventure to find their quest goal.
That just sits odd with me.
But I'm glad I asked, because the xp awards idea is something I hadn't thought of. I'd want to cut the xp values considerably, otherwise the PCs could level up in a day's work.
Quasqueton
Just for the record, I'm not defending or arguing for this concept, I'm just wanting to think it all through. . .
As things work now:
Party level Y has X number of encounters of Z difficulty. They are pretty well spent of their abilities and resources, and so decide to break.
With daily resets, that means they leave the adventure/dungeon for 10-23 hours.
With hourly resets, that means they can just stop and rest for 1 hour.
Now, of course, the defenders of the adventure/dungeon may do things during the rest period. Not every situation is going to allow for hour rests -- the party may have to fully pull out anyway.
What really brought this concept to my mind was the recent dungeon adventure I've run my group through. The party would explore for an hour or so, be pretty expended after 1-4 encounters, and then they'd pull out for rest and recovery. Once the spell casters (especially the cleric) has expended their spells (or just their most powerful spells), the Players decide to call it a day, even if it's only been an hour of work. (Some call this wise adventuring; some call it foolish.)
It ended up taking them 5 days to explore about a dozen rooms in the adventure to find their quest goal.
That just sits odd with me.
But I'm glad I asked, because the xp awards idea is something I hadn't thought of. I'd want to cut the xp values considerably, otherwise the PCs could level up in a day's work.
Quasqueton
DungeonMaester
First Post
Personaly, I think the best way to do that is two have two daily resets, rather then getting hourly resets.
This is done by halving some stats.
Half Hp
Half Spell per day
Half class abilities (Per day, to a min of one)
The resets come at one time during the day when they rest, and once again when they sleep for the night. So, the party will only have access to half of the Hp spells and class abilities during the morning of adventuring, can break for lunch, refresh, and adventure in till they stop for the night.
Only having half of the Hp at a time with keep the game challenging while still giving the players the flexibility of refreshing.
---Rusty
This is done by halving some stats.
Half Hp
Half Spell per day
Half class abilities (Per day, to a min of one)
The resets come at one time during the day when they rest, and once again when they sleep for the night. So, the party will only have access to half of the Hp spells and class abilities during the morning of adventuring, can break for lunch, refresh, and adventure in till they stop for the night.
Only having half of the Hp at a time with keep the game challenging while still giving the players the flexibility of refreshing.
---Rusty
I think that, while certainly, the game is balanced for the daily recovery cycle, shortening the rest period gives spellcasters more power throughout the day. Nothing wrong with that, of course, and if it adds to your sense of realism, then why the heck not? But if after 1-4 encounters the party is forced to retreat, instead maybe try not doing hp damage and use some of the other tricks up a DM's sleeve. Especially low level parties. Put them to sleep or hit them with a color spray. Lay off the magic missiles until you know they are loaded up with cure potions, scrolls, and wands. Grease can confound a party as much as a barrage of arrows but provides an obstacle to overcome AND playability. More access to healing could extend dungeon crawls too and it's much easier to 'fudge' things like that than re-tune a game's extensively play-tested balance. Not too direct an answer to your query but, I think, it's something easier to affect.
Phlebas
First Post
more lower level monsters, more thinking / talkie puzzles, dungeons as battles of attrition, more preperation (barrels of cure potions), lotsa scrolls & chargeable items
even - shock, gasp - smaller dungeons?
there are alternatives to changing the rules....
but let us know how it turns out
even - shock, gasp - smaller dungeons?
there are alternatives to changing the rules....
but let us know how it turns out
DungeonMaester
First Post
Sorry for the off topic
I know, I know.
I play closer to RAW then anyone else I've ever seen, making wizards pick spells they prepare and only giving players 1 hp back for every hour of rest.
My theroy is that D&D rules are changing from edition to edition to go from D&D rules based off war games, (Where you battle, use up all you can and the next fight is presumed to be the next day, and all your spells and equipment and men are whole again) to being more like a video game) (Fight, buffer up, fight, buffer up, fight, rest for the night, repeat.)
While I much prefer D&D to feel like a war game, (It is more realistic in a abstract way) people want there characters to me more like superheros where they can be pushed as far as they can in a epic fight, rest for a little while then blow journey off to the next epic fight.
But, that is the beauty of D&D. People play the game they way they want to play it. It is why I prefer AD&D 1st ed and all my friends prefer 3.5
Getting back to the subject at hand, I still think spliting Spells a day, class abilities a day, and HP in half is the best way to do it.
---Rusty
I know, I know.
I play closer to RAW then anyone else I've ever seen, making wizards pick spells they prepare and only giving players 1 hp back for every hour of rest.
My theroy is that D&D rules are changing from edition to edition to go from D&D rules based off war games, (Where you battle, use up all you can and the next fight is presumed to be the next day, and all your spells and equipment and men are whole again) to being more like a video game) (Fight, buffer up, fight, buffer up, fight, rest for the night, repeat.)
While I much prefer D&D to feel like a war game, (It is more realistic in a abstract way) people want there characters to me more like superheros where they can be pushed as far as they can in a epic fight, rest for a little while then blow journey off to the next epic fight.
But, that is the beauty of D&D. People play the game they way they want to play it. It is why I prefer AD&D 1st ed and all my friends prefer 3.5
Getting back to the subject at hand, I still think spliting Spells a day, class abilities a day, and HP in half is the best way to do it.
---Rusty
green slime
First Post
IMX, it is really only a problem at low level (under 5th).
Higher level characters have far more resources (spells per day, hit points, wands, scrolls, items), breeze through battles more quickly, can patch themselves up faster, and gnerally can get though a full 3-4 CR-equivalent encounters without major problems.
Higher level characters have far more resources (spells per day, hit points, wands, scrolls, items), breeze through battles more quickly, can patch themselves up faster, and gnerally can get though a full 3-4 CR-equivalent encounters without major problems.
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