D&D (2024) How long should a Short rest be in 5E(2024)?

[Kobold Avenger]

1d6 x 10 minutes

 

[UngeheuerLich]

1d6 x 10 minutes

Hmmh...

First 1d6, second 2d6, 3rd 3d6 and so on.

 

[Remathilis]

So how long should a Short rest be?


1. One minute long, quick breather, making the Monk's Heighten metabolism unlimited global mechanic?

2. 5 minutes long. 4E version of Short rest. DM variant. A breather, a chance to have a bite, bit of water and throw some alcohol on a cut.

3. 15 minutes. Most games half-time break. Time for a bandage or a quick lunch. Or relax for a moment.

4. 1 Hour long. Default 5E.

5. Removed. All recharge is based on Long rest. More resource management. HD usage needs to be reworked. Possible as an Action.

6. Other duration?

Optional.

As in: if you take one, you gain a benefit. But if you don't get one, you're not crippled by it.

A wizard gets a number of spell slots back, but if they don't get a SR, they have a whole days worth of slots to use. A cleric or druid gets a channel power back, but only one and still have a number of them per long rest. That is the perfect sweet spot. Classes without the need of SR should get a benefit from taking one (beyond HD) and those who recharge fully on a SR should be redone to get a larger pool of initial power and a small boost on a SR (warlocks getting an arcane recovery like a wizard, monk getting more ki but only a small amount back on a SR).

Any rest cycle less than 30 minutes is effectively an at will ability. Any rest cycle 30 minutes or longer is effectively DM fiat. Either way, the game needs to 4e-style commit to fully recharged PCs every fight OR make SR not mandatory.

 

[Uni-the-Unicorn!]

Is there a problem with the DMG alternate of 10 min? I expected that to be on the list.

I think they should just switch the default and alternate. Make 10 min. Standard and 1 hr and 1 day the alternates.

 

[tetrasodium]

Is there a problem with the DMG alternate of 10 min? I expected that to be on the list.

I think they should just switch the default and alternate. Make 10 min. Standard and 1 hr and 1 day the alternates.

Yes there is a problem. It's been well covered

 

[Clint_L]

I don't see any reason to apply a fixed time, and never have.

The party can take a short rest if it makes sense in the story. Are they making their way through an old catacomb, under no major time pressure? Hiking through the wilderness? Short rest as often as you want. Are you pursuing a fleeing baddie, or trying to complete the heist before the next guard rotation? Probably not. For us, the story always dictates whether or not a short rest makes sense.

Short rests are a weird game contrivance, anyway. Like, if you only got 59 minutes you get nothing, rather than 98% of a short rest.

Ask yourself what is gained by putting a fixed time on it. As a DM, you were going to allow a short rest based on what is happening in the story, or you weren't. If you were, it doesn't matter what arbitrary time is assigned. If the rule is 60 minutes, then you were going to say 60 minutes. If the rule is 10 minutes, then you were going to say 10 minutes.

The 60 minute rule only exists because WotC wanted to put something down, even though the reality is that it is totally arbitrary.

 

[Uni-the-Unicorn!]

Yes there is a problem. It's been well covered

I was simply asking why 10 min wasn’t on the list. Is there a well documented reason 5 and 15 are, but 10 is not?

 

[tetrasodium]

I was simply asking why 10 min wasn’t on the list. Is there a well documented reason 5 and 15 are, but 10 is not?

Classes aren't designed for that munchkin fever dream dmg option... plus the thread is only two pages and this was all of ten or so posts in.

I was thinking that 10 mins was too close to 5 min. And that is an option in DMG and is in the 4E.

But beyond that the poll options setup a bit of a motte and bailey or similar with three shorter options plus leave it the same and remove it but zero longer options. That skew of options almost guarantees a "well since it's clear the majority obviously thinks it should be shortened to some degree let's talk about how much shorter is best".

 

[Stalker0]

Ask yourself what is gained by putting a fixed time on it.

The enemies dark ritual will complete in an hour.

So...do we have time for a short rest?

Um....sure will take about 30 minutes, so you only have 30 minutes to get to the ritual.


Next time: Party is severely exhausted after the last fight.

Ok when are the reinforcements coming against us, like about half an hour right? Crap we don't have time for a rest, we have to keep going.

DM: Well...you could probably take about 10 minutes and get your stuff back.

Players: Wait, but it took 30 minutes last time, why is it different now?


There will always be those groups that work with time pressures that are going to want to know how much a short rest will tick down that ticking clock.

 

[Uni-the-Unicorn!]

Classes aren't designed for that munchkin fever dream dmg option...

I didn’t ask or comment about that. Again why 5 and 15 and not 10?

plus the thread is only two pages and this was all of ten or so posts in.

How did that prevent you from understanding what I posted?