D&D 5E Interrupting rests

[clearstream]

I noticed this is the recent SA.

[NEW] Does casting a spell while taking a short rest interrupt the rest? Yes. Spellcasting is more strenuous than the activities listed on page 186 of the Player’s Handbook: “eating, drinking, reading, and tending to wounds.”

So, does casting a spell seem more or less strenuous than combat? For consistency with JC's ruling on long rests, it would need to be less; but now we have a combat in which casting spells is forbidden, least we interrupt our long rest. Up to an hour of such combat... just so long as no spells are cast. Cantrips are okay?

 

[Baldurs_Underdark]

On roll20, the text is currently:

A Long Rest is a period of extended downtime, at least 8 hours long, during which a character sleeps or performs light activity: reading, talking, eating, or standing watch for no more than 2 hours. If the rest is interrupted by a period of strenuous activity—at least 1 hour of walking, fighting, casting Spells, or similar Adventuring activity—the characters must begin the rest again to gain any benefit from it.

That reads to me as if fighting and spell casting are on the same level: If you perform more than 1 hour of each then you reset your long rest.

Personally, as a DM, I have always thought that the rules RAW are silly. As a DM, I always rule that any combat (even 1 round) or spellcasting interrupts a long rest. It makes little to no sense to me that someone can get up from a rest, spike their adrenaline to the max, fight to the death with some monsters, and then soon pass out for 3 more hours of sleep and wake up without exhaustion.

 

[clearstream]

On roll20, the text is currently:

A Long Rest is a period of extended downtime, at least 8 hours long, during which a character sleeps or performs light activity: reading, talking, eating, or standing watch for no more than 2 hours. If the rest is interrupted by a period of strenuous activity—at least 1 hour of walking, fighting, casting Spells, or similar Adventuring activity—the characters must begin the rest again to gain any benefit from it.

That reads to me as if fighting and spell casting are on the same level: If you perform more than 1 hour of each then you reset your long rest.

Personally, as a DM, I have always thought that the rules RAW are silly. As a DM, I always rule that any combat (even 1 round) or spellcasting interrupts a long rest. It makes little to no sense to me that someone can get up from a rest, spike their adrenaline to the max, fight to the death with some monsters, and then soon pass out for 3 more hours of sleep and wake up without exhaustion.

It's literally ambiguous. The em-dashed text is by custom an ordered list. In this case of things that count as periods of strenuous activity. Given the comma between 1 hour of walking, and fighting, it can be equally read as that "1 hour of walking" is strenuous activity, and any amount of "fighting" is strenuous activity. Which obviously makes more sense given that a character could level all or much of the way from 1 to 20 with about an hour's fighting (sixty 1 minute combats!)

Some feel that it means some combination of those things, amounting to an hour, but that can no longer be true due to the the clarification that any amount of casting spells is strenuous. If any amount of casting spells is strenuous, then it is more reasonable to read it as I have suggested: each comma-delimited item in the list is strenuous. The misleading element is only then that the first item is "1 hour of walking": you see how "1 hour" can no longer be argued to span the list?

 

[Shiroiken]

It's the difference between short and long rests, as a combat also ruins a short rest. You can do some heavier activity during a long rest, such as combat, without ruining the long rest. Spellcasting would fit into that category, so it's consistent.

 

[commandercrud]

1 hour of walking or 1 hour of combat? No! It's 1 hour of walking OR combat. Basic English, people. That would be 600 rounds of combat. That's like 15 levels worth in 5e.

 

[BluejayJunior]

1 hour of walking or 1 hour of combat? No! It's 1 hour of walking OR combat. Basic English, people. That would be 600 rounds of combat. That's like 15 levels worth in 5e.

That's the problem people have with the list. For basic English, there are two grammatically accurate ways of reading that sentence. Either 1 hour of any of the following activities; or the activities include fighting, spellcasting, or 1 hour of walking.
Yes rules-wise, 1 hour of combat is ridiculous, but it's a perfectly logical way to read the sentence.

 

[commandercrud]

Yes rules-wise, 1 hour of combat is ridiculous, but it's a perfectly logical way to read the sentence.

If it's ridiculous, it's not a logical way to read the sentence.

 

[Ovinomancer]

It's literally ambiguous. The em-dashed text is by custom an ordered list. In this case of things that count as periods of strenuous activity. Given the comma between 1 hour of walking, and fighting, it can be equally read as that "1 hour of walking" is strenuous activity, and any amount of "fighting" is strenuous activity. Which obviously makes more sense given that a character could level all or much of the way from 1 to 20 with about an hour's fighting (sixty 1 minute combats!)

Some feel that it means some combination of those things, amounting to an hour, but that can no longer be true due to the the clarification that any amount of casting spells is strenuous. If any amount of casting spells is strenuous, then it is more reasonable to read it as I have suggested: each comma-delimited item in the list is strenuous. The misleading element is only then that the first item is "1 hour of walking": you see how "1 hour" can no longer be argued to span the list?

Em dashes are not by custom an ordered list. Em dashes are used to set a clause off with emphasis but are otherwise a lot like parenthesis or commas. There's no customary use of em dashes to indicate an ordered list -- they can be and are used in any case where you want to set a clause or parenthetical comment off with emphasis.

 

[clearstream]

It's the difference between short and long rests, as a combat also ruins a short rest. You can do some heavier activity during a long rest, such as combat, without ruining the long rest. Spellcasting would fit into that category, so it's consistent.

So can you cast one spell in a long rest, without interrupting it? Per your understanding.

 

[DND_Reborn]

It is also ridiculous to assume that casting a spell (something PCs do all the time, considering cantrips are at will) or fighting for 1 minute (10 rounds) out of 8 hours of resting won't allow you to gain the benefits of a long rest.

Imagine this IRL, a bunch of soldiers are in a fight, get some downtime to rest, have a brief skirmish, and then continue resting to the full time. So, these soldiers now recover no HP?

People wake up in the middle of the night all the time (getting a drink, using the bathroom, even for scary things like hearing a noise) and yes for many people it might take them a while to fall back to sleep--but most people do (including myself) and wake up hours later perfectly rested.

The rule would be better served with a DC 5 (or 10 maybe) Constitution check or something. If your rest is interrupted, make a check and you still gain the benefits of the rest, otherwise you don't. Each "interruption" could increase the DC by 5 and require a new check.

Finally, keep in mind most groups have watches during the night. You think keeping watch for 1-2 hours or more isn't stressful? Even if you are just sitting there and occasionally walking around? It can be very tiring sometimes. By their rule, that alone would stop anyone from benefiting from a long rest. Some groups insist a long rest can only take place in an area of expected safety, etc. I have a feeling those people are more on board with this idea of easily interrupting rests.