D&D 5E Just wrapped up four consecutive days of D&D 5th.

[Mistwell]

I don't understand that. How would the Rogue fire his bow with a light weapon (short sword?) in his offhand?
Not having played 5E yet there's some questions, one of which regarding the sneak attack. If a rogue can ranged SA whenever an ally is adjecent to the target why would he ever go to close range to literal backstab (other than flavor)?

Two things may help fill in some details:

1) You can change weapons very easily in 5e. Basically a non-action.
2) You can use part of your move, attack, and then use the rest of your move (all characters). A rogue has some special movement, allowing them to move away without drawing an attack of opportunity, or full move, then attack, then full move again.

Between those two, it might make sense to move in, attack with melee weapons, and move out again all on one turn.

Also re: HD on short rests. What resets the short rest timer? You can use one or more of your allowed HD a day on a short rest to heal but what's stopping you from doing 2 consecutive short rests (2 hrs worth) and pretty much full heal? The limit seems ambigous to me.

It is ambiguous and DMs are interpreting it differently. Some say it says "an hour or more" for a rest and so you need an encounter between the rests. Others say you can just do another short rest after the first. Either way, I say an hour is long enough for wandering monsters to come by.

 

[ExploderWizard]

Actually, the Fighter's Second Wind ability also resets with a Short Rest. Some folks have pointed out that the vagaries of what a Short Rest is means you can string together several of them in a row, recharging Second Wind and healing your fighter to full through repeated uses of the ability.

A short rest is 1-7 hours. After the first hour the party may continue resting if they wish but no further resets will occur unless they rest for 8 hours.

Attempts to cheeseball multiple short rests together in a chain will have a simple house rule that will equate real table time to rest time.


Therefore after the first short rest ends if another is started right away it will be minute for minute real time for game time. If the party wants to waste a value hour not adventuring then they may do so. That will slow down XP gain dramatically since we only play every two weeks so I don't think that will happen often if at all.

If all else fails I am armed with a Dragon Magazine article containing a random damage table. No wandering monsters needed. Each cheesy short rest earns one random damage table roll. Who cares if you get your second wind back if something invisible chews on you for 6-36 points of damage.

 

[TarionzCousin]

If all else fails I am armed with a Dragon Magazine article containing a random damage table. No wandering monsters needed.

I, too, am armed with an old table--although my table is more likely to result in a rash that won't ever go away.

[sblock] [/sblock]

 

[mips42]

It is ambiguous and DMs are interpreting it differently. Some say it says "an hour or more" for a rest and so you need an encounter between the rests. Others say you can just do another short rest after the first. Either way, I say an hour is long enough for wandering monsters to come by.

This has been a ongoing thing since we saw Second wind. My personal opinion is this:
1) If you use second wind during combat (which is how I interpret it TO be used as it talks about turns) you have to complete a short rest of one hour or more before you can use Second wind again. DURING that short rest, you can recover HP by spending a HD (as many as needed). Once you have completed your short rest, you could use Second wind again (although I 'm not sure why you'd need to since you can use multiple HD during your short rest) but then would have to complete ANOTHER short rest before you could use Second wind a third time. Practical maximum of 3 uses of Second wind every 3 hours.
2) If you use second wind OUTSIDE of combat, you have to complete a short rest of an hour minimum before you could use it again (again you can regain multiple HD DURING the short rest if desired), use second wind a second time, short rest again, etc. Again practical maximum of 3 uses every 3 hours.
Either way, completing more than one or maybe two short rests while in the wilds or a dungeon seems unlikely unless you're VERY careful, VERY lucky or your DM is being nice to you.

 

[Agamon]

Personally (others may disagree), I'm going to take the name Second Wind literally. It's a second wind, an adrenaline rush, tapping the reserves of your energy when you are tiring and things are bleak. So of course you can use it in the midst of a battle, where the difference means life or death. But it's not something you use while strolling through the park, reading a book, or sharing a milkshake with your sweetie (or whatever else you might do during a short rest). It's not an ability where you channel your inner ki while meditating or knit broken bones like you have a mutant healing factor. It's about finding the will and the strength to finish the fight on the winning side.

Do the rules specifically say that you have to use it during battle? No, but that's the great thing about this game, everyone can interpret it their own way. Also, I can see corner cases where a fighter is using after getting badly hurt outside of battle, say after a nasty fall, to sort of suck it up and move on. Just my own thoughts on the ability.

 

[mips42]

Personally (others may disagree), I'm going to take the name Second Wind literally. It's a second wind, an adrenaline rush, tapping the reserves of your energy when you are tiring and things are bleak. So of course you can use it in the midst of a battle, where the difference means life or death. But it's not something you use while strolling through the park, reading a book, or sharing a milkshake with your sweetie (or whatever else you might do during a short rest). It's not an ability where you channel your inner ki while meditating or knit broken bones like you have a mutant healing factor. It's about finding the will and the strength to finish the fight on the winning side.

Do the rules specifically say that you have to use it during battle? No, but that's the great thing about this game, everyone can interpret it their own way. Also, I can see corner cases where a fighter is using after getting badly hurt outside of battle, say after a nasty fall, to sort of suck it up and move on. Just my own thoughts on the ability.

Yep. I could definitely see interpreting it that way. The RAW in Basic aren't 100% clear on Second wind in particular, except to say to can only use it again after a short rest. Also, Mr. Mearls said , "Have fun, and make the rules your own" which makes me think some of the not-100%-clear-ness may be done on purpose...

 

[SkidAce]

Personally (others may disagree), I'm going to take the name Second Wind literally. It's a second wind, an adrenaline rush, tapping the reserves of your energy when you are tiring and things are bleak. So of course you can use it in the midst of a battle, where the difference means life or death. But it's not something you use while strolling through the park, reading a book, or sharing a milkshake with your sweetie (or whatever else you might do during a short rest). It's not an ability where you channel your inner ki while meditating or knit broken bones like you have a mutant healing factor. It's about finding the will and the strength to finish the fight on the winning side.

Do the rules specifically say that you have to use it during battle? No, but that's the great thing about this game, everyone can interpret it their own way. Also, I can see corner cases where a fighter is using after getting badly hurt outside of battle, say after a nasty fall, to sort of suck it up and move on. Just my own thoughts on the ability.

I'm with you.

Sadly, cannot XP you again....yet.

 

[GSHamster]

For Second Wind, if it's really being abused, maybe add a rider like "can only be used below 50% health". Then at worst, they can heal to half, which probably isn't going to break anything.

 

[NewJeffCT]

I'm with you.

Sadly, cannot XP you again....yet.

I gave them XP on your behalf.

 

[drjones]

Actually, the Fighter's Second Wind ability also resets with a Short Rest. Some folks have pointed out that the vagaries of what a Short Rest is means you can string together several of them in a row, recharging Second Wind and healing your fighter to full through repeated uses of the ability.

Assuming you are playing without Rule 0. Which no sane DM ever would.