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

[Jim Williams]

My View on Short Rests

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.

Just to be clear, I shared the above just to point out the concerns some folks have with the Second Wind/Short Rest combination. I am actually with most of you replying in that I don't have that concern.

Dungeons & Dragons is an heroic fantasy roleplaying game. I try to make rulings that respect that theme. Second Wind followed by Short Rest, repeating as necessary, doesn't seem very heroic to me. It seems chintzy and cheesy, so I don't allow it in my game.

I like Agamon's idea of only allowing it in combat or immediately after some stressor (reflected as lost hit points). It evokes the ability in both name and spirit and solves the Second Wind/Short Rest (rinse-and-repeat) problem nicely.