D&D (2024) Limiting Short Rests to 2x/day

[NaturalZero]

Redesign the classes so that short rest abilities are only useful in combat, and you end up with the kind of "gamey" class design that put a lot of people off 4e.

To be fair, people didn't like 4e because all class powers were combat powers, not because of 5 minute short rests. They also didn't like that every class had the exact same structure which also has nothing to do with short rest time. If anything, having some classes with more combat features recovering things in 5 minutes while others, like the cleric's Channel Divinity, having a different recovery literally moves 5e in a direction away from 4e.

 

[QuentinGeorge]

It's long rests that need to be restricted. Short rests should be a certain number per long rest.

 

[Horwath]

It's long rests that need to be restricted. Short rests should be a certain number per long rest.

in what way could/should long rests be restricted?

8hrs downtime is a big investment in time.

 

[QuentinGeorge]

in what way could/should long rests be restricted?

8hrs downtime is a big investment in time.

LOL, mine are 7 days. But that's not for anyone... but regardless, most of the complaints about D&D (difficult level) stem around long rests being too frequent.

 

[Horwath]

LOL, mine are 7 days. But that's not for anyone... but regardless, most of the complaints about D&D (difficult level) stem around long rests being too frequent.

start doing only Deadly+ encounters and long rest after 1 or 2 of them will not be a problem.
Unless you are keen on killing 1-2 PCs per long rest.

 

[AnotherGuy]

It only matters if you're trying to grind your players (not characters) down with excessive encounters.

Attrition and Dungeon Crawling are things in D&D.

 

[AnotherGuy]

The only thing I limit in my games is the travel rest, once within a 24 hour period (reduce exhaustion by 1 category or gain 1/2 HD).
Long rests are periods of 24-hours in areas of safety and comfort.

Multitude short rests are fine within reason.

 

[QuentinGeorge]

start doing only Deadly+ encounters and long rest after 1 or 2 of them will not be a problem.
Unless you are keen on killing 1-2 PCs per long rest.

Why should every encounter be deadly? Do that at low levels and you're almost odds-on to kill them when an enemy gets a crit.

 

[TwoSix]

Other:

All rests are short rests. Except, twice per level, a player can convert a short rest into the benefit of a long rest.

This keeps the math. It ends the requirement of 7 encounters per day.

The flavor is rallying and a deep sense of readiness to face the future.

Agreed with this. I think people often underestimate how relatively few encounters are required to level per the base rules.

Twice per level full recharge is more than enough.

 

[Horwath]

Three times per day, and you need to have food to do it - breakfast, lunch, and dinner. (Maybe four times a day for Halflings who take the new Racial Feast Second Breakfast....) You could just say that you need food as part of a Short Rest and that is why you're limited to three per day. That would make the whole thing seem less arbitrary.

I have 4 meals a day most of the time.