D&D 5E Long or short rests? What is better?

[The Crimson Binome]

So I would like to see them blended together into a "rest". Something where you can take a quick breather and everyone can regain some (1/4?) of their resources. To fully recover you need multiple rests, which cannot be done in rapid succession (1 rest per 12 hours?).

At one point during the playtest, they were experimenting with recovery as a constant rate function. Instead of Hit Dice to spend during a short rest, or healing up to full overnight, you would heal at a constant rate of something like 10% per hour.

You could extrapolate that out to work with every resource, with just straight math. Instead of gaining 100% of your HP back every 24 hours, you would get back (1/24) of your HP back every hour. Instead of recovering Action Surge after a short rest, you would get it back every eight hours; and when you went up to twice per short rest, you would instead recover it after four hours.

You would probably want to switch to a spell point variant if you did it that way, though.

 

[mellored]

At one point during the playtest, they were experimenting with recovery as a constant rate function. Instead of Hit Dice to spend during a short rest, or healing up to full overnight, you would heal at a constant rate of something like 10% per hour.

You could extrapolate that out to work with every resource, with just straight math. Instead of gaining 100% of your HP back every 24 hours, you would get back (1/24) of your HP back every hour. Instead of recovering Action Surge after a short rest, you would get it back every eight hours; and when you went up to twice per short rest, you would instead recover it after four hours.

I would probably do 10% every 4 hours, or 50% a day.

But yea, something similar. Though perhaps a bit less math and easier to manage.

You would probably want to switch to a spell point variant if you did it that way, though.

Eh... I don't like spell points because you tend to spam the same spell. Slots force you to pick at least a different spells for each level. Having a cooldown timer for each spell would be a bit much to keep track of too.
Maybe spell points with a penalty for spamming? 1 additional spell point each time you cast the same spell? Enemies gain advantage against repeated spells?

 

[FrogReaver]

I think you left off some very important options and considerations. In other words, bad poll! No response on your poll really captures even remotely close my opinions on the matter I also imagine I'm not the only one...

 

[Prakriti]

I really think it was a mistake to carry short rests over from 4th Edition. Resting mechanics worked so much better, and made so much more sense, in AD&D and 3rd Edition. In the future, I plan to just remove short rests and Hit Dice from the game. If it unbalances the classes, then so be it. I've never been a Monk or Warlock guy anyways, being something of a fantasy purist.

 

[ad_hoc]

The short and long rest thing is one of my favourite aspects of 5e.

There doesn't need to be 2 short rests for every long rest.

You could have 4 short rests one adventuring day, only to have 1 or none the next. It allows for great dynamic pacing. It also allows for new discovery of party dynamics and challenges to characters.

Yes, the tension is reset after the long rest. That is a good thing. It's nice to have a reset button so that characters can start fresh for the next episode/adventure.

 

[Shiroiken]

If I needed to change something about the short rest/long rest situation, I would simply want a bit more balance among the classes for recovery options. Some classes have little/no benefit for short rests, besides spending HD, and I wouldn't mind seeing a bit more among the classes. Maybe put a few more long rest benefits into classes like the Warlock, but I find that much less of an issue.

 

[Lanliss]

Rests are popping up quite a lot lately on here. In my own threads on the matter, I am changing long rest classes to get a good number of abilities back on a short rest, but still have some to recharge on a long. It is quite similar to 4Es system of encounter and dailies, which some people seem to really hate for some reason. I personally enjoyed the fact that short resting was an actual choice during my short time playing 4E, rather than how it is in 5E. You could take a quick rest and be able to push on, instead of needing to stop for 8 hours to wait on the wizard. I voted for changing the ratio, even though that isn't really what I would call my preference. I am closer to wanting to change what Short and Long rest mean entirely.

 

[Yunru]

If you base everything around long rests, characters become more powerful the less encounters there are in a day.
If you base everything around short rests, characters remain at the same power level as long as they have the same number of short rests/encounter.

 

[DaviMMS]

I think you left off some very important options and considerations. In other words, bad poll! No response on your poll really captures even remotely close my opinions on the matter I also imagine I'm not the only one...

I kind of expected that. The options I put on the poll were only the ones that came to my mind while typing it.

As soon as I get to a computer I plan to add these two options.

I like the current system but would change what recharge on each rest.

and

I would made some other kind of change.

If you think other options should be added please leave bellow along with your reasons for those changes. I made this thread looking for that kind of feedback.

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EDIT: Apparently you can't modify a poll after it is posted.

 

[DaviMMS]

At one point during the playtest, they were experimenting with recovery as a constant rate function. Instead of Hit Dice to spend during a short rest, or healing up to full overnight, you would heal at a constant rate of something like 10% per hour.

You could extrapolate that out to work with every resource, with just straight math. Instead of gaining 100% of your HP back every 24 hours, you would get back (1/24) of your HP back every hour. Instead of recovering Action Surge after a short rest, you would get it back every eight hours; and when you went up to twice per short rest, you would instead recover it after four hours.

You would probably want to switch to a spell point variant if you did it that way, though.

I don't think that would work very well. IMX, time outside combat highly depends on how long the DM thinks that a task.

How long does it takes to loot some corpses after combat?

And to investigate a small room?

To disarm a trap?

That highly depends on the DM and would probably lead to players just saying that they stop somewhere for X time till they recharge Y ability (exactly the same as a rest sistem).

I prefer a rest based recharge than a time based one.

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