LONG REST: let's add some realism.

[Empath Negative]

The Long Rest mechanic, if I've read it right seems pretty good but it doesn't seem entirely "realistic". Almost too cinematic.

Try this...

(and remember to forget about 3.5 for the most part here).


The majority of damage you take, the normal sword swings are all "non-lethal". These are the gashes, the cuts, the bruises, all of that of normal combat. However, it's still cinematic in "it's only a Flesh Wound".

These can be healed up via long rest, so on and so forth.

However, when you take a "critical hit" that damage doesn't just "heal up" from resting for a bit, you need some serious care magical or otherwise.


Let's say your normal hitpoint total is 100, you take six normal hits for a total of 23 damage bringing you down to 77. Then, right before the BBEG dies he inflincts a grievious wound on you for 17 damage, bringing you down to 60.

You then long rest, bringing you back up to 83. If you get some magical healing you bounce back completely. Just resting, however, doesn't seal up your torn jugular.

Just saying.

 

[fjw70]

I wouldn't mind this as a optional rule and may house rule it if it doesn't make the final cut.

I like non-magical healing but I think it should have some limits.

 

[Kzach]

'Fixing' the long rest mechanic is very easy.

Every long rest you have, you regain 1 HD. You can spend that HD as you would normally to heal with the aid of a healer's kit usage. Once you've regained full hit points, you can then continue to rest until you've regained full HD.

Easy.

Sucks, but easy.

 

[Walking Dad]

Something like that was already known in 3e:

Vitality And Wound Points

 

[Gold Roger]

For this round I'll just handwave the exact duration. The Keep isn't very far from the caves and the only place for a proper rest anyway. Who cares if the rest takes 1 night or a week there anyway?

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

I'd go with a long rest restoring CON + Level in hit points (or, if you want random, roll level X HD for HP regained). Oh, and it works f you're in the negatives, too.

 

[Pickles JG]

Realism? In a game with hit points?

I would enjoy a system like Arcanis where there are wounds that give a minor penalty. These cannot be healed without magic or lots of time. You would get one when you are critted or reduced to 0 HP.

Then HP can be recovered willy nilly without being "unrealistic" as they don't even pretend to represent anything real anyway.

 

[Doug McCrae]

Maybe a long rest could be of undetermined length. It's however long the heroes need to heal. If a long rest is just a week, then their wounds were minor. If it's six months until we see our heroes in action again, then maybe they suffered more serious wounds.

The advantage of this system is there's no need to track serious and minor wounds separately.

 

[Zustiur]

I'm not a fan of overnight-insta-healing. I'm also not a fan of the solutions above. I want to slow healing down, not make it hard to track, nor handwave time. However, I'm not super fussed about actual realism either.
My current theory therefore, is to simply halve the values. You regain half your HP during a long rest. You also regain half your hit dice pool.
Simple. Other values can be chosen at the DM's/group's discretion. e.g. 1/4 3/4 whatever.

Note: I'm also a fan of slowing down spell prep to match.

 

[Pickles JG]

I'm not a fan of overnight-insta-healing. I'm also not a fan of the solutions above. I want to slow healing down, not make it hard to track, nor handwave time. However, I'm not super fussed about actual realism either.

Honest question - if you are not fussed about realism why do you want to slow healing down?