D&D 5E (2024) Mike Mearls explains why your boss monsters die too easily

[Zardnaar]

Short Rest were never the problem.

Monsters were designed to take 100% of a part's short rest power.

The issue is they were not designed for taking 50% of the daily resources.

Actual issue is they dont cope will with nova abilities short or long rest

 

[Yaarel]

Actual issue is they dont cope will with nova abilities short or long rest

Short rests mitigate novas. Because they refresh several times during the day, there are less resources at any one time. So the novas are less of a big deal.

By contrast, the long rests come with an enormous amount of resources that can be used all at once, even during a single encounter.

Short rests are better for game engine balance.

Narratively, there is more incentive to press on with hour rests, rather than 5-minute work day while waiting until after the next nights sleep.

 

[Minigiant]

The narrative of short rests implies fatigue and refresh. This is better for psionic and other magic narratives, where personal energy is being expended.

The narrative of long rests is a bit weirder, imply that magic is refreshed during dreams.

Guys, we don't have to take away long rests.

I'm just suggesting that a 9th level Wizards slots don't look like 4/3/3/3/1 + X

That's 7 good spells. Seven spells of 3rd level or greater at level 9. Seven

And every full caster in the party has this. All of them with seven high power spells.

And this starts at character level four.

With that many powerful spells per caster, every intelligent opposition force would field full casters.

And that's the issue. With the sheer power of D&D magic, the quality of powerful magic casters can hold breaks stuff.

 

[Minigiant]

Actual issue is they dont cope will with nova abilities short or long rest

Outside of 2014 monks, monsters can deal with most short rest features.

 

[Yaarel]

Guys, we don't have to take away long rests.

I'm just suggesting that a 9th level Wizards slots don't look like 4/3/3/3/1 + X

That's 7 good spells. Seven spells of 3rd level or greater at level 9. Seven

And every full caster in the party has this. All of them with seven high power spells.

And this starts at character level four.

With that many powerful spells per caster, every intelligent opposition force would field full casters.

And that's the issue. With the sheer power of D&D magic, the quality of powerful magic casters can hold breaks stuff.

Consider short rest spell points.

A fullcaster at level 17 has 18 points. This can be two slot 9 spells, or three slot 5 spells and one slot 3 spell, or whatever. Then the caster can do a short rest and continue thru the day.


By contrast, the long rest full caster would have a slot 9, 8, 7, 6, plus "millions" of slots 5 thru 1. Everything for a single encounter nova.

 

[Zardnaar]

Short rests mitigate novas. Because they refresh several times during the day, there are less resources at any one time. So the novas are less of a big deal.

By contrast, the long rests come with an enormous amount of resources that can be used all at once, even during a single encounter.

Short rests are better for game engine balance.

Narratively, there is more incentive to press on with hour rests, rather than 5-minute work day while waiting until after the next nights sleep.

Im not talking about narratively though. More how people are actually playing. If theyre doing 4 rounds standard theyre not going to give a crap about narratively.

 

[Zardnaar]

Guys, we don't have to take away long rests.

I'm just suggesting that a 9th level Wizards slots don't look like 4/3/3/3/1 + X

That's 7 good spells. Seven spells of 3rd level or greater at level 9. Seven

And every full caster in the party has this. All of them with seven high power spells.

And this starts at character level four.

With that many powerful spells per caster, every intelligent opposition force would field full casters.

And that's the issue. With the sheer power of D&D magic, the quality of powerful magic casters can hold breaks stuff.

Casters kinda stink though at dealing damage vs 5.5 levels of hp. They dont have the old save or dies.

Theyre not the ones shaving off half of a monsters hp in a boss fight in one round solo. Its also action surge, smites, stunning strike, flurry of blows etc. Rage to a lesser extent.

 

[Minigiant]

Casters kinda stink though at dealing damage vs 5.5 levels of hp. They dont have the old save or dies.

Theyre not the ones shaving off half of a monsters hp in a boss fight in one round solo. Its also action surge, smites, stunning strike, flurry of blows etc. Rage to a lesser extent.

The issue isn't the damage spells.

It's the shenanigans spells and the suck spells.

If you have 7 big spells and you have 7 fights, you can cast 1 per fight and go down to Cantrips and SR features. Maybe you hold back and save 1 more spell for the boss. Or you cast a definitive or utility spell. This lets the martials handle much of the work.

But if you only have 2 encounters a day, you can cast 3 bigguns per encounter per caster. Taking a monster group capable of taking that means you are seriously risking TPK. So we end up with rocket tag or anticlimactic encounters .

 

[Zardnaar]

The issue isn't the damage spells.

It's the shenanigans spells and the suck spells.

If you have 7 big spells and you have 7 fights, you can cast 1 per fight and go down to Cantrips and SR features. Maybe you hold back and save 1 more spell for the boss. Or you cast a definitive or utility spell. This lets the martials handle much of the work.

But if you only have 2 encounters a day, you can cast 3 bigguns per encounter per caster. Taking a monster group capable of taking that means you are seriously risking TPK. So we end up with rocket tag or anticlimactic encounters .

Those spells dont seal the deal though.

Im guessing you don't actually play 5.5?

The most meta way to "win" in 5.5 is control stiker combo. Eg have the spellcaster paralyze an opponent then have the martial nova.
So theyre both using nova effects.

Go have a look at a level 10 or 12 Paladin. Then consider a smite spell on a paralyzed foe. Or action surge.
Doesn't have to be paralyzed just making a point.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Hrm - like, have you tried not having a long rest after a session?
An adventuring day and a session don't need to be same.
Like at my tables we sometimes have even 3 or 4 sessions before we have a long rest.

Before I came to ENworld I didn't even thought thag people would make a session basically an adventure day.

Of course I have!

I said that I'd LIKE It to be different than it is, not that I can't play the way it is!

I won't always have the same players show up for the following session, or have them understand the notes they took on how their character is doing, or various other things that would make it work much nicer QOL f they could, at least a large portion of the time, Long Rest between sessions.