Modular Setting and House Rules: Feedback Requested

[The Crimson Binome]

So I don't have the PHB yet, and obviously not the DMG either, but I'm already looking forward running a game of 5E. That being said, I would like to run it in the manner to which I am accustomed, which doesn't work at all with overnight full heals. I would like to make the following changes, but I'm slightly concerned about unforeseen complications.

Modular Dial #1 - A short rest requires 6 hours of sleep, or 4 hours if you're an elf. You can take no more than one short rest per day.

Modular Dial #2 - A long rest requires 6 days of light activity, in a secure location.

House Rule #1 - Per-short-rest abilities aren't also tracked per-long-rest. Hit Dice aren't tracked, but each short rest allows you to recover hit point as though you had spent one. Wizards can use Arcane Recovery every night, after a short rest.

So, any opinions? Would this break the game, or make it too unbalanced? Any unforeseen interactions with other classes?

 

[Li Shenron]

If you also "stretch" adventures, in a way that you end up having a number of encounters per week equivalent to what standard adventures have per day, it should all even out.

This means, dungeon crawls will be very hard to run. If you still want to play those, you probably have to lower the level of most encounters, so that the PCs can rely on at-will abilities for most of the time, and still keep only one major encounter per day maximum (in this case, it might mean one major encounter per dungeon).

 

[GMMichael]

So I don't have the PHB yet, and obviously not the DMG either...

I would bet body parts, less-important ones, that the DMG will offer alternatives to the given Short/Long Rest system.

...which doesn't work at all with overnight full heals...

Holy macaroni! A long rest gives all hit points back? Don't let a villain disappear for 8 hours!

So, any opinions? Would this break the game, or make it too unbalanced? Any unforeseen interactions with other classes?

I have no idea if your mods will unbalance the classes. Except to say that characters with healing abilities (like clerics) will become more popular if short and long rest durations get extended.

My opinion is that you've done a good thing for all D&D-kind out there.

 

[Jeff Carlsen]

Adjusting the length of short and long rests is certainly one way to go about it. Personally, I like the length of rests, so I would alter how much you recover on a long rest. Here are some other takes on the subject.

Hit Dice Recovery Only: When you take a long rest, you regain no hit points and half of your hit dice (minimum one). You may spend your hit dice during the rest as normal.

Slow Hit Dice Recovery Only: When you take a long rest, you regain no hit points and one quarter of your hit dice (minimum one). You may spend your hit dice during the rest as normal.

Slow Natural Healing: When you take a long rest, you regain hit points equal to your level. If you start your rest with more than half your hit points, you also regain one quarter of your hit dice. You may spend your hit dice during the rest as normal.