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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Blue" data-source="post: 7592370" data-attributes="member: 20564">I completely agree about mechanics not just allowing but actively enforcing a setting gives you a strong feel.  Thank you for taking the time to be as clear about what you are trying to do, it's a boon for responding.You already mentioned playing with long rests, and [MENTION=6702445]jayoungr[/MENTION] already mentioned AiME, I'd like to reinforce where those line up - lack of long rests during "the journey".  During the days/weeks/months long passage to wherever there will be a variety of challenges.  However, long rests are not available via default at all during this.  It's things like Elrond's Last Homely House and other rare and location-bound sanctuaries that would allow a long rest.  Places you may not be welcome at until it's the reward from something you did.Along the same lines, inter-class balance betweent he primary at-will, short rest, and long-rest recharge classes varies on how often your short and long rests are.  Using the slow variations in the DMG (or a similar option) means that it is easier for the DM to control the number of encounters between rests to adjust to where they want it.An interesting side effect of this is that players may be less likely to play primary long-rest recharge classes if they know you are aiming at 6-8, and are just as likely to have 12 encounters between long rests as you are to have 2 (+/4 from standard).  Since full casters (sans warlock) are all long rest recovery classes, there is some natural pressure away from them, potentially (depending on table) leading to less of a "mostly caster" party, like often happens.I don't know if you find cantrips as breaking the "too magical".  I happen to think that they serve an important design purpose and would recommend reskinning instead of removing or reducing them, but there are strong ideas out there if you want to go that route.One thing that help me personally get away from the high fantasy is downtime.  I know, say what?  But thinking that characters have gone from 1st to 8th in less than two months game time is a perceptual thing that break it for me.  So I'd include the idea of not just long travels, but also of weeks or months of downtime between adventures.  If you need, adjust the downtime charts in the books, but really if you have a character that has learned a language or tool over time and uses it to comes up with a mundane solution instead of a magical one to a problem, you're already golden.You mention exhaustion.  I'm not a fan of applying it often as written because even a single level of it apply disadvantage on all skill checks - so basically everything that isn't combat.  And with long rests delayed that will really impact the character.  That gets right in the way of skilled over magic, because the magical solution is not hindered by exhaustion.  You may want to adjust it.On the other hand, there is another resource not regained fully on a long rest - Hit Dice.  With lesser magical healing and more HD spent per long rest (because of the above), you can still have attrition going in that only half a character's HD come back every long rest.Good luck!</blockquote>

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