D&D 5E Resting in Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan

[Uller]

Spoilers!

The lower levels of Hidden Shrine is loaded with poison gas that deals 1d6 poison damage every hour the characters spend in it. I'm running a party of four 5th level PCs through it. So far they've gotten to the vampire spawn (which was weak...but that's a different topic).

I let them do a short rest to attune their new items (can't wait for the Barbarian to use that axe!..muhahahahah)...they just took a little damage. I'm not seeing any rules that explicitly denies resting while taking damage. Even a long rest appears to be possible.

Am I missing something here?

It appears to me that by RAW, as long as a PC is able to remain conscious during the long rest, he or she would get back all their HP and half their HD. If a character is dropped to 0 hp during this time (assuming he is stablized), then what? I thought I read somewhere that PCs can't benefit from a rest while unconscious but I'm not finding that.

Normally I house rule long rests to only give back half HD and no HP. That would solve the problem...lose 8d6 hp to get back 3 HD and class power recharge...seems a fair trade-off...But this particular game we are using to train a new player so we are avoiding any house rules.

Any opinions on how that would play out? It seems the intention is to prevent long rests during the first part of the adventure and I'd be fine with that. But if they get in a real bind, are out of HD and low on HP I could see them weighing their options. I want to be able to give them rules based advice on what will happen. I'm a "Yes...and/but" DM...They can choose to long rest. I just need solid rules on what happens and have it make sense and be a fair trade off.

 

[Ganymede81]

The rest rules do not really incorporate "explicitly allow/deny" language. Instead, they give a test and call upon the DM to determine if the circumstances fit the test or not.

For whether you benefit from a short rest, the test is whether the activity is no more strenuous than "eating, drinking, reading, and tending to wounds."

For whether you benefit from a long rest, it depends on whether you engage in an hour or more of something as strenuous as "walking, fighting, casting spells, or similar adventuring activity."

You have to determine whether breathing lethal poison gas for hours at a time passes or fails those tests.

 

[Uller]

The rest rules do not really incorporate "explicitly allow/deny" language. Instead, they give a test and call upon the DM to determine if the circumstances fit the test or not.

I understand that but like I said...I'm a "yes...and" DM. I allow my players to make decisions and experience the trade-off.


Chances are they won't try to long rest at all. But it is possible they will. If they do, what's the trade off? Right now I'm leaning most towards, as long as they can keep themselves alive, they will get back class features, half HD (which they can spend for hp) and no hp. I'll justify it by saying that they just can't rest that well in the gas. It's not RAW but it provides a fair trade off.

In a normal campaign, I only allow long rests under very comfortable conditions (at a well equipped base camp or inn or whatever) so most of my players won't expect to get any short rest at all until they full escape the dungeon.

That will leave the weakest character with basically around half their max HP and no HD for the next 24 hours during which they will take up to 24d6 poison damage if they tarry. These are 5th level characters with max hp between 27 for the wizard to 48 for the barbarian...so tick-tock....seems fair.