Another feature of short-rests is that casters can recover their spells (1/2 their caster level in spell levels) if they can recover spells via multiple short-rests, long rests are pretty much pointless.
The main thing I see long rests being important for (other than actually, you know, sleeping or that silly elf-trance) is recovering spent HD.
No, you aren't limited. A fighter's Second Wind doesn't use your hit dice. It's just 1d10+level healing that refreshes with a short rest. He could sit around all day and use that 16 times, and then get a good night's sleep afterwards.
You are limited in how many long rests you can take in a 24 hour period (one). I think a limit on short rests is reasonable, especially if it can alleviate contentious rules issues.
I think an easy fix to Second Wind would be for it to grant temporary hps. If it's "recover once per day on a short rest" I'd also be okay with it. Recover it every time you rest...? Not so much. Although who knows; there may be other pieces of the rules that fit together with it really well. For instance, if Second Wind doesn't improve over time, then a high level fighter is still not going to recover all his hps with it, even if he rests over and over. Also, since a short rest takes enough time for it to be a meaningful decision whether or not you're taking one, I suspect the "Second Wind-short rest-Second Wind" tactic will not be too common. We shall see.
I was already pretty certain that I was going to adjust the short and long rest time. I remain pretty certain of that.
I'm super annoyed at what seems to be the Human racial stat modifiers, +1 to everything. Is no one as upset about this as me? Argh!!!
I mentioned this over and over again. I mentioned it in every single feedback survey, I tweeted my concerns about it to Mearls, I posted my concerns about it in threads here. Damn it.
Why not +2 to one score? Even +1 to two of your choice. Something. Else.
+1 to every score seems crazy (though I get not necessarily unbalancing).
To me, it attacks the fundamental relationship, statwise, of humans to the nonhuman races. Elves get a Dex bonus because the average elf is more dexterous than the average human (or so it has always been presented in D&D in the past, going back to at least the old Red Box Basic Set).
Now, the average elf is... as dexterous as the average human, and generally inferior otherwise (stat wise, anyhow- I do agree that racial traits mitigate this to some extent, but to me, that "some extent" is utterly insufficient to assuage my concerns on the topic).
Riding's not on the skill list. Rolled into Animal Handling? That would be one way of increasing its use.
Proficiency in "mounts" would be my guess (or maybe specific types of mounts- land mounts, horses, equine mounts, who knows).
I would like it if people who know how to ride a horse need to take lessons to learn how to ride an elephant, giant ostrich or other exotic land mount, but we'll see what the rules say.
