Stopping the "extended rest after every encounter"

[generalhenry]

In 3E the wizard could cast multiple spells at first level and could plink away with his crossbow after that.

But even in 2E when the wizard was done after a single spell the group would go on.

Why? because the world was alive.

 

[lordkiwi]

because it encourages rat slaying.

The players would seek out easy encounters to up their dailies for the BBEG.

They can only encounter what you let them... so make sure either whatever they do it's a worthwhile fight or disallow encounters that are too easy (you can set an XP limit if you like).

I'm not saying the suggestion is polished and ready for play, just that a system could exist in D&D to encourage the natural climax of a narrative.

 

[generalhenry]

I'm not saying the suggestion is polished and ready for play, just that a system could exist in D&D to encourage the natural climax of a narrative.

fair enough.

Personally I think the encounter powers and action points take care of longevity well enough.

But the real issue isn't longevity. It's play style. There's no clean way to make it mechanically better to fight more battles.

So the only fix is plot. THE BLOOD OF INNOCENTS MUST BE SPILLED

 

[lordkiwi]

Personally I think the encounter powers and action points take care of longevity well enough.

They do seem to support (but not encourage) fighting for several encounters at a time, and with apropriate level encounters and some resource management it's quite an easy game really.

I'll still experiment with some kind of Adrenaline Point system (to replace Action Points) to let characters build up power over several encounters for really climactic battles. A few more sessions running the game are probably required first though.

You can fix the rest 'issue' with a stick ("incoming plot, battle stations everyone!") or a carrot (fighting makes you stronger). The stick is certainly easier and I'd employ that by default, but the extra game involved in the carrot aproach (balancing bonuses vs healing surges to win out at the climax) appeals to me.

Lord Kiwi,

 

[generalhenry]

plot doesn't have to be a stick.

It's not too hard to use it carrot style.

 

[shadewest]

This just goes to show that the "15 minute workday" was a player problem, not a rules problem. 4E didn't solve anything. It just made it worse. Now everyone has daily powers that need to recharge, and they can heal fully with a night's rest, too!

Regarding a solution, I think that in game consequences is the place to start. I'm not in favor of either XP ponuses or penalties. The game already levels very fast for my taste, and "the stick" doesn't sit well with a lot of players.

Lordkiwi had some great ideas about mechanical bonuses for pressing on. I especially liked the thought of allowing dailies to recharge after a certain number of milestones. I think three milestones to allow one daily recharge is a good number, but play will bear that out. This also helps solve the problem of martial dailies not making sense.

 

[generalhenry]

a player problem

Nah, it's a table problem. The DM is even more at fault than the players when it happens.



From a mechanics stand point, it's not a problem.


It's an RP problem.

 

[deleteme123456]

I don't know how many groups will be able to handle 7 fights in a day, which is what recharging after 3 milestones does... rest, 6 fights to get the 3rd milestone, 7th fight to actually reuse that daily you used up earlier.

With any solution, you're right that play will bear out whether it's balanced, and I also am sure the answer is different for every play group. Some groups may need sticks, some may do better with carrots.

As for levels too fast... we only manage to play every 2 weeks anyway... in our 3.5E campaign we were getting 1 encounter per session, so the DM just levels us by plot points... in this one I'm hoping to get to 3-4 encounters per session so you can level every month an a half.

 

[lordkiwi]

plot doesn't have to be a stick.

It's not too hard to use it carrot style.

I don't see how plot can be anything but a stick. The plot solution seems to be 'If you rest something bad will happen'. You could say 'if you don't rest something good will happen' but I doubt the players will see it like that.

I think it's a problem that can be resolved OC, through RP, mechanically or through a combination of them, like most problems in RP I don't think it can be pigeonholed easily.

I imagine each group will want to handle it differently.

Lord Kiwi,

 

[MonkeyMage]

The simple 3 step solution to this is:

1 - Give story reasons why things need to be done quickly.

2 - Have bad things happen when they lollygag.

3 - Rule that they can only gain the benefits of an extended rest once every 24 period. (which is how I thought I read the rule anyways)