Don't have my DMG nearby, does Slow Natural Healing preclude the use of Hit Die healing during a short rest?
Nope. Slow Natural Recovery just removes the total-health-refill after a long rest. So players can spend hit dice after either a short or long rest.
On the subject of passive Perception, do the following and you won't have to roll randomly: (1) Telegraph the existence of hidden things when describing the environment.
This is what I call the OD&D method. It's good if you have a knack for mechanical description. You also need to come up with unique telegraphs for each trap or secret door, otherwise you're announcing their presence to the world.
For example, there are two identical traps in the Sunless Citadel. As soon as I used similar language to telegraph the second one, the players said, "Ah-hah," and knew exactly what was up. So relying on description requires extra work and a lot of creativity.
(2) Ask your players which general task they are having their characters perform in the dungeon at the cost of not doing some other thing. (3) Establish marching order so you know who can detect what depending on the location of the hidden thing. (4) Resolve according to standard rules for passive checks.
This is very important, especially if your players are mostly familiar with the heroic-fantasy bent of most 5E adventures. Dungeon-crawling is a whole 'nother game, and it involves more protocol.
As soon as the party enters the dungeon, go through this check-list:
- What is the marching order?
- What are the light-sources?
- What task is everyone engaged in? (Mapping, keeping an eye out for danger, etc.)
Also, ask the party to describe their general routine. How fast are they moving? Are they listening at every door? Are they searching as they go along? Generally, I don't allow a character to contribute their passive Perception to trap detection unless they're in the front rank. And if they are listening at every door, just use passive Perception instead of rolling at every door.
Also, keep accurate track of time. If the party is moving slowly, searching as they go along, and listening at doors, then assume that 10 minutes is spent for every room and corridor they traverse (in AD&D, this was called a turn). Dungeon-crawling is a slow and cautious activity.
Lastly, I strongly encourage every party to elect a Caller. This is the description I give to my players:
The Caller’s job is to say where the party is going next, i.e. “We go down the east passage” or “We open the door.” Once the party arrives at the next destination, then play resumes as normal, and the other players can declare actions (“I search the wardrobe,” “I cautiously approach the statue,” etc.). This speeds up play.
As the Caller, you should never query the party for help making a decision unless you’re completely stumped. In other words, don’t ask, “Where should we go next?” Just make a decision and go with it. Asking for input slows down play and turns every decision into a group discussion.
This arrangement means that it’s the party’s responsibility to jump in when they have suggestions or want to declare actions. If the party is silent, then the Caller can and should assume that the group is done exploring and ready to move on. As the Caller, you shouldn’t spend too much time waiting for the other party members to declare actions. If it feels like the action has slowed down or you’ve hit a dead end, simply move on to the next room. (Note: A prompt like “Ready to move on?” is fine. Just don’t wait too long for an answer.)
Note: A Caller is not the same as a party leader. A Caller has no more authority than the other players. Nor is the Caller necessarily the “Face” of the group, i.e. the character who represents the party in negotiations. The Caller is simply the player who directs the party’s movements from room to room. They might be a low-Charisma wizard who never talks to NPCs, for example, or even a mute Kenku. As such, the Caller should never be assumed to “lead” the party in any way, unless it’s appropriate for the Caller's character to do so. They have no more or less authority than everyone else.
Just make sure you're mixing it up every now and then. Try to elect a different Caller each session or, if you have long sessions, after each break.
