D&D (2024) What would your ideal rest mechanic look like?

[Aldarc]

The Cypher System uses a Recovery mechanic that increases the amount of time needed per rest.

• 1st Recovery Roll: 1 Action
• 2nd Recovery Roll: 10 Minutes
• 3rd Recovery Roll: 1 Hour
• 4th Recovery Roll: 10 Hours (i.e., a Long Rest)

I would consider implementing something similar to this for 5e* rather than debating whether a Short Rest should be 5-10 minutes or 1 hour. This empowers Short Rest based (sub)classes to make more Rests early on while also increasing the time cost for pushing ahead or taking further Rests.

* I almost suspect that this was a Rest mechanic that Monte Cook may have intended for 5e while he was on the team.

 

[Li Shenron]

What is your own ideal rest mechanic that you use or want to use for the game.

My ideal is not to thin too much about it. I like having both a short rest option to regain some resources, and a long rest to regain all resources, but I absolutely do not sweat over imposing a specific pace of the adventures. I let the players figure out when it's convenient/appropriate to take a rest instead of pushing on.

 

[Lyxen]

My ideal is not to thin too much about it. I like having both a short rest option to regain some resources, and a long rest to regain all resources, but I absolutely do not sweat over imposing a specific pace of the adventures. I let the players figure out when it's convenient/appropriate to take a rest instead of pushing on.

Exactly. Once more, 5e is based on rulings, not rules, there should not be heavy sweat about this. Rather than being prescriptive, I would let the players figure things out, with or without pressure from time, threats, etc.

And if a short rest is 50 minutes or 1h20, or even 30 minutes only as a breather, is that really a problem, as long as it's motivated by circumstances ?

 

[Baldurs_Underdark]

The ideal rest mechanic is just a simple mechanic, and to that effect the 5E rules are perfect. The administrative side of a rest is typically 1-2 minutes, and then the story can move on again.

And the story will determine when and how many rests are taken.

 

[Horwath]

Long rest only. 10hrs. Somewhat safe location. 6hrs of those needed for sleep.

recharges everything, except some long lasting effects(depend on effects, energy drain, disease, etc...)

"encounter powers" can be on simple d6 recharge mechanics. Use ability, roll d6, wait that numbers of rounds. Roll of 1 means it's available next round.

you can spend HDs as an Action(amount equal to half prof bonus, round up), need to wait d6 rounds when you can use it again.

 

[aco175]

Are Milestones worth bringing back from 4e? Every 2 encounters you can get a power back. Maybe separate powers from healing. If a fighter knows he gets 2nd wind back every 2 fights, then he uses it and does not need the rest mechanic to get powers back. Maybe a milestone is a 5 minute break where you get a power back and/or can spend 1 HD.

 

[Blue]

My ideal rest power recovery mechanic is one where different DMs are free to run extremely different types of games and the various classes are still in balance.

So a three week trek across a wilderness with four encounters, or a brisk morning with the same have the same total power recovery. As well as being able to have exploration with heavy utility usage and a masquerade ball with associated intrigue, stealthing, uncovering secrets, and stopping a poisoning can balance.

Which means there is no way for it to be a rest mechanic, as rests will be available at different rates as they are related to character choices as well as the passing of in-game time.

While rather gamist to some, 13th Age (a d20 that 5e is similar to in streamlining) has a solution. "Full heal ups" happen after four encounters. Sleeping has nothing to getting your powers back. It could be four days of exploring the Overworld, it could be twice during a busy day in a Living Dungeon. The DM can reduce the number if they are particularly big combats (but by default a standard combat is hard to deadly in 5e encounter design terms, may be hard but isn't actually deadly), and players can take one early by taking a campaign loss - the cultists complete another part of their ritual, the werewolves claim another farm, whatever makes sense.

 

[DEFCON 1]

My ideal rest mechanics are entirely about making the board game work and be fun. That's all I care about. If the rules allow the players of the board game to play it and enjoy it, then I'm good. But I do not in any way, shape, or form care a whit about making those rules of the board game align to any sense of true injury narratively. Because Dungeons & Dragons combat does not in any way, shape, or form reflect any sort of reality in terms of actual swordfighting, archery, and being blasted in the face by what these "spells" are supposed to do... so I just handwave that aspect of it completely. Going from 0 HP to full HP with a good night's rest? Doesn't matter. That's purely a convenience of the board game and to make the rules easy and fun to use, so worrying about how it looks within the story is a waste of my time.

And this is simply because I refuse to believe there is any sort of realistic response to a person getting blasted in the face by essentially a flamethrower, falling unconscious, having a healer a couple seconds later heal those burns (but not in any way removing the trauma of being burned alive and the memory of that pain and agony)... and then that same person just jumps up and says "Okay! That was fun! On to the next room!" And then five minutes later in the next room that same character suffers a myriad of bites, claws, stab wounds, poisoning, and being bludgeoned about the head and neck, falls unconscious AGAIN... then has a vial of liquid emptied into their mouth to seal up those bleeding wounds (but again not in any way removing the trauma and mental anguish of pain they just suffered) and the character just once more jumps up and says "Okay! That was fun! On to the next room!" and this continues ad nauseum.

All of it is stupid. It has no basis for any attempt at realism. It is complete and utter fantasy (which makes sense, because it is a game of fantasy.) And thus I just accept it for the unrealism it is and do my best to never question it (or care in the slightest if the board game and fantasy story does or does not align.)

 

[GMMichael]

@GMMichael, Im getting that this is how your character prefers to spend downtime? Any new skills?

That's what my ideal rest mechanic would look like.

Not sure about skills, but it's important to note that Long Rest and Short Rest are not called 1-Hour Rest and 8-Hour Rest. This says to me that a long or short rest can happen anytime it works for the story, not when it fits into the monsters' schedules.

A couple band-aids can make the game more enjoyable, but if you start overhauling rules, that's a sign that you might want to try a different game.

 

[Yaarel]

That's what my ideal rest mechanic would look like.

Is the character the woman relaxing at the spa, or an other character who wants to relax with the woman?

Not sure about skills, but it's important to note that Long Rest and Short Rest are not called 1-Hour Rest and 8-Hour Rest. This says to me that a long or short rest can happen anytime it works for the story, not when it fits into the monsters' schedules.

I agree, the pace of the narrative is primary.

A couple band-aids can make the game more enjoyable, but if you start overhauling rules, that's a sign that you might want to try a different game.

We are looking at rest variants. Different players want different things out of the rest variants.

For some, it is mainly a good night rest. For some it is a week-long vacation. For some, it is more like a partial level up after a number of encounters. For some, it is an opportune time when a refresh might make sense.