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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Steampunkette" data-source="post: 8631964" data-attributes="member: 6796468">It depends on three things, for me.1) Party Composition.If I've got a bunch of short-rest characters then there will be an impetus for the characters to -create- short rests for themselves. Whether this means disengaging from the narrative in order to retreat for a time and return at "Full Power" or otherwise force a short rest right before an important encounter.2) Narrative Tension.A lot of people don't really seem to care about this, but because of the structure of storytelling and drama, taking a random hour, or eight hours, can utterly crumble any sense of tension or drama. This could also be referred to as a Time Scale. If the players only have 6 hours to complete a specific task, and have a lot of encounters between them and the ending, taking an hour or two to rest is dangerous to credulity.3) Player Investment.The players need to be entertained to enjoy the game. Sometimes that means maintaining high tension, sometimes that means briefly cooling off. Sometimes that means giving them only a moment to get some heroic inspiration before they finish this, once and for all...And all of these reasons are why my Short and Long Rests are -variable-.Are we in a "Die Hard" type situation where everything is on the line and there's no time for a short rest, much less a long one? Here comes the 2 minute Breather as a short rest and the half hour long rest. Long overland travel with a terrible relic fated to destroy the world unless it is destroyed in the fires where it was wrought? 1 hour short rest, 8 hour long rest. Political Intrigue over the course of a month with players managing spy networks and organization? 1 day short rest, one week long rest.Have the players been fighting through the evil king's castle, been desperately wounded, depleted of spells, and weakened by lieutenants and monsters? Time for the Heroic Surge when they all get a Long Rest in 1 round's time (Without the full heal, but they can spend hit dice and their newly recovered spell slots) before they finish the battle and immediately gain 3 ranks of Fatigue when it's "Finally Over". Depleted and drained, the heroes stumble out of the BBEG's castle to the roar of the populace finally freed of the tyrant.It all depends. And Flexible, Variable, Rests are always going to be superior, in my opinion.</blockquote>

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