D&D 5E When Monsters and NPCs take a Short Rest

[Grainger]

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[KarinsDad]

I think that what is good for the goose is good for the gander. If PC damage is not real damage until they get to zero, then ditto for NPCs. Otherwise, the world's rules of physics seem skewed towards creatures that have the tattoo PC stamped on their forehead.

 

[aramis erak]

I'm also of the "up to HD but not to above max HP" mindset.

 

[Wrathamon]

They dont play by the same rules so they can get back whatever feels like they should get back based on how much time has past and how injured or expended they were previously.

Its context and judgement that makes the adventure more interesting.

I probably wouldnt just heal everything back to max and in some situations they might not get anything back. Depends on the situation and the feel I am going for in the session.

 

[jodyjohnson]

In regards to how I treat HP there are 3 categories - heroes, npcs, and villains generally use all luck/stamina until 1; many creatures use part stamina/part meat; and some creatures are all meat.

If all stamina use the PC rules.
If half creatures can recover up to half damage taken.
If all meat than recovery is very slow (1e slow) or nil.

 

[dd.stevenson]

I'm not going to lie; most of this is way more thought than I usually put into a monster's hp regeneration. If the monster is wounded, I just ask myself whether it's using this time to rest, or to hunt down the PCs. If the answer to this question is "rest," then I just restore half its hp (more or less--I'm liable to eyeball it).

I can't be arsed to roll tons of monster hit dice, when I could be rolling random encounters instead!

 

[Wrathamon]

I can't be arsed to roll tons of monster hit dice, when I could be rolling random encounters instead!

Wizard Player: Um ... what are you rolling?
DM: All my monster HD, they are resting.
Fighter Player: can we play? you are rolling for like 5 mins.

 

[jrowland]

I'm with the crowd that says NPCs and monsters heal whatever I feel like they heal. That said, they usually have as many HPs as I feel like they should have (I might let an ogre drop after a hit even if it technically has 5 hp left, or visa versa, let it stand even if it has -5 hp...the story is the thing)

 

[pedro2112]

I'm with the crowd that says NPCs and monsters heal whatever I feel like they heal. That said, they usually have as many HPs as I feel like they should have (I might let an ogre drop after a hit even if it technically has 5 hp left, or visa versa, let it stand even if it has -5 hp...the story is the thing)

You mean YOUR story is the thing, not the PCs. My players would be furious if I kept the Ogre alive, despite the fact they dropped him, because I wanted to keep going some preconceived "story" I wanted to tell. Why even have the PCs roll, just tell them what result you want?

 

[jodyjohnson]

Why even have the PCs roll, just tell them what result you want?

Yoinked.

This will speed things up tremendously.