D&D 5E Why does a long rest only restore half the hit dice?

[miggyG777]

As the title says, why do you guys think the design choice was made, to only restore half the hit dice on a long rest?

 

[DEFCON 1]

So you would have to take two long rests to get them all back.

 

[Ringtail]

I think the decision was made to sometimes require more than a single day of rest. For example, in a dungeon scenario it may force you to go back to town at some point since you've run out of hit dice.

 

[miggyG777]

I think the decision was made to sometimes require more than a single day of rest. For example, in a dungeon scenario it may force you to go back to town at some point since you've run out of hit dice.

Do you allow long rests in a dungeon?

 

[anthr]

So you would have to take two long rests to get them all back.

I think the decision was made to sometimes require more than a single day of rest. For example, in a dungeon scenario it may force you to go back to town at some point since you've run out of hit dice.

But why 2 days of rest to get all HD back?
Why not 3 or 4 days?

 

[DEFCON 1]

Because that would be silly. Only 1/3rd of your HD come back after a long rest? That's crazy talk!

 

[Umbran]

But why 2 days of rest to get all HD back?
Why not 3 or 4 days?

Note that the current rule is "you get back half your hit dice, minimum of one". That minimum means that you don't see the difference between getting half back, and getting a third or a quarter back, for several levels.

Also... the shorter recharge period enables groups who have less (or no) healing magic. And it allows your cleric to be more than a healbot.

 

[TwoSix]

I just give them all back, it's too fiddly of a rule for me.

 

[jayoungr]

But why 2 days of rest to get all HD back?
Why not 3 or 4 days?

Presumably they felt like 2 days was the sweet spot between "ludicrously fast healing"* and "inconveniently slow healing."

*I'm aware that some people think 5E already has ludicrously fast healing, but presumably the designers felt otherwise.

 

[Charlaquin]

I assume it’s so that you can’t get back to full capacity without being in a relatively safe environment. On the road or in the dungeon, you may be able to make camp for the evening or hole up in a storage room, but you don’t really have the luxury of sitting around for two whole days.