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Message: <blockquote data-quote="AbdulAlhazred" data-source="post: 5517525" data-attributes="member: 82106">Right, although I think it is fine to provide some short rest opportunities now and then. I've always been of a mind with monsters that they're generally not 'stupid' (they may be unintelligent, but if they were easy pickings they'd be extinct long ago). Intelligent monsters will organize themselves for defense to some degree. Guards will be able to fall back, arrangements will be made to delay the enemy, escape routes will exist, etc. Any lair type location is going to have to be dealt with in a systematic way, and you're not going to be able to just take it all room-by-room with a 5 minute rest because those orcs are going to counter-attack, and those kruthiks are going to swarm, etc. Any creature that has survived for long at all is either avoiding fights or knows to fight with all its strength from the very start.So, when you hit the orc lair you better be ready to go in like a SWAT team, once that operation starts there's not going to be rests until maybe you reach a stalemate or a negotiating spot. OTOH the interesting and cool way to run these kinds of things is to be a bit realistic about it. There are a whole slew of orcs in that there cave complex, but if you go in fast, hit hard, and don't hesitate MOST of them will be caught with their pants down because lets face it, your average orc isn't on guard duty 24/7 or anything close. So things work both ways, you run into a lot of the enemy without getting a short rest, but you also find them FAR less prepared.If a group instead tries to move in, short rest, move forward then either the orcs withdraw, they all get their armor on and mass attack, or maybe half of them sneak out the back entrance and hit the party from the rear...Integrating the 'dungeon' into the storyline more helps too. What would an orc tribe be doing? Raiding, hunting, patrolling, etc. You aren't just coming for them, they're coming for you too. Marching on out into the countryside to get to their lair should be as tough as what happens next, and it might be a real shame if you run into a Level+4 orc patrol that is mounted and moves faster than the party...I guess the upshot is I don't think the 5 minute episodic combat encounter logic is realistic enough that you need to justify not using it. There are situations where it does make sense, but probably many more where it really doesn't.</blockquote>

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