Better Resting

Written by DoStuffZ

Resting Options

In the course of adventuring, players will need different types of rest to regain strength, abilities, and mental clarity. The resting system considers both standard rules and potential environmental challenges, requiring preparation and solutions to overcome various impediments.

Short Rest

Adventuring can be gruelling, and sometimes, a brief moment to gather one’s thoughts and catch their breath is essential. A Short Rest provides this temporary reprieve, allowing characters to regain some of their strength and powers, assuming they can secure a safe spot for recovery.

• Duration: A Short Rest lasts 60 minutes, during which characters must rest, engage in light activity, or tend to minor tasks (such as bandaging wounds, eating, or conversing quietly).
• Impediments & Environment: Characters must assess the environment and alleviate any impediments (such as weather, hunger, or nerves) to successfully complete a Short Rest. Overcoming these conditions ensures a more beneficial rest.
• Hit Dice: Once they have addressed impediments, characters may expend a number of Hit Dice equal to or less than their Constitution modifier (minimum of 1). Each Hit Die spent is rolled, and the character regains hit points equal to the die roll plus their Constitution modifier.

Night's Rest

After a long day of adventuring, combat, and travel, characters need to settle down for the night. A Night’s Rest not only allows them to recover hit points and powers but also serves as an opportunity to regain their focus for the next day. However, the success of a Night’s Rest heavily depends on addressing environmental impediments, such as securing food, shelter, and warmth.

• Duration: A full day of adventuring is assumed to include up to 8 hours of travel, combat, crafting, or exploration. Following this, a Night’s Rest lasts 8 hours, which includes time for setting up camp, gathering food and water, and performing other survival tasks. Of the 8 hours, characters must spend at least 6 hours sleeping. Two hours may involve light activity, such as keeping watch, reading, or preparing equipment.
• Impediments & Camp Setup: The effectiveness of a Night's Rest depends on mitigating the impediments of the environment. For example, camping in harsh weather may require additional shelter (e.g., tents, bushcrafting), while hot or cold conditions demand appropriate gear or magical protection. If the impediments are not addressed, the rest may fail or provide fewer benefits.
• Hit Dice: Characters may expend as many Hit Dice as they wish during a Night’s Rest to recover hit points. Once the rest concludes, they regain half of their expended Hit Dice (rounded down).
• Spell Slot Recovery: Spellcasters regain a number of spell slots based on their level, as shown in the charts provided below (minimum of 1 slot).
• Rest Limitations: Characters cannot benefit from more than one Night’s Rest per 24-hour period. A character must also begin the rest with at least 1 hit point to gain any benefits from it.

Side Note: Any class, racial, and feat abilities that normally require a long rest to recharge, including a Barbarian’s uses of Rage, Warlock Invocations, a Dragonborn’s Breath Weapon, a Half-orc’s Relentless Endurance, and Magic Initiate’s extra spell can recharge after a Night Rest.

Long Rest

A Long Rest goes beyond the simple recuperation of a night’s sleep. After extended periods of adventuring, combat, and hardship, a character needs proper time to fully recover. A Long Rest requires a stable and secure environment—typically an established settlement like a town, city, castle, or bastion—where they can truly rest and engage in activities to rejuvenate both body and mind.

• Location Requirements: A Long Rest can only take place in an established settlement, such as a town, city, castle, bastion, or other safe locations. Adventurers cannot take a Long Rest in the wild, as the environment lacks the necessary stability for true recovery.
• Recuperation & Activities: Upon entering the settlement, characters are worn down, physically and mentally exhausted from their travels. During the Long Rest, they can engage in various activities that reflect their personalities and needs:
  • Drinking: Visiting taverns and indulging in merriment to ease the burdens of the road.
  • Praying: Seeking spiritual renewal and guidance through worship or meditation.
  • Training: Refining combat skills or learning new techniques.
  • Maintaining/Crafting: Repairing weapons, armor, and gear, or crafting new items.
  • Researching: Delving into arcane knowledge, history, or other academic pursuits.
  • Partying: Enjoying the pleasures of civilization, whether through festivals or personal celebrations.
• These activities also overlap with Downtime Mechanics, providing additional opportunities for roleplay and character development.
• Full Recovery: At the end of the 7-day period, characters exit their Long Rest fully restored:
  • All hit points are fully healed, and all expended Hit Die are restored.
  • All powers and traits (both Short Rest and Long Rest abilities) are restored.
  • Spellcasters regain all their spell slots.
  • Characters may gain a temporary hit point boost equal to their Hit Dice + Constitution modifier for the next 24 hours.
• Restrictions: A Long Rest must be uninterrupted. Characters may not engage in life-threatening battles or other strenuous activities that drop their hit points below 50%. If this happens, the Long Rest fails, and the characters must restart the recovery process.

Impediments and Rest Levels

When adventurers seek rest, the conditions around them may not always be ideal. The number of Impediments a character faces affects the comfort and success of their rest. Impediments represent environmental and situational factors, such as harsh weather, hunger, or the presence of nearby threats. These challenges must be overcome to achieve a successful rest, and the more impediments present, the more difficult it becomes to recover fully.

How Impediments Work

Impediments are essentially obstacles that affect the rest’s quality. The more impediments a character faces, the less effective their rest will be. Players are responsible for addressing these impediments by coming up with solutions—whether through gear, magic, or survival skills. The GM may require skill checks, such as Survival to forage for food or Stealth to secure a safe resting spot. Some solutions may automatically succeed based on the situation and available resources.

• Temperature: From sweltering deserts to freezing mountaintops, extreme temperatures create impediments that must be addressed. Without proper clothing or shelter, a character exposed to extreme heat or cold gains an impediment.
• Weather: Harsh weather conditions such as torrential rain, snowstorms, or fierce winds impose additional impediments. Seeking shelter from these conditions is essential for rest. A simple tent might be sufficient in mild weather, but a more secure shelter or magic is needed for more severe storms.
• Hunger: Adventurers who go without food for more than 12 hours begin to feel the physical strain. Hunger is gained as an impediment when a character is undernourished, affecting their ability to rest properly.
• Nerves: Fear of danger lurking nearby can keep even the most seasoned adventurer on edge. Characters in unfamiliar or hostile environments gain the Nerves impediment, making it difficult to rest. Solutions include finding secure shelter, setting up a watch, or using calming magic such as a bard’s Song of Rest.

Rest Levels and Impediment Thresholds

The number of impediments a character has at the beginning of their rest determines the overall comfort level and whether the rest is successful. The comfort levels are divided into the following categories:

• 3+ Impediments: Cannot Rest
  When three or more impediments are present, rest is impossible. The character’s conditions are too harsh, and no recovery can take place until at least one impediment is alleviated. The character may suffer from exhaustion or health penalties if the situation persists.
• 2 Impediments: Unpleasant Rest
  With two impediments, rest is possible but uncomfortable. The character recovers some hit points and abilities, but at a reduced rate. For example, a character may regain fewer hit points or spell slots, and the GM may impose minor penalties, such as the character waking up fatigued.
• 1 Impediment: Agreeable Rest
  A single impediment allows for a mostly comfortable rest, though not entirely perfect. Characters can regain most of their resources, though they may miss out on certain perks, such as temporary hit points or faster recovery times.
• 0 Impediments: Comfortable Rest
  With no impediments, the rest is ideal. Characters fully recover their hit points, powers, and abilities. Additionally, they may gain extra benefits, such as temporary hit points or the Rested condition, which provides immunity to the next level of exhaustion.

Consequences & Perks

The system is designed to be flexible and encourages creative problem-solving from players and GMs alike. The GM can use these rules as a framework to develop interesting consequences and perks based on the adventurers' actions or the environment. Here are some examples:

• A fire that keeps the party warm in freezing temperatures may attract nearby creatures, increasing the Nerves impediment.
• A character with the Chef feat may be able to prepare a meal that not only relieves Hunger but also reduces another impediment, such as fatigue.
• A bard’s Song of Rest can alleviate Nerves for the party, allowing them to relax, though it may cause the bard to suffer exhaustion as a result.
• Characters who have gone without food for 24 hours may find that Hunger counts as two impediments instead of one.
• Rangers resting in their favored terrain may automatically reduce one impediment, as their survival expertise grants them an edge.

Overcoming Impediments

Players must use a mix of practical solutions and magic to reduce the number of impediments during their rest:

• Setting up a Tent: Reduces 1 impediment, providing basic shelter against weather.
• Bushcrafting a Shelter or using Wind Wall: Reduces 2 impediments, offering more advanced protection against severe weather or environmental threats.
• Magical Solutions: High-level spells such as Leomund’s Tiny Hut, Rope Trick, Create Food and Water, and Magnificent Mansion can reduce up to 3 impediments, offering full protection from harsh weather, beasts, and hunger.

Players must address each impediment individually. For example, if the party has no food, they cannot resolve the Hunger impediment, regardless of how well they handle the weather or nerves. The GM may call for appropriate skill checks, such as Survival to craft shelter or Arcana to properly cast protective magic.

Impediments

While resting may seem straightforward, the environment and situation can pose significant challenges to achieving a restful state. These challenges, called Impediments, represent external factors such as weather, hunger, and danger that make it harder to recover fully. Characters must either overcome or mitigate these impediments to ensure their Short, Night, or Long Rest is successful. Weather Impediments Weather plays a critical role in determining the comfort and safety of a resting spot. Depending on the severity of the weather, different levels of impediments will apply:

• Above +10°C: Normal adventuring conditions with no impediments. Characters face no additional penalties related to weather.
• +10°C to -10°C: Mild cold or moderate discomfort adds +1 impediment. Adequate shelter, such as a tent, basic clothing, and a fire, is required to mitigate this.
• -10°C to -30°C: Severe cold adds +2 impediments. More preparation is needed, such as insulated shelter, heavy furs, or low-level magical protection like Endure Elements.
• Below -30°C: Extreme cold adds +3 impediments. Survival in such harsh conditions requires advanced magical protection or specialized gear. Failing to address this level of cold results in severe consequences, such as exhaustion or health loss.
• Severe Heat (+30°C to +50°C / 86°F to 122°F):
  • Impediment Level: +2
  • Challenges: In these temperatures, dehydration becomes a serious threat, and prolonged exposure to direct sunlight can cause heatstroke.
  • Solutions: Characters need shade, heat-resistant clothing, and a consistent supply of water. Rest during the cooler parts of the day and active travel at night may mitigate the worst effects. Magic such as Endure Elements or Create Water can provide significant relief.
• Extreme Heat (Above +50°C / 122°F):
  • Impediment Level: +3
  • Challenges: At these extreme temperatures, mere shade and water are no longer sufficient. The environment is hostile to life, and characters risk immediate heatstroke, burns, and dehydration.
  • Solutions: Only specialized magical protection (e.g., Endure Elements, Leomund's Tiny Hut) or highly advanced gear specifically made for desert survival can keep characters safe. Failure to mitigate these conditions leads to rapid exhaustion and potential health damage.

If the weather cannot be countered, the impediment remains, hindering recovery and potentially leading to exhaustion or injury over time.

Other Environmental Impediments

• Nerves (Unsafe Environment):
  • Characters resting in an area where danger lurks, such as the presence of hostile creatures, bandits, or threatening weather, gain +1 impediment for the sense of unease.
  • Solutions: Establishing a secure perimeter (traps, alarms, or magical wards like Alarm), rotating guard shifts, or finding a known safe haven (inns or allied homes) can reduce this impediment.
• Hunger:
  • Adventurers who go without food for more than 12 hours gain +1 impediment due to fatigue and the physical toll of hunger.
  • Solutions: Foraging, hunting, or using spells like Create Food and Water can alleviate hunger. If food is scarce and no magical solutions are available, this impediment remains until satisfied.
• Fatigue from Travel:
  • Excessive travel or strenuous activities throughout the day can cause characters to gain +1 impediment due to exhaustion.
  • Solutions: Proper rest and pacing throughout the day, as well as consuming sufficient water and food, can minimize this. However, characters who push themselves too hard may suffer the effects of this impediment.

Countering Impediments

Characters can mitigate impediments by preparing properly, using their survival skills, or relying on magical solutions. Here's how impediments can be countered:

• Basic Solutions:
  • Setting up a Tent: Reduces 1 impediment. Basic shelter protects from mild weather and ensures some level of comfort.
  • Bushcrafting a Shelter or using Wind Wall: Reduces 2 impediments. These more advanced solutions help in severe weather conditions, offering better insulation or protection from wind and rain.
• Magical Solutions:
  • High-level Magic: Spells like Leomund's Tiny Hut, Rope Trick, Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion, Create Food and Water, or Alarm can reduce up to 3 impediments. These spells offer near-complete protection from environmental hazards, hunger, and roaming creatures.
• Overlapping Solutions:
  • Some spells and solutions can tackle multiple impediments at once. For example, Leomund's Tiny Hut not only provides shelter from harsh weather (removing Weather impediments) but also creates a secure area, reducing Nerves.
• If an impediment cannot be addressed (e.g., a lack of food), it remains in effect. Characters must either find a way to solve the issue or suffer its consequences.

Impediment Overview Here’s a quick summary of how impediments scale based on different conditions:

Condition	Impediment Level	Solution Required
Normal Weather (+10°C/+50°F or more)	0	None
Moderate Cold (+10°C to -10°C/14°F)	+1	Tent, basic shelter
Severe Cold (-10°C to -30°C/-22°F)	+2	Insulated shelter, heavy gear, or magic
Extreme Cold (below -30°C/-22°F)	+3	Advanced magic or highly specialised gear
Severe Heat (+30°C to +50°C/86°F to 122°F)	+2	Shade, adequate water, heat-resistant clothing, or magic
Extreme Heat (above +50°C/+122°F)	+3	Advanced magical protection or specialized desert gear
Unsafe Environment (Nerves)	+1	Secure perimeter, guard shifts, Alarm
Hunger	+1	Food, foraging, or Create Food and Water
Fatigue/Exhaustion	+1	Proper pacing, sufficient rest