Short Rests and the Warlock

[Huntsman]

As a DM, in terms of allowing the PC Warlock to short rest, how often is too often?

It seems to me that the Warlock is a bit unique in that his value isn't absolute, but is relative, to some extent, based on how often a DM allows short rests. If the players are able to rest after almost every 7 round long encounter, then a Warlock is almost a must pick. If on the other hand your team regularly sees 20+ rounds of combat divided out among however many encounters before a short rest can take place, then a different caster might be a better pick unless you're content to be little more than an Eldritch Blast cannon.

Any opinions as to, on average, how many rounds of combat we like to see between short rests where the Warlock is getting fair and full value out of his abilities without being a bit OP?

[Kane0]

You want to give a short rest about once every 2-3 encounters, so that makes about two short rests per long rest.

Each combat might last 3-5 rounds, but that is highly variable.

[Matticusrex]

2 short rests a day is the expected amount in an adventuring day. In reality, most players do one short rest in the middle of the day to splurge their hit dice and then move on to a long rest by the end of the day, which is why charges based on short rest are incredibly inconsistent in power level every session. God forbid your campaign has a time limit, warlocks and monks are ****ed then.

[Kane0]

Should be noted: If you are having trouble squeezing in enough encounters into a regular adventuring day (which is common) have a look at the extended rest variant rules in the DMG. It essentially changes a short rest to 8 hours and a long rest to multiple days.

[Gastronomie]

I generally give my players one short rest per every two encounters. I also declare it beforehand, so the players can get an idea about how much resources they can spend per encounter, though this is largely a matter of personal taste.

That said, most of my encounters are pretty hard, and in some of them, enemies come in waves, so it's probably equal to about 3, or even 4, normal encounters.

[Huntsman]

2 short rests a day is the expected amount in an adventuring day. In reality, most players do one short rest in the middle of the day to splurge their hit dice and then move on to a long rest by the end of the day, which is why charges based on short rest are incredibly inconsistent in power level every session. God forbid your campaign has a time limit, warlocks and monks are ****ed then.

When you think about it though "x short rests per day" doesn't have a great deal of meaning since there may be no encounters in a particular day, or half a dozen another day...and each encounter will be of different length. It's all relative. I prefer to look at it in the terms of # of encounter rounds (divided between however many encounters) compared to how much time the player will have access to his resources.

[DivisibleByZero]

Think of a short rest as "meal time" where the party eats and refreshes themselves.

[ZorroGames]

Think of a short rest as "meal time" where the party eats and refreshes themselves.
This.

Pretty much how I would envision it. Far better than the old days of recharge overnight (if not attacked)

[Malifice]

As a DM, in terms of allowing the PC Warlock to short rest, how often is too often?

It seems to me that the Warlock is a bit unique in that his value isn't absolute, but is relative, to some extent, based on how often a DM allows short rests. If the players are able to rest after almost every 7 round long encounter, then a Warlock is almost a must pick. If on the other hand your team regularly sees 20+ rounds of combat divided out among however many encounters before a short rest can take place, then a different caster might be a better pick unless you're content to be little more than an Eldritch Blast cannon.

Any opinions as to, on average, how many rounds of combat we like to see between short rests where the Warlock is getting fair and full value out of his abilities without being a bit OP?

The game is built around the assumption of 2-3 short rests per day (DMG) with approx 6-8 medium to hard encounters over that spread.

So around every second encounter, meaning they get roughly 1 spell per encounter to drop. Seeing as most combats in 5E are over in around 3-4 rounds, that sounds about right.

Hex lasts all day starting at mid levels (persisting through a short rest) so that free's up a slot as well.

[Demonslayer666]

Do you see daily abilities as being abused by giving them too many days?

If you throw 12 encounters at them in a day and let them rest between each one, how are they gong to know to use their spells every single combat?

The answer is of course, is that they do not know, so they won't be able to abuse it.

Speaking from experience of playing a warlock, you have extremely limited number of slots and have to make the best use of them, so half the time you won't use your slots in case of something worse happening in the next encounter - when you will really need it. You don't blast away with everything you've got in the first encounter, you don't know what's coming.

If you are seeing abusive behavior, which I doubt, you can use time as a driving factor to limit resting. I don't recommend doing this frequently. Always being on a time crunch would get old, fast.

In my play group, the players don't have their characters sit down after every encounter and take a short rest unless they really need it to heal up.

[Ruslan]

Plug for my Short Rest houserules. Basically, I don't like the fact the party has to constantly negotiate whether to take a short rest or not, and that the DM has to somehow allow or not allow them the short rest. So, my solution is: if the game is balanced around two short rest per day, just give everyone two short rests, and let them take it whenever they want.


1. A Short Rest is an abstraction. It doesn't take time off the in-game clock. A character can declare taking a Short Rest at any time, as long as not in combat and not in imminent danger.
2. The entire party does not have to take a Short Rest at the same time. Character A can take a Short Rest now, and characters B and C later.
3. A character can only benefit from two Short Rests per day. The rationale for this is: if you've already taken 2 short rests, and need to rest again, you must be so beat up that only a long rest will do.

[CaptainSarathai]

I can't believe that no one has mentioned this: use the Spell Point Costs from page 288 of the DMG, and compare it by level. For example:

Lvl7 Sorc gets:
4x 1st level
3x 2nd level
3x 3rd level
1x 4th level
= 8+9+15+6 (38 SPs)

Lvl7 Warlock gets:
2x 4th level
= 12 SPs

So the Warlock should get 2 Short Rests per day to be on par with the Wizards and Sorcerer's number of spells.

Now, interestingly, this changes as the Warlock gains levels. So,
L1 = 1 Rest
L2 = 1 Rest
L3 = 1 Rest
L4 = 2 Rests
L5 = 2 Rests
L6 = 2 Rests
L7 = 2 Rests
L8 = 3 Rests
L9 = 3 Rests
L10 = 3-4 Rests*
L11 = 3-4 Rests*
L12 = 3-4 Rests*
L13 = 2 Rests
L14 = 2 Rests
L15 = 2 Rests
L16 = 2 Rests
L17 = 1 Rest
L18 = 1-2 Rests*
L19 = 2 Rests
L20 = 2 Rests**

*These represent a strange point in the Warlock advancement where they are noticeably behind the Spell Point curve compared to other casters, but if they get an extra Rest, it will actually put them ahead of that curve. Mathematically, they are literally calling for "X.5" rests.

**Note that the 20th level capstone for a Warlock, lets them regain all of their Pact Magic slots (4x 5th level slots) after 1 minute's meditation, once per Long Rest. I see this as a class ability, and therefore it should not factor in to how many Spell Points the Warlock is assumed to have, and therefore how many rests they should be given.

[Grod_The_Giant]

Plug for my Short Rest houserules. Basically, I don't like the fact the party has to constantly negotiate whether to take a short rest or not, and that the DM has to somehow allow or not allow them the short rest. So, my solution is: if the game is balanced around two short rest per day, just give everyone two short rests, and let them take it whenever they want.
This is a remarkably good way of handling things.

[Pex]

Battle Master also likes short rests. He gets back everything from being a Fighter and his archetype maneuvers. He may not feel the pinch as much since he has more stuff to spend between rests. If you have a Battle Master in the party who doesn't nova the first combat of the day that could help teach everyone how to pace rests. Rest when he needs it and perhaps everyone else who gets stuff back on short rests won't feel frustrated.

This is just a theory.

[Laserlight]

It also depends on your warlock's build and tactics. If you're casting Shatter twice and then spamming EB, you want to take a SR every combat. But if you're a blade pact who's using Devil Sight and Darkness, or using Hex, that one spell might last you through two or three encounters.