Pyrohound101
2020-07-30, 02:58 PM
I made this rest variant to fulfill a specific need. I am working on a darker setting where the natural world is dangerous, and I disagreed with using just the gritty realism or slow natural healing variant rules to set the tone, so I made my own rest variant! The wording is currently simple and has not been finished to match the specificity of the Players handbook or Dungeon masters guide, and it mostly focuses on how these rests differ from the standard rests in the player's handbook.
Rest Variant: The Knife's Edge
The world is dangerous, and no one recognizes this more than adventurers. Sure you can sleep in a gutter somewhere, but the exposure to the elements and lack of protections from the threats of the natural world means you can never truly be well rested. You need to be able to relax somewhere warm and safe, somewhere the anxiety of potential dangers is quieted for a while and your needs can be met.
Short rest:
You get back short rest abilities and can spend hit dice to heal hit points.(same requirements and benefits as a standard short rest.)
Long rest:
You get back long rest abilities and can spend hit dice to heal hit points. A long rest does not refill your hit points, and you do not regain any hit dice or recover any levels of exhaustion. (same requirements as a standard long rest, but fewer benefits. It is assumed this rest is taken on the side of a road in a tent or in an alley or some other similarly exposed situation where you cannot let your guard down.)
Comfortable rest:
You need to spend this rest somewhere safe and comfortable, like an inn or your home. A comfortable rest is 10 hours long, you need to have slept at least 8 hours and had a warm meal. You get back long rest abilities and either regain one half of your hit dice rounded up or recover from one level of exhaustion, your choice. You do not refill your hit points, but you can spend hit dice to regain hit points. Adventurers who do not need to sleep or eat are exempt from those requirements, but they still need to rest somewhere safe, warm, and comfortable.
Extended rest:
You need to spend seven days resting somewhere safe and comfortable, like a walled city or large town. You need to spend at least 8 hours a night sleeping, you need three satisfying meals and water each day, and you need to spend your days doing tasks no more physically or emotionally strenuous than a walk in the park or reading a book. You get back long rest abilities, regain all your hit dice, recover from all your levels of exhaustion, and regain all of your hit points. Adventurers who do not need to sleep or eat are exempt from those requirements, but they still need to rest somewhere safe, warm, and comfortable and take it easy when out and about.
Trauma: A player with a character suffering some mental trauma, like the recent death of a close friend or taking their first life, may choose to take the benefits of a lesser rest rather than the one they are taking. The DM may not make that choice for them. This decision is purely rooted in role play and can bring out a richness and darkness to the world that everyone can enjoy. Make sure everyone at the table is willing to play in a game with some kind of traumatic dark themes before making this decision, and make sure not to hog the spotlight. A character unable to recover due to their traumas is a situation full of potential ways for the party to express care for one another! (There is no mechanical benefit for taking a lesser rest, I just wanted to codify a bridge between good role play scenarios and the mechanics of the game. The DM could give out inspiration for taking a lesser rest if they want.)
Interruptions: Your rest may be interrupted by something! Should your players rest be interrupted, consider giving the players the benefits of a lesser rest! If a party managed to rest for an hour, it stands to reason they can benefit from a short rest even if they were attempting to have a long rest. Similarly, if a player is attempting an extended rest but is interrupted three days in, consider giving them the benefits of three comfortable rests.
What do you think? Do these rules unfairly favor some classes over others? Would these rules be something you could see your group enjoying?
Rest Variant: The Knife's Edge
The world is dangerous, and no one recognizes this more than adventurers. Sure you can sleep in a gutter somewhere, but the exposure to the elements and lack of protections from the threats of the natural world means you can never truly be well rested. You need to be able to relax somewhere warm and safe, somewhere the anxiety of potential dangers is quieted for a while and your needs can be met.
Short rest:
You get back short rest abilities and can spend hit dice to heal hit points.(same requirements and benefits as a standard short rest.)
Long rest:
You get back long rest abilities and can spend hit dice to heal hit points. A long rest does not refill your hit points, and you do not regain any hit dice or recover any levels of exhaustion. (same requirements as a standard long rest, but fewer benefits. It is assumed this rest is taken on the side of a road in a tent or in an alley or some other similarly exposed situation where you cannot let your guard down.)
Comfortable rest:
You need to spend this rest somewhere safe and comfortable, like an inn or your home. A comfortable rest is 10 hours long, you need to have slept at least 8 hours and had a warm meal. You get back long rest abilities and either regain one half of your hit dice rounded up or recover from one level of exhaustion, your choice. You do not refill your hit points, but you can spend hit dice to regain hit points. Adventurers who do not need to sleep or eat are exempt from those requirements, but they still need to rest somewhere safe, warm, and comfortable.
Extended rest:
You need to spend seven days resting somewhere safe and comfortable, like a walled city or large town. You need to spend at least 8 hours a night sleeping, you need three satisfying meals and water each day, and you need to spend your days doing tasks no more physically or emotionally strenuous than a walk in the park or reading a book. You get back long rest abilities, regain all your hit dice, recover from all your levels of exhaustion, and regain all of your hit points. Adventurers who do not need to sleep or eat are exempt from those requirements, but they still need to rest somewhere safe, warm, and comfortable and take it easy when out and about.
Trauma: A player with a character suffering some mental trauma, like the recent death of a close friend or taking their first life, may choose to take the benefits of a lesser rest rather than the one they are taking. The DM may not make that choice for them. This decision is purely rooted in role play and can bring out a richness and darkness to the world that everyone can enjoy. Make sure everyone at the table is willing to play in a game with some kind of traumatic dark themes before making this decision, and make sure not to hog the spotlight. A character unable to recover due to their traumas is a situation full of potential ways for the party to express care for one another! (There is no mechanical benefit for taking a lesser rest, I just wanted to codify a bridge between good role play scenarios and the mechanics of the game. The DM could give out inspiration for taking a lesser rest if they want.)
Interruptions: Your rest may be interrupted by something! Should your players rest be interrupted, consider giving the players the benefits of a lesser rest! If a party managed to rest for an hour, it stands to reason they can benefit from a short rest even if they were attempting to have a long rest. Similarly, if a player is attempting an extended rest but is interrupted three days in, consider giving them the benefits of three comfortable rests.
What do you think? Do these rules unfairly favor some classes over others? Would these rules be something you could see your group enjoying?