like biowizard said, reinforcements help. however, non-combat encounters can drain the characters of less tangible resources, like certain advantages, or even patience. It can come down to designing certain non-combat encounters like they are combat encounters with puzzles or social checks/activities on an action economy and turns. Example: Had a really great sesh a few months ago where the characters needed to secure just a few more allies to prevent the kingdom from going to war at a masquerade ball for a deranged king to give himself a "recoronation," all the while the city's largest syndicate of thieves undertakes a heist of the place. After a few minutes of scoping around, they rolled initiative, each going their own way, or trying to remain within earshot of each other. After a few turns--my notes aren't in front of me--they were thrown into a series of checks to see if they could pass as knowing the dance favored by the local elites, which would help them in their dealings, or hurt their credibility. Then some more turns, then a performance by some entertainers, their reactions to said entertainment could affect their standing. Then a few more turns. All the while, casting spells, using help, in one case incurring skill check penalties that last till the next rest by drinking too much, etc. Point is, you can even design a complex "combat-like" encounter without immediate physical violence.
If you compare to fight-heavy entertainment genres, D&D has it backwards; the normal progression is that you don't get to use your ultimate power until you're pretty seriously beat up or it's otherwise the last moment. There's no terribly easy way to implement that in an RPG, though.
If you compare to fight-heavy entertainment genres, D&D has it backwards; the normal progression is that you don't get to use your ultimate power until you're pretty seriously beat up or it's otherwise the last moment. There's no terribly easy way to implement that in an RPG, though.
You could lock them behind XP%. Some stuff is already “when you are at or below half health.” Just pointing that possibility out.
Social challenges frequently don't drain resources because many characters lack any resources that can be drained by social challenges. It's not like a fighter is going to spend hit dice, or a barbarian spend rages, and casters might or might not know any relevant spells. Similar issues exist for other types of non-combat challenges (though now I think about it, giving martial classes resources that they can spend on non-combat challenges has some appeal).
One resource people don't often think about: money/ inventory.
Maybe have some NPC's susceptible to bribes, or even have them ask for gold for information when they've failed the persuasion check. Or maybe they're after a particularly item that you have to acquire to win them over. Depending on how long it takes to acquire it (do you have to buy it or steal it?), then that takes up another resource; time.
If your characters are facing social encounters, make time a factor. Success means more efficient time use and ultimately a more favorable outcome, fail too frequently or otherwise take too much time and you get a less favorable encounter. Not only does the time crunch add some urgency, but it also is more likely that players will think to use *all* the resources at their disposal to make it work.
If you compare to fight-heavy entertainment genres, D&D has it backwards; the normal progression is that you don't get to use your ultimate power until you're pretty seriously beat up or it's otherwise the last moment. There's no terribly easy way to implement that in an RPG, though.
You could lock them behind XP%. Some stuff is already “when you are at or below half health.” Just pointing that possibility out.
True. There are ways of making abilities unlock, they just wind up being really obviously gamist, and there's usually at least a component of simulationist in D&D players. Best I can come up with is requiring some sort of gather power actions, so you actually can't use top end abilities in round 1.
I am wokring on changing the long rest mechanic for our game. I would like to make it a check which is modified by the conditions you are resting under in order to get a full rest. I am thinking that if you are in a good inn then maybe no check is needed. If you are camping, then it would be DC 8 + whatever conidtions are affecting you: noise, weather, light, terrain, other interruptions or disturbances.
I am wokring on changing the long rest mechanic for our game. I would like to make it a check which is modified by the conditions you are resting under in order to get a full rest. I am thinking that if you are in a good inn then maybe no check is needed. If you are camping, then it would be DC 8 + whatever conidtions are affecting you: noise, weather, light, terrain, other interruptions or disturbances.
Has anyone tried this? How did it go?
What kind of check? Con? What would you envision as the penalty for not resting? If you start giving exhaustion, a few bad rolls could lead to some dead characters.
What happens in a tiny hut? Is it like an inn?
There’s also the gritty realism options. Short rest is 8 hours, long rest is 7 days.
Under normal curcumstances seasoned adventurers can camp indefinately, while doing some fairly intense exercise, about 1000 people per year through hike the 2200 mile Appalachian_Trail. If conditions are really severe for example if they are camping in extreme cold or heat you might consider a con check but I wouldn't say they get exhausted or do not get any benefits of a long rest. Maybe on a failure they only recover 1/4 of their hit dice or something.
Well hold onto your hats, because this problem is about to get worse with the 2024 edition. They've made it even easier for PCs to regain all their resources more times per day.
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Playing D&D since 1982
Have played every version of the game since Basic (Red Box Set), except that abomination sometimes called 4e.
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like biowizard said, reinforcements help. however, non-combat encounters can drain the characters of less tangible resources, like certain advantages, or even patience. It can come down to designing certain non-combat encounters like they are combat encounters with puzzles or social checks/activities on an action economy and turns. Example: Had a really great sesh a few months ago where the characters needed to secure just a few more allies to prevent the kingdom from going to war at a masquerade ball for a deranged king to give himself a "recoronation," all the while the city's largest syndicate of thieves undertakes a heist of the place. After a few minutes of scoping around, they rolled initiative, each going their own way, or trying to remain within earshot of each other. After a few turns--my notes aren't in front of me--they were thrown into a series of checks to see if they could pass as knowing the dance favored by the local elites, which would help them in their dealings, or hurt their credibility. Then some more turns, then a performance by some entertainers, their reactions to said entertainment could affect their standing. Then a few more turns. All the while, casting spells, using help, in one case incurring skill check penalties that last till the next rest by drinking too much, etc. Point is, you can even design a complex "combat-like" encounter without immediate physical violence.
If you compare to fight-heavy entertainment genres, D&D has it backwards; the normal progression is that you don't get to use your ultimate power until you're pretty seriously beat up or it's otherwise the last moment. There's no terribly easy way to implement that in an RPG, though.
You could lock them behind XP%. Some stuff is already “when you are at or below half health.” Just pointing that possibility out.
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One resource people don't often think about: money/ inventory.
Maybe have some NPC's susceptible to bribes, or even have them ask for gold for information when they've failed the persuasion check. Or maybe they're after a particularly item that you have to acquire to win them over. Depending on how long it takes to acquire it (do you have to buy it or steal it?), then that takes up another resource; time.
If your characters are facing social encounters, make time a factor. Success means more efficient time use and ultimately a more favorable outcome, fail too frequently or otherwise take too much time and you get a less favorable encounter. Not only does the time crunch add some urgency, but it also is more likely that players will think to use *all* the resources at their disposal to make it work.
I said exactly that earlier. https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/dungeons-dragons-discussion/dungeon-masters-only/72772-solutions-to-6-8-encounters-per-long-rest?comment=15
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True. There are ways of making abilities unlock, they just wind up being really obviously gamist, and there's usually at least a component of simulationist in D&D players. Best I can come up with is requiring some sort of gather power actions, so you actually can't use top end abilities in round 1.
I am wokring on changing the long rest mechanic for our game. I would like to make it a check which is modified by the conditions you are resting under in order to get a full rest. I am thinking that if you are in a good inn then maybe no check is needed. If you are camping, then it would be DC 8 + whatever conidtions are affecting you: noise, weather, light, terrain, other interruptions or disturbances.
Has anyone tried this? How did it go?
What kind of check? Con? What would you envision as the penalty for not resting? If you start giving exhaustion, a few bad rolls could lead to some dead characters.
What happens in a tiny hut? Is it like an inn?
There’s also the gritty realism options. Short rest is 8 hours, long rest is 7 days.
I agree with Xalthu
Gritty Realism is a very good way to go.
Under normal curcumstances seasoned adventurers can camp indefinately, while doing some fairly intense exercise, about 1000 people per year through hike the 2200 mile Appalachian_Trail. If conditions are really severe for example if they are camping in extreme cold or heat you might consider a con check but I wouldn't say they get exhausted or do not get any benefits of a long rest. Maybe on a failure they only recover 1/4 of their hit dice or something.
Well hold onto your hats, because this problem is about to get worse with the 2024 edition. They've made it even easier for PCs to regain all their resources more times per day.
Playing D&D since 1982
Have played every version of the game since Basic (Red Box Set), except that abomination sometimes called 4e.