I really like the Gritty Realism rules and would love to use them. My players just aren't interested. The want heroic high fantasy, and that's totally okay!
One thing I have always done though, is make them take a point of exhaustion any time they are reduced to -1 and get back up after making death saves. This works really well to keep the tension high in combat and avoid the whack-a-mole style of healing that plagues some DMs. They work hard not to go down in combat, and treat a fallen friend like a real emergency. The effects of the exhaustion feel like they really took a bad blow, without over complicated specific injuries. Since they do a lot of exploring that can cause exhaustion too, usually one bad fight is enough to make them ready to regroup, find a safe place, and rest.
It's really hard playing by the normal rules to slow a game down. Characters can level up many times in one (in universe) week because nothing really stops them. Exhaustion is a great tool.
While I miss the nuance and flavor of the 5e exhaustion, I do like the possibilities afforded by the new version. It makes it an even more versatile tool for the DM. I look forward to using it for monster attacks, strenuous travel, and even failed checks in some cases. Overall I think it's a good change that will make exhaustion see more use in games. I can always describe the flavor part as sore muscles, sleep deprivation, broken ribs, frostbitten toes, etc.
This change definitely opens some new design space for wotc and 3rd party to make things for both players and dms. It feels a bit strange to count to 10 with linear effects then die though. I would prefer it that death count is linked to 2* con bonus, or if you started rolling con saves/death saves above 5 exhaustion. That doesn't really line up with the current streamlined design though.
As it is now, people avoid exhaustion - both players and the DMs - due to how punishing it is from the very first level. This mechanic is so dreaded that everyone avoids it, even WotC themselves. The change is meant to make exhaustion actually see some use. It's milder, and a cumulative penalty to d20 rolls is easier to track than a table of different effects. Punishing environments and survival scenarios might see more use.
As it is now, people avoid exhaustion - both players and the DMs - due to how punishing it is from the very first level. This mechanic is so dreaded that everyone avoids it, even WotC themselves. The change is meant to make exhaustion actually see some use. It's milder, and a cumulative penalty to d20 rolls is easier to track than a table of different effects. Punishing environments and survival scenarios might see more use.
The 2014 version is too much. Agreed. This -1 to rolls per level until level 11 when you die? This feels like not enough. Where are the effects to pace one feels when pushed beyond their limits?
What is needed is something somewhere in the middle of the two.
The 2014 version is too much. Agreed. This -1 to rolls per level until level 11 when you die? This feels like not enough. Where are the effects to pace one feels when pushed beyond their limits?
What is needed is something somewhere in the middle of the two.
It has to be easy to track and remember. And incremental. -1ft for each level won't matter until 5 levels of exhaustion. So, -5ft for every three levels? Maybe.
The 2014 version is too much. Agreed. This -1 to rolls per level until level 11 when you die? This feels like not enough. Where are the effects to pace one feels when pushed beyond their limits?
What is needed is something somewhere in the middle of the two.
It has to be easy to track and remember. And incremental. -1ft for each level won't matter until 5 levels of exhaustion. So, -5ft for every three levels? Maybe.
Also, there is a point where speed reductions are so punishing, they effectively immobilize the character. If someone has a speed of 10', they are forcing the whole party to move through the dungeon or wilderness at 1/3 of the rate, and monsters run circles around them in combat. They'll never get somewhere safe to rest. And they'll spiral in fights. Most players would get to half speed and stop entirely if given any choice.
So -5 feet every 3 levels sounds pretty good. It's not until 9 levels of exhaustion you reach half speed.
I don't really think it's necessary without testing. The penalties are probably enough to make players careful not to build up too many points. But -5' every 3 does sound reasonable and easy to remember.
The 2014 version is too much. Agreed. This -1 to rolls per level until level 11 when you die? This feels like not enough. Where are the effects to pace one feels when pushed beyond their limits?
What is needed is something somewhere in the middle of the two.
It has to be easy to track and remember. And incremental. -1ft for each level won't matter until 5 levels of exhaustion. So, -5ft for every three levels? Maybe.
Also, there is a point where speed reductions are so punishing, they effectively immobilize the character. If someone has a speed of 10', they are forcing the whole party to move through the dungeon or wilderness at 1/3 of the rate, and monsters run circles around them in combat. They'll never get somewhere safe to rest. And they'll spiral in fights. Most players would get to half speed and stop entirely if given any choice.
So -5 feet every 3 levels sounds pretty good. It's not until 9 levels of exhaustion you reach half speed.
I don't really think it's necessary without testing. The penalties are probably enough to make players careful not to build up too many points. But -5' every 3 does sound reasonable and easy to remember.
I agree with this.
I also agree that the above movement penalty is needed to help reflect the effects of exhaustion. People with 10 levels of exhaustion shouldn't be running around the battlefield then just suddenly drop dead. It seems disjointed. The -1 to d20 tests is good, just not enough.
Edit: I also like the idea of gaining a level of exhaustion when dropped to 0 hp as well, so I might lean a bit more towards the harsh side of exhaustion than most.
Edit: I also like the idea of gaining a level of exhaustion when dropped to 0 hp as well, so I might lean a bit more towards the harsh side of exhaustion than most.
This version of exhaustion is sufficiently easy to resolve to make that a sensible choice. I would also bet on things like the ordeal of raise dead becoming levels of exhaustion.
Yeah, the movement penalty every 3 levels is probably the most reasonable compromise between reality and ease of play. I'm good with that.
I love applying exhaustion on hitting 0 HP. Probably the best home rule I've ever used, just for the effect it has improving the feel of combat and injury so much, without overcomplicating it. The new exhaustion is exciting for me.
I might even experiment with increasing it to one point per failed death save now. To add some more urgency to getting to downed teammates.
Edit: I also like the idea of gaining a level of exhaustion when dropped to 0 hp as well, so I might lean a bit more towards the harsh side of exhaustion than most.
I usually use traumas from DMG when PCs drop to 0 HP. Broken bone, disfiguring scar, lingering wound, loss of an eye, etc. Exhaustion is a milder effect. Pretty good idea, actually, for those who aren't that hardcore.
From what I hear, the 5e exhaustion rules weren't play tested. And it shows. For an edition that wanted to simplify the game, the levels of exhaustion are very complex. We always had to look up the exhaustion condition because no one could remember the levels. And at six levels you DIE??? Most people pass out before they die of being tired. Exhaustion is more lethal than combat.
I like the new 1DD rules much better. I can imagine monsters (like Shadows) will give out 1 level of exhaustion rather than a strength penalty (again, too confusing for new players to calculate a new ability modifier). I'd love to see players go unconscious after 10 levels of exhaustion. I'd also love to see easier ways to recover exhaustion. Shouldn't a short rest power-nap be enough to recover a level? Works for me in real life. I'll be advocating for these changes in the next survey.
Edit: I also like the idea of gaining a level of exhaustion when dropped to 0 hp as well, so I might lean a bit more towards the harsh side of exhaustion than most.
Personally I'd be very wary of any additional punishments for dropping to 0 hit-points; more often than not this will just end up punishing players who are already struggling and make a run of bad luck even less fun.
This kind of a rule makes more sense as a DM decision when or if to apply it; for example, I prefer to use lingering injuries on a case-by-case basis to discourage things like a Barbarian Rage-jumping into every vertical drop because they know they've got more than enough HP to survive the fall, so that the threat of a broken leg that takes effort to fully heal still ensures there's a significant risk.
I'd use lingering effects of dropping to 0 only in cases where it's a player's own fault that they got KO'd, e.g if they weren't working together with their party, but not for the squishy Wizard who just got unlucky when an enemy skulker scored a critical hit from the shadows and took them down.
I'd love to see players go unconscious after 10 levels of exhaustion. I'd also love to see easier ways to recover exhaustion. Shouldn't a short rest power-nap be enough to recover a level? Works for me in real life. I'll be advocating for these changes in the next survey.
Actually I wonder if a better way to handle passing out from exhaustion would just be to rework how sleep deprivation is handled?
I was thinking I might handle it such that each major source of exhaustion would have an additional condition (or pseudo condition). Each condition imposes one level of exhaustion that cannot be cleared until its recovery condition(s) are met.
Sleep Deprivation: After going one day without sleep, a creature that spends 10 or more minutes idle must succeed at a DC 10 CON save or fall asleep. To recover the creature must spend at least six hours asleep.
Starvation: One day without full rations (or two without half rations etc.) causes a creature to become starving. In the presence of food it must succeed on a DC 10 WIS save or gorge itself. During any strenuous activity (casting, climbing, grappling etc.) it must succeed on a DC 10 CON save or fall unconscious for 1d20 minutes. To recover the creature must consume at least a full day's rations while not sleep deprived.
Thirst: One day without enough water (half gallon?) causes a creature to become thirsty. After the first day, gain up to 3 levels of exhaustion instead of 1 for each additional day without enough water (3 for no water, 2 for some, or 1 for half what you need). In the presence of any water must succeed on a DC 10 WIS save or spend the turn drinking it. To recover must drink enough water.
Heatstroke: After gaining a level of exhaustion due to extreme heat (desert environment etc.), must pass a DC 10 CON save each hour or fall unconscious for d4 hours. To recover must spend four hours at a moderate or cool temperature while not thirsty.
Frostbite: After gaining a level of exhaustion due to extreme cold (snowy weather etc.), must pass a DC 10 CON save each hour or become slowed as well. To recover must spend four hours at a moderate or warm temperature while not hungry.
Something along these lines? Might be more detailed than necessary, but I feel like exploration and survival are areas that OneD&D desperately needs to do more with. The saves will become harder the more exhausted a creature is so the low DC will become harder on its own, though the DM could also increase the DC if there are other factors, or if they want to combine several rolls into one harder one.
This would also mean there would be a minimum level of exhaustion while you have one or more these effects, so a sleep deprived, starving and thirsty character can never have less than three levels of exhaustion.
Former D&D Beyond Customer of six years: With the axing of piecemeal purchasing, lack of meaningful development, and toxic moderation the site isn't worth paying for anymore. I remain a free user only until my groups are done migrating from DDB, and if necessary D&D, after which I'm done. There are better systems owned by better companies out there.
I have unsubscribed from all topics and will not reply to messages. My homebrew is now 100% unsupported.
What I'm kinda hoping is that the lesser restoration spell in One D&D can remove one level of exhaustion per casting, while the greater restoration spell removes multiple levels at once.
Maybe that might trivialize the mechanic a bit too much, but at the same time, it would also allow for exhaustion to be handed out a lot more liberally in addition to the mechanic changes seen here.
Lesser is too easy. Do you want Scorlocks with infinite spell slots? That's how you get those really easily. It needs to remain at Greater removing only one level, or they need to explicitly ban conversion of pact slots into points for sorcerers.
What I'm kinda hoping is that the lesser restoration spell in One D&D can remove one level of exhaustion per casting, while the greater restoration spell removes multiple levels at once.
Maybe that might trivialize the mechanic a bit too much, but at the same time, it would also allow for exhaustion to be handed out a lot more liberally in addition to the mechanic changes seen here.
Lesser is too easy. Do you want Scorlocks with infinite spell slots? That's how you get those really easily. It needs to remain at Greater removing only one level, or they need to explicitly ban conversion of pact slots into points for sorcerers.
That particular rules "loophole" is not something they should be taking into account when developing the exhaustion rules. Even if it works on paper, it's like the simulacrum army. It's not something that's going to be allowed at the table. (Should they close it in the class rules? Eh, probably not. AFAIK there's no problem with letting it happen in the normal case. If they really feel the need, they can just add in a rule that eventually you're forced by biology to take a long rest.)
I like the changes to exhaustion. And don’t forget it’s not just the D20 tests that is affected but also spell caster DC’s go down with each level. Not sure if that hurts worse for the spell caster, compared to attack rolls, etc
I could see them making the max a bit lower (maybe death over 8 levels) if nothing else changes. But I also liked what was mentioned earlier if they made dropping to 0 ho gave a level of exhaustion as a possibility.
I see a lot of complaints about the 5e rules not being play-tested, but I think the real problem is that the 5e PHB was rushed and WOTC forgot to include the paragraph where they explain how to track exhaustion on one of those little d6 die that players often use in other games like Magic The Gathering. It does make it easier to track when each player has a "penalty die" that gives them a visual as to how exhausted they are. I've also used the "penalty" system to track encumbrance and injury--basically the other two types of bad choices players make that the DM ought to be allowed to "punish" for.
That being said, I do like the new rules because it opens the door for exhaustion to be implemented in new ways. Imagine an ice spell that makes the AoE so cold that all creatures must make a CON save to avoid taking 1 level of exhaustion each round they are in the AoE. Or a wizard who is out of spell slots but could save the party if they could just muster the energy to cast one last spell...at the cost of 1 level of exhaustion per level of spell cast.
Movement rules should also apply, but I think speed should just halve after 6. After that, maybe death on 13. That would easily be implemented by 2 d6 markers on the player to indicate halved movement and death approaching.
I couldn't sleep last night thinking about the possibilities for these rules. I ended up writing up a whole new system. Basically, what I said in that last post, but the first die would be called a "Fatigue" penalty and the 2nd would be the "Exhaustion" penalty. The DM adds the sum of both die to the AC/DC of any roll you make. If you have two die, it also means movement speed is halved. Nice and simple.
As for gaining fatigue (or exhaustion), the above-posted ideas would be part of game mechanics, but as a DM I would like to use it on players who keep failing high DC ability rolls. The fighter who struggles to pry open the locked cabinet, or the ranger who takes several turns trying to shoulder open a stuck door. It makes sense to add a bit of consequence to the attempt, and fatigue fits well. Additionally, it would make sense to add fatigue equal to the number of failed death saves before a PC is revived.
Recovering from this is where it gets fun. Fatigue (if you only have one die) can be reduced -1 with a short rest. Food items can reduce it more (-1 per flagon of ale, sweet roll, or cheese wheel for instance). (I have players at my table who want more mechanics with food, so this presents an opportunity.) Once you get exhaustion, though (two dice) then you need a long rest to reduce it. I'd say -1 per long rest and an additional -1 on a DC CON test that ranges from 8 to 15 based on quality of bed slept on (8 = luxury inn, 15 = a blanket in the grass outside the mines). Side note: the UA new Ranger ability where they can recover a single level of exhaustion while taking a short rest would need to be replaced with removing all fatigue (or -1 exhaustion) when they short-rest.
But wait; that's not all. Suppose the DM wants to implement long-term injuries but the players say that's too complicated. Tack it on to the Exhaustion mechanic by implementing a second die even if the first die is not at 6. A PC with a sprained ankle could have two d6, both with a value of 1. One of those is the fatigue die, and one of those is the exhaustion die. Because exhaustion can't be removed without a long rest, and fatigue cannot be reduced until their exhaustion is gone, the PC must limp around with a -2 penalty on their rolls until they get back to camp and get some sleep. Deviously simple.
Since fatigue is somewhat nerfed in its effects, why not make it a more commonplace risk/cost for activities that are hard to track. Like those special class feats that can only be used once between short rests? I'm thinking of the Fighter's Indomitable feat, which has multiple uses that need to be tracked between short rests. Or the Ranger's OP Favored Foe ability from Tasha's Cauldron. Even when using post-it flags or poker chips, it can get difficult keeping count. Why not just add a fatigue point when used? Better yet, why not also incorporate the option to expend Inspiration in order to avoid a point of fatigue? And why not gain a point of Inspiration with some higher-end food items (a flagon of mead, for instance) so that the player has more incentive to risk something that might fatigue them? This sounds bad if you are playing with two or three uses of an ability between rests and don't want to be increasingly encumbered on the 2nd or 3rd use, but it would also present an incentive for both the players to seek out inspiration and the DM (or fellow players) to dole it out more often.
Anyways, it would be nice if WOTC read these ideas and at least tested them. If not...well, that doesn't mean I can't test them at my own table. ;P
I've been using a similar exhaustion mechanic in my game. It was originally based off of Pathfinder 2e conditions. The main difference I have is that characters have different exhaustion thresholds equal to their their CON mod + WIS mod + 1 (if the modifiers are positive). This represents both the physical and mental stressors that contribute to exhaustion. Once you go over that threshold you die, so if you've got a threshold of 3, once you get that 4th level of exhaustion, you're dead.
On top of that, dropping unconscious gives you a level of exhaustion, so it's not a good idea to do that healing bungee. But, the most important thing is that there are more ways than a long rest to heal points of exhaustion. A high quality meal, visiting a bathhouse/spa, I even have a feat that allows you to ignore levels of exhaustion.
That's an interesting idea. I think maybe it's a little more complicated than I like personally, but I do like having CON play into it. Perhaps allowing you to remove a number of levels of exhaustion on a long rest up to your CON modifier?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Not all those who wander are lost"
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
I really like the Gritty Realism rules and would love to use them. My players just aren't interested. The want heroic high fantasy, and that's totally okay!
One thing I have always done though, is make them take a point of exhaustion any time they are reduced to -1 and get back up after making death saves. This works really well to keep the tension high in combat and avoid the whack-a-mole style of healing that plagues some DMs. They work hard not to go down in combat, and treat a fallen friend like a real emergency. The effects of the exhaustion feel like they really took a bad blow, without over complicated specific injuries. Since they do a lot of exploring that can cause exhaustion too, usually one bad fight is enough to make them ready to regroup, find a safe place, and rest.
It's really hard playing by the normal rules to slow a game down. Characters can level up many times in one (in universe) week because nothing really stops them. Exhaustion is a great tool.
While I miss the nuance and flavor of the 5e exhaustion, I do like the possibilities afforded by the new version. It makes it an even more versatile tool for the DM. I look forward to using it for monster attacks, strenuous travel, and even failed checks in some cases. Overall I think it's a good change that will make exhaustion see more use in games. I can always describe the flavor part as sore muscles, sleep deprivation, broken ribs, frostbitten toes, etc.
This change definitely opens some new design space for wotc and 3rd party to make things for both players and dms. It feels a bit strange to count to 10 with linear effects then die though. I would prefer it that death count is linked to 2* con bonus, or if you started rolling con saves/death saves above 5 exhaustion. That doesn't really line up with the current streamlined design though.
As it is now, people avoid exhaustion - both players and the DMs - due to how punishing it is from the very first level. This mechanic is so dreaded that everyone avoids it, even WotC themselves. The change is meant to make exhaustion actually see some use. It's milder, and a cumulative penalty to d20 rolls is easier to track than a table of different effects. Punishing environments and survival scenarios might see more use.
The 2014 version is too much. Agreed.
This -1 to rolls per level until level 11 when you die? This feels like not enough.
Where are the effects to pace one feels when pushed beyond their limits?
What is needed is something somewhere in the middle of the two.
It has to be easy to track and remember. And incremental. -1ft for each level won't matter until 5 levels of exhaustion. So, -5ft for every three levels? Maybe.
Also, there is a point where speed reductions are so punishing, they effectively immobilize the character. If someone has a speed of 10', they are forcing the whole party to move through the dungeon or wilderness at 1/3 of the rate, and monsters run circles around them in combat. They'll never get somewhere safe to rest. And they'll spiral in fights. Most players would get to half speed and stop entirely if given any choice.
So -5 feet every 3 levels sounds pretty good. It's not until 9 levels of exhaustion you reach half speed.
I don't really think it's necessary without testing. The penalties are probably enough to make players careful not to build up too many points. But -5' every 3 does sound reasonable and easy to remember.
I agree with this.
I also agree that the above movement penalty is needed to help reflect the effects of exhaustion. People with 10 levels of exhaustion shouldn't be running around the battlefield then just suddenly drop dead. It seems disjointed. The -1 to d20 tests is good, just not enough.
Edit: I also like the idea of gaining a level of exhaustion when dropped to 0 hp as well, so I might lean a bit more towards the harsh side of exhaustion than most.
She/Her Player and Dungeon Master
This version of exhaustion is sufficiently easy to resolve to make that a sensible choice. I would also bet on things like the ordeal of raise dead becoming levels of exhaustion.
Yeah, the movement penalty every 3 levels is probably the most reasonable compromise between reality and ease of play. I'm good with that.
I love applying exhaustion on hitting 0 HP. Probably the best home rule I've ever used, just for the effect it has improving the feel of combat and injury so much, without overcomplicating it. The new exhaustion is exciting for me.
I might even experiment with increasing it to one point per failed death save now. To add some more urgency to getting to downed teammates.
I usually use traumas from DMG when PCs drop to 0 HP. Broken bone, disfiguring scar, lingering wound, loss of an eye, etc. Exhaustion is a milder effect. Pretty good idea, actually, for those who aren't that hardcore.
From what I hear, the 5e exhaustion rules weren't play tested. And it shows. For an edition that wanted to simplify the game, the levels of exhaustion are very complex. We always had to look up the exhaustion condition because no one could remember the levels. And at six levels you DIE??? Most people pass out before they die of being tired. Exhaustion is more lethal than combat.
I like the new 1DD rules much better. I can imagine monsters (like Shadows) will give out 1 level of exhaustion rather than a strength penalty (again, too confusing for new players to calculate a new ability modifier). I'd love to see players go unconscious after 10 levels of exhaustion. I'd also love to see easier ways to recover exhaustion. Shouldn't a short rest power-nap be enough to recover a level? Works for me in real life. I'll be advocating for these changes in the next survey.
Personally I'd be very wary of any additional punishments for dropping to 0 hit-points; more often than not this will just end up punishing players who are already struggling and make a run of bad luck even less fun.
This kind of a rule makes more sense as a DM decision when or if to apply it; for example, I prefer to use lingering injuries on a case-by-case basis to discourage things like a Barbarian Rage-jumping into every vertical drop because they know they've got more than enough HP to survive the fall, so that the threat of a broken leg that takes effort to fully heal still ensures there's a significant risk.
I'd use lingering effects of dropping to 0 only in cases where it's a player's own fault that they got KO'd, e.g if they weren't working together with their party, but not for the squishy Wizard who just got unlucky when an enemy skulker scored a critical hit from the shadows and took them down.
Actually I wonder if a better way to handle passing out from exhaustion would just be to rework how sleep deprivation is handled?
I was thinking I might handle it such that each major source of exhaustion would have an additional condition (or pseudo condition). Each condition imposes one level of exhaustion that cannot be cleared until its recovery condition(s) are met.
Something along these lines? Might be more detailed than necessary, but I feel like exploration and survival are areas that OneD&D desperately needs to do more with. The saves will become harder the more exhausted a creature is so the low DC will become harder on its own, though the DM could also increase the DC if there are other factors, or if they want to combine several rolls into one harder one.
This would also mean there would be a minimum level of exhaustion while you have one or more these effects, so a sleep deprived, starving and thirsty character can never have less than three levels of exhaustion.
Former D&D Beyond Customer of six years: With the axing of piecemeal purchasing, lack of meaningful development, and toxic moderation the site isn't worth paying for anymore. I remain a free user only until my groups are done migrating from DDB, and if necessary D&D, after which I'm done. There are better systems owned by better companies out there.
I have unsubscribed from all topics and will not reply to messages. My homebrew is now 100% unsupported.
Lesser is too easy. Do you want Scorlocks with infinite spell slots? That's how you get those really easily. It needs to remain at Greater removing only one level, or they need to explicitly ban conversion of pact slots into points for sorcerers.
That particular rules "loophole" is not something they should be taking into account when developing the exhaustion rules. Even if it works on paper, it's like the simulacrum army. It's not something that's going to be allowed at the table. (Should they close it in the class rules? Eh, probably not. AFAIK there's no problem with letting it happen in the normal case. If they really feel the need, they can just add in a rule that eventually you're forced by biology to take a long rest.)
I like the changes to exhaustion. And don’t forget it’s not just the D20 tests that is affected but also spell caster DC’s go down with each level. Not sure if that hurts worse for the spell caster, compared to attack rolls, etc
I could see them making the max a bit lower (maybe death over 8 levels) if nothing else changes. But I also liked what was mentioned earlier if they made dropping to 0 ho gave a level of exhaustion as a possibility.
EZD6 by DM Scotty
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/397599/EZD6-Core-Rulebook?
I thiink exaustion and the hit die should be the same mechanic.
you should use exaution points to recover hit points.
I don't know how many or if theey should progress with the level, but I think they should be the same
I see a lot of complaints about the 5e rules not being play-tested, but I think the real problem is that the 5e PHB was rushed and WOTC forgot to include the paragraph where they explain how to track exhaustion on one of those little d6 die that players often use in other games like Magic The Gathering. It does make it easier to track when each player has a "penalty die" that gives them a visual as to how exhausted they are. I've also used the "penalty" system to track encumbrance and injury--basically the other two types of bad choices players make that the DM ought to be allowed to "punish" for.
That being said, I do like the new rules because it opens the door for exhaustion to be implemented in new ways. Imagine an ice spell that makes the AoE so cold that all creatures must make a CON save to avoid taking 1 level of exhaustion each round they are in the AoE. Or a wizard who is out of spell slots but could save the party if they could just muster the energy to cast one last spell...at the cost of 1 level of exhaustion per level of spell cast.
Movement rules should also apply, but I think speed should just halve after 6. After that, maybe death on 13. That would easily be implemented by 2 d6 markers on the player to indicate halved movement and death approaching.
~not a "lazy dungeon master"
I couldn't sleep last night thinking about the possibilities for these rules. I ended up writing up a whole new system. Basically, what I said in that last post, but the first die would be called a "Fatigue" penalty and the 2nd would be the "Exhaustion" penalty. The DM adds the sum of both die to the AC/DC of any roll you make. If you have two die, it also means movement speed is halved. Nice and simple.
As for gaining fatigue (or exhaustion), the above-posted ideas would be part of game mechanics, but as a DM I would like to use it on players who keep failing high DC ability rolls. The fighter who struggles to pry open the locked cabinet, or the ranger who takes several turns trying to shoulder open a stuck door. It makes sense to add a bit of consequence to the attempt, and fatigue fits well. Additionally, it would make sense to add fatigue equal to the number of failed death saves before a PC is revived.
Recovering from this is where it gets fun. Fatigue (if you only have one die) can be reduced -1 with a short rest. Food items can reduce it more (-1 per flagon of ale, sweet roll, or cheese wheel for instance). (I have players at my table who want more mechanics with food, so this presents an opportunity.) Once you get exhaustion, though (two dice) then you need a long rest to reduce it. I'd say -1 per long rest and an additional -1 on a DC CON test that ranges from 8 to 15 based on quality of bed slept on (8 = luxury inn, 15 = a blanket in the grass outside the mines). Side note: the UA new Ranger ability where they can recover a single level of exhaustion while taking a short rest would need to be replaced with removing all fatigue (or -1 exhaustion) when they short-rest.
But wait; that's not all. Suppose the DM wants to implement long-term injuries but the players say that's too complicated. Tack it on to the Exhaustion mechanic by implementing a second die even if the first die is not at 6. A PC with a sprained ankle could have two d6, both with a value of 1. One of those is the fatigue die, and one of those is the exhaustion die. Because exhaustion can't be removed without a long rest, and fatigue cannot be reduced until their exhaustion is gone, the PC must limp around with a -2 penalty on their rolls until they get back to camp and get some sleep. Deviously simple.
Since fatigue is somewhat nerfed in its effects, why not make it a more commonplace risk/cost for activities that are hard to track. Like those special class feats that can only be used once between short rests? I'm thinking of the Fighter's Indomitable feat, which has multiple uses that need to be tracked between short rests. Or the Ranger's OP Favored Foe ability from Tasha's Cauldron. Even when using post-it flags or poker chips, it can get difficult keeping count. Why not just add a fatigue point when used? Better yet, why not also incorporate the option to expend Inspiration in order to avoid a point of fatigue? And why not gain a point of Inspiration with some higher-end food items (a flagon of mead, for instance) so that the player has more incentive to risk something that might fatigue them? This sounds bad if you are playing with two or three uses of an ability between rests and don't want to be increasingly encumbered on the 2nd or 3rd use, but it would also present an incentive for both the players to seek out inspiration and the DM (or fellow players) to dole it out more often.
Anyways, it would be nice if WOTC read these ideas and at least tested them. If not...well, that doesn't mean I can't test them at my own table. ;P
~not a "lazy dungeon master"
I've been using a similar exhaustion mechanic in my game. It was originally based off of Pathfinder 2e conditions. The main difference I have is that characters have different exhaustion thresholds equal to their their CON mod + WIS mod + 1 (if the modifiers are positive). This represents both the physical and mental stressors that contribute to exhaustion. Once you go over that threshold you die, so if you've got a threshold of 3, once you get that 4th level of exhaustion, you're dead.
On top of that, dropping unconscious gives you a level of exhaustion, so it's not a good idea to do that healing bungee. But, the most important thing is that there are more ways than a long rest to heal points of exhaustion. A high quality meal, visiting a bathhouse/spa, I even have a feat that allows you to ignore levels of exhaustion.
That's an interesting idea. I think maybe it's a little more complicated than I like personally, but I do like having CON play into it. Perhaps allowing you to remove a number of levels of exhaustion on a long rest up to your CON modifier?
"Not all those who wander are lost"