Exhaustion is not taking a "long rest", which essentially means sleep for 6 hours, that literally is just tiredness. Your character could be taking it easy for 10 days straight but as long as they don't sleep, they die. The exhaustion mechanic in 5E and D&D one, is not actual exhaustion, despite the mechanic being called that, it's tiredness.
Well, the world record of going without sleep is 11 days, so... Also, you gain a level of exhaustion if you don't eat or spend a day in extreme conditions (heat or cold) without protection. And the history of labor camps in totalitarian regimes proves that a person can, in fact, be literally worked to death.
Exhaustion is not taking a "long rest", which essentially means sleep for 6 hours, that literally is just tiredness. Your character could be taking it easy for 10 days straight but as long as they don't sleep, they die. The exhaustion mechanic in 5E and D&D one, is not actual exhaustion, despite the mechanic being called that, it's tiredness.
Well, the world record of going without sleep is 11 days, so... Also, you gain a level of exhaustion if you don't eat or spend a day in extreme conditions (heat or cold) without protection. And the history of labor camps in totalitarian regimes proves that a person can, in fact, be literally worked to death.
yeah, but that is only by Guinness, people have actually gone longer but since Guinness weren't there to adjudicate, they don't count other known cases where people have exceeded 15 days. One Maureen Weston is reported to have stayed up over 18 days straight for a Rocking Chair Marathon.
I think that this is the way I'll be doing it at my table until something official comes out - (I'm personally a big fan of exhaustion rules).
We added any Critical Hit imposing a level of Exhaustion for little grittier combat, and I think adding in the movement penalty as mentioned above is a clean way to go. This way you can heal the hit points with magic and get on with the game, but that critical hit you took earlier is going to slow you down and hurt for a day or two...
EXHAUSTED [CONDITION] Critical Injuries, some special abilities, and environmental hazards such as starvation and the long-term effects of freezing or scorching temperatures, can lead to a special condition called Exhaustion.
While you are subjected to the Exhausted Condition (known in older books as Exhaustion), you experience the following effects: Levels of Exhaustion. This Condition is cumulative. Each time you receive it, you gain 1 level of exhaustion.
d20 Rolls: When you make a d20 Test, you subtract your exhaustion level from the d20 roll.
Spell Save DCs: Subtract your exhaustion level from the Spell save DC of any Spell you cast.
Movement: subtract 5' from your speed for each level of exhaustion
Death: You die if your exhaustion level exceeds 10.
Ending the Condition. Finishing a Long Rest removes 1 of your levels of exhaustion. When your exhaustion level reaches 0, you are no longer Exhausted.
I would reduce the movement penalty from 5’ for every level of Exhaustion to 5’ for every other level (or probably every 3rd level) of Exhaustion. Otherwise the character will literally not be able to move under their own power after 5-6 levels of Exhaustion. At least at every other level (or every 3rd level) they will still be able to move at least 5’-10’ (or 10’-15’) with 9 levels of Exhaustion.
Also, I expect the changes eliminating monster crits to make it through UA, so don’t be surprised if that part of your houserule sees little use.
I would reduce the movement penalty from 5’ for every level of Exhaustion to 5’ for every other level (or probably every 3rd level) of Exhaustion. Otherwise the character will literally not be able to move under their own power after 5-6 levels of Exhaustion. At least at every other level (or every 3rd level) they will still be able to move at least 5’-10’ (or 10’-15’) with 9 levels of Exhaustion.
Also, I expect the changes eliminating monster crits to make it through UA, so don’t be surprised if that part of your houserule sees little use.
Agreed
Though I do like the crit causing exhaustion idea. It might not make it into 1DnD, but I'll consider using it in my home game. 10 levels of exhaustion open up that possibility.
Hmm, that Crit-Exhaustion sounds like a nice little addition I may try out some time. Although I am usually careful when it comes to closely intertwining long-term out-of-combat effects with very regular in-combat occurrences, in order to avoid out-of-combat effects losing their perceived relevance. If every second fight gives you exhaustion in a matter of minutes anyway, exhaustion due to very long travel or other physical activities may not seem like that big of a deal anymore. Maybe dropping to 0 HP but being healed up magically is a better trigger for combat-related exhaustion.
Hmm, that Crit-Exhaustion sounds like a nice little addition I may try out some time. Although I am usually careful when it comes to closely intertwining long-term out-of-combat effects with very regular in-combat occurrences, in order to avoid out-of-combat effects losing their perceived relevance. If every second fight gives you exhaustion in a matter of minutes anyway, exhaustion due to very long travel or other physical activities may not seem like that big of a deal anymore. Maybe dropping to 0 HP but being healed up magically is a better trigger for combat-related exhaustion.
Yes, I already do exhausting for dropping to 0. It's wonderful for adding the idea of lingering wounds and urgency. I highly recommend trying it.
I think the only thing weird is that there's several levels of exhausted where your movement rate is 0 (30' hits zero at L6). Kinda hard not to take a long rest if you can't move.
Death doesn't occur until the 11th point of exhaustion.
I can understand wanting movement penalties every 2 levels, but think it's too punishing. A speed of only 5 feet is effectively immobile anyway. You can't do anything in combat, and you can't travel somewhere safe. A party only moves at the speed of its slowest character, without a horse or wagon. It sounds good for 'dark and gritty' campaigns, but I think every 3 levels works better with the general tone of default games.
As far as movement penalties from exhaustion, I think at some point it should just use "difficult terrain" rules for any movement (and unable to cross difficult terrain or fly). Maybe when exhaustion reaches 5?
I actually had a very similar system for "fatigue" in my own RPG back in the day. Except the levels of fatigue represented numbers on the die that would deal consequences if rolled. So if my PC had a fatigue of 3 and rolled a 2, they would automatically fail the roll and suffer consequences (like the old rules for rolling a 1 in DnD). I called these "penalties" and had three different types: fatigue, injury, and encumbrance. There were also some spells that could cause several points of "fatigue" when they hit a target, like ice AOE spells, etc. Getting hit in the head could also cause fatigue, which would effectively knock the creature "silly" at the point where they were rolling more fumbles than succeeding.
In my rules, of course, this allowed for "exhaustion" to affect spellcasting. A wizard who was out of spell slots could still cast a spell, but might suffer a fatigue penalty for doing so. In these UA rules, I can see how a spellcaster trying to cast after exhausting their spell slots would gain 1 level of exhaustion for each level of the spell they cast (so casting a level 9 spell would put them very near to death). I can imagine the Naruto moments now...the only question would be whether the spell's DC would be affected by the exhaustion caused by casting the spell.
Just saying, exhaustion as written in the UA works just fine in a game when a long rest is a miracle cure for most physical trauma and having one's butt kicked.
Also recognize, exhaustion isn't simply employed in ten day cycles. Exhaustion can also be used in endurance challenges (say running the Planes of Marathon if you know how that played out according to legend). Exhaustion is used in chase mechanics for exceeding one's CON based dash capacity (possibly useful in running from the fright in your Halloween games next week, characters may drop dead from fright trying to get away). Exhaustion is not used for when you're simply going for a walk, it's used when you're in Fitzcarraldo straits. And we haven't even started talking about the way undead or magical life draining effects can make use of the exhaustion mechanic (brutal DMs give this to Wights to make life drain actually menacing again). I think when we realize we're talking a heroic fantasy game with a myriad ways exhaustion can be applied, the UA offering is pretty promising, and I'm definitely in the let's not poo poo this.
Some special abilities, combat and environmental hazards and/or wear and tear from travel and adventuring, such as starvation and long-term effects of freezing or scorching temperatures, can lead to a special condition called exhaustion. Depending on the level of stress or the amount of strain physically or mentally an activity requires, could either give exhaustion to you or make you roll a constitution save in order to overcome or power your way through it. Mind over matter. The DM will advise.
Exhaustion is measured in 6 levels. Exhaustion stacks, therefore giving the player all the effects of exhaustion equal to the level they have aquired. An effect can give a creature 1 or more levels of exhaustion, as specified below:
I really like the idea that you may have to roll Constitution saves at the end of major fights or climbs or conditions ect. where other things might just give them to you. This flexibility creates more issues and times to deal with it and makes Constitution more valuable. Also, I like the idea possibly that when you rest, you can spend hit dice to get rid of exhaustion instead of healing, making potions and other means of healing more important. Just some ideas.
Well, the world record of going without sleep is 11 days, so... Also, you gain a level of exhaustion if you don't eat or spend a day in extreme conditions (heat or cold) without protection. And the history of labor camps in totalitarian regimes proves that a person can, in fact, be literally worked to death.
yeah, but that is only by Guinness, people have actually gone longer but since Guinness weren't there to adjudicate, they don't count other known cases where people have exceeded 15 days. One Maureen Weston is reported to have stayed up over 18 days straight for a Rocking Chair Marathon.
I think that this is the way I'll be doing it at my table until something official comes out - (I'm personally a big fan of exhaustion rules).
We added any Critical Hit imposing a level of Exhaustion for little grittier combat, and I think adding in the movement penalty as mentioned above is a clean way to go. This way you can heal the hit points with magic and get on with the game, but that critical hit you took earlier is going to slow you down and hurt for a day or two...
Critical Injuries, some special abilities, and environmental hazards such as starvation and the long-term effects of freezing or scorching temperatures, can lead to a special condition called Exhaustion.
Levels of Exhaustion. This Condition is cumulative. Each time you receive it, you gain 1 level of exhaustion.
- d20 Rolls: When you make a d20 Test, you subtract your exhaustion level from the d20 roll.
- Spell Save DCs: Subtract your exhaustion level from the Spell save DC of any Spell you cast.
- Movement: subtract 5' from your speed for each level of exhaustion
- Death: You die if your exhaustion level exceeds 10.
Ending the Condition. Finishing a Long Rest removes 1 of your levels of exhaustion. When your exhaustion level reaches 0, you are no longer Exhausted.I would reduce the movement penalty from 5’ for every level of Exhaustion to 5’ for every other level (or probably every 3rd level) of Exhaustion. Otherwise the character will literally not be able to move under their own power after 5-6 levels of Exhaustion. At least at every other level (or every 3rd level) they will still be able to move at least 5’-10’ (or 10’-15’) with 9 levels of Exhaustion.
Also, I expect the changes eliminating monster crits to make it through UA, so don’t be surprised if that part of your houserule sees little use.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
Agreed
Though I do like the crit causing exhaustion idea. It might not make it into 1DnD, but I'll consider using it in my home game. 10 levels of exhaustion open up that possibility.
Hmm, that Crit-Exhaustion sounds like a nice little addition I may try out some time. Although I am usually careful when it comes to closely intertwining long-term out-of-combat effects with very regular in-combat occurrences, in order to avoid out-of-combat effects losing their perceived relevance. If every second fight gives you exhaustion in a matter of minutes anyway, exhaustion due to very long travel or other physical activities may not seem like that big of a deal anymore. Maybe dropping to 0 HP but being healed up magically is a better trigger for combat-related exhaustion.
Yes, I already do exhausting for dropping to 0. It's wonderful for adding the idea of lingering wounds and urgency. I highly recommend trying it.
I think the only thing weird is that there's several levels of exhausted where your movement rate is 0 (30' hits zero at L6). Kinda hard not to take a long rest if you can't move.
I think that's why some people were suggesting -5' every 3 levels of exhaustion, so it maxes at half speed.
every 2 levels would be better IMO (reduces the average characters speed to 5' by level 10)
By 10 levels of exhaustion it won’t matter anymore, it’ll only matter at 9 levels.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
Death doesn't occur until the 11th point of exhaustion.
I can understand wanting movement penalties every 2 levels, but think it's too punishing. A speed of only 5 feet is effectively immobile anyway. You can't do anything in combat, and you can't travel somewhere safe. A party only moves at the speed of its slowest character, without a horse or wagon. It sounds good for 'dark and gritty' campaigns, but I think every 3 levels works better with the general tone of default games.
My point was that at 10 levels of exhaustion you effectively have to stop anyway so it doesn’t really matter anymore.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
Very true.
true enough... but average move reduced to half (less with Monks and Barbs) by level 10 seemed too little to me.
It may seem too little from a realistic standpoint, but from a game mechanics standpoint it makes for better gameplay.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
As far as movement penalties from exhaustion, I think at some point it should just use "difficult terrain" rules for any movement (and unable to cross difficult terrain or fly). Maybe when exhaustion reaches 5?
I actually had a very similar system for "fatigue" in my own RPG back in the day. Except the levels of fatigue represented numbers on the die that would deal consequences if rolled. So if my PC had a fatigue of 3 and rolled a 2, they would automatically fail the roll and suffer consequences (like the old rules for rolling a 1 in DnD). I called these "penalties" and had three different types: fatigue, injury, and encumbrance. There were also some spells that could cause several points of "fatigue" when they hit a target, like ice AOE spells, etc. Getting hit in the head could also cause fatigue, which would effectively knock the creature "silly" at the point where they were rolling more fumbles than succeeding.
In my rules, of course, this allowed for "exhaustion" to affect spellcasting. A wizard who was out of spell slots could still cast a spell, but might suffer a fatigue penalty for doing so. In these UA rules, I can see how a spellcaster trying to cast after exhausting their spell slots would gain 1 level of exhaustion for each level of the spell they cast (so casting a level 9 spell would put them very near to death). I can imagine the Naruto moments now...the only question would be whether the spell's DC would be affected by the exhaustion caused by casting the spell.
~not a "lazy dungeon master"
More likely a DC to cast the spell - DC=10 + exauston level or so ting similar.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
Just saying, exhaustion as written in the UA works just fine in a game when a long rest is a miracle cure for most physical trauma and having one's butt kicked.
Also recognize, exhaustion isn't simply employed in ten day cycles. Exhaustion can also be used in endurance challenges (say running the Planes of Marathon if you know how that played out according to legend). Exhaustion is used in chase mechanics for exceeding one's CON based dash capacity (possibly useful in running from the fright in your Halloween games next week, characters may drop dead from fright trying to get away). Exhaustion is not used for when you're simply going for a walk, it's used when you're in Fitzcarraldo straits. And we haven't even started talking about the way undead or magical life draining effects can make use of the exhaustion mechanic (brutal DMs give this to Wights to make life drain actually menacing again). I think when we realize we're talking a heroic fantasy game with a myriad ways exhaustion can be applied, the UA offering is pretty promising, and I'm definitely in the let's not poo poo this.
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
Exhaustion
Some special abilities, combat and environmental hazards and/or wear and tear from travel and adventuring, such as starvation and long-term effects of freezing or scorching temperatures, can lead to a special condition called exhaustion. Depending on the level of stress or the amount of strain physically or mentally an activity requires, could either give exhaustion to you or make you roll a constitution save in order to overcome or power your way through it. Mind over matter. The DM will advise.
Exhaustion is measured in 6 levels. Exhaustion stacks, therefore giving the player all the effects of exhaustion equal to the level they have aquired. An effect can give a creature 1 or more levels of exhaustion, as specified below:
Exhaustion
I really like the idea that you may have to roll Constitution saves at the end of major fights or climbs or conditions ect. where other things might just give them to you. This flexibility creates more issues and times to deal with it and makes Constitution more valuable. Also, I like the idea possibly that when you rest, you can spend hit dice to get rid of exhaustion instead of healing, making potions and other means of healing more important. Just some ideas.
To know the light, you must sometimes experience the dark.