If the party is in a dungeon or an active fortress or some similar environment, we're talking anywhere from 3-6 encounters between long rests. Possibly more, but again, very situation specific.
If the party is traveling from one locale to another and it's not some kind of stretch of hellish landscape, burgeoning with undead or fiends or a hostile army, then it's 1-2 encounters usually per traveling day.
If you include non-combat encounters, then typically 6-10 encounters per adventuring day, 2-3 between short or long rests.
If you’re only counting combat encounters then 3-4 per adventuring day. But I typically make them all Deadly+, so it still works with the 2ish (1-3) short rests per adventuring day, 1 rest in between each encounter (more or less).
There is no standard for my table, that is the issue. Depends on the adventure and the story.
I'm not asking about the standard. I'm asking about the average (really, median is probably best there). This means "in actual play, this is what seems to happen", not "this is what we try to have happen".
I'm going to say 3-4. I'm kind of dropping out of the equation the calendar year more numerous days of travel, downtime etc that have zero encounters that use resources. But out of the days that things are happening 3-4 is the most common I guess. Heavy days might get up to 6, light days 1-2, but on average 3-4. There likely will be more encounters but skill checks or a plan solve them without resources spent usually. Just because the mage can cast fly to get everyone across the gorge doesn't mean they will or its the best option when a rope and basic checks will do it.
The design I see is usually 2-3 combat encounters on a adventure day. And 1-2 non combat encounters. I will say our dm really goes for larger encounters with usually over double the party in enemies.
Also of note our table really hits traveling and downtime as adventure preparation(ranger foraging or other free activities, potion crafts ect.)
Wide variance between campaigns and DMs. Depending on who's running what, we can go from having a good few sessions between combat to hitting two or three fights in a two-hour session. At almost no point do we ever bother short resting, so it's all between longs. I can't really answer the poll because there's so much variance between different games that any single fixed-in-place answer would be dishonest.
In my games, and I guess for everybody games, it depends a lot on the act and the narrative arc that is being played. In any case, we are going to assume that we are at the climax of an arc. In that case, in my games we would do about 6-9 fights per long rest, with one or two short rests in between (about 3-4 fights per short rest).
Also keep in mind that many of those 6-9 fights a day can be avoided if players are smart. I usually design them so that players have to spend resources, but there are always ways to avoid them or finish them too early (saving resources for bigger fights).
Going off the numbers we are seeing so far, it looks like the standard is closer to 1 short rest per adventuring day than it is 2.
Mode encounters per rest is 1.5 with less than 1/3 of tables having over 5 encounters per long rest. This will help when I finally do a full old vs new break down with the given goal of "they wanted to give warlocks the ability to cast more spells".
Shocker -- most people don't fight enough monsters to actually meaningfully tax their innumerable spell slots! I'm glad to see my assumption playing out in the numbers. I'd be even more glad to see it fixed.
Going off the numbers we are seeing so far, it looks like the standard is closer to 1 short rest per adventuring day than it is 2.
Eh, the median is 3-4 encounters per long rest, 1-2 encounters per short rest, which suggests "3 encounters each separated by a short rest" is decently common.
Perhaps this survey lacked a 3rd part, asking about the level intervals of the players in those games (And not count oneshots?), I say if a good part will not exceed level 6, perhaps fewer encounters are to be expected than when you are at level 10 or higher.
Perhaps this survey lacked a 3rd part, asking about the level intervals of the players in those games (And not count oneshots?), I say if a good part will not exceed level 6, perhaps fewer encounters are to be expected than when you are at level 10 or higher.
Good point at levels 1-3 we usually have very few encounters per day as when you have like 15 hit points a single fight can be very swingy.
The groups I've been in really haven't utilized Short Rests very frequently. It's often a string of encounters and obstacles and then a long rest, which is why I put 3 for the first question and 3-4 for the second.
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If you include non-combat encounters, then typically 6-10 encounters per adventuring day, 2-3 between short or long rests.
If you’re only counting combat encounters then 3-4 per adventuring day. But I typically make them all Deadly+, so it still works with the 2ish (1-3) short rests per adventuring day, 1 rest in between each encounter (more or less).
Pretty much the same here, though depends if you count social interactions as an encounter. TBH I don't really see the point of any combat that is less than Hard, seems like a waste of everyone's time to run a combat where the outcome is completely forgone before the combat even starts.
Should've just asked how many short rests people have. Usually about 0. Either there's no need or no opportunity.
Not in my experience, one of campaigns has relatively short sessions (3 hours) and the DM likes to leave off on a LR so we generally don't have enough encounters to warrant a SR, but all my other games we average 1 SR per day when we're actually on the adventure and not walking around town talking to people.
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Since it was asked.
It's very situation and locale-dependent.
If the party is in a dungeon or an active fortress or some similar environment, we're talking anywhere from 3-6 encounters between long rests. Possibly more, but again, very situation specific.
If the party is traveling from one locale to another and it's not some kind of stretch of hellish landscape, burgeoning with undead or fiends or a hostile army, then it's 1-2 encounters usually per traveling day.
There is no standard for my table, that is the issue. Depends on the adventure and the story.
If you include non-combat encounters, then typically 6-10 encounters per adventuring day, 2-3 between short or long rests.
If you’re only counting combat encounters then 3-4 per adventuring day. But I typically make them all Deadly+, so it still works with the 2ish (1-3) short rests per adventuring day, 1 rest in between each encounter (more or less).
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I'm not asking about the standard. I'm asking about the average (really, median is probably best there). This means "in actual play, this is what seems to happen", not "this is what we try to have happen".
I'm going to say 3-4. I'm kind of dropping out of the equation the calendar year more numerous days of travel, downtime etc that have zero encounters that use resources. But out of the days that things are happening 3-4 is the most common I guess. Heavy days might get up to 6, light days 1-2, but on average 3-4. There likely will be more encounters but skill checks or a plan solve them without resources spent usually. Just because the mage can cast fly to get everyone across the gorge doesn't mean they will or its the best option when a rope and basic checks will do it.
The design I see is usually 2-3 combat encounters on a adventure day. And 1-2 non combat encounters. I will say our dm really goes for larger encounters with usually over double the party in enemies.
Also of note our table really hits traveling and downtime as adventure preparation(ranger foraging or other free activities, potion crafts ect.)
Wide variance between campaigns and DMs. Depending on who's running what, we can go from having a good few sessions between combat to hitting two or three fights in a two-hour session. At almost no point do we ever bother short resting, so it's all between longs. I can't really answer the poll because there's so much variance between different games that any single fixed-in-place answer would be dishonest.
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In my games, and I guess for everybody games, it depends a lot on the act and the narrative arc that is being played. In any case, we are going to assume that we are at the climax of an arc. In that case, in my games we would do about 6-9 fights per long rest, with one or two short rests in between (about 3-4 fights per short rest).
Also keep in mind that many of those 6-9 fights a day can be avoided if players are smart. I usually design them so that players have to spend resources, but there are always ways to avoid them or finish them too early (saving resources for bigger fights).
Going off the numbers we are seeing so far, it looks like the standard is closer to 1 short rest per adventuring day than it is 2.
Mode encounters per rest is 1.5 with less than 1/3 of tables having over 5 encounters per long rest. This will help when I finally do a full old vs new break down with the given goal of "they wanted to give warlocks the ability to cast more spells".
Shocker -- most people don't fight enough monsters to actually meaningfully tax their innumerable spell slots! I'm glad to see my assumption playing out in the numbers. I'd be even more glad to see it fixed.
Eh, the median is 3-4 encounters per long rest, 1-2 encounters per short rest, which suggests "3 encounters each separated by a short rest" is decently common.
Perhaps this survey lacked a 3rd part, asking about the level intervals of the players in those games (And not count oneshots?), I say if a good part will not exceed level 6, perhaps fewer encounters are to be expected than when you are at level 10 or higher.
Good point at levels 1-3 we usually have very few encounters per day as when you have like 15 hit points a single fight can be very swingy.
The groups I've been in really haven't utilized Short Rests very frequently. It's often a string of encounters and obstacles and then a long rest, which is why I put 3 for the first question and 3-4 for the second.
BoringBard's long and tedious posts somehow manage to enrapture audiences. How? Because he used Charm Person, the #1 bard spell!
He/him pronouns. Call me Bard. PROUD NERD!
Ever wanted to talk about your parties' worst mistakes? Do so HERE. What's your favorite class, why? Share & explain
HERE.Should've just asked how many short rests people have. Usually about 0. Either there's no need or no opportunity.
Making assumptions like that is a great way to get skewed poll results.
You can derive the answer to that from the other two questions. The average appears to be 1-2.
Pretty much the same here, though depends if you count social interactions as an encounter. TBH I don't really see the point of any combat that is less than Hard, seems like a waste of everyone's time to run a combat where the outcome is completely forgone before the combat even starts.
Not in my experience, one of campaigns has relatively short sessions (3 hours) and the DM likes to leave off on a LR so we generally don't have enough encounters to warrant a SR, but all my other games we average 1 SR per day when we're actually on the adventure and not walking around town talking to people.