Well I'm looking for home-brew ideas that are balanced and work for running a warlock in a game where the short-rests are 8 hours or rarely/if ever taken. Any ideas or experiences?
To really know the answer to this, we also need info on how long rests work. Since the short rest get-backs are in proportion to the long rest get-backs.
We usually use the gritty realism variant rest rules so short rests are 8 hours. If we dont use these then we usually have a couple small encounters and 1 big one in a "day". So as a general rule short rests arent a thing for us.
Well if you're using that rule set, the long rest should be really long too right? So other spell casters should still have the same ratio of spells cast. Unless you have more long rests than short rests. At that point you can look into giving Warlocks a few more pact slots. But be careful, because the Warlock always casts on highest possible level, you don't want to give them to many as compared with full casters.
Well a suggestion is with a warlock.. they may not need any rest at all.. but slowly respawn slots over time.. but as above.. don't make it to easy.
I once had a Fea (physically presenting as a wood-elf, so hide in, concealed, obscured, and lightly obscured).. Warlock, with archfey patron, lay siege to an enemy camp goblinfolk camp . taking many 2hr short rests as he haunted an enemy camp with illusions, and his sprite's tricks.. with 4 hour long rest. You can get a lot done if you are able to rest.but that probably shouldn't be the target if gritty.
Warlocks are spell-casters that cast at the highest level on a "per-encounter" basis. Not really but that's sort of the intention if short rests are part of the campaign. If an encounter isn't worth taking a short rest after, then it probably wasn't worth burning spell slots on to begin with, so perhaps"per-major-encounter" is a better description?
How do other short rest abilities work in your game? Wizard arcane recovery, for example? Warlocks may be the most dependent on short rests, but they aren't the only ones losing out to a variant rule like that. A bard will never get to use song of rest - there are lots of classes that benefit from short rests.
Consider granting 2 slots back at the end of major encounters, and 1 after minor encounters, or something along those lines. DMs discretion.
Alternatively, consider adding a 3rd rest type. A really-short-rest that works for things like warlock spell slots but doesn't allow hit dice (or whatever else it is that you're trying to remove from the game by making standard short rests 8 hours).
We usually use the gritty realism variant rest rules so short rests are 8 hours. If we dont use these then we usually have a couple small encounters and 1 big one in a "day". So as a general rule short rests arent a thing for us.
Those rules balance "a short rest of 8 hours and a long rest of 7 days" but you can homebrew as you like. To my mind, this set-up would really swing things in a warlock's favour in comparison to other classes.
We usually use the gritty realism variant rest rules so short rests are 8 hours. If we dont use these then we usually have a couple small encounters and 1 big one in a "day". So as a general rule short rests arent a thing for us.
Those rules balance "a short rest of 8 hours and a long rest of 7 days" but you can homebrew as you like. To my mind, this set-up would really swing things in a warlock's favour in comparison to other classes.
We dont apply it to spell slot recovery, just to HP recovery. Sorry I should I have clarified that.
One thing I was thinking was adding lower level spell slots. Example, a level 5 would have 2 level 1 slots, 2 level 2 slots and 2 level 3 slots.
This variant uses a short rest of 8 hours and a long rest of 7 days. This puts the brakes on the campaign, requiring the players to carefully judge the benefits and drawbacks of combat. Characters can’t afford to engage in too many battles in a row, and all adventuring requires careful planning.
This approach encourages the characters to spend time out of the dungeon. It’s a good option for campaigns that emphasize intrigue, politics, and interactions among other NPCs, and in which combat is rare or something to be avoided rather than rushed into.
Basically, the Warlock wouldn’t change, the campaign would. In a situation like that, if they have a Rod of the Pact Keeper that still reset every dawn, it should balance things. After all, the Fighter and Monk (and Bard) would also all be in the same boat. The Sorcerer would be hosed without a Bloodwell Vial.
Edit: We’re I using Gritty Realism, I would shorten a Long Rest from 7 days to 2 (like a weekend), but that’s just me.
As long as your warlock is recovering spell slots at a much greater rate than your long rest classes you should be ok.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
A 10 minutes ritual, you can do 2 times by day, which corresponds to the worship of the patron.
Given the rules presented so far this seems like a solid option. While yes other classes have short rest features only the lock and monk rely upon it for their core features. I'd barely notice the impact as a bard, I'd notice it but it wouldn't impact me much as a fighter. As a warlock or monk this would be a massive shift in how I had to play. Locks were balanced under the assumption of 6ish encounters per day, not necessarily combat but reasons to use expendable features, and 2ish short rests.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Well I'm looking for home-brew ideas that are balanced and work for running a warlock in a game where the short-rests are 8 hours or rarely/if ever taken. Any ideas or experiences?
To really know the answer to this, we also need info on how long rests work. Since the short rest get-backs are in proportion to the long rest get-backs.
I am also here.
Am snek.
We usually use the gritty realism variant rest rules so short rests are 8 hours. If we dont use these then we usually have a couple small encounters and 1 big one in a "day". So as a general rule short rests arent a thing for us.
Well if you're using that rule set, the long rest should be really long too right? So other spell casters should still have the same ratio of spells cast. Unless you have more long rests than short rests. At that point you can look into giving Warlocks a few more pact slots. But be careful, because the Warlock always casts on highest possible level, you don't want to give them to many as compared with full casters.
I am also here.
Am snek.
Well a suggestion is with a warlock.. they may not need any rest at all.. but slowly respawn slots over time.. but as above.. don't make it to easy.
I once had a Fea (physically presenting as a wood-elf, so hide in, concealed, obscured, and lightly obscured).. Warlock, with archfey patron, lay siege to an enemy camp goblinfolk camp . taking many 2hr short rests as he haunted an enemy camp with illusions, and his sprite's tricks.. with 4 hour long rest.
You can get a lot done if you are able to rest.but that probably shouldn't be the target if gritty.
Itinerant Deputy Shire-reave Tomas Burrfoot - world walker, Raft-captain, speaker to his dead
Toddy Shelfungus- Rider of the Order of Ill Luck, Speaker to Friends of Friends, and Horribly big nosed
Jarl Archi of Jenisis Glade Fee- Noble Knight of the Dragonborn Goldcrest Clan, Sorcerer of the Noble Investigator;y; Knightly order of the Wolfhound
Warlocks are spell-casters that cast at the highest level on a "per-encounter" basis. Not really but that's sort of the intention if short rests are part of the campaign. If an encounter isn't worth taking a short rest after, then it probably wasn't worth burning spell slots on to begin with, so perhaps"per-major-encounter" is a better description?
How do other short rest abilities work in your game? Wizard arcane recovery, for example? Warlocks may be the most dependent on short rests, but they aren't the only ones losing out to a variant rule like that. A bard will never get to use song of rest - there are lots of classes that benefit from short rests.
Consider granting 2 slots back at the end of major encounters, and 1 after minor encounters, or something along those lines. DMs discretion.
Alternatively, consider adding a 3rd rest type. A really-short-rest that works for things like warlock spell slots but doesn't allow hit dice (or whatever else it is that you're trying to remove from the game by making standard short rests 8 hours).
A 10 minutes ritual, you can do 2 times by day, which corresponds to the worship of the patron.
Those rules balance "a short rest of 8 hours and a long rest of 7 days" but you can homebrew as you like. To my mind, this set-up would really swing things in a warlock's favour in comparison to other classes.
We dont apply it to spell slot recovery, just to HP recovery. Sorry I should I have clarified that.
One thing I was thinking was adding lower level spell slots. Example, a level 5 would have 2 level 1 slots, 2 level 2 slots and 2 level 3 slots.
From the other thread (https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/dungeons-dragons-discussion/homebrew-house-rules/122826-any-ideas-how-to-run-a-warlock-without-short-rests):
(For completeness sake.)
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
As long as your warlock is recovering spell slots at a much greater rate than your long rest classes you should be ok.
Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Tasha
Given the rules presented so far this seems like a solid option. While yes other classes have short rest features only the lock and monk rely upon it for their core features. I'd barely notice the impact as a bard, I'd notice it but it wouldn't impact me much as a fighter. As a warlock or monk this would be a massive shift in how I had to play. Locks were balanced under the assumption of 6ish encounters per day, not necessarily combat but reasons to use expendable features, and 2ish short rests.