Resting & Injuries

For advanced players seeking a challenge, this system adds some more grit and realism to the system, without being overly punishing

Long gone are the days where adventurers can shrug off a near fatal wounds, and be up and active the next day with no consequence. Injuries add debuffs to a character, based on the nature of the injury, ranging in severity and type.

Additionally, different kinds of rest lead to different types of recuperation. An adventurer is more likely to feel more prepared for the day and more hale when they slept at home with a good meal as opposed to sleeping on a cave floor, having eaten berries.

Rules on Resting

Jump to Injuries

Types of Rest

While taking a rest, there are many conditions under which you could be resting. Perhaps you are resting on a cave floor, or perhaps resting in the most luxurious inn you’ve ever stayed at. There are bound to be different levels of recharging at those two places.


Very Comfortable Rest

Very comfortable rest is usually not achieved by adventurers. Very comfortable rest usually includes sleeping in your own bed or sleeping with very nice accommodations, such as a 4-or-5-star hotel.

A creature which completes a very comfortable rest regains all their hit dice, half their hit points, and does not suffer a point of Adventurer’s Fatigue (optional). Additionally, the creature resting recovers from two tiers of exhaustion and death fatigue instead of one.

If you are using Adventurer's Fatigue, during downtime, a very comfortable rest recovers 5 points of fatigue.


Comfortable Rest

Comfortable Rest usually involves sleeping in some sort of nice bed, outside of the elements, warmed, well fed, and secure. This may include staying at an inn or hotel that is 2 or 3 stars with a bed.

A creature which completes a comfortable rest regains all their hit dice and suffers only a single point of Adventurer’s Fatigue. (optional)

If you are using Adventurer's Fatigue, during downtime, a comfortable rest recovers 3 points of fatigue.


Uncomfortable Rest

Uncomfortable Rest is still bearable, but annoying in long stretches. This may include sleeping in a run-down inn or sleeping in a sleeping bag in the middle of the woods. Usually the temperature is not well regulated and may not be the most secure place to sleep.

A creature which completes an uncomfortable rest regains all of their long rest features, but only regains half their hit dice. Additionally, they gain 2 points of adventurer’s fatigue (optional).

If you are using Adventurer's Fatigue, during downtime, an uncomfortable rest recovers 2 points of fatigue.


Squalid Rest

A squalid rest barely constitutes as a rest. This may include sleeping on a cave floor, sleeping standing up or in a corner, or in a place where resting would be rather difficult. You regain half your long rest feature when you complete a squalid rest and no-hit dice. Injures cannot recover any days during a squalid rest. Additionally, they gain 4 points of adventurer’s fatigue (optional) and you do not regain any points of exhaustion.

During downtime, a squalid rest recovers no fatigue, but does not incur any either.



Meals

Your meal is a significant factor into your rest type. There are four types of meals.


Subpar

Subpar food lowers your rest quality by 1 tier to a floor of squalid. Subpar food is also likely to inflict the injury food poisoning

Subpar food includes, but is not limited to:

  • Eating uncooked meat or eggs

  • Eating very little, such as a single fruit or granola bar

  • Hardtack

  • Eating nearly spoiled/fully spoiled food


Average

An average meal maintains your current rest level. With an average meal, you cannot have a very comfortable rest.

Average meals generally include bland foods which have the necessary nutrients needed, but can become repetitive, bland, or disinteresting. Examples of average meals might be:

  • Unseasoned meat, beans, or eggs

  • Generic Fruit and Vegetables

  • Staples such as corn, rice, potatoes, soybeans, etc.

  • Cereal, pudding, toast, soup, etc.


Good

Good food can increase your rest quality from squalid to uncomfortable except in extreme circumstances, such as sleeping on the ground in the middle of a dust storm with no cover.

Good food generally includes prepared meals and generally has a certain amount of spices integrated in. Good food requires time to make usually and is characterized by its good taste. A good meal might include:

  • A tofu vegetable bowl

  • Spaghetti and Meatballs

  • Fried and garnished calamari

  • Bacon mac & cheese

  • Pork Chops in Mushroom Cream Sauce


Excellent

Excellent quality food upgrades your rest quality by one tier.

Excellent quality meal is not necessarily a meal which is incredibly fancy like caviar, but rather a meal which leaves on feeling wholly satisfied and sated. Generally an Excellent quality meal is only able to be made by those proficient in cooking or better and has a lot of care that goes into it. Generally, meals which are good are usually all capable of being excellent with the right preparation.


No Meal

No meal lowers your rest quality to squalid and inflicts the minor injury hungry. Two days in a row without food inflicts the major injury starving.



Adventurer's Fatigue (optional)

Throughout the course of your adventures, it is quite normal to become burnt out and tired. A long dungeon delve may be fun, but also tiresome to go at it day after day. Adventurer’s Fatigue simulates the problems with constant adventuring and encourages players to take in-game breaks.


Tier 1 (10-19)

Adventurer’s Fatigue I inflicts a status where all hit dice recovered are halved.


Tier 2 (20-39)

Adventurer’s Fatigue II grants a level of exhaustion and sets your minimum level of exhaustion to 1.


Tier 3 (40-59)

Adventurer’s Fatigue III grants a level of exhaustion and sets your minimum level of exhaustion to 2. Additionally, you cannot receive any benefits from a short rest and can only use hit dice on a long rest.


Tier 4(60-79)

Adventurer’s Fatigue IV grants a level of exhaustion and sets your minimum level of exhaustion to 3. You no longer regain hit dice and only regain half your resources on a long rest


Tier 5(80+)

Adventurer’s Fatigue V grants a level of exhaustion and sets your minimum level of exhaustion to 4 and you roll a d10 instead of a d20 for ability checks, attack rolls, and saving throws. (no critical hits)


Taking Downtime

To cure adventurer’s fatigue, you must take downtime. A day of downtime includes doing only light activities, cannot include excessive travel, and includes leisurely activities. Your rest type determines how many points of fatigue you shed.

Rules on Injuries & Aid

Jump to Resting

Throughout your journeys, you will get injured a lot, and learning how to deal with your injuries is important for long-term survival.

Injuries

There are two major types of injuries in this campaign: major and minor injuries. These both manifest in a variety of different ways and are specific to the damage type that provoked the injury.


Major Injuries

Major Injuries are caused by damage impacting you while you are unconscious. If you take damage while unconscious, or there is carryover damage which knocks you unconscious, make a Constitution Saving Throw with a DC equal to the remaining damage halved. On a failed save, you suffer a major injury. On a successful save, you only suffer a minor injury.

For example, if Tom the Cleric has 21 hit points, and an enemy deals 29 points of damage in one hit, Tom must make a DC 4 Constitution saving throw, as the remaining damage is equal to 8, halved is 4.

Major injuries manifest in all types of forms. For instance, if you took bludgeoning damage, you may suffer a major concussion whereas if you took cold damage, you may be dealing with severe nerve damage. Each of these injuries have their own disbenefits and last for a number of weeks to as long as permanently if medical care is not sought.


Minor Injuries

Minor injuries are caused by being reduced to 0 hit points, being critically hit, critically failing a saving throw, or taking more than half your max hit points in a single blow.

Minor injures are a lot more common and are not nearly as devastating, but still require medical attention. For instance, if the triggering damage is piercing damage, you may lose an eye, or if the triggering damage is poison, you may suffer minor liver or kidney damage.

Most of the time, these injures will go away on their own with proper rest, but these can be sped up using spells and taking proper medical care.



Medical Care

Resting may not be enough for some injures and medical care may be necessary. Having a cleric or healer in the party is good for quickly patching together a wound, but treating more serious injures takes serious care, which certain medical facilities can provide.


Quality Care

Quality Care might include visiting a hospital or local prolific healer. Quality Care can last anywhere from a long rest to much longer depending on the severity of the injury. Quality Care is able to provide the healing of all major and minor injuries.

When you finish a stay at quality care, you regain all your hit points and significantly reduce the time of both minor and major injuries.


Simple Care

Simple Care might include visiting a local healer or having someone who specializing in caring for injures and creatures spend a long rest treating you. Simple care is capable of healing minor injuries and lessening some of the effects of major injures.

When you finish receiving simple care, you regain half your hit points and significantly reduce the time of minor injuries and slightly mitigate the downsides of major injuries.