Justin's Random Generators for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition

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Variant Healing Rules

So, this page is not a generator. Rather, it's a set of alternative play rules for character healing. Some players and DMs dislike the default system for character healing, which makes it possible to characters to recover from anything (well, aside from things like curses and diseases) simply by sleeping one night. It's what I refer to as "Final Fantasy healing" (no jab intended against those games, they're among my favorites).

The core rulebooks actually provide an alternative to address this (a short rest becomes the length of a long rest, and a long rest becomes much longer), but it presents some problems of its own. For example, the spell Rope Trick no longer provides its primary use (allowing a safe place for the party for exactly the duration of a short rest).

In my variant, the lengths of the rests are preserved, but the effects of each type of rest are greatly reduced, and I've added a 3rd type of rest called "Vacation" that is for a week.

See the table below for a list of the changes, with some explanations following the table

* Characters resting can gain a benefit from making a DC 15 Medicine check. This means they successfully tended to any minor wounds they had, lowered stress levels, etc.

** In this case, roll dice according to the character's Hit Die to regain hit points, but this does not actually expend a Hit Die. So a fighter (of any level) making use of a long rest would automatically regain 1d10 hit points, but with a DC 15 medicine check, they would automatically regain 2d10 hit points. Additionally they may actually expend hit dice if needed.

*** When resting for vacation, the character does not have to be bedridden the entire time. They may engage in minimal activity, including buying/selling items, social activity with NPCs, and magical research. They can not, however, work.

Want more rules? Here are some additional rules that go with the above rules. You can play the above rules by themselves, of course, but the following rules add some functionality to existing aspects of the game that don't have much functionality currently.

Additional Long Rest Requirements

Resting for the night is no good if you can't sleep or have nothing to eat. To get the benefits of a long rest when outside:

• The party must prepare a meal. To do this requires 1 ration for each character.
• One character of choice makes a DC 10 Survival check.
• Having an iron pot and tinderbox both add +1 to the Survival Check.
• A character must have a mess kit in inventory to consume the meal properly.
• If a character does not have a mess kit, they do not get the full benefit. If the Survival check is failed, all characters fail to get the full benefit.
• Any character that fails to get the full benefit treats the long rest as a short rest instead.

Healing Adjustments by Inn type

Normally, there is very little difference between the quality of the Inn rooms purchased, or even sleeping outside. For those who want it, this provides some additional functionality.

* When sleeping outside, there is a 25% chance of being attacked at night.

** All characters and pack animals are given enough food and water for 1 week.