Resting

Resting is an essential part of any campaign, adventure, or quest. At times parties will voluntarily choose to rest to regain HP (and Spirit). Other times a GM will simply suggest that it is drawing close to night time and the party is weary from their travels. Ultimately, as with most things, it is up to the players to decide if and when they will rest. However, if choosing NOT to rest the GM maybe apply the “Exhaustion” effect to players that aren’t getting enough rest (See the Exhaustion section below).

Resting

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Types of Rest

While resting can be used as a storytelling element or roleplaying tool for your GM to the indicate passage of time, it is also a means by which players can regain a percentage of their HP (and Spirit, where applicable) and remove stacks of Exhaustion.. This process is divided into three types or durations of rest.

Full Rest

When resting the GM can handle the resting phase however they see fit, but the most common approach is to assume a period of 6-8 hours of intentional and non-strenuous activity, where the majority of that time is spent in uninterrupted sleep. This is typically referred to as a Full-Rest. The percentage of HP and Spirit regained from a Full rest is determined by the Resting Categories table. Each true Full Rest removes 2 stacks of Exhaustion.

Half Rest

A Full-Rest can be further split into two equal portions of Half-Rest, often referred to as First Watch and Second Watch. This works well for other mechanics in Realm of Strife that state that they cost a half-rest or require spending a half-rest doing something. (i.e. Memorizing a new Spirit power). Some activities state that they cost a half-rest or require spending a half-rest doing something. Doing so negates any resting benefits, while still occupying the same time period. Players that don’t require a Full Rest to regain HP or Spirit, may opt to spend one or both watches engaged in other beneficial activities. However, each Half rest spent actually resting will return half of the HP and Spirit that a Full Rest would, and removes 1 stack of Exhaustion.

Quick Rest

A Quick-Rest is something entirely different, lasting only perhaps 30-60 minutes. It can be thought of as a light rest that represents stopping to eat, catch ones breathe, gain new bearings, or tend to minor wounds.  It does NOT include sleep and is not significant enough to remove any stacks of Exhaustion. Provided there are no negative environmental effects it does naturally return 10% of max HP and Spirit, regardless of resting categories.

Taking Watch

When choosing to rest for the night, players should determine who is taking “First Watch” and who is taking “Second Watch”, where each “watch” consists of one Half-Rest. Players that elect to take a watch, do not benefite from any resting effects for that half-rest.

Once all players have decided what they will be doing during the Resting phase the GM can use random rolls to determine if there is an encounter during the night, and then determine during which watch it occurs.

If an encounter happens during the first watch, typically no HP (or Spirit) is restored, but everyone involved could still achieve a Half Rest once the battle is over, awarded in the morning. However if the encounter happens during the second watch, GMs will usually give a Half Rest equivalent of HP (and Spirit) back to the players, but none in the morning. If there is any encounter at all the HP and Spirit restored is usually reduced to a Half Rest for anyone involved.

Encounters

While resting it is not uncommon for encounters to occur. This could be a gang of bandits looking for easy prey, or wild animals looking for food. In either of these cases the primary object of the foe may not necessarily be to attack. Often these encounters will see the foe trying to sneak in an take what they want without alerting anyone. Others may have no qualms with butchering would be adventurers in their sleep. It is always best to leave someone on watch to prevent any unfortunate deaths or loss of items.

The likelihood of an encounter occurring is a the discretion of the GM, but is proportionate to the duration of a rest. Typically, the GM may do one random roll of each half rest and have little or no chance of encounter during a quick rest. However, if traveling through a particularity dangerous or high threat area a GM is free to increase the chances drastically or even prevent resting altogether.

Typically encounters that occur while resting can often be set up as ambushes, particularly if the character(s) on watch fail a Perception check. When and if battle is joined it usually works best for sleeping players to stay asleep until passing a Perception check or being physically awoken by another player or from taking damage.

For most players, waking during combat counts as being Knocked Down. Once awoken, roll your Initiative Score as normal and place yourself in the Turn Order.

Hiding While Resting

Provided the player can justify it through their role-playing or the use of Stealth skills, they can elect to Hide while resting or sleeping. This makes it much less likely that an enemy will attack them in their sleep and also allows them to have Stealth Available when and if they wake up during a nighttime encounter.

Resting Categories

• When resting under normal conditions your receive HP and Spirit back based on a percentage of your max HP or Spirit (i.e. Max HP=30, current HP=5, regain 50%, HP=20)
• If rests are interrupted the GM decides what percent of the standard percent is regained, though typically a half rest cuts the HP and Spirit restored in half (i.e. if receiving 10% back from each category, but only getting a Half Rest, the 60% of max restored, is reduced to 30%)
• There are 6 categories that increase the percentage of HP regained from resting, only one bonus per category may apply

Note: At the discretion of the GM negative modifiers may apply to compensate for other factors such as resting in a blizzard, wet clothing, pests, harsh environments, sickness, etc…in some cases this could result in actually losing HP after resting.

Some easy examples

A cozy tavern: comfort 30% + shelter 30% + food 20% + covering 20% = 100%
Officers war quarters: comfort 20% + shelter 30% + food 20% + fire 10% + covering 10% = 90%
Recovering in a healers pavilion: comfort 20% + shelter 30% + covering 10% + healer 20% = 80%
Decent trail camp: comfort 10% + shelter 20% + food 20% + fire 10% + covering 10% = 70%
Medic hut: comfort 10% + shelter 10% + food 10% + fire 10% + covering 10% + healer 10% = 60%
Dingy backwater inn: comfort 20% + shelter 20% + covering 10% = 50%
Basic trail camp: comfort 10% + food 10% + fire 10% + covering 10% = 40%
A farmers barn: comfort 10% + shelter 20% = 30%
Opps, I forgot to buy anything but weapons and armor, good thing I bound this cave full of soft moss: Comfort 10% + Shelter 10% = 20%
Passing out drunk in an alley: comfort(drunk) 10% = 10%
Getting knocked out in an alley: 0%
Getting knocked out in an alley in the rain: environmental effect -10%
Getting knocked out in combat and left for dead in a snow storm: environmental effect -20%

Exhaustion

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Exhaustion is applied as a stacking effect whenever players make the decision to skip resting. Skipping a rest means that when the party or the GM indicates it is time to Rest (i.e. for the night) the player doesn’t actually sleep. This could be because they choose to stand watch for the whole night, or perhaps use the time to study a Sacred Text (or a combination of both). Another situation where Exhaustion might occur is if a party chooses to travel through the night to make up lost time or arrive at their destination quicker. Regardless, anytime a character skips or is otherwise prevented from sleeping during a Resting phase, they receive a stack of Exhaustion.

Characters under the effects of Exhaustion also have a percentage chance to involuntarily fall asleep during any lull in activity, making it increasingly risky to have the same character standing watch night after night.

Gaining or Losing Exhaustion Stacks

+1 Exhaustion for every day spent without sleep
-1 Exhaustion for every Half Rest
-2 Exhaustion for every Full Rest