Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Nibelung_ajr Aug 08, 2009 15:52:27	I'm starting an Eberron campaign soon, and i will test a new houserule that I was mumbling around a little to (1) avoid the 2-fights workday, and (2) give back the random encounters (level-1, most). Extended rests will not be controlled by night-and-day-cycle, but by heroes-villains-cycle. While is "daytime", is when the heroes will reach the village, know about the big bad, and try to resolve whatever problems he is bringing for this place. No matter how many hours, days, or weeks will pass since the heroes arrived. What will give the big bad time to react is when the heroes "take a break". When the players choose to take an extended rest, then its time for the big bad to move his pieces around the table. The mortal disease will envolve, the world ending artifact will be closer to completion, the dansel in distress will be killed/sacrificed, the serial killer make another victim, and all the defensive formation of his fortress of doom will be changed and rearranged. When the heroes wake from their rest, the place will change, according with they last actions. Now the big bad will know about then, and will try to do whatever he prepared last "night". By now, only theoricaly, i issued that info: Pros: 1- Everyone will know that they NEED to act before the big bad do something horrible to everyone. They dont know how much time they have before the world is doomed, so this will bring a sense of urgency to everyone. 2- Random, low-level encounters, will be again a threat. Not so bad, since they can dispatch then all in 4 rounds, tops. But maybe anyone will lose a surge or 2, and a extended rest will not be a clean and fast way to avoid this. 3- Possibility to open any history that can be developed over one single day. Like the classic Eberron-ish plot of finding a murderer or a trafficker, when you will engage one or 2 fights per week, but on actual rules they will discharge every daily power they have because the time is enough for then to rest. Cons: 1- Suspension of Disbelief. "So, if I enter the fortress of doom, knock out the guards, go back to the village for one week, and return, nobody will perceive the knocked guards because we didnt rest?". This can be an issue depending of your group. Mine i know that i can handle this, but not everyone can. 2- Need good preparations "on the fly", because ANY TIME the group wants to rest, you need to, at least, mentalize how the big bad will react to the last events. I'm a low-prep, high-improvise DM, so this is my natural style. Many people wouldnt feel nice when they need to rearrange combat encounters or any already prepared board. So, i'm open to comments. What do you think about this all?
#2 Qube Aug 10, 2009 6:31:58	the best fix I've seen so far, is 'session powers': you regain daily not after an extended rest, but in the beginning of a session. suing a daily power means you lost it for the rest of the session. One could rule the characters need a week (?) to regain their surges ... and a lot can happen in a week ...