This variant expands on the nature of resting to better represent the need for considering the consequences of conflict while avoiding grinding the narrative to a halt.

Heroic though they might be, adventurers can’t spend every hour of the day in the thick of exploration, social interaction, and combat. They need rest—time to sleep and eat, tend their wounds, refresh their minds and spirits for spellcasting, and brace themselves for further adventure.

Adventurers can take quick breaks and short rests in the midst of an adventuring period and a long rest to end that time. In Cloak & Coin, an adventuring period is the time between two long rests. This period can be a short as a day or two, or extended over a week. During this time, the characters should be involved in about 6 to 8 encounters of medium difficulty, and more or less if they are easy or hard encounters.

Quick Break
This is a brief pause in the action, at least 15 minutes long, during which a character does nothing more strenuous than eating, drinking, and tending to wounds. A character can spend one or more Hit Dice at the end of a quick break, up to half the character’s maximum number of Hit Dice (which is equal to the character’s level). For each Hit Die spent in this way, the player rolls the die and adds the character’s Constitution modifier to it. The character regains hit points equal to the total. The player can decide to spend an additional Hit Die after each roll. A character regains some spent Hit Dice upon finishing a long rest, as explained below.

A character does not gain any other benefits from taking a quick break.

Short Rest
This an actual period of downtime, at least two hours long taken in a relatively safe place. As with a quick break, the character does nothing more strenuous than eating, drinking, reading, tending to wounds, or standing watch. A character does not benefit from a short rest if they are wearing heavy armor.

A character can spend one or more Hit Dice at the end of a short rest, up to the character’s maximum number of Hit Dice, which is equal to the character’s level. For each Hit Die spent in this way, the player rolls the die and adds the character’s Constitution modifier to it. The character regains hit points equal to the total. The player can decide to spend an additional Hit Die after each roll. A character regains some spent Hit Dice upon finishing a long rest, as explained below.

Long Rest
This is a period of extended downtime, at least 24 hours long, during which a character sleeps for at least four hours and performs only light activity when awake. For example, reading, talking, eating, or traveling at no more than a leisurely pace. If the rest is interrupted by a period of strenuous activity – fighting, casting spells, traveling at a fast pace, or similar adventuring activity – the character must begin the rest again to gain any benefit from it.

It is not uncommon for characters to take turns standing watch. In order to benefit from a long rest, a character cannot stand watch for more than four hours at a time in an eight hour period. Similarly, a character does not benefit from a long rest if they are wearing medium or heavy armor for more than four hours at a time in an eight hour period.
At the end of a long rest, a character regains all lost hit points. The character also regains spent Hit Dice, up to a number of dice equal to half of the character’s total number of them (minimum of one die). For example, if a character has eight Hit Dice, he or she can regain four spent Hit Dice upon finishing a long rest. A long rest is also a period of recuperation. After a long rest, a character can make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. On a successful save, you end one effect on you that prevents you from regaining hit points, or for the next 24 hours, gain advantage on saving throws against one disease or poison currently affecting you.

A character must have at least 1 hit point at the start of the rest to gain its benefits.