When your player characters first arrive in a town, they may be invited to stay in the palace of the king or camp with guards outside the city walls. However, barring a plot-specific reason why their accommodations are already taken care of, how can "we take a long rest" become more than just hit point dice rolls? Can resting be an adventure all its own? I think it can.
Living the Good Life
Don't worry about combat rests; they're simply a break in the action.
The goal here is to simplify your life as a GM when "lets get a room at the tavern" gives way to "let's buy a house" or "let's bunk with Gimley the Troll". I want to add two simple house rules that take a normally innocuous short or long rest to a place where your players reminisce later saying, "Hey, remember that time we rested and I got this crazy shield?"
So, how do we make this happen? Here are the rules:
- Every non-combat rest costs something
- Every non-combat rest gives players a potential side quest
The Cost of a Good Night's Sleep
When you go on vacation you have two choices: sleep in the bus terminal or get a room. The latter can further break down into everything from renting the penthouse to sleeping in shifts on a single twin-sized bed. Which "lifestyle" you choose comes down to how much you're willing to spend:
- [FREE] WRETCHED
- [ 3sp] SQUALID
- [ 7sp] POOR
- [14sp] MODEST
- [ 2gp] COMFORTABLE
- [ 5gp] WEALTHY
- [10gp] ARISTOCRATIC
The amount paid is good for one (1) rest. The values listed above change depending on the location of the rest. After all, an "aristocratic" rest in a village should cost less than an "aristocratic" rest in a major city. To facilitate this, scale the above prices based on location:
- [x1] CAMPGROUNDS, VILLAGES
- [x2] TRADING POSTS, TOWNS, PORTS
- [x3] FORTRESSES, SMALL CITIES
- [x4] LARGE CITIES, DOCKS
- [x5] CASTLES
As game master, hopefully you have a feel for your economy and can alter the prices above as necessary. For extra fun, don't tell your PCs what the pay scale is. Instead, tell them where they'll be resting and ask, "How much will you spending on lodging at Wormwood Castle?".
Lifestyles of the Rich and Shameless
Once your players pay for their accommodations, it's time to tell them what they are in store for. Lifestyle categories can be broken down as follows:
- WRETCHED - The criminal element that haunts this area watches you relentlessly. The idea of having walls is laughable. Even with a tent to stop the rain, disease is a constant companion and the guards rouse you like clockwork. To the guards, you are only paperwork.
- SQUALID - The most degrading and squalid conditions, you are constantly hungry, eager for your next chance to make a buck, and luck simply isn't on your side. You have only minimal legal protections.
- POOR - Whether you choose the tavern or a flophouse, the result is the same: noise. You're surrounded by the din of a thousand people and rub elbows with the higher criminal types and disreputables. Health and legal protections are basic but available.
- MODEST - You've spent enough that, while simple, your accommodations are restful. You meet soldiers, mercenaries, the occasional spy/assassin, students, and tradesmen. Guards and doctors are familiar faces and will get to know you.
- COMFORTABLE - Not only are you sharing fine housing with merchants, but you're also shopping with them as well. Your lives intertwine with the top tradespeople and your bunkmate is just as likely to be a city guard as a low-level diplomat. Guards will investigate crimes against you at your request.
- WEALTHY - You have all that you could need. Your clothing is nice. You are well-groomed. Your stories fall on the ears of suitors the rest of the city dream to interact with. The top businessmen, traveling landowners, their servants, and dignitaries are your friends. Guards patrol the inside of the building and disease is not even a thought.
- ARISTOCRATIC - You live in the world of plenty mingling with the highest circle available. Whether a personal townhouse or a room at the palace, invites to social gatherings are as plentiful as deceit and treachery. Your rooms have guards.
Dice Calculations
To figure out what happens to your PCs while they are resting, roll a d20 die three times:
- Poor Crime (activates with a "5" or less after modifier)
- Genius Crime (activates with a "5" or less after modifier)
- Noble Side Quest (activates with a "15" or higher after modifier)
Adjust each roll based on lifestyle:
- WRETCHED
guaranteed poor event, +5 genius, -6 noble - SQUALID
-5 poor, +0 genius, -5 noble - POOR
-3 poor, -1 genius, -5 noble - MODEST
-2 poor, -2 genius, -2 noble - COMFORTABLE
+0 poor, -3 genius, +0 noble - WEALTHY
+5 poor, -4 genius, +5 noble - ARISTOCRATIC
+5 poor, -5 genius, guaranteed noble event
Notice that taking a free rest (wretched) guarantees a poor crime event while paying for an aristocratic rest guarantees a noble event.
Examples
For example, your players pay for a "wretched" rest. You roll a "17", a "9", and a "6". The first roll of "17" doesn't matter because they're guaranteed a poor crime event. The second roll becomes a "14" (roll of "9" and a +5 modifier) so no genius crime occurs (must be "5" or less). For the last roll, the "6" becomes a "0", so clearly no noble finds them in the gutter.
As a second example, your players pay for a "comfortable" rest. You roll a "3", a "12", and a "16". The first roll of "3" stays a "3" (+0). That's a tough roll, so there will be a poor crime event. The second roll of "12" becomes a "9", so they avoid that. For the last roll, the "16" stays a "16", so a noble calls upon our friends (because it's "15" or higher).
Crimes and Side Quests
Don't tell your players, "okay, so here is your poor crime". Instead, just launch right into the narrative. At this point, you can add your own quests and crimes that fit your world or choose one from the following list:
- Poor Crimes
- During the night, one weapon/armor/gold is stolen from each player (game master's choice)
- During the night, an arsonist torches their flophouse and they can only keep fifteen inventory items (of their choice)
- During the night, one of them goes out drinking, gets into a fight, and goes to jail (bail required)
- Genius Crimes
- A businessman asks the adventurers to collect a debt. Turns out there was no debt and now they're considered robbers.
- Someone hides contraband on an adventurer and the Sheriff gives them 24 hours to find out who it was or pay a fine.
- A barkeep falsely claims that she didn't get paid and the Sheriff demands you make restitution or go to jail.
- Noble Side Quests
- You get tickets to the opera and meet a new contact.
- You are asked to escort some goods across town for money.
- You are asked to guard a warehouse in exchange for a 1% discount.
Other Benefits
Rests v2.0 is a great way to fix your economy if you've accidentally given your adventurers too much money. Having players spend money to stay safe and comfortable between quests pulls gold out of their wallets and gives you opportunities to take back overpowered items through theft.
If you enjoy this game mechanic, you can apply something similar to quests as well. If players are asked to escort a caravan, for instance, they may hire additional guards or camels using their own gold knowing they'll make that money back once the job is successful.
This kind of system helps players understand the economy. If they know that 2gp is a comfortable night's sleep in Redwood, they'll be excited when they get 6gp for that Shield of the Hollow Wind they couldn't carry anyway because they're allergic to metal.
Finally, traditional rests are monotonous. Sure, maybe the "tavern" becomes a "brothel" every now and again or you throw in the old "that night while on patrol, you see a goblin" thing, but starting a day with "on your second night in town, Anderson got drunk at the local pub and he wakes up in the alley without his sword" can really get the blood flowing right out of the gate.
Is this too much work for already beleaguered game masters? Are my pay rates ludicrous? Add your thoughts to the comments below and, if you like this post, share it with your friends on Facebook and Twitter.