Short Rest

A short rest is a period of downtime, at least 1 hour long, during which characters do nothing more strenuous than eating, drinking, reading, and tending to wounds.

Duration:

• Minimum 1 hour
• No maximum specified (but longer becomes a long rest alternative)
• Interrupted by combat, walking, or other strenuous activity

What You Can Do During a Short Rest:

• Light activity (reading, talking, eating)
• Attune to magic items (requires short rest)
• Spend Hit Dice to heal
• Use class features that recharge on short rest

What Interrupts a Short Rest:

• Combat
• Casting most spells
• Walking any significant distance
• Strenuous physical activity
• Taking damage

What Are Hit Dice?

• You have Hit Dice equal to your level
• Die size depends on class (d6 for wizard, d12 for barbarian)
• They're a healing resource

Using Hit Dice on Short Rest:

• At the end of a short rest, spend any number of Hit Dice
• Roll each die and add Constitution modifier
• Regain that many hit points
• Can decide after each roll whether to spend more

Example (5th-level Wizard with +2 Con):

• You have 5d6 Hit Dice
• Spend 2d6, roll 4 + 3 = 7, plus 4 (Con mod × 2) = 11 HP recovered
• You now have 3d6 Hit Dice remaining

Hit Dice Recovery:

• Regain spent Hit Dice on long rest
• Recover half your total (minimum 1) on long rest
• 10th-level character recovers 5 Hit Dice on long rest

Recharge on Short Rest:

• Wizard Arcane Recovery (once per day)
• Warlock Pact Magic (all slots)
• Fighter Second Wind, Action Surge
• Monk Ki Points (all)
• Bard Bardic Inspiration (some subclasses)
• Druid Wild Shape uses
• Channel Divinity (Cleric, Paladin)

Why Some Classes Love Short Rests:

• Warlocks, Fighters, and Monks are "short rest classes"
• They recover most of their power on short rests
• Long adventuring days favor these classes
• Wizards and Clerics are "long rest classes" - they need overnight to fully recover

When to Short Rest:

• After difficult encounters
• When Hit Dice can recover significant HP
• When classes have short-rest abilities depleted
• When you need to attune to new magic items

When NOT to Short Rest:

• Time-sensitive situations
• When enemies might reinforce or escape
• When you're at full resources
• When a long rest is imminent and feasible

Party Balance:

• 2-3 short rests per long rest is the intended design
• This balances short-rest and long-rest classes
• "Nova and rest" playstyle hurts short-rest classes
• Communicate with your party about resting needs