5 Minute Workday

The 5 minute workday refers to the PCs having daily powers which recharge after resting.
I discuss how often the PCs can rest.



Much has been said about the 5 minute workday.

PCs are more powerful with all their daily powers.
So it is logical that they try to avoid spending them and try to recharge them as much as possible.

Storytelling solutions

There are several storytelling techniques that solve "resting after each combat encounter":

• Enemy prepares for the PCs, future encounters get harder
• Enemy ambushes the PCs when they try to rest
• There is a time limit: the evil wizard completes a ritual, the virgin is sacrificed, etc

These story changes are often logical in a way that actions have consequences.
But sometimes it feels forced to use a time limit continuously.

All of these things are changes in the story to fix a mechanical problem,
to force PCs into having X combat encounters per day.
A DM needs to manage this, which he shouldn't have to.
An unexperienced DM may have trouble handling this.

4E solutions

I like the ideas in 4E:

• Action Point (AP) after 2 battles
• more magic item powers are available after milestones
• magic items get stronger after milestones
• all classes have daily powers so each character has the same motivation to rest

Unfortunately, things don't work out in our group.
I often give 1 AP per combat encounter and give magic items that get more powerful after milestones.
I would like to have more magic items that get a power boost after a milestone.

I can always invent some but that's more work for me and it doesn't fit in the character builder.
In an ideal 4E D&D, there would be many common items that get better after milestones.

Healing surges

Healing surges are also a daily resource:
some classes lose lots of them and others don't.

I haven't found much problems with healing surges unless the PCs have been fighting healing surge-draining monsters all day.

If it becomes a problem, there exists a ritual in Dragon 380 named Comrades' Succor which transfers healing surges between PCs.
Another option is for PCs to take Durable feats.

Here is a good article about healing surges as a daily resource:
Healing Surges Revisited