Rests, Recovery & Fatigue
Adventuring is exhausting. Here’s how you push through—and what happens when you can’t.
Fatigue
Fatigue tracks exhaustion. You start at 0 and gain levels when pushed beyond your limits. Each level stacks—Fatigue 3 means −3 to all your checks and saves.
| Level | Effect |
|---|---|
| 1 | −1 to all checks and saves |
| 2 | −2 to all checks and saves |
| 3 | −3 to all checks and saves; Speed drops to Slow |
| 4 | −4 to all checks and saves; Speed remains Slow |
| 5 | Incapacitated—can’t act until you rest |
Gaining Fatigue
When you’re pushed beyond your limits, roll CON save (DC 12). On a failure, gain +1 Fatigue.
Common triggers:
- Forced march (extra Watch of travel)
- Skipping rest in a dungeon (after 6 Turns without resting)
- Dropping to 0 HP and getting back up
- Sleeping in heavy armor
- No food or water
- Soaked and cold, or blazing heat
- Long swims or climbs in armor
- Toxic fumes or bad air
Extreme conditions use DC 16. Proper gear or shelter gives Edge. Severe conditions give Setback.
Breather (10 minutes)
After a fight or hard exertion, you can catch your breath. Spend 1 Supply and choose one:
- Heal: Regain 1d4 + CON HP.
- Shake it off: Roll CON save (DC 12) to remove 1 Fatigue.
If an ally spends the Breather tending to you, you can do both.
In a dungeon, resting for a Turn counts as a Breather. This is also how you avoid Fatigue from extended exploration—rest for a Turn every hour or so.
Night’s Rest (8 hours)
A full night of sleep in reasonable conditions.
Healing: Spend any number of your Hit Dice. For each die spent, roll it and add CON to the result. Regain that many HP.
You have Hit Dice equal to your level—one per level, using the die size for each class you have levels in. Spent Hit Dice don’t return until you reach a Safe Haven. This is a key resource: you can keep adventuring as long as you have Hit Dice to spend, but eventually you’ll need to return to safety.
Magic: Regain all spell slots. You may change prepared spells.
Fatigue: Remove 2 levels if you have food and shelter. Remove 1 if you’re roughing it.
Shelter means protection from the elements. A tent or building counts. A bedroll under clear skies counts. A bedroll in a storm doesn’t.
Safe Haven (1d4+1 days)
Extended rest in a safe, comfortable location—a town, friendly keep, or secure camp far from danger.
- Full reset: All HP, Hit Dice, spell slots, and Fatigue restored.
- Downtime: Time to train, research, craft, or pursue other activities.
The variable duration matters. You can’t plan exactly when you’ll be ready—roll when you arrive, not when you want to leave. Sometimes the dungeon won’t wait. Factions move, rivals act, opportunities close. Going back to town has consequences beyond just healing.
Why This System?
OSwR’s three-tier rest system creates a different rhythm than 5e’s short/long rest model.
Breathers let you push on. Even with low HP, you can patch yourself up after a fight and keep going. You’re not forced to retreat after every encounter—but each Breather costs Supply, and Supply runs out.
Night’s Rest costs Hit Dice. You can heal overnight, but you’re spending a limited resource. A Fighter can keep burning through Hit Dice for several days of hard adventuring—but eventually they run dry. This creates natural pressure to return to safety without arbitrary limits on “adventuring days.”
Safe Haven takes time. Going back to town isn’t free. The 1d4+1 days means uncertainty—you might be ready in 2 days, or it might take 5. Meanwhile, the dungeon doesn’t pause. This makes the choice to retreat meaningful: you’re trading progress for recovery, and you don’t know exactly how much time you’re losing.
Fatigue adds stakes. You get progressively worse at everything as exhaustion builds. It’s pressure that accumulates, not a sudden death spiral. And because it clears slowly (1-2 levels per night), it rewards careful resource management over reckless pushing. At Fatigue 5 you’re incapacitated—and if you’re dying, Fatigue makes your death rolls worse (see Death & Dying).