D&D (2024) PHB 2024 Channel Divinity Question

[Evaniel]

"You can use this class’s Channel Divinity twice. You regain one of its expended uses when you finish a Short Rest, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest. You gain additional uses when you reach certain Cleric levels, as shown in the Channel Divinity column of the Cleric Features table."

If you depleted your CD, could you Short Rest twice to regain both uses? Or is it that after your first use of CD, you'll only be able to use it once per combat? How do you read this?

 

[Charlaquin]

"You can use this class’s Channel Divinity twice. You regain one of its expended uses when you finish a Short Rest, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest. You gain additional uses when you reach certain Cleric levels, as shown in the Channel Divinity column of the Cleric Features table."

If you depleted your CD, could you Short Rest twice to regain both uses? Or is it that after your first use of CD, you'll only be able to use it once per combat? How do you read this?

Sure, if you were out of Channel Divinty uses, took a short rest, and then took another short rest before using the one you got back, I’d give you the other one back too.

 

[pukunui]

I'd say theoretically, yes, two short rests would restore both. But whether or not your DM would allow you to take two short rests back to back is the real question! (I personally would rule no, as that feels like you're trying to game the system. I would just classify it as one extra-long short rest rather than two separate ones.)

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I'd say theoretically, yes, two short rests would restore both. But whether or not your DM would allow you to take two short rests back to back is the real question! (I personally would rule no, as that feels like you're trying to game the system. I would just classify it as one extra-long short rest rather than two separate ones.)

I am always unsure of it is gaming the system... There is nothing in 2 short rests that a long rest would not do.

If players feel the need to double short rest, they would probably not go ahead anyway.

 

[pukunui]

I am always unsure of it is gaming the system... There is nothing in 2 short rests that a long rest would not do.

If players feel the need to double short rest, they would probably not go ahead anyway.

Two things:

1) Long rests have a time limit (once every 24 hours) that short rests don't have.

2) Would you take two rests back-to-back in real life? Say you took a half-hour nap, and when that half-hour was up, you decided to nap for another half-hour. Would you count that as two half-hour naps, or would you count it as one nap that you extended into a whole hour? I'd be more inclined to think of it as the latter.

"I want my character to rest for two hours, but I want it to count as two separate short rests for the mechanical benefits rather than one longer rest" sounds very much like gaming the system to me, especially if it is at a point in the game where a long rest is not yet an option.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

None of the 'regain on Short Rest' features seem to be limit how many you can get back, and short rests are defined as just taking an hour... so yeah, each hour of chilling returns one usage.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Two things:

1) Long rests have a time limit (once every 24 hours) that short rests don't have.

Yes. Exactly.

2) Would you take two rests back-to-back in real life? Say you took a half-hour nap, and when that half-hour was up, you decided to nap for another half-hour. Would you count that as two half-hour naps, or would you count it as one nap that you extended into a whole hour? I'd be more inclined to think of it as the latter.

I am probably more rested after 2 hours.

"I want my character to rest for two hours, but I want it to count as two separate short rests for the mechanical benefits rather than one longer rest" sounds very much like gaming the system to me, especially if it is at a point in the game where a long rest is not yet an option.

Depends on the interpretation.

Maybe the DMG gives us a suggestion to limit it to 2 short rests per day.

Maybe after the second short rest, you can only spend hit dice but gain no extra benefit.

And even if that was not the case, if you find that this is an exploit (which I do partially agree with), that is disruptive (which I don't think), you can just limit is with your method or mine. If I was your player, I would not rebel against that. But maybe I'd long rest a bit more often.

 

[el-remmen]

This is a houserule but I’ve always ruled that you cannot take another short rest until at least an hour has gone by since the last one ended and you have taken damage, gained a level of exhaustion, or used a limited resource class feature.

 

[pukunui]

I am probably more rested after 2 hours.

I won't dispute that. However, would you count a two-hour rest as two one-hour rests or as one two-hour rest?

Maybe the DMG gives us a suggestion to limit it to 2 short rests per day.

I don't think the amount of short rests per day is the issue here for me. It's more the idea of taking two rests back-to-back just so you can get as much of a mechanical benefit as possible.

EDIT: To put it a different way, If I, as DM, tell my players that they've got two hours to kill in-game so they can take a short rest if they need one, and one of them says, "Can I count that as two short rests?", I'd most likely reply with, "Don't be ridiculous. If you're resting for the full two hours, it's just one longer rest."

If I was your player, I would not rebel against that. But maybe I'd long rest a bit more often.

Except that you can't take long rests more often since they've got a hard time limit.

 

[MarkB]

Simple house rule: "If you regain uses of a feature on a short rest, you may gain this benefit only if you have expended at least one usage of the feature since your last short rest."