+1 Like most, I don't have a problem with 6. The reason I don't mind is simple, does anyone else remember the second game of Neverwinter Nights 2, the counter you had to be mindful of lest you became the monster? They are very clearly doing something similar here with the tadpoles. The proof, the rest encounters. Ever notice after Rafael that strange occurrences start becoming more common. Then they stop, as if the game isn't finished, so you keep resting every chance you get without any more repercussions, YET. When the game fully launches, those that have gotten into the habit of full resting anytime they want are gonna find themselves turning into Ilithid, game over.
As has already been said, I can go through the whole game with a properly built character: using all spells, abilities, and short rests judiciously, and only use a long rest 4 times. Most times, my first long rest is in the whispering depths before I take on the Matriarch, and since that is beyond the Grove, it is also the Rafeal encounter.
On a tangical note: How what's the longest someones gonna without a full rest cycle?
