Looking at a material change to rest mechanics to address a purely aesthetic issue...raises questions of priorities. I don't mind the 'short rest' system as it is - it's simple, effective, and well-designed in respect of its impact on other character abilities. Requiring selection and rationing of Hit Dice, I think, is a solution in search of a problem. Particularly given how few circumstances there are where you *can't* LR, and there aren't a lot of limits on the number of LRs you can take (no encounter potential; few if any game clocks requiring tasks to be done in a certain number of days; few circumstances where you can't just set up camp; and an abundance of camp supplies), creating a more robust short rest system seems pretty unnecessary to me. (Worth noting: While 5e mechanics don't strictly limit the number of short rests, the 2-per-day paradigm is suggested in the DMG as a normal number of rests.)
More generally, I've been trying to understand the dirt and fatigue mechanics - I'm inferring they're related. I'll periodically get characters complaining that they're tired and need to rest, but it doesn't seem to have any impact on anything, and doesn't seem particularly consistent in terms of what they've been up to?
What causes dirt and fatigue - is it just the passage of real time? And do they actually DO anything?
