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The most recent L&L article didn't actually propose any solutions to the 5 minute work day but instead seems to be creating an environment where if the DM does not adhere to some strict X number of combats per day guidelines the whole of class balance will fall apart.  Well now is your chance to come up with mechanics that might actually help alleviate the 5 minute work day problem.  Below are ideas for one or more classes that could help alleviate any 5 minute work day problems.

1) Vancian casters have  3 mana.  Everytime they cast a memorized spell it costs 1 mana.  All mana recharges with a short rest.  This will prevent chain casting of Vancian spells and require a Vancian caster to actually have to manage their spell slots in combat or use at-wills.

2) Classes have "Plot Coupons" instead of Daily powers.  A player begins the day with 1 plot coupon and gains an additional 1 whenever they finish two important and challenging encounters (additional ones may be handed out by the DM as they see fit). A plot coupon may be spent by a player to use one of the "Plot Powers" that they know. 

3) Some classes have encounter based resources such as a pool of stamina points.  These can be spent to perform heroic exploits.  As long as the abilites are keyed towards situational uses (one power is a whirlwind atttack while another knocks an enemy prone for instance) spamming should remain rare.  

4) Some classes have ToB style maneuvers.  This hybrid at-will/encounter method would allow classes to never run out of their cool abilities while also preventing "spamming".

Jul 16, 2012 -- 10:40AM, Aldrein wrote:

Want a real solution? Roleplay.

Yep, like when the party fights a strong enemy and the wizard has to use all of his spells so their is no TPK, and the party now realizing their big guns are now empty decides to Roleplay by continuing to quest instead of safely wait for the wizard to recharge?  That is about as un-roleplay like as you can get.

What about the group who has a game of intrigue where there is only a single fight every session.  Does roleplay fix the fact that the wizard can blow every single spell to trivialize it, and still have tons of spells for social situations throughout the rest of the game?

Seriously, grow up. 

You know, the 5mw exists as long as you think an adventure day as a "I go on and kill whaever comes in front of me" sort of game. Seriusly, the moment I do not play that way is the momnet I never even heared about five menutes workday. 

Jul 16, 2012 -- 10:49AM, Aldrein wrote:

You know, the 5mw exists as long as you think an adventure day as a "I go on and kill whaever comes in front of me" sort of game. Seriusly, the moment I do not play that way is the momnet I never even heared about five menutes workday. 

I do not play that way either.  Th only times I have experienced the 5 minute workday is not due to player actions at all but rather DM decisions and luck.  If the group encounters a monster that is too much for them to handle, or the monsters get lucky, or gang up on the poor fighter then the groups resources will be depleted much faster than anticipated.  Somtimes you absolutely need sleep at level 1 to prevent getting tpk'd by 6 orcs.  Once you are out of juice, there is nothing in the rules to stop you from resting.  I am suggesting mechanics that help prevent 5 minute workday prevalence.  It doesn't matter if you never exprienced or noticed it.  Many many many people did. 

Jul 16, 2012 -- 10:53AM, Valdark wrote:

Lawolf, Please refrain from statements that end with that last sentence. The concept of balancing the wizard through RP is a valid one as is your example of a group that chooses fewer combats in their playstyle. The solution is to mix it up often enough that your players don't expect a single combat day. As far as pushing on without the wizard, RP wise I have never encountered a fighter who thought of a wizard as "the big guns". They usually think of him as a bookish wimp who relies too heavily on his "mystical mumbo jumbo", an opinion which is actually reinforced by the wizard running out of spells. The wizard can keep his flashy lights and hocus pocus hand wavery because my sword does not fail after one little scuffle. It may new to be sharpened but that only takes a moment.

I have caused TPKs through that kind of thinking with my fighter/rogue in Castles and Crusades.  RP is a fine solution to individual groups but it neither addresses the fact that the core mechanics of the game encourage the 5 minute workday nor the fact that I roleplay all the time and still enounter the 5 minute workday.

Edit:  It also does not address the fact that more often than not the party NEEDS to rest after biting off more than they can chew so it makes more RP sense to actually rest if everyone is out of resources by 10 am.