Lands of Evershade · Board game rules
Between acts and chapters do I reequip my items and heal my health?
Quick answer
Only during a Camp Phase — healing HP and reequipping Items happen in Camp, which the Storybook triggers (often, but not strictly always, between Acts/Chapters).
Details
Healing and reequipping are both part of the Camp Phase procedure, not something that happens automatically just because an Act or Chapter ends. Step 2 (Rest) has each Party Member heal all HP and refresh all Action cards, while Step 3 (Reequip) lets Characters exchange Items and Companions, equip Items from the Pouch, and change Action cards on the Hotbar [p.19 — Camp Sheet & Camp Phase].
The Camp Phase is resolved "whenever the game asks you to" — meaning the Storybook (or another entry, card, or Sheet) specifically instructs you to place the Camp Sheet and go through its steps [p.19 — Camp Sheet & Camp Phase]. Acts are described as good stopping points for saving the game after you finish them [p.7 — Chapters and Acts] [p.10 — Saving the game], but saving/ending an Act is a separate concept from triggering a Camp Phase — the two often coincide narratively, but it's the Storybook's instruction that actually calls for Camp, not the Act/Chapter boundary itself.
Watch out: Don't assume you automatically get to heal and reequip just because you've reached the end of an Act or Chapter — if the Storybook hasn't sent you to a Camp Phase, your Character's HP, Items, and Hotbar stay exactly as they are.