In the game world, time passes between adventures. Players decide how their characters spend their free time between missions: studying, training, preaching, socializing, etc. This between-time has no notable impact on the character or the world unless the character spends a meta-resource called
downtime days.
Imagine a character who works as a blacksmith when they're not adventuring. It is assumed that smithing pays their living wages but provides no notable profit, and thus yields no impactful reward. But if the player spends 5 DDs, the character can earn profit, gaining smithing wages for those 5 days and adding the gold to their wallet.
Earning Downtime Days
Characters earn 20 DDs per mission.
Spending Downtime Days
DDs can be spent on a variety of tasks. Some tasks do not require any DM interaction or consultation, so players can perform them on their own time while not playing. Other tasks, usually more creative or customized ones, do require communication with the DM.
Downtime Options
The list of options here is complete and exhaustive, and overrides any downtime examples in official 5e source material. "(# DD)" indicates the cost in downtime days for a given option. Multiple different player characters may pool resources together to pay downtime costs provided that it makes sense for those characters and the downtime action.
No DM Consult Needed
Players may perform the following without informing the DM:
- Work a job (1 DD). Characters may spend a downtime day to perform simple job, earning 5 gp per day. This wage might be increased for characters who find a more effective income.
- Training (10-20 DD). Once between missions, a character below level 10 can spend time training to level up. The cost is 10 DD for a level 1-4 character, and 20 for a level 5-9 character. They do not receive any other rewards they would have earned for adventuring. The intent of this option is to help characters sync their levels for missions.
- Shopping (0 DD). See the home village for lists of items that can be purchased this way. These items, as well as magic items with a value, can be sold at half their value.
- Crafting (1 DD per 10gp value). Nonmagical items and potions available in shopping above may also be crafted. The raw materials to craft items cost half as much as the item. The downtime cost is 1 DD per 10gp in the item's cost. The relevant tools and tool proficiency are also required to craft an item (use your judgement on this; honor system applies). Example: Crafting a potion of healing costs 25gp and 5 DDs, since it is worth 50gp. Alchemists's supplies or herbalism kit are valid tool proficiencies.
- Record spells (1 DD per 12 hours). Characters with the ability to copy spells into a spellbook may spend 1 DD for 12 hours of copy time. The effort of copying a single spell may be spread across multiple days. The rules for spellbook scribing are listed in the wizard class in the PHB. A character must have access to a spell in order to scribe it: they may consume a spell scroll to copy it, trade spells with other characters from their most recent mission, copy spells from spellbooks they found in their most recent mission, or copy spells from Quasar (see the home village).
- Rest. Characters can spend DDs to do nothing. Typically, characters fully recover between missions, but there may be situations where this option is useful.
- Repeat a spell. Some spells have a longterm effect when cast for multiple days in a row, such as teleportation circle. A character may spend DDs to achieve that longterm effect. If the casting time of the spell is less than one hour, the spent DDs may also be used for other downtime actions.
- Learn a language/tool proficiency (100 DD). Choose a language (PHB pg 123) or tool proficiency (PHB pg 154) to add to your character's list of proficiencies.
- Pilgrimage: Saldynn (10 DD and 100gp). The character travels to Saldynn to purchase a tour of the domesticated temple, where they receive a blessing of health that permanently increases their maximum hit points by 10. Up to three animal companions such as mounts/familiars may also receive the blessing for no additional cost, but they lose it when they die.
- Recruit (10 DD). A character can hire or befriend a humanoid commoner to aid them in their plans. You can describe the character recruited (race, profession, etc). Recruits won't participate directly in missions, but you can ask them for help with custom downtime options (see below), which might improve the results, reduce the cost, or enable more possibilities. With DM consult, recruits can be named NPCs met during missions, have higher than 2nd-level spells, be stronger than CR 1, or be non-humanoids, provided that the creature makes sense from the character's adventures. These special recruits may have a higher DD cost. Examples: shopkeepers, scholars, priests, merchants, spies, guards. Forest beasts would be reasonable for someone who speaks to animals, and a character who visited the Feywild might recruit common fey.
DM Consult Required
Players must consult the DM to perform these actions. Personal email is the ideal method of communication.
- Research (5 DD). A character can search for information pertinent to their goals or missions. Choose a place within reach of a mission starting location and send the DM a few questions you're hoping to answer. You'll receive answers based on what you can learn from the archives and word of mouth there. This can be a way to find new missions.
- Establish (10 DD). A character may create a business or other destination with land/buildings they own or have access to. This might add new options to the Home Village, increase the character's wage (see Work a Job above), or provide other effects in the world. Depending on the establishment, the DD cost may be higher and other expenditures may be required such as gold. Connections may be needed for materials and employees.
- Visit Granny Myrna (5 DD). Characters may visit Granny Myrna's hut in Kazzin Forest to have their fortune told. She will first request a small favor; if the character rejects the request, the DDs are refunded. If the character accepts, Granny will provide them a cryptic poem to help direct them toward their personal goals.
- Pilgrimage: Frozen watchtower (20 DD). Characters may travel to the Frozen Watchtower in Zymora, where the magic mirror restores lost memories buried in their brain. These memories will suggest or create story objectives for the character, or may provide hints for existing goals.
- Construction (2-1200 DD). See the construction section below.
- Creative options. DDs can be spent on anything that doesn't take enough effort to be a mission. If you come up with your own useful ways for your character to spend their free time, contact the DM about it.
Construction
Characters may wish to construct buildings or vehicles during downtime actions. Vehicles can be used during adventures, while buildings can serve as a home, business, stronghold, storage, or plenty of other purposes. Buildings can be built in any place where the character has sufficient control or influence. All characters may build in
The Home Village.
To build one of the options below, first choose whether the character is participating in the construction. If they are not, pay the full gp cost and half the downtime cost. If they are, pay half the gp cost and the full downtime cost. The character should have a tool proficiency or other ability/spell that justifies their ability to contribute their effort.
Buildings
Costs are based on options from DMG pg 128.
| Building |
Construction Price |
Construction Time |
| Trading post / Standard house |
5,000 gp |
60 days |
| Guildhall / Pub / Warehouse |
10,000 gp |
75 days |
| Outpost or fort / Tower, fortified |
15,000 gp |
100 days |
| Noble estate with manor |
25,000 gp |
150 days |
| Abbey / Keep or small castle / Temple |
50,000 gp |
400 days |
| Palace or large castle |
500,000 gp |
1,200 days |
Vehicles
Costs are based on options from PHB pg 157 and DMG pg 119. Information about ship stats can be found on DMG pg 119 and in Ghosts of Saltmarsh.
| Vehicle |
Construction Price |
Construction Time |
| Cart |
15 gp |
2 days |
| Sled |
20 gp |
3 days |
| Wagon |
35 gp |
5 days |
| Rowboat |
50 gp |
6 days |
| Carriage |
100 gp |
10 days |
| Chariot |
250 gp |
20 days |
| Keelboat |
3,000 gp |
40 days |
| Longship |
10,000 gp |
75 days |
| Sailing ship |
10,000 gp |
75 days |
| Warship |
25,000 gp |
150 days |
| Galley |
30,000 gp |
200 days |
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