Downtime Activities
Updated: 29 March 2021
Besides the expenses associated with maintaining a particular lifestyle, adventurers might have additional drains on their adventuring income. Player characters who come into possession of property, own businesses, and employ hirelings must cover the expenses that accompany these ventures. These living expenses will be deducted from your character before the relevant Downtime Activity is achieved.
A character can spend time between adventures building a stronghold. Before work can begin, the character must acquire a plot of land. If the estate lies within the Cerulean Empire or similar domain, the character will need an official charter (a legal document granting permission to oversee the estate in the name of the domain), a land grant (a legal document bequeathing custody of the land to the character for as long as he or she remains loyal to the domain), or a deed (a legal document that serves as proof of ownership). Land can also be acquired by inheritance or other means. Once the estate is secured, a character needs access to building materials and laborers. The DM will tell you how much time the building will take and what the total cost will be. The character must oversee this construction. Work can continue while the character is away, but each day the character is away adds 3 days to the construction time. Multiple characters can combine their efforts to reduce the time required and share the cost of resources. Complications. Large scale construction projects rarely go smoothly. Each week spent on building a stronghold has a 10 percent chance of something going wrong, which may increase the time or expense required, or some other intervention of the character.
Carousing is a default downtime activity for many characters. Between adventures, who doesn't want to relax with a few drinks and a group of friends at a tavern? A week of carousing costs 2d10 sp as you lavish money on food and drink for yourself and others. When carousing, pick a single tavern in town to frequent. At the end of the week, you earn a contact. You can have a maximum number of contacts in town equal to 1 + your Charisma bonus (minimum of 1). The nature of the contact depends on the chosen tavern. Optionally. the DM can instead allow you to declare an NPC as a contact when you meet them, provided that the individual fits the contact type and you can come up with a suitable explanation. In this case you recognize the NPC as a pal from your time spent carousing. Each contact either owes the character a favour or has some reason to bear a grudge. A hostile contact works against the character, placing obstacles but stopping short of committing a crime or a violent act. Allied contacts are friends who will render aid to the character, but not at the risk of their lives or property. A character with the noble background can mingle with the upper classes, but other characters can do so only if that character has made sufficient suitable contacts. Alternatively, a character might use a disguise kit and the Deception skill to pass as a noble visiting from a distant place. Complications. Characters who carouse risk bar brawls, accumulating a cloud of nasty rumours, and building a bad reputation around town. As a rule of thumb, a character has a 10 percent chance of triggering a complication for each workweek of carousing.
A character who has the time, the money, and the needed tools can use downtime to craft armour, weapons, clothing, or other kinds of nonmagical gear. The resources required will depend on the item you wish to craft, but the DM will inform you of what is required. A character needs to be proficient with the tools needed to craft an item and have access to the appropriate equipment. Multiple characters can combine their efforts to reduce the time required and share the cost of resources. Everyone who collaborates needs to have the appropriate tool proficiency. While crafting, you can maintain a modest lifestyle without having to incur any living expenses, or a comfortable lifestyle at half the normal cost. This is included in the cost required to craft the item. Complications. Most of the complications involved in creating something are linked to the difficulty in finding rare ingredients or components needed to complete the work. There is a 10 percent chance for every five work weeks spent on crafting an item that a complication occurs.
Sometimes it pays to be bad. This activity gives a character the chance to make some extra cash, at the risk of arrest. A character must s end one week and a certain amount of resources gathering information on potential targets before committing the intended crime. The DM will run your character through a series of Ability Checks to determine whether the crime has been successful, and to what degree. If none of the checks are successful, the character is caught and jailed and/or fined. The level of success of the endeavour will depend on how many checks are passed. Complications. A life of crime is filled with complications. Failed checks will likely lead to complications, even if the crime is somewhat successful. Contacts (either friendly, or otherwise) can effect the type and seriousness of the complication.
A character can spend downtime improving his or her renown within an organisation. Between adventures, a character undertakes minor tasks for the organisation and socialises with its members. This will have an impact on your status with the organisation. Complications. Etiquette and ingratiating yourself into a new circle is a difficult thing to get right. For every week spent trying to gain renown with that organisation there is a 10 percent chance of a complication. The exact nature of the complication will depend on the character's current standing with the organisation but, if bad enough, could even leave the character with a worse reputation than they started with!
Games of chance are one way to make a fortune - and perhaps a better way to lose one. This activity requires one work week of effort plus a minmum stake that will be determined by the environment in which you choose to gamble. The character must make a series of Ability Checks, with the difficulty determined at random based on the quality of the competition that the character runs into. Part of the risk of gambling is that one never knows who might end up sitting across the table! If the character has proficiency with an appropriate gaming set, that tool proficiency can replace the relevant skill in any of the checks. Complications. Gambling tends to attract unsavoury individuals. The potential complications involved come from run-ins with the law and associations with various criminals tied to the activity. Every work week spent gambling brings a 10 percent chance of a complication.
Owning your own ship is an exciting new venture but also signs a character up for a mountain of logistical challenges. Keeping a ship functioning requires a tremendous amount of work. This activity represents the effort needed to keep a ship functioning, its supplies stocked, and its crew paid. You must already have possession of a ship before you can take this downtime activity. By hiring a competent Captain and crew and putting them to work hauling cargo or otherwise offering their services, you can make it possible for a ship to remain in good repair and even generate a profit for you between adventures. Managing a ship is a downtime activity that requires time and effort to recruit an officer and crew. The ship is then available for use when needed. Otherwise, the ship hauls passengers and cargo to cover the costs of maintaining the ship and paying the crew. It takes one week of downtime activity to recruit a crew and there will be an associated financial cost determined by the DM to cover the cost of recruitment and supplies. Once you have paid these costs, you have a captain and a crew to maintain the ship. Once you have a working ship, it turns a small profit each month that is it available for trade (i.e. not being used for an adventure with the character or some other activity ordered by you). Complications. A ship owner runs the risk of foul weather, a bad trade deal, piracy, or a mutiny. Every month the ship turns a profit there is a 5 percent chance of a complication.
There is always a particular need for those who can serve as caravan guards, personal protection for merchants, and sentries aboard docked ships. For each week of mercenary work, you earn the coin needed to sustain a modest lifestyle and some extra on top. Additionally, there is a ten percent chance each week of earning a bonus payment due to the unexpectedly dangerous nature of your most recent assignment. Complications. Of course mercenary work by its very nature can be dangerous. Each week of mercenary work there is also a 10 percent chance of a complication. This may be that the things you were guarding have been attacked or stolen, and the effects may be a docking of pay or starting the next adventure with level 1 Exhaustion.
Many adventurers have skills that others find entrancing, and conducting a performance can be a good way to earn some extra coin. During downtime, a character can apply to go on a stage for a performance such as stand-up, magic show, musical display, etc. It can be held at any suitable venue. To start, the character must pay an initial fee in order to gain a spot and to have tickets created. The performance date must be scheduled on a date after the initial payment. The character can do rehearsals if there is time, which can help improve the outcome. During show night, the character will make 2 Performance Checks. The result of those checks will determine how well the performance was received and how much coin (if any) was made. Complications. Things can go wrong on stage. Something might go wrong with the performance itself, the audience may not react well, or the venue might suffer some mishap. If the Performance Checks are poor enough then a complication will occur.
Characters with a religious bent might want to spend downtime in service to a temple, either by attending rites or by proselytizing in the community. Someone who undertakes this activity has a chance of winning the favour of the temple's leaders. Performing religious service requires access to, and often attendance at, a temple whose beliefs and ethos align with the character's. If such a place is available, the activity takes one workweek of time but involves no expenditure. At the end of the required time, the character chooses to make either an Intelligence (Religion) check or a Charisma (Persuasion) check. The total of the check determines the benefits of service. Complications. Temples can be labyrinths of political and social scheming. Even the best-intentioned sect can fall prone to rivalries. A character who serves a temple risks becoming embroiled in such struggles. Every workweek spent in religious service brings a 10 percent chance of a complication.
Pit fighting includes boxing, wrestling, and other nonlethal forms of combat in an organized setting with predetermined matches. Competitive fighting in a battle-to-the-death situation is not part of this downtime activity and would be resolved during normal play and combat. Engaging in this activity requires one work week of effort from a character. The character must make a series of checks, with a DC determined at random based on the quality of the opposition that the character runs into. A big part of the challenge in pit fighting lies in the unknown nature of a character's opponents. Winning the fight will earn the character a financial reward. Complications. Characters involved in pit fighting must deal with their opponents, the people who bet on matches, and the matches' promoters. Every work week spent pit fighting brings a 10 percent chance of a complication.
Sometimes the best thing to do between adventures is relax. Whether a character wants a hard-earned vacation or needs to recover from injuries, relaxation is the ideal option for adventurer s who need a break. This option is also ideal for players who don't want to make use of the downtime system. Relaxation requires one week. A character needs to maintain at least a modest lifestyle while relaxing to gain the benefit of the activity. Characters who maintain at least a modest lifestyle while relaxing gain several benefits. While relaxing, a character gains advantage on saving throws to recover from long-acting diseases and poisons. In addition, at the end of the week, a character can end one effect that keeps the character from regaining hit points, or can restore one ability score that has been reduced to less than its normal value. This benefit cannot be used if the harmful effect was caused by a spell or some other magical effect with an ongoing duration. Complications. Relaxation rarely comes with complications.
Forewarned is forearmed. The research downtime activity allows a character to delve into lore concerning a monster, a location, a magic item, or some other particular topic. It can be used to begin determining the nature and effects of a magic item in lieu of an Identify spell. Typically, a character needs access to a library or a sage to conduct research. Assuming such access is available, conducting research requires one work week of effort and expenses spent on materials, bribes, gifts, etc. The character declares the focus of the research - a specific person, place, or thing. After one work week, the character makes an Intelligence check to determine the outcome of the research. Spending more coin on the research resources may give a bonus to this check. In addition, a character who has access to a particularly well-stocked library or knowledgeable sages gains advantage on this check. Complications. The greatest risk in research is uncovering false information. Not all lore is accurate or truthful. Every work week spent in research brings a 10 percent chance of a complication.
Adventurers can end up owning businesses that have nothing to do with delving into dungeons or saving the world. A character might inherit a smithy, or the party might be given a parcel of farmland or a tavern as a reward. If they hold on to the business, they might feel obliged to spend time between adventures maintaining the venture and making sure it runs smoothly. When running this downtime activity a character rolls a percentile dice and adds the number of days spent on this downtime activity (maximum 30). The result determines whether the business succeed, potentially making a profit, or suffers some kind of complication. Complications. If the character is required to pay a cost as a result of their roll but fails to do so, the business begins to fail. For each unpaid debt incurred in this manner, the character takes a -10 penalty to subsequent business rolls.
Characters can spend their downtime scavenging or foraging for provisions and/or naturally occurring spell components. The character must decide first whether they are looking for food provisions (fishing, hunting, farming, etc) or spell components (this may involve searching markets, local woodlands for the correct ingredients, and so on). For each week spent on this activity the character must make a Wisdom (Survival) check. The result will determine how many provisions you locate or how successful your search for spell components was. On a successful check the character rolls 1d8 + the character's Wisdom modifier to determine how many days worth of rations they manage to gather or how many spell components they locate. The exact nature of any spell components should be determined in discussion with the DM (you are probably not going to locate any diamonds for example!). On a failed Wisdom (Survival) check the number of provisions or components is halved, and there is a 20 percent chance that a complication occurs. Complications. Finding rare spell components can be a hit or miss endeavour. Hunters may sometimes encounter savage beasts instead of their intended prey. Complications may include gaining a level of exhaustion at the start of the next adventure, contracting a disease, or being robbed.
Swaying public opinion can be an effective way to bring down a villain or elevate a friend. Spreading rumours is an efficient, if underhanded, way to accomplish that goal. Well-placed rumours can increase the subject's standing in a community or embroil someone in scandal. A rumour needs to be simple, concrete, and hard to disprove. An effective rumour also has to be believable, playing off what people want to believe about the person in question. Sowing a rumour about an individual or organization requires a number of days depending on the size of the community. In a town or city, the time spent must be continuous. If the character spreads a rumour for ten days, disappears on an adventure for another few days and then returns, the rumour fades away without the benefit of constant repetition. The character must spend 1 sp per day to cover the cost of drinks, social appearances, and the like. At the end of the time spent sowing the rumour, the character must make a DC 15 Charisma (Deception or Persuasion) check. If the check succeeds, the community's prevailing attitude toward the subject shifts one step toward friendly or hostile, as the character wishes. If the check fails, the rumour gains no traction, and further attempts to propagate it fail. Complications. Sometimes a rumour takes on a life of it's own and mutates into something the characters did not intend. At other times the subject may discover who has been spreading such gossip, or the community's attitude towards to character may be effected. If the Charisma (Deception or Persuasion) check failed there is a 20 percent chance of a complication.
Trading involves the character spending their downtime actively trying to sell or purchase specific items. The item in question should be something of great value or rarity (this activity is not for going to the market to purchase a few arrows!). Effective trading is by no means an easy task. Con artists and thieves are always looking out for an easy score, and there's no guarantee that a character will receive a good offer even if a legitimate buyer or seller is found. A character can find a buyer or seller for the item in question by spending one work week and 25 sp, which is used to spread word of the desired sale or purchase. A character who wants to sell or buy an item must make a Charisma (Persuasion) check to determine what kind of offer is agreed. Complications. The main risk in buying and selling valuable or rare items lies in attracting thieves and anyone else who wants the item but doesn't want to pay for it. Other folk might try to undermine a deal in order to bolster their own business or seek to discredit the character as a legitimate seller. Every work week spent trying to buy or sell an item brings a 10 percent chance of a complication.
Given enough free time and the services of an instructor, a character can learn a language or pick up proficiency with a tool. Receiving training in a language or tool typically takes at least ten work weeks, but this time is reduced by a number of work weeks equal to the character's Intelligence modifier (an Intelligence penalty doesn't increase the time needed). Training costs 25 sp per work week. Complications. Complications that arise while training typically involve the teacher. Every ten work weeks spent in training brings a 10 percent chance of a complication.
When all else fails, a n adventurer can turn to an honest trade to earn a living. This activity represents a character's attempt to find temporary work, the quality and wages of which are difficult to predict. Performing a job requires one work week of effort. To determine how much money a character earns, the character makes an ability check: Strength (Athletics), Dexterity (Acrobatics), Intelligence using a set of tools, Charisma (Performance), or Charisma using a musical instrument. Complications. Ordinary work is rarely filled with significant complications. Still, minor complications can still occur. Each work week of activity brings a 10 percent chance that a character encounters a complication.
Introduction
Between trips to dungeons and battles against ancient evils, adventurers need time to rest, recuperate, and prepare for their next adventure. Many adventurers also use this time to perform other tasks, such as crafting arms and armour, performing research, or spending their hard-earned gold. When the DM indicates you can decide which one of the following activities your character spends their time concentrating on during this specific break between adventures. Each downtime activity will take up a minimum of one week in-game time. Characters will also incur living expenses during these activities, which are detailed below. The following Downtime Activities are normally available, at the DM's discretion (some activities will not be available in all locations):- Building a stronghold
- Carousing
- Crafting
- Crime
- Gaining renown
- Gambling
- Managing a ship
- Mercenary work
- Performing
- Performing religious rites
- Pit fighting
- Recuperating and relaxing (Default)
- Researching
- Running a business
- Scavenging or foraging
- Sowing rumours
- Trading
- Training
- Working and employment
Living Expenses
DMG, pg 126 and PHB, pg 157Besides the expenses associated with maintaining a particular lifestyle, adventurers might have additional drains on their adventuring income. Player characters who come into possession of property, own businesses, and employ hirelings must cover the expenses that accompany these ventures. These living expenses will be deducted from your character before the relevant Downtime Activity is achieved.
Building a stronghold
DMG, pg 128A character can spend time between adventures building a stronghold. Before work can begin, the character must acquire a plot of land. If the estate lies within the Cerulean Empire or similar domain, the character will need an official charter (a legal document granting permission to oversee the estate in the name of the domain), a land grant (a legal document bequeathing custody of the land to the character for as long as he or she remains loyal to the domain), or a deed (a legal document that serves as proof of ownership). Land can also be acquired by inheritance or other means. Once the estate is secured, a character needs access to building materials and laborers. The DM will tell you how much time the building will take and what the total cost will be. The character must oversee this construction. Work can continue while the character is away, but each day the character is away adds 3 days to the construction time. Multiple characters can combine their efforts to reduce the time required and share the cost of resources. Complications. Large scale construction projects rarely go smoothly. Each week spent on building a stronghold has a 10 percent chance of something going wrong, which may increase the time or expense required, or some other intervention of the character.
Carousing
XGtE, pg 126Carousing is a default downtime activity for many characters. Between adventures, who doesn't want to relax with a few drinks and a group of friends at a tavern? A week of carousing costs 2d10 sp as you lavish money on food and drink for yourself and others. When carousing, pick a single tavern in town to frequent. At the end of the week, you earn a contact. You can have a maximum number of contacts in town equal to 1 + your Charisma bonus (minimum of 1). The nature of the contact depends on the chosen tavern. Optionally. the DM can instead allow you to declare an NPC as a contact when you meet them, provided that the individual fits the contact type and you can come up with a suitable explanation. In this case you recognize the NPC as a pal from your time spent carousing. Each contact either owes the character a favour or has some reason to bear a grudge. A hostile contact works against the character, placing obstacles but stopping short of committing a crime or a violent act. Allied contacts are friends who will render aid to the character, but not at the risk of their lives or property. A character with the noble background can mingle with the upper classes, but other characters can do so only if that character has made sufficient suitable contacts. Alternatively, a character might use a disguise kit and the Deception skill to pass as a noble visiting from a distant place. Complications. Characters who carouse risk bar brawls, accumulating a cloud of nasty rumours, and building a bad reputation around town. As a rule of thumb, a character has a 10 percent chance of triggering a complication for each workweek of carousing.
Crafting
XGtE, pg 128A character who has the time, the money, and the needed tools can use downtime to craft armour, weapons, clothing, or other kinds of nonmagical gear. The resources required will depend on the item you wish to craft, but the DM will inform you of what is required. A character needs to be proficient with the tools needed to craft an item and have access to the appropriate equipment. Multiple characters can combine their efforts to reduce the time required and share the cost of resources. Everyone who collaborates needs to have the appropriate tool proficiency. While crafting, you can maintain a modest lifestyle without having to incur any living expenses, or a comfortable lifestyle at half the normal cost. This is included in the cost required to craft the item. Complications. Most of the complications involved in creating something are linked to the difficulty in finding rare ingredients or components needed to complete the work. There is a 10 percent chance for every five work weeks spent on crafting an item that a complication occurs.
Crime
XGtE, pg 130Sometimes it pays to be bad. This activity gives a character the chance to make some extra cash, at the risk of arrest. A character must s end one week and a certain amount of resources gathering information on potential targets before committing the intended crime. The DM will run your character through a series of Ability Checks to determine whether the crime has been successful, and to what degree. If none of the checks are successful, the character is caught and jailed and/or fined. The level of success of the endeavour will depend on how many checks are passed. Complications. A life of crime is filled with complications. Failed checks will likely lead to complications, even if the crime is somewhat successful. Contacts (either friendly, or otherwise) can effect the type and seriousness of the complication.
Gaining renown
DMG, pg 129A character can spend downtime improving his or her renown within an organisation. Between adventures, a character undertakes minor tasks for the organisation and socialises with its members. This will have an impact on your status with the organisation. Complications. Etiquette and ingratiating yourself into a new circle is a difficult thing to get right. For every week spent trying to gain renown with that organisation there is a 10 percent chance of a complication. The exact nature of the complication will depend on the character's current standing with the organisation but, if bad enough, could even leave the character with a worse reputation than they started with!
Gambling
XGtE, pg 130Games of chance are one way to make a fortune - and perhaps a better way to lose one. This activity requires one work week of effort plus a minmum stake that will be determined by the environment in which you choose to gamble. The character must make a series of Ability Checks, with the difficulty determined at random based on the quality of the competition that the character runs into. Part of the risk of gambling is that one never knows who might end up sitting across the table! If the character has proficiency with an appropriate gaming set, that tool proficiency can replace the relevant skill in any of the checks. Complications. Gambling tends to attract unsavoury individuals. The potential complications involved come from run-ins with the law and associations with various criminals tied to the activity. Every work week spent gambling brings a 10 percent chance of a complication.
Managing a ship
UA, Of Ships and the SeaOwning your own ship is an exciting new venture but also signs a character up for a mountain of logistical challenges. Keeping a ship functioning requires a tremendous amount of work. This activity represents the effort needed to keep a ship functioning, its supplies stocked, and its crew paid. You must already have possession of a ship before you can take this downtime activity. By hiring a competent Captain and crew and putting them to work hauling cargo or otherwise offering their services, you can make it possible for a ship to remain in good repair and even generate a profit for you between adventures. Managing a ship is a downtime activity that requires time and effort to recruit an officer and crew. The ship is then available for use when needed. Otherwise, the ship hauls passengers and cargo to cover the costs of maintaining the ship and paying the crew. It takes one week of downtime activity to recruit a crew and there will be an associated financial cost determined by the DM to cover the cost of recruitment and supplies. Once you have paid these costs, you have a captain and a crew to maintain the ship. Once you have a working ship, it turns a small profit each month that is it available for trade (i.e. not being used for an adventure with the character or some other activity ordered by you). Complications. A ship owner runs the risk of foul weather, a bad trade deal, piracy, or a mutiny. Every month the ship turns a profit there is a 5 percent chance of a complication.
Mercenary work
GoS, pg 20There is always a particular need for those who can serve as caravan guards, personal protection for merchants, and sentries aboard docked ships. For each week of mercenary work, you earn the coin needed to sustain a modest lifestyle and some extra on top. Additionally, there is a ten percent chance each week of earning a bonus payment due to the unexpectedly dangerous nature of your most recent assignment. Complications. Of course mercenary work by its very nature can be dangerous. Each week of mercenary work there is also a 10 percent chance of a complication. This may be that the things you were guarding have been attacked or stolen, and the effects may be a docking of pay or starting the next adventure with level 1 Exhaustion.
Performing
HomebrewMany adventurers have skills that others find entrancing, and conducting a performance can be a good way to earn some extra coin. During downtime, a character can apply to go on a stage for a performance such as stand-up, magic show, musical display, etc. It can be held at any suitable venue. To start, the character must pay an initial fee in order to gain a spot and to have tickets created. The performance date must be scheduled on a date after the initial payment. The character can do rehearsals if there is time, which can help improve the outcome. During show night, the character will make 2 Performance Checks. The result of those checks will determine how well the performance was received and how much coin (if any) was made. Complications. Things can go wrong on stage. Something might go wrong with the performance itself, the audience may not react well, or the venue might suffer some mishap. If the Performance Checks are poor enough then a complication will occur.
Performing religious rites
XGtE, pg 131Characters with a religious bent might want to spend downtime in service to a temple, either by attending rites or by proselytizing in the community. Someone who undertakes this activity has a chance of winning the favour of the temple's leaders. Performing religious service requires access to, and often attendance at, a temple whose beliefs and ethos align with the character's. If such a place is available, the activity takes one workweek of time but involves no expenditure. At the end of the required time, the character chooses to make either an Intelligence (Religion) check or a Charisma (Persuasion) check. The total of the check determines the benefits of service. Complications. Temples can be labyrinths of political and social scheming. Even the best-intentioned sect can fall prone to rivalries. A character who serves a temple risks becoming embroiled in such struggles. Every workweek spent in religious service brings a 10 percent chance of a complication.
Pit fighting
XGtE, pg 131Pit fighting includes boxing, wrestling, and other nonlethal forms of combat in an organized setting with predetermined matches. Competitive fighting in a battle-to-the-death situation is not part of this downtime activity and would be resolved during normal play and combat. Engaging in this activity requires one work week of effort from a character. The character must make a series of checks, with a DC determined at random based on the quality of the opposition that the character runs into. A big part of the challenge in pit fighting lies in the unknown nature of a character's opponents. Winning the fight will earn the character a financial reward. Complications. Characters involved in pit fighting must deal with their opponents, the people who bet on matches, and the matches' promoters. Every work week spent pit fighting brings a 10 percent chance of a complication.
Recuperating and relaxing
XGtE, pg 131Sometimes the best thing to do between adventures is relax. Whether a character wants a hard-earned vacation or needs to recover from injuries, relaxation is the ideal option for adventurer s who need a break. This option is also ideal for players who don't want to make use of the downtime system. Relaxation requires one week. A character needs to maintain at least a modest lifestyle while relaxing to gain the benefit of the activity. Characters who maintain at least a modest lifestyle while relaxing gain several benefits. While relaxing, a character gains advantage on saving throws to recover from long-acting diseases and poisons. In addition, at the end of the week, a character can end one effect that keeps the character from regaining hit points, or can restore one ability score that has been reduced to less than its normal value. This benefit cannot be used if the harmful effect was caused by a spell or some other magical effect with an ongoing duration. Complications. Relaxation rarely comes with complications.
Researching
XGtE, pg 132Forewarned is forearmed. The research downtime activity allows a character to delve into lore concerning a monster, a location, a magic item, or some other particular topic. It can be used to begin determining the nature and effects of a magic item in lieu of an Identify spell. Typically, a character needs access to a library or a sage to conduct research. Assuming such access is available, conducting research requires one work week of effort and expenses spent on materials, bribes, gifts, etc. The character declares the focus of the research - a specific person, place, or thing. After one work week, the character makes an Intelligence check to determine the outcome of the research. Spending more coin on the research resources may give a bonus to this check. In addition, a character who has access to a particularly well-stocked library or knowledgeable sages gains advantage on this check. Complications. The greatest risk in research is uncovering false information. Not all lore is accurate or truthful. Every work week spent in research brings a 10 percent chance of a complication.
Running a business
DMG, pg 129Adventurers can end up owning businesses that have nothing to do with delving into dungeons or saving the world. A character might inherit a smithy, or the party might be given a parcel of farmland or a tavern as a reward. If they hold on to the business, they might feel obliged to spend time between adventures maintaining the venture and making sure it runs smoothly. When running this downtime activity a character rolls a percentile dice and adds the number of days spent on this downtime activity (maximum 30). The result determines whether the business succeed, potentially making a profit, or suffers some kind of complication. Complications. If the character is required to pay a cost as a result of their roll but fails to do so, the business begins to fail. For each unpaid debt incurred in this manner, the character takes a -10 penalty to subsequent business rolls.
Scavenging or foraging
Homebrew and DMG, pg 111Characters can spend their downtime scavenging or foraging for provisions and/or naturally occurring spell components. The character must decide first whether they are looking for food provisions (fishing, hunting, farming, etc) or spell components (this may involve searching markets, local woodlands for the correct ingredients, and so on). For each week spent on this activity the character must make a Wisdom (Survival) check. The result will determine how many provisions you locate or how successful your search for spell components was. On a successful check the character rolls 1d8 + the character's Wisdom modifier to determine how many days worth of rations they manage to gather or how many spell components they locate. The exact nature of any spell components should be determined in discussion with the DM (you are probably not going to locate any diamonds for example!). On a failed Wisdom (Survival) check the number of provisions or components is halved, and there is a 20 percent chance that a complication occurs. Complications. Finding rare spell components can be a hit or miss endeavour. Hunters may sometimes encounter savage beasts instead of their intended prey. Complications may include gaining a level of exhaustion at the start of the next adventure, contracting a disease, or being robbed.
Sowing rumours
DMG, pg 131Swaying public opinion can be an effective way to bring down a villain or elevate a friend. Spreading rumours is an efficient, if underhanded, way to accomplish that goal. Well-placed rumours can increase the subject's standing in a community or embroil someone in scandal. A rumour needs to be simple, concrete, and hard to disprove. An effective rumour also has to be believable, playing off what people want to believe about the person in question. Sowing a rumour about an individual or organization requires a number of days depending on the size of the community. In a town or city, the time spent must be continuous. If the character spreads a rumour for ten days, disappears on an adventure for another few days and then returns, the rumour fades away without the benefit of constant repetition. The character must spend 1 sp per day to cover the cost of drinks, social appearances, and the like. At the end of the time spent sowing the rumour, the character must make a DC 15 Charisma (Deception or Persuasion) check. If the check succeeds, the community's prevailing attitude toward the subject shifts one step toward friendly or hostile, as the character wishes. If the check fails, the rumour gains no traction, and further attempts to propagate it fail. Complications. Sometimes a rumour takes on a life of it's own and mutates into something the characters did not intend. At other times the subject may discover who has been spreading such gossip, or the community's attitude towards to character may be effected. If the Charisma (Deception or Persuasion) check failed there is a 20 percent chance of a complication.
Trading
Homebrew and XGtE, pg 133Trading involves the character spending their downtime actively trying to sell or purchase specific items. The item in question should be something of great value or rarity (this activity is not for going to the market to purchase a few arrows!). Effective trading is by no means an easy task. Con artists and thieves are always looking out for an easy score, and there's no guarantee that a character will receive a good offer even if a legitimate buyer or seller is found. A character can find a buyer or seller for the item in question by spending one work week and 25 sp, which is used to spread word of the desired sale or purchase. A character who wants to sell or buy an item must make a Charisma (Persuasion) check to determine what kind of offer is agreed. Complications. The main risk in buying and selling valuable or rare items lies in attracting thieves and anyone else who wants the item but doesn't want to pay for it. Other folk might try to undermine a deal in order to bolster their own business or seek to discredit the character as a legitimate seller. Every work week spent trying to buy or sell an item brings a 10 percent chance of a complication.
Training
XGtE, pg 134Given enough free time and the services of an instructor, a character can learn a language or pick up proficiency with a tool. Receiving training in a language or tool typically takes at least ten work weeks, but this time is reduced by a number of work weeks equal to the character's Intelligence modifier (an Intelligence penalty doesn't increase the time needed). Training costs 25 sp per work week. Complications. Complications that arise while training typically involve the teacher. Every ten work weeks spent in training brings a 10 percent chance of a complication.
Work and employment
XGtE, pg 134When all else fails, a n adventurer can turn to an honest trade to earn a living. This activity represents a character's attempt to find temporary work, the quality and wages of which are difficult to predict. Performing a job requires one work week of effort. To determine how much money a character earns, the character makes an ability check: Strength (Athletics), Dexterity (Acrobatics), Intelligence using a set of tools, Charisma (Performance), or Charisma using a musical instrument. Complications. Ordinary work is rarely filled with significant complications. Still, minor complications can still occur. Each work week of activity brings a 10 percent chance that a character encounters a complication.
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