Downtime Activities and Passive Jobs
Rules for Downtime Activities
Our West Marches Campaign is going to be more fluid, and there is a possibility that certain characters may not "adventure" on a regular basis. To provide these characters with a way to earn XP even when their player is off living a real life, and to give the survival aspect of the game some character, you will be able to assign your characters to downtime activities or passive jobs that they can perform while you live your real life. Here is how it'll work:
Selecting a Downtime Activity or Passive Job
The DMs will populate quest specific passive jobs in the Job Board. These postings will include the type of work involved, any prerequisite skills or abilities, the number of days it will take, the amount of experience to be earned, and any other details that are relevant.
Additionally, feel free to suggest downtime activities that your character might want to pursue for their own development. Be creative and work with a DM to come up with suitable requirements and outcomes for your downtime activity.
The Player's Handbook (chapter 8) lists a few downtime activites in case you are looking for ideas. Below are a few more from the Dungeon Master's Guide.
Build a Stronghold
Although the first priority for the The Glorious Expeditionary Factfinding Force will be to establish their beachhead colony, there may come a time where the organization or your character wishes to expand control over Mididatoco by building another stronghold. Strongholds are expensive to build and take a long time, depending on the type of stronghold you are building. As usual, work with your favorite DM to work your ideas into the game appropriately. Below is a table of the types of strongholds, their cost, and how long they take to build.
Carouse with the Locals
As with strongholds, your opportunities to carouse may be limited to start, but once an inn has been established in your new colony and the brewer has gotten to work, there may not be much else to do with all that coin and treasure! Carousing can be helpful, but it also comes with its risks.
When you carouse, for each day you spend at it, pay 4 gp and roll 1d100 + your overall level. Compare the result to the chart below to see what happens. You may choose to stop carousing at any point.
Craft a Magic Item
Crafting magic items takes time, money, and talent. In order to be able to craft a magic item, your character must (1) have a formula, instructions, or artificer infusion guiding them in the crafting, (2) be a spell caster able to cast the spell the magic item will replicate, and (3) be of a level greater than or equal to that of the item rarity they are crafting (see table below).
While crafting, your character must spend 25 gp per day for as many days at it takes to craft an item of the chosen rarity. For example, if Level 3 Warlock Bilbo wants to craft an uncommon ring that mimics the invisibility spell, he would need to spend 25 gp/day for 20 days, for a total of 500 gp.
As always, work with your friendly DM to sort out the specifics
Gain Renown
You can perform minor tasks for an organization to earn prestige. Work with your DM to determine how this goes.
Perform Sacred/Unholy Rites
Seeking the blessing of your god, patron, ancestors, or whatever brings, if nothing else, the strength of conviction needed to press onward. For eery 10 days spent performing rites, you have inspiration for 2d6 days thereafter.
Run a Business
Like Strongholds and Carousing, it may take a little while for local businesses to establish themselves on Mididatoco. But your character might own/operate a business in the Old World that they are keeping tabs on. In either case, you should already have a business you intend on running in order to perform this downtime activity. Work with a DM if being a business owner is something you'd like to be.
To run your business, roll 1d100 + the number of days devoted to that activity, then compare the result to the below table.
Sell Magic Items
You may sell a magic item to other players at any point for a price agreed upon by both players and approved by a DM. This downtime activity relates only to the selling of a magic item to an NPC. There are two steps. First, you must roll to determine how many days it will take to find a buyer based on the rarity of your item. The rarity will also determine the modifier for step two. Second, roll a d100 + the appropriate modifier on the outcome of your search for a buyer, and see the results. You do not have to take the deal, but you may not recoup the days spent searching.
Step One: Find a Buyer
Step 2: The Terms of Sale
Sow Rumors
You pick the rumor, and roll on the below table to determine the number of days it takes to circulate. You must spend 1 gp per day, and at the end of that period make a DC15 Charisma (Persuasion) or (Deception) check, your choice. On a success, the rumor was successful. On on a failure, the rumor didn't take, and the communities prevailing attitude towards you has soured, you scoundrel.
Train to Gain Levels
You can assign your character to train in the G.E.F.F.'s training yard to gain levels. The amount of time it takes to gain a level depends on the level, and is not without cost. Use the below table to determine how long and how much it costs to train.
At the end of the training period, you must pass a DC15 skill check in a skill of your choice relating to the type of training you were doing. (A martial classed character might choose strength, while a Caster might choose arcana.) Multiclassed character should choose a skill related to the level in whichever class they are attempting to level up. So, a fighter training to gain levels in Wizard should use an intelligence based skill, not a strength/dexterity based skill. On a fail, you gain all the benefits of the training. On a fail, something didn't click and all the time and cost are expended without benefit.
Assigning A Character to A Downtime Activity
While your character is performing a downtime activity/passive job, that is all they are doing. The upshot is that they are gaining experience while you are at work, but the downside is that when game night rolls around, they may still be preoccupied.
To keep it all straight, use the "Quests" tab in your WorldAnvil character sheet and assign your character to the job. This is mostly for you, and the DMs will trust that your character is not shirking their duties to go adventuring, or earning exp for being in two places at once.
Finishing a Downtime Activity
Some downtime activities will have finite end points. Some downtime activities are indefinite, and can be stopped and resumed at the player's whim. Some downtime activities will require rolls to determine the success of your efforts. It all depends on the job.
Regardless of the specifics of your downtime activity, check in with your friendly DM before you start a game and see what needs to be done about your downtime activity before that character is free to go adventuring.
Getting Started
Check out the Job Board to pick a downtime activity or passive job for your character today!
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