Downtime Options (Player's Guide)

by Bazoingdoing

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Downtime

The downtime system allows characters to pursue long-term activities between game sessions. A character selects a downtime activity and pays the cost of that activity in time and money. Each activity comes with its own rewards as well as its own risks.

Downtime Activities

  • Carousing
  • Crafting Items
  • Money-Making Ventures, like performing, gambling, pit fighting, or other ventures
  • Relaxation
  • Research
  • Scribing a Spell Scroll
  • Service (to a temple or community group)
  • Sowing Rumors
  • Tavern Management
  • Training in a skill or tool proficiency

Aspects of Downtime

Downtime activities require resources in the form of time and/or money. This scheme assumes Downtime periods of five days (half a week). When the Downtime is over, each character resolves their downtime by rolling according to the tables here and may be rewarded for their efforts. When resolving the downtime activity, roll an additional 1d10 to learn if a complication has occurred. Upon rolling a 1, the DM will determine what complication befell your character, using the tables at the end of this guide or their own judgment.

Carousing

Between adventures, who doesn’t want to relax with a few drinks and a group of friends at the local pub? Putting in a little effort, though, can yield new friends in addition to the ones you have.

Carousing Resources

Carousing costs cover fine food, strong drink, and socializing with members of one's own social class or lower. The cost of this varies by social class:

Social Class Cost Per Day Cost For Five Days
Lower classes 5 sp 2 gp 5 sp
Artisan class 1 gp 5 gp
Upper classes 2 gp 10 gp
Nobility 5 gp 20 gp

Carousing Resolution

After days of carousing, a character stands to make contacts within the selected social class or to learn valuable information. Roll 1d4 for each day spent Carousing, and add the character's Persuasion or Performance bonus.

If learning a rumor, the DM will inform you upon resolution. If gaining a friendly contact, the player may claim their contact during gameplay when encountering a member of the according social class, at DM's approval.

Result Outcome
1-5 No significant effect.
6-10 You learn a common rumor, like the location of a point of interest.
11-15 You gain a friendly contact in the class.
16-20 You learn a juicy rumor, like faction plans or social dirt.
21+ You gain a contact and learn a juicy rumor.

Carousing Complications

Characters who carouse risk bar brawls, accumulating a cloud of nasty rumors, and building a bad reputation around town. Mishaps vary by social class. These may include being banned from a drinking establishment, earning a cryptic but embarrassing nickname, accidentally insulting a guild master, or agreeing to take on a drinking mate's debts.

Crafting Items

With the proper proficiencies and time, characters can craft their own items, mundane or magical.

Crafting Resources

Crafting an item requires proficiency in the tools required. If crafting a magical item, proficiency in Arcana can be substituted. Mundane items require simple materials, while magic items require exotic materials as well as a cost in gold.

Item/Potion Type Cost Days Required
Mundane Raw materials worth half cost Cost/10
Common magic 50 gp 5 days
Uncommon magic 250 gp 25 days
Healing potion 25 gp 1 days
Greater healing 100 gp 5 days
Superior healing 1000 gp 15 days
Supreme healing 10,000 gp 20 days

Crafting Resolution

When the time required is completed, you may equip the item. Crafting is not likely to trigger complications, though it may at DM discretion.

Money-Making Ventures

Characters might engage in money-making ventures of various types and levels of risk, such as honest work, a side hustle, gambling, crime, performing, or whatever other scheme you can cook up.

Characters with proficiency in Performance may perform to earn enough to support a wealthy lifestyle (4 gp) without risk, as per the Player's Basic Rules. This downtime activity offers a riskier but potentially more profitable option.

Money-Making Resources

The greater the investment, the greater the possible reward. Buy-in for such a venture is a minimum of 2 gp per day involved, but you may invest up to 10 gp a day at DM discretion, up to five days. You should consult with the DM to determine how many days and how much investment your venture requires.

Money-Making Resolution

Money-making ventures require three ability checks as determined by the chart below or DM discretion. The DC is based on the challenge level you and the DM choose: low-risk (10), medium-risk (15), or high-risk (20).

Activity Suggested Checks
Theft Stealth, Slight of Hand, Investigation, Thieves' Tools
Gambling Insight, Deception, Perception, Gambling Set
Performing Performance, Instrument proficiency, Acrobatics, Persuasion
Pit fighting Athletics, Acrobatics, Unarmed Strike, Intimidation
Successes Reward
0 successes Lose everything, incur penalty below
1 success Break even, no effect
2 successes Recover buy-in + (buy-in)x(DC/10)
3 successes Recover buy-in + (buy-in)x(DC/5)
Activity Penalty
Theft You are arrested for five days and must pay bail equal to your buy-in.
Gambling You accrue a debt equal to your buy-in.
Performing Your reputation is tarnished; you cannot get a performing gig during next two downtimes.
Pit fighting You incur a lingering injury (bludgeoning).

Money-Making Complications

The risks to these ventures are not only financial, but social. Complications from money-making vary by type of activity engaged in, but may include making an enemy, jealousy from rivals, or accusations of dishonest dealing.

Relaxation

Sometimes, the best thing a character can do between adventures is relax. Relaxation is especially beneficial for a character's ability to recuperate from and resist injury or illness.

Resources

Relaxation takes five days at a modest lifestyle or better.

Resolution

The effects of relaxation are automatic. While relaxing, you gain advantage on saving throws to recover from long-term diseases and poisons. At the end of the period, you can end one effect that prevents you from regaining hit points or restore one ability score that has been reduced to below its normal value, unless the harmful effect is caused by a spell or other magical effect with an ongoing duration. In addition, you start your next adventuring day with 2d4 temp HP.

Relaxation is not likely to trigger complications.

Research

Research allows a character to delve into lore concerning a monster, location, magic item, or some other topic.

Research Resources

Research costs cover access to libraries, experts, or taverns to investigate local rumors, bribes to local authorities, and other materials. Research can be done for up to five days, at a minimum cost of 1 gp per day (5 gp per half-week). The cost may be increased at DM discretion depending on the obscurity of the information sought.

Research Resolution

After days of researching, a character has likely learned some information on the topic they were seeking out. Roll 1d4 for each day spent on Research, and add the character's Investigation, History, Arcana, or other applicable bonus.

A character with access to an esteemed library or sage gains advantage on one roll for this check.

Result Outcome
1-5 No significant effect.
6-10 You learn one piece of commonly known lore.
11-15 You learn two pieces of commonly known lore or one piece of rare lore.
16-20 You learn three pieces of commonly known lore or one piece of secret lore.
21+ You learn one piece of secret lore and one piece of commonly known lore.

Research Complications

Not everyone wants knowledge uncovered, and some knowledge uncovered may be false. Research mishaps may include opening a cursed book, damaging a rare book, or promising to take on a dangerous quest.

Scribing a Spell Scroll

With time and patience, a spellcaster can create a spell scroll bearing the words of a single spell in a mystical cipher. Casting the spell by reading the scroll requires the spell’s normal casting time but no spell slot. Once the spell is cast, the words on the scroll fade, and it crumbles to dust.

Scribing Resources

The more advanced the spell, the longer and more expensive it is to create the scroll. Refer to the chart below:

Spell Level Total Cost Days Required
cantrip 10 gp 1 day
1st 25 gp 2 days
2nd 50 gp 5 days
3rd 125 gp 10 days
4th 400 gp 20 days
5th 1250 gp 40 days

Scribing Resolution

When the time has elapsed, the scroll may be put in your inventory. Scribing is not likely to trigger complications.

Service

Characters who want to do good in their community may wish to volunteer on behalf of those in need. This may take the form of tutoring guildmembers' children, moving boxes for a local business, lending medical aid to members of a faction, or prayer at a temple. Doing so may result in earning the good will of the leadership of the group involved.

Service Resources

Volunteering in the community or at a temple does not require any gold, but for every 5 gp donated, you may receive +1 in the resolution check. As with Research or Carousing, you may spend anywhere from one to five days in Service.

Service Resolution

After days of serving the community or the gods, a character stands to curry favor with the leadership of the organization. Roll 1d4 for each day spent in Service, and add the character's Religion or Persuasion bonus. With DM approval, you may substitute another relevant skill (such as Medicine).

Result Outcome
1-5 No significant effect.
6-10 You earn general goodwill from the organization.
11-15 You earn one favor from the organization.
16-20 You earn two favors from the organization.
21+ You earn two favors from the organization and you may take advantage on any one roll in the next day.

A favor is a promise of future assistance, such as help with a minor problem, for political or social support, or to reduce the cost of a service by 50 percent.

At any given time, a character can have a number of unexpended favor no higher than 1 + their Charisma modifier (treat negative modifiers as 0).

Service Complications

Community organizations may do good, but they are also labyrinths of political and social scheming and rivalries. Service complications may include offending a priest, being offered a role in a secret sect within the faction or temple, or being targeted by a rival organization.

Sowing Rumors

Swaying public opinion can be an effective way to bring down a villain or elevate an ally. Spreading rumors is an efficient, if underhanded, means to that end. Well-placed rumors can increase the subject’s standing in a community or embroil someone in scandal. A rumor needs to be simple, concrete, and hard to disprove. An effective rumor should be believable, playing off what people want to believe about the subject.

Sowing Rumors Resources

Sowing rumors takes at least 1 gp per day to cover costs of drinks and social appearances. The DM may increase the cost to 2 gp or 5 gp per day if the audience (not target) is a higher social class. It must be done contiguously for the number of days chosen. Sowing rumors through a village or neighborhood can be done in one Downtime period, but sowing them through a town or ward takes two consecutive successful Downtimes, and sowing rumors through a whole city takes three consecutive successful Downtimes.

Sowing Rumors Resolution

After days of sowing rumors, you may sway public opinion toward or against a targeted person or group. Roll 1d4 for each day spent Sowing Rumors, and add the character's Persuasion or Deception bonus.

Result Outcome
1-5 The rumor fails, and the target learns that you have been spreading misinformation about them. That particular rumor can not be spread again.
6-10 The rumor fails to catch on this time.
11-15 A watered-down version of the rumor catches on.
16-20 Your rumor spreads, though many are skeptical.
21+ Your rumor catches fire, becoming talk of the town.

Sowing Rumors Complications

Spreading rumors comes with risks of all kinds of complications. This may include a close relative or friend of the target hearing you spread the rumors, the rumor taking on a life of its own, or your reputation being called into question.

Tavern Management

A low-stress option for Downtime is to tend to the party's tavern (or other business). This time could include training staff, schmoozing with customers, looking over books to cut overhead, or reworking the business's marketing strategy.

Tavern Management Resources

This does not require any special resources, but the whole Downtime period must be spent tending to the tavern.

Tavern Management Resolution

If one or more characters spend their Downtime on Tavern Management, the party may add 1d4 to the profit roll at the end of the tenday.

Tavern management is not likely to trigger complications, aside from the regular weekly complications already triggered by tavern ownership.

Training

Given enough free time and the aid of an instructor, a character can gain proficiency in a language or toolset.

Training Resources

Gaining proficiency takes 50 days, reduced by 5 times the character's Intelligence modifier (e.g., PC with +2 Intelligence may gain proficiency in 40 days). These days do not have to be consecutive. Training costs 10 gp per day spent.

Affiliations with certain factions reduces the training time to 25 days (reduced further based on Intelligence, as above). The cost per day is the same.

Training Resolution

At the end of the total required number of days, you earn proficiency in the tool or language.

Training Complications

Mishaps and complications in Training typically involve your teacher. This may include your teacher disappearing, leaving you to find a new one, a rivalry with a fellow student, or your teacher spying on your actions for a faction.

Training: Faction Apprenticeship

At Rank 2 or 3 in a faction, you may spend a Downtime period apprenticing with a mentor. (At Rank 4 or 5, a faction member may spend Downtime mentoring instead.) You may take advantage of this benefit once a month.

Faction Apprenticeship Resources

There is no cost. You must spend the full 5 consecutive days of a Downtime period apprenticing or mentoring to receive the Renown benefit.

Faction Apprenticeship Resolution

Roll 1d4 for each day spent apprenticing or mentoring for the faction. There is no bonus to apply here.

Result Outcome
1 You make a poor impression on your mentor. Your Renown drops by 1 (you may retain your Rank).
2-10 You build a relationship, but not enough to increase Renown in the faction.
11-19 Your Renown increases by 1.
20 You make an incredible impression on your mentor. Your Renown increases by 2.

You do not need to roll on the complications table.

Overview of Activities

Activity Cost Per Day Duration
Carousing 5sp-5gp 1-5 days
Crafting By item 1-25 days
Money-Making 2-10 gp 1-5 days
Relaxation 0 gp 5 days
Research 1+ gp 1-5 days
Scribing a Spell Scroll By item 1-40 days
Service 0+ gp 1-5 days
Sowing Rumors 1-5 gp 1-15 days
Tavern Management 0 gp 5 days
Training 10 gp 50 days
Faction Apprenticeship 0 gp 5 days
Activity Risk Potential Reward
Carousing Complications Rumors and/or contacts
Crafting None Item
Money-Making Penalty, plus complications Up to 4x buy-in
Relaxation None Restoration
Research Complications Lore learned
Scribing a Spell Scroll None Scroll
Service Complications Favors
Sowing Rumors Exposure, plus complications Sway opinion
Tavern Management None Increased profit
Training Complications Proficiency
Faction Apprenticeship Lose 1 Renown Gain 1-2 Renown

Complication Tables

Carousing - Lower Class

1d8 Outcome
1 A pickpocket lifts 10d10 gp from you.
2 A bar brawl leaves you with a scar.
3 You have fuzzy memories of doing something very, very illegal, but can’t remember exactly what.
4 Sure, you were drunk when you agreed to fund the orphanage, but a promise is a promise.
5 After a few drinks, you swore in the town square to pursue a dangerous quest.
6 Surprise! You're married.
7 Streaking through the streets seemed like a good idea at the time...
8 Everyone is calling you a weird, embarrassing nickname, like Puddle Drinker. No one will say why.

Carousing - Artisan Class

1d8 Outcome
1 You accidentally insulted a guild master, and only a public apology will let you do business again.
2 You promised to complete a minor quest on behalf of a guild.
3 A social gaffe has made you the talk of the shops.
4 Someone has taken a romantic interest in you.
5 You have been banned from a tavern for obnoxious behavior.
6 You've been recruited to help run a local street fair.
7 You made a drunken toast that scandalized the locals.
8 You spent an additional 10 gp trying to impress.

Carousing - Upper Class

1d8 Outcome
1 You accidentally insulted a merchant, and only a public apology will let you do business again.
2 You tripped and fell during a dance, and people can’t stop talking about it.
3 An upwardly mobile family is trying to marry off one of their scions to you.
4 You promised to invest 50 gp in a new business venture, and you can't quite remember why.
5 You have made a rival out of a local spellcaster.
6 You agreed to tutor a drinking mate's spoiled child.
7 Someone important is angry that their spouse was flirting with you.
8 You spent an additional 20 gp trying to impress.

Carousing - Aristocracy

1d8 Outcome
1 You called someone the wrong name, and they expect a personalized apology forthwith.
2 You have agreed to take on a noble's debts.
3 You've been challenged to a joust by a knight.
4 You made a rival out of a local noble.
5 A boring elder noble insists you visit his villa each day to listen to his long, tedious theories of magic.
6 Your sartorial style is the talk of Society, good or ill.
7 You can't remember what you did, but now everyone is whispering your family name in scandalized tones.
8 You spent an additional 100 gp trying to impress.

Money-Making - Crime

1d8 Outcome
1 A bounty equal to your earnings is offered for information about your crime.
2 An unknown person contacts you, threatening to reveal your crime if you don’t render a service.
3 Your victim is financially ruined by your crime.
4 An accomplice was arrested on unrelated charges.
5 Your victim was under a local crime lord’s protection.
6 Your victim approaches one of your adventuring companions to solve the crime.
7 A paladin or cleric swears to avenge your robbery.
8 Everyone is looking for the thieving scumbag who stole from an innocent beloved victim.

Money-Making - Gambling

1d8 Outcome
1 You are accused of cheating; people are angry.
2 The city watch raids the fest-hall for lacking a license.
3 You accrue a debt during the game, one that your opponent insists you pay by taking on a task.
4 A noble or fellow adventurer loses badly to you and loudly vows to get revenge.
5 You won from a low-ranking member of the thieves’ guild, and the guild wants its money back.
6 A local crime lord insists you start frequenting his gambling parlor and no others.
7 You have a reputation for good luck, leading other gamblers to hound you to team up.
8 A high-stakes gambler comes to town and insists that you take part in a game.

Money-Making - Performing

1d8 Outcome
1 You offended a city official and must apologize.
2 You have made a rival out of a fellow performer who accuses you of stealing their act.
3 You take on a cult following with at least one overly pushy fan stalking you.
4 You've become addicted to the high of performing and can't focus on the mundane tasks at hand.
5 A fan publicly declared their love and intention to leave their current significant other for you.
6 One of your songs or dances has caught on, but only ironically, and people everywhere are mocking it.
7 You intentionally offended the host of a venue and may not play there again.
8 You promised a charming young noble that you would give them lessons in your specialty.

Money-Making - Pit Fighting

1d8 Outcome
1 A rival fighter swears revenge.
2 A crime boss offers to pay you to throw a match.
3 You defeat a popular champion, drawing public ire.
4 You humiliated or scarred your opponent, and the noble who dotes on them is furious.
5 You are accused of cheating; your honor is tarnished.
6 You accidentally deliver a near-fatal wound to a foe.
7 A noble approaches you with an offer to join a stable of pit fighters.
8 A new fighter in town wants to prove himself by challenging you.

Research

1d8 Outcome
1 You accidentally damaged a rare book.
2 You offend a sage, who demands a public apology.
3 If you had known that book was cursed, you never would have opened it!
4 A sage with strange theories on the true nature of reality becomes obsessed with convincing you.
5 Your actions cause you to be banned from a library until you make reparations.
6 You uncovered useful lore, but only by promising to complete a dangerous task in return.
7 The tome with the information you were really looking for has gone missing; you suspect foul play.
8 A fellow researcher counsels you that she thinks some of what you learned is false information.

Service

1d8 Outcome
1 You offended a priest. Their temple will accept a gift.
2 Accidental blasphemy is still blasphemy. Gods don't like that.
3 A secret sect offers you membership.
4 A rival temple/faction tries to recruit you as a spy.
5 A rival temple/faction now sees you as their enemy.
6 You accidentally discover that an important person in the temple is a fiend worshiper.
7 A tragedy hits the group and someone blames you.
8 Someone in desperate need implores you for help.

Sowing Rumors

1d8 Outcome
1 Your rumors somehow offended a third party.
2 You whisper the rumor to a close friend or relative of the target, who intends to tell them all about it unless you stop them.
3 People notice you spreading the rumors, and you gain a reputation as a gossip and a liar.
4 The rumor takes on life of its own, twisting into a very different story than you intended.
5 A skeptical listener is determined to verify the rumor.
6 What goes around comes around: there is now an embarrassing rumor out about you.
7 Your skills are noticed by an astute observer, who now won't stop asking you to spread a rumor for their personal benefit.
8 A secret faction approaches you, offering you a deal if you will gather or spread information for them.

Training

1d8 Outcome
1 Your instructor disappears; it will take a week to find a new one.
2 Your teacher instructs you in rare, archaic methods, which draw comment from others.
3 Your teacher is a spy sent to learn your plans.
4 Your teacher is a wanted criminal.
5 Your teacher is a cruel taskmaster.
6 Your teacher comes to you asking for help dealing with some threat.
7 You make a rival in a fellow student, who thinks the teacher prefers you for unfair reasons.
8 Your fellow student wants you to set them up with one of your adventuring companions.
Part 2 | Your Introduction

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