Downtime Activity: Research (Revised)
For some the adventure never stops and downtime is instead spent preparing for the next adventure or researching the unknown. Choose a person, a monster, a location, a magic item, or some other particular topic as the target of your research.
Resources
A character must spend one week looking into their chosen target before making any rolls towards the resolution of their investigation. Optionally, a character may spend 50gp on assets or information to reduce the amount of time required by one day to a minimum of one day.
Resolution
The character must make a series of checks, with a set DC for all checks chosen by the DM based on how difficult it is to come across information on the target. For example, a common farmer might be easier to find information on than Manshoon, the leader of the Zhentarim.
To attempt to research a target, the character first chooses a method they wish to use from the list below. Then they make an Intelligence (Investigation) check and two other checks determined by their choice. The DM may disallow a method if they feel it is unreasonable for the given target or situation. For example, the stalking method might be impossible if the target can't be physically seen with a weeks worth of journeying.
- Created by u/xpertranger
- This is the final version of the Research downtime activity
- Artwork: Crow's-eye Rhizome by Kasia Bekus
| Method | Skills Used |
|---|---|
| Asking Around | Wisdom (Insight) & the player’s choice of Charisma (Persuasion), Charisma (Deception), or Charisma (Intimidation) |
| Studying | Intelligence (History) & Wisdom (Insight) |
| Stalking | Dexterity (Stealth) & Wisdom (Perception) |
Result
If none of the checks are successful, the character is caught looking into their target. The outcome of this can be anything ranging from having a bounty secretly placed on their head to immediate combat depending on the nature of the target.
If at least one check is successful, you may ask the DM a number of yes or no questions about the target equal to the number of successful checks. You receive a correct answer for each question. You might receive "unknown" as an answer if a question pertains to information that cannot be obtained using your chosen method.
Optional: Custom Investigation Methods
Some characters may request to use methods which do not fit neatly into one of the established categories, in this case simply choose two applicable skills and treat them as the skills determined by the method. An example could be stealing important documents related to the target, in which case the character might use Dexterity (Stealth) and Intelligence (Thieves' Tools).
