Guide to Downtime
2023-07-09
Below is my method for running downtime in my games, with sections split amongst the different options. Downtime is a section of the game representing a period of time when characters are not actively adventuring. This can be used to rest, train, pursue personal goals, or interact with the world in other ways. This period is measured mechanically in Months, with the main types being a Regular Downtime Activity (events or rewards accruing consistently across the period) or a Focused Downtime Activity (a singular event or reward being given at the end) with the specifics left up to the GM and the player’s intent. Sometimes the GM may reward players with shorter periods of time in which they can reduce the rewards to represent the shorter times. This can also take place during a Long Rest, within which a Workweek can be utilized for light work or making allies in the local area. Examples of the options are as follows,
Rest: Characters can spend downtime days to rest and recover from their adventures. This includes taking long rests, which allow characters to regain hit points and other resources as well as choosing to simply enjoy themselves without any inherent benefits. When doing this downtime activity you can recover from double the normal levels of exhaustion or if you must roll (such as from a powerful poison or a curse) you can roll with Advantage
Train: Characters can spend downtime days to train with a certain task. This can be done by practicing a skill, taking lessons from a master, or simply by immersing themselves in a situation where they can use the skill. The results and circumstances depend on the goal.
Pursue personal goals: Characters can spend downtime days to pursue personal goals, such as building a business, writing a book, or learning about a personal question. These can have a specific benefit set from the beginning but can also be Downtime Quests which have their own narrative benefits
Interact with the world: Characters can spend downtime days interacting with the world in other ways, such as visiting towns, exploring ruins, or attending festivals hosted by the church they belong to.
Firstly, before I can begin listing my rules for what can be done during downtime I’m going to list out the basic lifestyles of the world. Each of these have a good variety of specificity hidden within that can be changed depending on locale or GM but in general these adhere to the levels of wealth available to the inhabitants. Each of these cost a certain amount and while there can be situations where they can be ignored it’s best to begin with calculating these costs and working from there. These represent a variety of conditions which are involved with the general conditions of living in a society, many of the basic activities that a person would participate in (such as living in a home, eating, and purchasing basic items for the home such as candles) take up a certain amount of money which is accounted for here.
Wretched Lifestyle - 0 SP Monthly: This lifestyle is represented by only the most low of people, the beggars that line the streets of wealthy cities or the slave farmers that aren’t allowed to gain anything in their lives as their cruel masters keep them laid low. This can also include those who are lost or are trying to survive in the wild without the proper gear or knowledge to do so.
Squalid Lifestyle - 1 GP Monthly (3 CP Daily): This is the most common lifestyle within the poorer nations and the great cities, as the participants cannot escape this cruel cycle of poverty. Most of their wage’s profit is spent to make their daily lives slightly better, whether that is higher quality foods or a few beers every week. Groups of people form regularly from within this group (such as farming villages) where the collective can combine some of their net incomes to purchase important items such as spear and shields for a town guard or for laborers to help improve irrigation channels which can transform the livelihood from Squalid to Poor or even higher.
Poor Lifestyle - 3 GP Monthly (1 SP Daily): This next level of expenses accounts for a still low class, but not harsh life, of the common level of living. People within this tier lack most of the creature comforts of the tiers above but they have an at least regular lifestyle, working as a low level apprentice for a minor guild or a general laborer that moves between places of work for plowing fields or moving stones while working in construction.
This is the lowest level of Lifestyle for a Skilled Worker to make (using the Working Downtime Activity as they are Proficient in that Tool) while also benefiting from their superior housing and easy access to clients compared to those below. In addition, anyone with Proficiency in the Survival Skill (such as NPCs living in a Nomad Society) can live off an average piece of land with a Poor Lifestyle, though the net gain of GP can only occur if during this period the character regularly visits settlements to trade. Those with Expertise in Survival can live a Modest Lifestyle in this way while those with Mastery in Survival can live a Comfortable Lifestyle living off the land.
Modest Lifestyle - 30 GP Monthly (1 GP Daily): These are the higher end of the common people’s lifestyles, experienced craftsmen or small merchants or end of career soldiers all can keep up this lifestyle with ease. They don’t worry about their daily expenditures and have a stable life compared to others (especially considering the better places they live in) but they cannot afford any of the additional bonuses that wealthier lifestyles benefit from. Most of the time those of this tier spend their time enjoying their earnings as those lucky few of the lower classes end up here as they near retirement.
Comfortable Lifestyle - 60 GP Monthly (2 GP Daily): Those of this lifestyle are representative of the Middle Class, merchants and guild leaders, and town mayors all gain the benefits of utilizing their station to not want for any normal items. This of course can be increased with a bit of unethical corruption (and regularly is) but in exchange they can not only keep up with their weapons and equipment like normal but also can save to make additional purchases or servants to keep their things clean. This can include buying the occasional magic item, creating places in their societies where they can benefit even more, or raising a unit of men that serve them.
Wealthy Lifestyle - 120 GP Monthly (4 GP Daily): This lifestyle is dominated by the lower levels of landed gentry in feudal societies or the higher level politicians and businessmen in the more democratic societies. There is little worry about crime or violence and any living near a temple don’t want for medical treatments. They likely have servants and at least a few people that are employed by them for other tasks in addition to those that serve the structures which they have put them atop. They don’t live in the highest of society but they do cross paths with those of the highest lifestyle. It’s likely that they have powerful lands in addition to their own wealth that provides most of their power, units of soldiers and powerful vassals which fuel the ambitions of power which infect this class.
Aristocratic Lifestyle - Minimum of 9000 GP Monthly (300 GP Daily): This is the absurdly wealthy lifestyle for only the most powerful country leaders and they absolutely don’t want for anything. They have dozens ready to serve them and hundreds more that wish to do so, whether in the form of vassals who implement their desires in exchange for land (or money) while others have the loyalty of a dedicated history and thus don’t need to have any kind of worry over their loyalty. However, with this power comes the ire of their fellows and the possibility for those to rise above their station with a well timed elimination of this aristocrat. Those of this high tier are made up by only those who seek more tenacious means to take the growing power of others and incorporate it within their own sphere of influence.
Downtime Activities: These tasks are more general thoughts my players have had but we can get into specific events or specific goals, which I have a general rule set for. These can be changed up depending on the character but the goals are generally the same, and if a different option is desired please discuss with your GM before deciding on a course of action. The results will also depend on the amount of time that is spent, with the general description of a Short Downtime as 3 Months (or a Season in a temperate climate), a Long Downtime as 6 Months (or a Season in tropical climate), and an Extended Downtime as 1 Year. The general distribution of these in my games is dependent on the PC’s Character Levels and are as follows, a Short Downtime around Level 4, a Long Downtime around Level 7, and an Extended Downtime before or after Level 10. After is what I use to conclude a campaign while before is what I’ll use to give more bonuses to the players before I send them on the final mission of the campaign. Finally, in addition to the explanation for these activities I will also list the base lifestyle that it allows, from which any player can choose to increase for their character’s benefit.
Training - What you gain can be changed based on the character’s desire but in each case a Trainer must be found and paid for, though for most things any major city is likely to have any of these options easily accessible with some money. These cost on average 100GP to travel and gain access to your Trainer for a Short Downtime, increased for certain activities as listed below. This 3 month cost reoccurs every 3 months, so Long Downtimes cost 200GP and Extended Downtimes cost 400GP. Once you’ve input your gold you can choose from the options below depending on what you want to gain from your Training. However, once you’ve embarked on Training you cannot do so again during the same Downtime if it is longer than one of the pre-designated time periods unless your GM allows for you to take another Training activity. Whenever you decide to take this activity and your GM has agreed to it roll a d10 and on a 1 your GM rolls on the Training Complications Table
Gain Abilities- You can Select from the options below, with a Short Downtime providing1 choice, a Long Downtime providing 2, and an Extended Downtime providing 4
Learn a Language and become Trained with any 2 Skills
Proficiency with a Tool
Proficiency with a Skill
Proficiency with any 3 Weapons
Increase your Proficiency with a Tool to Expertise with this Tool - Triple the Cost
Increase your Proficiency with a Skill to Expertise with this Tool - Triple the Cost
Gain a Feat
Short - Basic or Ancestral Feat
Long - A Tier II Feat
Extended - A Tier III Feat
Increase your Base Stats (Max Ability Score of 20) - Double the Cost
Short - +1 to any Ability Score
Long - +1 to any 2 different Ability Scores
Extended - +2 to any Ability Score and +1 to a different Ability Score
Complications (1d6)
1 - Your instructor disappears, forcing you to spend one workweek finding a new one
2 - Your teacher instructs you in rare, archaic methods, which draw comments from others and might affect your reputation
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 asks for help dealing with a threat
Work - The general use of time for the average part-time adventurer, this work usually includes whatever skills they have to provide outside of battle. Commonly this is used by those with Tool Proficiencies such as Alchemists, Carpenters, or Tailors.
General - This Activity is measured in months where the Character makes an Ability Check for each month, and the value generated depends on the results below. This represents the character’s ability to make and sell quality products. On a natural 1 still add the bonuses but reduce the reward by 1, so if a character has a +9 bonus and rolls a 1 (for a total of 10) their lifestyle is still Poor. In addition this choice allows the player to have the benefits of being a well liked member of their society, contributing to the benefits everyone enjoys. They gain the benefits of the lifestyle 1 tier above the table below except for the net monetary gains. The other forms of work have a general Poor Lifestyle with no additional monetary gains, instead their risky dangers provide more bonuses but at the cost of having more room to fall into the depths of
Guilds and Factions - Those within a Guild’s benefits can choose to instead of rolling to just accept a Modest Lifestyle within the Guild. However this likely comes with some non-negotiable burdens, such as taxes, mandatory meetings, and restrictions on where they can travel or live, or even who they can associate with. In addition, a character part of one of these organizations who chooses to still roll can reduce the DC for this Roll by 2. This benefit can also be applied for those who partake in a different work (up to the GM’s discretion). For instance a PC with the Town Guard background or who has Levels in Fighter can make use of this table by being employed as a bodyguard, where they use an Attack Roll instead of a Skill Check to represent this change.
<9: Squalid Lifestyle - 1 GP this Month
10-14: Poor Lifestyle - 3 GP this Month
15-19: Modest Lifestyle - 30 GP this Month
>19: Comfortable Lifestyle - 60 GP this Month
Criminal Activities - Requires proficiency with Stealth or Thieves’ Tools
You engage with the criminal elements of a large town or city and work over the wealthier types within the city to gather as much wealth as you can. This normally takes the form of breaking and entering but can also be a more social style heist involving disguises and parties.
For every 3 Months spent doing this you must make 3 Checks, an Acrobatics Check, a Sleight of Hand Check, and a Thieves’ Tools Check to represent your attempts at a heist. As a part of this activity you also make a Deception Check. If the total is higher than any of your other rolls you can replace that roll with your Deception Check. Each Roll has a DC of 10 but a player can choose to partake in a more dangerous type of fighting to gain higher pay rates, each tier higher increases the DC by +5. A High Tier Heist doubles the take while the Dangerous Heists (with a chance of lethality) quadruples the winnings. Dangerous Heists have any natural 1s result in an extreme failure, 2 results in a permanent damage to your body, and all 3 being natural 1s results in a character death. High Tier Fights have their dangers reduced by 1 level. See the base level of winnings in the list below…
0 Successes - 50 GP gained from a traveling merchant, but you are now wanted within the community that you performed the heist
1 Success - 100 GP
2 Successes - 200 GP
3 Successes - 400 GP
Gambling- Requires Proficiency with a type of Gaming Set
You make an attempt at using your skills with a Gaming Set to take people for everything they have. It’s likely you find an underground den of thieves to do so while in some societies gambling is seen as a completely honest thing to take part in. For each Downtime spent doing this you must make 3 Checks, a Sleight of Hand Check, a Deception Check, and a Check utilizing your chosen Gaming Set to represent your skill in the game. As a part of this Activity you can make an Intimidation or Insight Check (your choice). Each Roll has a DC of 10 but a player can choose to partake in a more dangerous game to gain higher pay, each tier higher increases the DC by +5. A High Stakes Table doubles the winnings while the Underground Tables (with a chance of an angry reprisal) quadruples the winnings. Underground Tables have any natural 1s result in losing 10x what you put in, 2 results in a permanent damage to your body and reputation, and all 3 being natural 1s results in a character death as they are assassinated in their sleep or surrounded and eliminated on a walk to a table. High Stakes Tables have the repercussions reduced by 1 Level. The GP Value depends on how much you put in, with a normal minimum of 10 GP, High Stakes have a minimum of 50 GP, and an Underground Table has a minimum of 250 GP as you play with the highest of rollers
0 Successes - No GP gained
1 Success - 50 GP
2 Successes - 100 GP
3 Successes - 200 GP
Gladiatorial Fights - Requires Proficiency with a Martial Weapon and a type of Armor or Performance Checks
You engage in a sporting type of combat dedicated to exploring the type of storylines and drama dedicated to the epics of storytellers everywhere. You fight with blunted weapons and make yourself a part of the act. For each Downtime spent doing this you must make 3 Checks, an Acrobatics Check, an Athletics Check, and a Weapon Attack Roll to represent your attempts to entertain a crowd. As a part of this activity you can make a Performance Check. If the total is higher than any of your other rolls you can replace that roll with your Performance Check. Each Roll has a DC of 10 but a player can choose to partake in a more dangerous type of fighting to gain higher pay rates, each tier higher increases the DC by +5. A High Tier Fight doubles the winnings while the Underground Fights (with a chance of lethality) quadruples the winnings. Underground Fights have any natural 1s result in an extreme failure, 2 results in a permanent damage to your body, and all 3 being natural 1s results in a character death. High Tier Fights have their dangers reduced by 1 level. See the base level of winnings in the list below…
0 Successes - No GP gained
1 Success - 50 GP
2 Successes - 100 GP
3 Successes - 200 GP
Religious Work - Requires Proficiency with Religion or at least 1 Level in Cleric or Paladin (or can be slightly adjusted to work for Monk Temples as well). A character can choose to have their time spent in the use of a Temple, Church, or Abbey that matches the character’s religion or ethos. This service can be in the form of proselytizing to the people of the land, assisting priests in their services, or even gathering materials for rituals which are in dangerous places that only a powerful person can help.
You make an attempt to use your Religion Skill to assist or improve this institution you’re assisting. This grants you a Comfortable Lifestyle regardless of the Roll as long as you commit to complete your whole Downtime serving the temple, or if you’re only there for a short period you instead gain the benefits of a Modest Lifestyle
For each Downtime spent doing this you must make 3 Checks, a Religion Check, an Insight Check, and a Persuasion Check to represent. As a part of this Activity you can make a Basic Check, adding only your Paladin and Cleric Levels. Each Roll has a DC of 10 but a player can choose to partake in a more socially complicated service to gain higher pay, each tier higher increases the DC by +5, such as hosting a congregation of multi-ethnic church leaders or hosting the Head of a Temple. A Middle Class service doubles the winnings while the High Class Service (with a chance of an excommunication) quadruples the winnings. High Class Services have any natural 1s result in losing 100GP, 2 results in a permanent excommunication, and all 3 being natural 1s results in a character death as they are executed in their sleep or surrounded and eliminated after being called upon by their high leader. Middle Class Services have the repercussions reduced by 1 Level.
0 Successes - 0 GP gained and may gain an enemy within the establishment
1 Success - 25 GP gained and are granted a favor by a member of the organization
2 Successes - 50 GP gained and are granted a favor by a high ranking member of the organization
3 Successes - 100 GP gained and are granted a favor by the highest member(s) of the organization or 3 favors from different middle level members of the organization
Adventuring Work - You make an attempt at using your skills with a Gaming Set to take people for everything they have. It’s likely you find an underground den of thieves to do so while in some societies gambling is seen as a completely honest thing to take part in.
For each Downtime spent doing this you must make 3 Checks of your Choice. Each Roll has a DC of 10 but a player can choose to partake in a more dangerous quests to gain higher rewards, each tier higher increases the DC by +5. A High Stakes Adventure doubles the winnings while the Lethal Adventures (with a chance of an angry reprisal) quadruples the winnings. Lethal Adventures have any natural 1s result in a body part while 2 or more result in a character death as they cannot keep up with the monsters within. High Stakes Adventures have the repercussions reduced by 1 Level.
0 Successes - No GP gained
1 Success - 100 GP
2 Successes - 300 GP
3 Successes - 900 GP
Creating Works - Along the path of working there are some characters who have skills in a type of craft, such as spell scribing or alchemy in which they can produce even better works with days of research and development. And as these are specific items (discussed with your GM first) you can utilize any additional time you have to perform another downtime activity. In general, this can only be utilized if you have Proficiency with a Tool and have active access to resources, such as a PC Proficient in Carpenter’s Tools need to be near a source of wood. When doing so you can create 200 GP worth of products per Month [net] (or about 10GP per day, working in full 5 days per week, for 50 GP per week) worth of items. This includes an Alchemist using their skills to create potions or an herbalist creating healing salves. This can be improved with Assistants, for example PCs also Proficient in the Tool being utilized doubles the rate of product making . Hirelings have less benefits but are easier to acquire, those who are Skilled with those Tools can provide half this benefit and Masters in which case they provide the full benefit.
Example - An Alchemist can produce a Vial of Acid, Alchemist’s Fire, or Soap in 1 Workday, the total value of which must be paid in half the created item’s cost in acquiring the Raw Materials. Normally PCs who are Alchemists make healing products, which are listed below for ease along with a few examples of other options for PCs interested in using their specific tools
Alchemist’s Kit - 1 Workday - Create a Vial of Acid, Alchemist’s Fire, Antitoxin, Oil, Perfume, or Soap - Costing ½ the item’s gold value in raw materials
Healing Potions
Minor Healing Potion - 1 Workday, 10 GP Cost
Basic Healing Potion - ½ Workweek, 25 GP Cost
Greater Healing Potion - 1 Workweek, 100 GP Cost
Superior Healing Potion - 3 Workweeks, 1k GP Cost
Supreme Healing Potion - 6 Workweeks, 10k GP
Brewer’s Kit - 1 Workday - 6 Gallons of Purified Water - 10L of Purified Water - Requires 20L of Impure Water
Cartographer’s Kit - 2 Workweeks - A Map - Requires blank high quality Paper, ink, and a quill (spread across any amount of traveling)
Cobbler’s Kit - 1 Workday - Build a Hidden compartment into a pair of shoes - Shoes and
Cooking Tools - 1 Hour - A Tasty Meal - Sufficient Food
Disguise Kit - 1 Workday - A Disguise - Sufficient Materials
Forgery Kit - 1 Workday - A Forged Document - Paper, Ink, a Quill, and an Example Document
Herbalism Kit - 1 Workday - Antitoxin, Poison, Oil, Perfume, Soap - Costing ½ the item’s gold value in raw materials
Weaver’s Kit - 1 Workday - an Outfit - Sufficient Cloth
Woodcarver’s Kit - 1 Workday - A quiver of Arrows or Bolts (20 each) - Enough Supplies
Creating Magic Items - This specialty crafting requires multiple skills, all of which are included in the Jotun Smith (Tier II) Feat. This allows a character to craft magic items by imbuing a physical object with the magical language of the dead giants, granting specific benefits dependent on the type and power of the words applied
Costs - (Note: Cost does not include the cost of acquiring the item, for instance an enchanted Sword does not cost the same to make as an enchanted Masterwork Ziran Sword). In addition, there are also some more powerful crafting options for Uncommon and higher magic items which may require dangerous or hidden special items, which your GM decides.
Normal Items
Common Magic - 1 Week of Work, 50GP of Supplies
Scrolls - Cantrips Effects
Uncommon Magic - 4 Weeks of Work, 500GP of Supplies
1st Level Spell Effects
Rare Magic - 12 Weeks of Work, 500GP of Supplies
2nd Level Spell Effects
Very Rare Magic - 24 Weeks of Work, 50,000GP of Supplies
3rd Level Spell Effects
Legendary Magic - 52 Weeks of Work, 150,000 GP of Supplies
4th and 5th Level Spell Effects
Consumable Scrolls - These items just like crafted Poisons come with their own Save DC or Attack Rolls, however this benefit cannot be greater than the crafter’s Spell Save DC or Spell Attack Bonus.
Cantrips - 1 Workday, 15GP Cost, Save DC 13, Spell Attack of +5
1st Level Spells - 1 Workweek, 30GP Cost, Save DC 13, Spell Attack of +5
2nd Level Spells - 2 Workweeks, 150 GP Cost, Save DC 14, Spell Attack of +6
3rd Level Spells - 6 Workweeks, 750 GP Cost, Save DC 15, Spell Attack of +7
4th Level Spells - 12 Workweeks, 2,500 GP Cost, Save DC 16, Spell Attack of +8
5th Level Spells - 24 Workweeks, 10,000 GP Cost, Save DC 17, Spell Attack of +9
Creating Great Works
There are things worth more status and money than just crafting nails for the local town or even making Spell Scrolls for an important mage. These great works are the types to last for ages which in the real world would be considered the art of Davinci or the music of Beethoven or even the Broadside Ballads of Robin Hood. These are projects which take a long time but provide a powerful amount of Renown amongst the people of the world
The desired effect of this work will increase the amount of time required to create this work. This requires at least a Long Downtime for the work to be completed, but can be split up across Long Rests instead. These works are more reliant on actually getting people to visit but upon completion can attract a wide number of people to their creators. Most of these Great Works require an Extended Downtime working on them, granting you or your Faction a base 10 Renown. Each additional Extended Downtime provides more benefits, granting a +5 benefit to its influence spreading and an additional 10 Renown
Engaging in a Search for Items or Information
This option represents either a personal or greater goal of finding something. This can take the place of an old magic sword which has fallen out of the annals of history or the location of the scroll which has contains the true lawful heir of a kingdom in chaos. In general this option requires a base 50 GP investment to learn of the location plus the travel time to get there, and if it is unavailable in the area you’re able to travel within the time limit your GM can provide a list of other items of the same level which you find instead. You make a DC10 Investigation and Persuasion Checks to locate a reputable dealer who can get it to you. The DC for these checks increases by 10 for each level of item above the base, up to a Maximum of 40. In addition, these prices represent the player having a wealthy lifestyle so they can make active connections.
This presents the opportunity that on a Failure the GM can still provide a consolation prize of gaining a connection to a nearby magic items dealer. Examples of this are an Uncommon Magic Item (such as a Cloak of Elvenkind) or Information (such as knowledge about a Character's missing family member). The higher end of this range represents a legendary ancient weapon from a long lost civilization and where the persuasion check is to get a team of scholars and guides to get you to the beginning of the dungeon. For Information this can represent a secret kept by the most powerful or religious leaders or 3-4 pieces of lesser information learned across this period such as the location of 4 different buried treasure of the Emerald Pirates
You can get a +1 bonus to these Checks by spending an additional 50GP, up to a +5 bonus. Then you can spend 250 GP for +1 bonuses above that, up to a maximum of +10 total. Prices for Magic Items generally falls in the ranges below, with the total halved for a consumable potion or scroll. You gain an additional +5 to your Checks by utilizing a Long Downtime and a +10 bonus by using an Extended Downtime and joining a treasure hunting company or using connections from within a historical society like an old Wizard’s Tower can provide additional benefits with the approval of your GM, which I normally treat as a +5. Finally, if you fail but are within 5 of the DC you can succeed in exchange for a roll on the Complication Table (listed below) that your GM makes secretly.
Common: 20-70 GP
Uncommon: 100-600 GP
Rare - 2k-20k GP
Very Rare - 40k-80k GP
Legendary - 100k-500k GP
Complications (d12)
1 - Item is Fake, planted by an Enemy
2 - Item was Stolen by an Enemy
3 - Item is Cursed by a powerful being
4 - Item’s original owner was told of the sale and seeks to hunt down the seeker
5 - Item is the center of a dark prophecy
6 - The seller is found murdered when the deal is set to take place
7 - The seller is a devil looking for a deal
8 - The item is an important tool sought by a dark power
9 - A third party bids for the item, driving up (doubling) the price
10 - The Item has a sentient and enslaved creature’s soul within it
11 - The Item was sold after being stolen from a growing cult
12 - An enemy spreads a wide rumor that the item is a part of a dark ritual
Making Connections - You spend time making allies, or attempting to. The goal is to make connections with the local people, though the type of people (and associated cost) will be up to you. In most scenarios you pick a local place of power and choose between Low, Middle, and High Class that you’d like to increase your Connections with. The general cost for this (which can be adjusted at your GM’s discretion) is 10 GP for Low Class, 50 GP for Middle Class, and 250 GP for High Class.
You make a Performance or Persuasion Check, with the result dependent on the total compared to the tiers of success listed below. Additionally, a +5 bonus can be added if the player decided to roll on the Complications Table below from the beginning. When you are determining which Skill to certain players this can take different forms, such as using Arcana to make a connection within a Wizard’s Tower, or Religion for people within an Abbey or Temple.
Results
<6: Character has made a Hostile Contact and also rolls on the Complications Table
7-10: Character has made a Brief Contact and also rolls on the Complications Table
11-15: Character has made an Allied Contact
16-20: Character has made a pair of Allied Contacts or has a Brief Contact within a powerful Faction
>20: Character has made a trio of Allied Contacts or a single Allied Contact within a powerful Faction
Contacts
Lower Class contacts normally take on the status of being a group of thieves, gambling addicts, town guard, or peasant farmers who frequent the cheapest taverns in town. The Middle Class takes the form of merchants, mages, or government bureaucrats usually gathering in nicer inns or the baths of a wealthy city. Meanwhile the High Classes are likely to keep away from a PC unless they can gain access to their elite parties, banquets, or government sponsored feasts The GM can create NPCs for this or can repurpose already seen but less used such as a commonly seen town guard. However, the GM can also have the player create an NPC for this purpose or just take suggestions, such as their goal to meet a Magic Item merchant to gain a rapport with.
Complications (d12)
1 - A pickpocket takes [1d10 * 5] GP along the journey
2 - A bar brawl has given you a new scar
3 - A social mistake causes a bunch rumors to spring up about you in the local area
4 - You are forced into a socially perilous duel or joust that you must take upon yourself to win
5 - Surprise! You wake up married!
6 - You have to double the cost to succeed on the activity
7 - There is a strange and vague memory you suddenly recall about a recent extremely illegal activity you participated in
8 - You are forced into running a local festival and have to spend your time keeping that from going poorly
9 - You walk past the locals one day and everyone is calling you a weird nickname like Melon Lord or Puddleman
10 - A lower noble has convinced you to take on their debts as a part of your dealings
11 - You make a foolish mistake while at a drunken party and have to deal with the consequences
12 - You insulted a public figure and now must make a public apology
Side Questing
Some characters have found that there are goals which they need to accomplish, even if that keeps them apart for the entirety of downtime. For instance a Paladin could have discovered a minor offshoot of a demonic cult which is forming in a nearby town and searches to destroy it. These are normally at least a tier lower than whatever quest they are on and likely have rewards specific to them. This could be an amulet once owned by the Paladin’s lost father or a piece of a sword which once belonged to a Saint of their church. In general this should provide enough wealth to garner a Comfortable Lifestyle on a Successful completion of the side quest.
Homestead Building
Sometimes an adventurer either comes from (or desires to be) the landed gentry which controls the land and people upon it. This creates power which can be used to influence the world around them at a rate which largely outstrips all but the most powerful of people, forces which change the economy and culture and realpolitik of their nation. This will be further included in the Bases and Strongholds Journal entry to come later
