Downtime sponges for non-spellcasters?

[JusticeZero]

I've been looking at all the spell research and item creation that is possible for casters. This looks like something that I can turn into interesting things for players to do. But it leaves me looking at the non-spellcasters feeling like they have less to do, and thusly that they might be feeling like they are led by the caster's need to get components and books and such, or bored waiting for research to happen. Is there anything with crunch that the non-spellcasters should be doing to develop?

[Palanan]

I usually manage to give my PCs the opportunity to pick up books of interest, which may confer either a plot-based or mechanical benefit.

For instance, in my current seafaring campaign, a couple of the PCs did a little browsing in the bookstores of Waterdeep, on the completely sound notion that they'd have a lot of time for reading in their cabins belowdecks.

And in a previous campaign virtually all the PCs spent a week or so of downtime reading through the various books they'd come across. I let the players choose from titles that sound interesting to their characters, and then let them know the benefits once they've finished reading.

[OverdrivePrime]

There's always crafting. A suit of adamantine armor, or an adamantine weapon takes quite a while to craft.

Other craft skills, like building fortifications, or making siege weapons can be a big time sink as well.

Retraining requires some time investment, so there's that.

Also, gather information checks take quite a long time.

[Vaz]

RAW; none. But I always see that during the time that a time that a character is adventuring, they're gaining the usage of abilities which provides them with feats on various level's up, or as a reward for the class.

So, during downtime, a character can choose to put in the time to train and get themselves another feat, or to increase points currently invested in a particular cross-class rank to only take 1 point per rank, rather than 2 as per normal; however, they are still cross-class, and any points gained thereafter do not receive the benefit.

Feats and Skills gained in this way may never be used for qualifying prerequisites (for feats or prestige classes) however (although you may then later retrain the feat to swap with another.

For example, you have a Level 4 character with Weapon Focus, Dodge and Improved Initiative. During the Downtime, they have enough time to train themselves Weapon Specialization. They know that next level they want to get themselves into a Prestige Class A, which requires Weapon Specialization and Dodge, so they use the retraining mechanism to swap Improved Initiative for Weapon Specialization (but still benefit from Improved Initiative). However, should the character later want to take a Feat or Prestige Class requiring Improved Initiative, they'd have to learn another feat, and then swap that feat with Improved Initiative before it can be counted for qualification purposes.

I do allow Bonus Feats to be swapped in this way (makes a Fighter dip a lot more viable); as well, but it should be noted I don't allows the Shuffle trick. Some classes I look at intently; the Wizard and it's Bonus Metamagic Feats being swapped out for fighter based feats I do not allow, for example.

As that is an aside to RAW;

1; make friends and connections. While the wizard can destroy the castle gates to get it, a guard on the party's pay roll can easily give you a secret entrance. If you Roleplay the selling availability more than "I go to the metropolis Generica, and sell 500,000 worth of loots, then buy my 400,000K worth of loots and invest the rest", then having them searching out a buyer (like you do in Skyrim, etc), and seeing what he's offering. Repeat customers might recieve a discount, for example, or early/unique access to this rare new ore another of his clients has swapped.

2; Crafting/Professions - if your party wizard is spending a few weeks on selling goods, your Bard can go entertain the populace/palace, a Fighter might go training the military (I also give the Fighter a free amount of skill ranks in profession classes for this purpose only - it's what he does). It might not be much at high levels, but for low level campaigns, it's a decent amount.

3; Grant free Feat Taxes for low-power characters; e.g Dodge, Combat Expertise, Run, Track, etc. Provided of course they don't step on other characters toes. The Ranger won't be happy while he's off hunting down his animal companion, that the Fighter has been learning Track for free, and then proceeds to enter the Prestige Class he was going for a couple of levels early.

[Norin]

A suggestion: Check out chapter 8 in phb2.

If your players feel like it, and you allow it, they could spend time retraining\rebuilding their chars.

[Psyren]

In Pathfinder, the noncasters can craft too, though their selection is a bit more limited. This can let a party divvy up the crafting duties more equitably. You can also have the PCs divvy up the crafting - say, the fighter smiths the armor and pendants while the mage enchants them. (This would be represented mechanically by having the fighter contribute his CMA&A feat while the wizard contributes the necessary spells.) This approach not only gives everyone something to do, it also means more feats to go around for the party because you aren't loading down one or two people with all the crafting ones.