Downtime Guidelines

[LibraryOgre]

So, elsewhere, we're talking about downtime in campaigns, especially when someone else is doing something long (the original discussion was the 30-120 day meditation times for psionicists, but it also applies to wizards or clerics making spells or items). And, of course, if your party takes time off for some reason, like winter or pregnancy. The spell, item, and psionic rules are pretty clear, and, at the end, you wind up with something concrete.

What kind of guidelines would you suggest for the PCs who aren't doing that?

Ars Magica has a "seasons" system. You get XP for your adventures, yes, but there's also ways to get XP for your non-adventuring time, which is presumably spent practicing trades, training skills, or studying. However, it's a skill-based system, not a level-based one... you get XP in your fighting skill, or your knowledge skill, or your language skill, not to your total towards a level. I don't object to XP occurring (as it does for magic item creation), but it should be relatively incidental to other effects.

One option might be NWP improvement; spend a certain amount of time and gain a +1 to a NWP.
What about a bonus WP? Dark Sun has explicit options for fighters to train others to proficiency, which I don't think would be out of line to extend to NPCs in other settings.
What about Hit Die reroll? Spend time training to improve your combat skill, allowing you to reroll a HD?
On thread, networking was mentioned... improving your relationship with NPC groups. How would that work? A reaction modifier?

I think a good model is the Will and the Way's meditation progress checks. Every 10 days, you roll a check. Succeed, and it's progress towards your goal. Fail, and you didn't make progress. Roll exactly, and you shorten the time by 10 days.

[jjordan]

I like to approach downtime as a mini-game rather than a straight mechanic.

I like the general model that XGtE advances: invest time and resources to get a roll at advancement. And I like a cumulative successes model because a player can continue to advance, and reach their goal, so long as they keep investing time, resources, and effort.

I prefer to extrapolate from the XGtE model though. It's a good reference and model but tweaking it for your game provides you with better results and invites player participation in the process.

E.G. A player might decide to spend their downtime building contacts and improving their social position. XGtE has a reference mechanic for this. I might decide that for every week the player invests 5 gold pieces and thirty hours of time they get a DC15 Charisma check. They might be able to apply some proficiency if they lean on legitimate social contacts (Persuasion) or maybe they are building a false identity which relies on deception. They can earn bonuses by increasing the amount of money they spend, recruiting allies (who will need to be compensated somehow) and whatever creativity the player comes up with. If they succeed then I give them an 'I know a guy' mechanic point they can spend in this specific social environment to have a favorable association with someone.

[LibraryOgre]

A basic "Downtime action" takes about 1 month or 30 days to accomplish (I know several settings have a 30 day month, but others may not). If the time available is less than half that (for example, your psionicist meditates for 80 days, having 10 days left in the third action), then you're at -3 per five days subtracted if the action requires a check; non-check actions can't be attempted, and you can't go above a -9 (which means you're doing it in 15 days).

Options for Downtime include:

1) Magical research, including spells and items. This can be research or fabrication. Use existing rules.

2) Psionic meditation; magical research for psychics.

3) Recruit a henchman.

4) Ply your trade. This may be a NWP, secondary skill, or class options (thieves steal, bards sing, fighters train people, spellcasters cast). This generates income per Birthright domain turn.

5) Training. Each downtime action allows you to
a) gain 1 HP, up to maximum for class, level, and constitution (and race, if appropriate; half-giants roll double HD, some races in Complete Humanoids get bonus HP)
b) Improve a NWP you have. At the end of a downtime action, roll a proficiency check; you go up 1 point on a failure (i.e. it's a lot easier to improve when you don't know a lot). If you have an empty slot due to level increase, this is free.
c) Learn a new proficiency. If you have an empty slot, this is automatic (though it still takes the month, and time). If you wish a bonus slot, you must succeed at an appropriate check as if you possessed the proficiency (i.e. if you're trying to learn Weaponsmithing, it's at Intelligence -3). Furthermore, training for this requires a number of actions per proficiency slot... a fighter wanting to learn Weaponsmithing requires 3 months, a thief trying to learn the same requires 4 months. If they want to train a multi-slot NWP they don't have AND have an empty slot, that empty slot is "free"... if the fighter above had hit 3rd level and wanted to learn Weaponsmithing, it would take him three months, but he'd only have to make 2 checks.

[LibraryOgre]

Cost of downtime.

First, all downtime has the basic maintenance cost for how well you want to live, per the DMG. If a check is required, poor conditions inflict a -1, and squalid conditions inflict a -3. Lifestyles better than middle class do not provide a bonus to learning.

Secondly, training requires a cost equal to the amount gained to Ply Trade for that trade for one month per slot. Training as a Sailor requires 5d6 GP; training as a Engineer requires 6d4*10 GP (and requires at least two months). Here's the list from Birthright:


Marginal: Farmer, Fisher, Forester, Hunter, Miner, Sailor, Teamster, Cutpurse, Pickpocket, Servant, foot soldier. Marginal occupations earn 5d6 gold pieces per action.

Fair: Blacksmith, Bowyer/Fletcher, Leatherworker, Mason, Trapper, Weaver, Woodworker, Bandit, Herbalist, or fair Artist or Entertainer. Fair occupations earn 10d6 gold pieces per action.

Good: Armorer, Brewer, Gambler, Swindler, Jeweler, Limner/Painter, minor Merchant, Scribe, Tailor, Weaponsmith, military officer, or good Artist or Entertainer. Good occupations earn 30-80 (1d6+2)x10 gold pieces per action.

Excellent: Shipwright, major Merchant, Architect, Engineer, superb Artist or Entertainer. Excellent occupations earn 60-240 (6d4x10) gold pieces per action.

Special: Wizards, magicians, and priests can sell spellcasting services for 25 gp per character level times the province level. An 8th-level wizard in a level 5 province can sell his services for 1,000 gp per action round. A character can also make a specific item for
himself if desired. An armorer can fashion a suit of armor, a bard can compose a poem, and so on. This worsens the profitability one grade, but gives the character the opportunity to create a desired item with the normal chance of success.

If training in Weapon Proficiencies, the DM should decide what trainers are available, and make a determination of cost; training in a spear is likely fairly easy to come by, and cost 5d6gp, while training in swords may be rarer, and require officer-level outlays ((1d6+2)*10).

As I've noted elsewhere, I suggest setting the "province level" (which is an important thing in Birthright) at 4, if your game doesn't use province levels. In Birthright, a level below 3 causes a penalty (lowering your effective pay scale; an Engineer in a province with few people will earn like they are only in a Good profession), and a level above 7 causes a bonus (so an Armorer in a metropolis will earn as if they are in an excellent profession). 4 keeps it simple, and makes the calculation for spellcasters level*100gp. Alternatively, you can use the province levels based on population from Birthright; 0 is less than 1000, 1-3 will be 2000-10,000, 4-6 will be 10,000 to 40,000, and 7 might be up to 100,000 people. You'll make a lot more money in Greyhawk than you will in Hommlet.

[LibraryOgre]

One thing I'm debating is the effect of, and the cost of, both recruiting a henchman and of building connections. A few questions to answer:

1) Cost of recruiting henchmen? The 1e DMG has a cost list, and some chances of success:


Method, Cost, Effectiveness
HIRING A CRIER 10 g.p. 1% - 10%
POSTING NOTICES IN PUBLIC 50 g.p. 10% - 40%
HIRING AGENTS TO SEEK PROSPECTS 300 g.p. 20% - 50%
FREQUENTING INNS AND TAVERNS special special

Each method can be tried but once a month with any hope of success. Reduce the percentage chance of effectiveness of each method by 5% when used in combination; this reflects the duplication of effort. The special costs for frequenting inns and taverns is a combination of the price of a round of drinks for the house and a fee to the barkeep to mention the prospective employer to adventurers. For each 10 g.p. (50 g.p. maximum) of fee, there is a 1% - 4% chance of reaching a henchman.


It goes on to note that you can work up to 10 establishments at a time, but you're at -1% per extra establishment. Initial price of hiring a henchman is 100gp per level of the henchman. So, to do it that way, you wind up spending a big chunk of gold, and have a chance of attracting one or more appropriate henchmen. The 1e DMG suggests that you'll find one potential henchmen per 1000 people in your area

2) Cost and effect of building a reputation. If you're putting a month in to build a reputation with someone or some group, could that be part of plying a trade? My inclination is "To build a reputation, you are considered to be 'Plying a Trade' appropriate to your skills (which must be appropriate to the targeted individual or group). For every 10%, cumulative, of your income dedicated to improving reputation, you gain a +1 to reaction rolls from that group." Cumulative, in this case, means that +1 is 10%, +2 is 30% (10+20), 3 is 60% (10+20+30), and +4 is 100%. In theory, you could sink your own money into going higher. So, if your thief is trying to get in good with the thieves guild, they may spend a month working for them as an enforcer (about a Bandit, so 10d6 gold), then spend all of it getting in good with the guild (bribes, drinks, bail, etc.).
This can run into a problem that I see, especially with regards to thieves... it's just as effective to spend your month as a cutpurse or pickpocket, getting and spending 5d6 gold, as it is a bandit, getting and spending 10d6 gold. If you have your own gold to drop in, it's very effective ("I made 30 as a cutpurse, so I'm going to drop another 15 to get a +5 reaction roll with the guild"). I'm not sure how to resolve this.

[LibraryOgre]

I prefer to extrapolate from the XGtE model though. It's a good reference and model but tweaking it for your game provides you with better results and invites player participation in the process.


I made some from an approach based on Birthright and Dark Sun's fighter ability (one month and an intelligence check and you get a bonus WP). I need to noodle through the 5e design for more to work with.