Between Adventures

See the core rulebook for tables Engineering Items and Engineering Time.

*Rare weapons may require longer crafting times determined by the Narrator.

Gather Information

The Gather Information activity is used to uncover secure or secret information about individuals, events, organizations, or other things that still exist within living memory. Gather Information is typically done by word-of-mouth on the street or in taverns.

The character specifies a particular individual, event, organization, or place from which they wish to learn more declares a specific piece of information that they’re seeking to learn, making an Investigation check. The time, DC, and costs are included below. 

On a success, the character learns what they are looking for along with a point of Key Knowledge. Success by 5 or more grants an additional fact or useful piece of information and an additional point of Key Knowledge. Failure means that the character learns nothing, and on a failure by 5 or more they instead learn an incorrect piece of information that could lead them astray or cause some trouble.

Key Knowledge. Key Knowledge represents clues, secrets, or other insights into a particular location, individual, or event. Each point of Key Knowledge is specific to an individual, creature, or location. These points may be spent to gain advantage on an attack roll or ability check made in relation to the subject.

At the Narrator’s discretion, these points can also be spent to introduce a small fact to the story. Perhaps a character learns of a friendly bartender while Gathering Information about the next town or discovers a potentially safe cavern while Researching the dungeon they plan to enter.

Limitations. The Narrator may decide that there is simply no way that a piece of information can be gleaned by the Gather Information activity. In this case, the Narrator should inform the player before attempting the check.

Recovery

Sometimes it is necessary to recover from the dangers faced by an adventurer. In order to take the Recover activity, a character must have or temporarily pay for at least a moderate lifestyle. Each week that a character takes the Recover activity, they may:

• Make a Constitution saving throw against one effect that is preventing them from regaining hit points.
• Make one additional saving throw against one disease or poison currently affecting them.

If a character is tended to by someone with a healer’s satchel, they have advantage on the above checks.

Religious Devotion

Religious Devotion allows a character to engage in acts of piety in an attempt to appease the gods and earn their favor. In order to engage in this downtime activity, a character must have access to a shrine, temple, or other sacred site and spend the required gold on sacred offerings to make a Nature or Religion check against a DC from Table: Religious Devotion. On a success, the character gains 1 point of favor, plus 1 additional point of favor for every 5 points their result exceeds the DC.

Favor. A point of favor can be spent to represent a minor but helpful boon that aligns with a deity’s portfolio. A point of favor from a war god might allow a character to find a weapon after they’ve been disarmed, while a point of favor from a nature god might make it easier to find a safe place to camp. The specific details are left up to the Narrator, but in general, this should represent advantage on a roll, the discovery of a small but useful item, or a helpful chance encounter. For 2 favor points, the Narrator may allow a character to benefit from the effects of a 1st-level spell that aligns with a deity’s portfolio. Narrators are free to come up with other uses.

If a character acts against the interests or philosophy of a deity during an adventure, any points of favor are immediately lost.

*The Narrator may allow specific actions by the character to reduce or eliminate this cost.

Research

Research is used to uncover obscure information about individuals, events, organizations, or other things that have faded beyond living memory but still exist in recorded history. Alternatively, Research can be used to find facts or information contained within bureaucratic records.

In order to conduct the Research activity, a character must have access to a library or libraries that might conceivably contain the information that they are searching for — a noble villa’s private library might contain original ownership records, but is unlikely to contain information regarding alien interlopers from the last age. The character makes an Arcana or History check (determined by the topic of Research) against the DC listed on Table: Research, taking an appropriate amount of time and spending the indicated amount of gold.

On a success, they learn what they are looking for along with a point of Key Knowledge (see Gather Information). Success by 5 or more grants an additional fact or useful piece of information and an additional point of Key Knowledge. Failure means that the character learns nothing, and on a failure by 5 or more they instead learn an incorrect piece of information that could lead them astray or cause some trouble.

The cost of research is reflective of bribes, library fees, and other related expenses. At the Narrator’s discretion, a character may dispense with these if they already have access to a library that may contain the information.

Spellcraft

This downtime activity allows spellcasters to create rare spells by refining their knowledge. Pick a common version of a spell that the character knows and choose one modification from the modifications table. Alternatively, with the Narrator’s permission a character may choose one rare spell from Chapter 11: Spellcasting provided it is of a level they can cast.

The character makes an ability check using their spellcasting ability and Arcana (sorcerer, warlock, wizard), Nature (druid), Performance (bard), or Religion (cleric, herald). The DC of the check is based on the spell level as per Table: Rare Spell Crafting and is increased by the desired modification.

Each check requires 1 week and the amount of indicated materials. A character requires a number of successful study weeks as listed on Table: Rare Spell Crafting. If a character succeeds the check by 5 or more, that week counts as 2 weeks for the purposes of completion. On a failure, the character makes no progress that week and the materials are consumed, and on a failure by 5 or more the materials are consumed and a week of progress is lost. The rare spell is finished when the final check succeeds.

In order to invent a rare spell, a character must have access to the appropriate type of library. Wizards and sorcerers require a collection of arcane tomes. Clerics and heralds must have access to books of esoteric lore and theological texts. Druids need a sacred place of nature untouched by civilization. Bards utilize folios of magical compositions. Warlocks require forbidden texts and works of the occult.

Creating rare spells should be a collaboration with the Narrator. As always, the Narrator must approve any new rare spell. When in doubt, use preexisting rare spell effects for inspiration.

In addition to crafting rare spells, it is possible to create entirely new spells. This process typically requires years of work and often represents the pinnacle of a spellcaster’s career. If a character wishes to create their own spell, it should require at least 2 months per spell level and 500 gold per spell level each week. DCs for such checks and the other specifics are determined by the Narrator, using the rules for crafting rare spells as a guideline.

Train

The Train activity allows a character to learn a new weapon, language, or tool proficiency, or it can be used to swap a class feature or feat that they learned previously.

Language or Tool. Learning a new language or tool proficiency requires a character to spend a number of months equal to 12 - their Intelligence modifier and pay 50 gold pieces per month to retain a tutor. If a character does not wish to pay for or does not have access to a tutor, they must have another reliable means of learning and the time required is doubled. At the end of this period, the character acquires the proficiency.

Weapon. Learning a new weapon proficiency requires a character spend a number of months equal to 6 - their Strength or Dexterity modifier (whichever is highest) training and pay 50 gold pieces per month to retain a tutor. At the end of this time period, the character acquires the weapon proficiency.

Relearning. A character may also relearn class features. This activity does not require spending any gold. The time required is 1 week to change a feature gained at 1st–5th level, 2 weeks to change a feature gained at 6th–10th level, 3 weeks to change a feature gained at 11th–15th level, and 4 weeks to change a feature gained at 15th–20th level. This activity cannot be used to swap out spells that have been entered into a spellbook.

Feat. To swap a feat gained through leveling to another feat, a character may spend a number of months equal to 8 – their proficiency bonus and pay 50 gold pieces each month to acquire practice materials and advice from experts in the feat they are learning.

Archetype. A character can change to a different archetype for their class by spending 12 weeks mastering the new archetype, at which point they are able to select it. When they do, any class features gained from their previous archetype are lost and replaced by the class features of their new archetype. Changing from one class to another requires the use of powerful reality- altering magic (like the wish spell or the direct intervention of a deity).

Work

A character can use the Work activity to pay their cost of living expenses and earn some coin between adventures. Work is broken down into two categories. On a successful check after spending a week on this downtime activity, a character supports a lifestyle (poor, moderate, or rich), and earns gold as listed on Table: Work.

Legal Work. Legal work allows a character to practice a trade or profession without fear of consequence. The character selects a tool proficiency or skill approved by the Narrator and makes an ability check, consulting Table: Work to determine the lifestyle their profits support and the extra gold earned. On a result of 5 or less, a character earns nothing, supports no lifestyle, and has disadvantage on the next Work check that they make using the same skill or tool.

Illegal Work. Illegal work allows a character to sustain themselves and make some coin by engaging in petty crime. First, a character selects the type of crime that they would like to engage in and selects an appropriate skill or ability check approved by the Narrator. They then select the difficulty of criminal activities as per Table: Work.

On a failed check, a character receives no earnings and must cover the cost of their lifestyle themselves. If they fail by 5 or more, the character must lay low and cannot take a downtime activity for the following week, and on a failure by 10 or more they are caught and suffer consequences or complications determined by the Narrator.