Downtime

An adventure isn’t truly complete without all the exciting aspects that make up a full story. Some Characters might be expert craftsmen, skilled in animal companionship, or simply looking for a place to call home. Downtime introduces variety to gameplay and helps flesh out what Characters do between their epic exploits.

While crafting is already covered in detail in the previous section, this chapter introduces other downtime pursuits such as recruiting Companions, training skills and proficiencies, gathering valuable information, establishing and upgrading a home base, and preparing for future quests. These activities provide flavor, world-building, and long-term progression opportunities for players who wish to explore them.

Downtime is intended to enrich the game experience for those who engage with it, but not every player may find it appealing. For that reason, it’s a “get what you put in” system; entirely optional and tailored to each player's level of interest.

Time Requirement. By default, downtime is measured in 5-day increments. However, depending on the pace and tone of the campaign, the Realm Master may adjust this duration to suit the story. Downtime segments can be shortened to 3-day or even 1-day intervals to match the campaign’s flow and player needs.

Group Downtime. Party members may help each other with any downtime activity that gives an external reward. For example, a player looking to use the Criminal Activity downtime option to perform a heist can get their party involved, whereas a player looking to use the training downtime option to gain a Skill Point for themselves must make that effort on their own. When attempting to help in downtime activities, such as Study or Socialize, you may use the same rules outlined in the Helping section of Chapter 1: Playing the Game.

For downtime activities that require multiple skill rolls, you may treat them as a skill encounter with everyone involved, increasing the required successes by 1 for each additional participant.

Bonding & Training Companions

A Companion is any Non-Playable Creature or Character (NPC) that you recruit to work alongside you, following your instructions learned through earned trust, training, and mutual respect.

Companions can take many forms, including tamed wild animals, created constructs, allied Characters, summoned creatures, and so on.

It’s up to your Realm Master what type of creatures you are able to form a bond with, and they may require you to make additional Skill rolls or even participate in a Skill Encounter before you’re able to begin bonding a creature.

General Bonding Guidelines

Bonding requires 3 main things: Time, Skill, and Currency.

• Time. The time required to Bond with a creature is equal to the creature’s level multiplied by 5 in days. Every 5 days, you will make a Bonding Skill roll as outlined in the next section, with the total at the end of the bonding period needing to be equal to or greater than the required number of successes to bond.

• Skill. You must succeed a number of Bonding Skill rolls equal to the creature’s level times 2. Each Success adds to the total required, and each Failure reduces the Successes obtained.

The Bonding Skill roll Difficulty Score is equal to the creature’s level multiplied by 2 + 10.

• Currency. The currency cost to bond with a creature represents different supplies to shelter, feed, construct, or otherwise care for the creature during the bonding period. The cost of currency is paid throughout the entire bonding process. Currency cost is represented on the creature bonding table and is adjusted by level.

After successfully completing the bonding process, the creature is considered your Companion and can interact in roleplay, Skill, and Combat Encounters as outlined in Chapter 2: Encounters.

Bonding Table

Bonding Skills

Depending on the nature of the bond, different Skills can be required as outlined below:

• Animal & Beast Bonds. Bonding with an animal or other beast companion uses the Tame Sub-Skill.

• Character Bonds. Bonding with Non-Player Characters utilizes the Charm Sub-Skill.

• Construct Companions. Building a construct uses the Tinker Sub-Skill or Arcane Skill.

Other Skills can be used depending on the situation and as approved by a Realm Master.

Breaking up Bonding Periods

A bonding period does not need to occur all at once. Instead, it can be done over multiple different periods, provided the total number of time, currency, and Successes required are all met by the end of the total time.

Bonding Skill Encounters

Although bonding with a creature is not typically a group effort, in some situations, a group can collaborate to help bond a single creature. In these cases, Characters assisting with the bonding who have the relevant skill can make a Bonding Skill roll every 5 days they participate. For each Success beyond the first, they can reduce the time required by 5 days per 5-day period.

Training Companions

Similarly to how you Bond a Companion, you can increase a Companion's level up to a maximum of half of your level through training that companion, which requires a similar concerted effort with Currency, Time, and Skill. The method for Training a Companion follows a pattern of comparing the current level of the creature to the next level, requiring spending the difference between the two in cost and time as described below.

Cost to Train. The cost to train a Companion from a lower level to a higher one, in materials or currency, is based on the difference between the Companion's current level and the next level on the Bonding Table.

To calculate, subtract the current level's Currency to bond from the next one; this is the material cost to increase a level. For example, if the current level was 2, then the next level is 3, so the training would require the difference between the two, 700 for level 3 bonding, minus 400 for a level 2 bonding, giving a cost of 300.

Time Requirement. The time required to train a Companion is determined by the difference in bonding times listed on the Bonding Table, based on the current level versus the next level. For example, if you’re training a Companion level 1/2 to level 3/4, and the table shows 3 days for the current level, and 4 days for the next one, the training would take 4 - 3 = 1 day.

Difficulty Score & Successes. The Difficulty Score for training a Companion is the same as the Difficulty Score of the higher level you desire to train to, while the number of required Successes is the difference between the Successes needed for the current level and the next one. For example, if you’re training a Companion of level 2 (requiring 4 Successes) to level 3 (requiring 6 Successes), the difference is 6 - 4 = 2 Successes needed.

The Skill used for Training is the same as that would be used for Bonding, as shown in the Bonding Skills above.

Training Skills & Defenses

With time and persistent effort, you can gain and improve Skills and Defenses using Training Points through a process called Training. The process of gaining proficiency can take many forms and may require finding a suitable trainer, environment, or resources before beginning. At the Realm Master's discretion, this process can be mediated through roleplay or Skill Encounters.

When gaining Skills through training, you do so by earning Skill Points in exchange and spending them on the desired Skill. This method also applies to Defenses, but increasing a Defense requires more resources, as each Defense increase costs 2 Skill Points.

Training Guidelines

Training requires an investment of Training Points, Time, Skill, and Currency.

• Training Points. The Training Points required to gain a Skill Point with Downtime is equal to 6 Training Points per Skill Point. If you wish to increase a defense by 1 instead, this requires 2 Skill Points, meaning the cost is 12 Training Points.

• Time. The time required to train is equal to 5 days per 2 Training Points required.

• Skill. A Training Skill Roll uses either the Skill or Defense being trained, even if non-instinctive.

You must succeed a number of Training Skill rolls equal to the Training Point Requirement. Each rolled Success adds to the total Successes obtained, and each Failure reduces the total successes obtained.

The Training Skill roll Difficulty Score is equal to the Training Points Required + 10.

• Currency. The currency cost to train is equal to 75 per Training Point required.

Training Table

After successfully completing training with the correct number of successes, you gain the Skill Point (automatically allocated to the Skill or Defense being trained).

Criminal Activity

There are many forms of monetary advancement for those skilled individuals willing to stray off the beaten path. Whether through sleight of hand, stealthy infiltration, or a silver tongue, you can turn the fortune of fools to fortune of your own.

Criminal Activity Guidelines

Criminal activity will utilize your skill, daring, resources, and connections.

• Choose your Skills. You will be required to make three Skill rolls to reap the benefits, or suffer the consequences, of your exploits. Each of these Skill rolls will use a different Skill chosen from the Criminal Skills table below.

• Choose your Difficulty. You will then choose a difficulty based on the required number of successes and the Skill roll DS, the reward and risk increasing with each success and failure. Each attempt requires 3 successes with a DS 10 as a baseline, which can be increased to increase the reward. The base reward is 50 currency.

• Choose your Investment. You may choose to spend money, take time, and/or call upon connections and favors to gain bonuses to your skill rolls. Using money represents the acquisition of specific tools, paying informants, hiring urchins as lookouts, etc. Taking more time allows you to investigate on your own and set up for the ideal circumstances. Calling on your criminal connections can mean bringing another professional onto the job or assembling a team for a heist. At your RM’s discretion, you may be able to call in a favor from one of your contacts, letting you gain the benefit without the cost. The Criminal Investment table below has the conversion rates.

Crime Difficulty Tables

Use these tables to choose how difficult a job you want to attempt. Adding to DS increases the base reward by a flat amount, while adding to the number of required successes adds to the reward multiplicatively.

Criminal Skills Table

This is a list of various skills and their possible uses in crime. Use it as inspiration when choosing how to perform your crimes. You’re not restricted to this list; you can bring an idea to your RM and use other skills with their approval.

Criminal Investment Table

This table shows the various ways you can get the edge in your criminal endeavors. These investments are in addition to the base costs of Criminal Activity.

Arena Combat

In most cities, you can find work entertaining the masses with feats of combat prowess. Whether by brutal efficiency or flashy moves, there is good money to be had in putting your body and pride on the line to entertain.

Arena Combat Guidelines

Fighting in the arena will test your combat prowess and ability to work a crowd. Your success and popularity will determine your earnings.

• Choose a Weapon. The weapon, or Innate power, you choose will determine which ability you use for the fight. Additionally, your weapon or innate power will give bonuses based on its damage dice and properties.

• Damage Dice. You will gain a bonus to your attack roll equal to half the TP cost of the damage. This includes TP spent gaining and increasing Unarmed Prowess. For innate powers, this includes Long-Linger damage and true damage.

• Properties & Parts. You will gain a bonus to your Perform or Entertain skill roll equal to half the TP cost of your weapon’s properties. If you are using Unarmed Prowess, you instead gain a bonus equal to the skill points you’ve spent in Acrobatics or Athletics. If you are using an innate power, this bonus is calculated with the TP cost of non-damaging parts in your power.

• Choose Difficulty. Choose a difficulty from the Arena Difficulty and Crowd Engagement table below.

• Determine Combat Prowess. Make an attack roll using the ability of your chosen weapon or Innate power, adding the bonuses outlined in the Damage Dice section above.

• Determine Crowd Appeal. Make a Perform or Entertain skill roll, adding the bonuses outlined in the Properties & Parts section above.

• Gain Popularity. After each combat, you will add 1 + any additional Successes to your Popularity Rank. As you increase your Popularity rank, your earnings will likewise increase as bets on you flow and you’re allowed into more prestigious arenas. How your Popularity Rank affects your earnings is shown in the Popularity table below.

Arena Difficulty

Use this table to determine the difficulty of your battles. Your RM may want to either randomize or set the difficulty for any given arena.

Crowd Engagement

Use this table to determine the difficulty of the crowd, how hard are they to impress? Your RM may want to set the difficulty in any given arena

Popularity

Popularity Ranks represent how well known you are. Use this table to determine how they affect your arena combat.

Working

Using your skills, you may work in the community of whatever settlement you happen to find yourself in. This ranges from grunt work to salesmanship in a curio shop to starting and running your own enterprise. Due to the wide range of needs found in any given town or city, you’ll likely be able to find work relating to any skill you have. Keep in mind that some quirks of a community may disqualify some jobs at your RM’s discretion, e.g., the townspeople are of a different religion, disqualifying your religion skill, or when playing in a low-magic campaign, there may be no use for the Arcana skill in a small backwater.

Work Guidelines

Working as a general laborer, you may use any skill, keeping in mind any unique features of your surroundings. If you choose to start a business of your own, you will need a working knowledge of the trade, the charisma to advertise your goods and/or services, and a reasonable financial investment. This option can be taken as a group. Due to the nature of each option, there will be a separate set of rules for each.

General Labor

• Choose a Skill. Any skill can be used at your RM’s discretion, e.g., Athletics to move boxes and load caravans or ships, Persuasion to sell goods in a shop, Arcana to work as a research assistant, or use an instrument to entertain at the local tavern.

• Make the Skill Rolls. For each workweek spent, make three skill rolls with a required total of three successes at the end of the week. The Skill Rolls DS is 10 by default; extra currency gain is determined by the number of successes you achieve.

• Collect Pay. At the end of the week, you will determine the amount of currency gained as outlined in the Workweek Pay table below. The currency amount listed below is in addition to your cost of living. Living expenses are covered by this activity regardless of successes.

Workweek Pay

Starting a Business

Many adventurers choose to establish sources of consistent income or other resources while not facing off against the forces of evil.

• Gain Premises. Whether a market stall in a crowded shopping district or a building in the wealthy district, you’ll need a place to work. The quality of your premises will determine the maximum income and number of staff you can manage. The monetary and staffing capacity of each option, along with the cost for each, will be outlined in the Premises & Staffing table below.

• Hire Workers (Optional). You may hire workers to help run your facilities, or even run the facility for you. If you have workers running your operations, you must keep regular contact with them, and you will only gain 50% of the earnings. When you are working directly with your staff, each staff member beyond the minimum required for your premises gives you +2 to your skill rolls related to running your business.

• Choose your Goods and/or Services. You will have to decide what you’ll have on offer and how you’ll provide it. This will require some investment, which will be based on the rarity of your goods or the difficulty of the service you’ll provide. You must have at least 5 skill points invested in the skill or subskill associated with your chosen trade. If you choose to act in a middleman-type role, you may use persuasion as the associated skill.

• Make Skill Rolls. For every week you spend running your business, you must make three Skill Rolls using Persuade, Haggle, Motivate, Craft or a subskill of it, or Intimidate. The DS for this check is in the Premesis and Staffing table. Remember, each staff member you hire beyond the minimum required for your premises gives +2 to this check.

The rules here outline a currency amount for each week. You may choose one type of item per 50c/week you produce and produce that value amount instead of C. For example, with a 100c/week income, you could produce 2 health potions and 50c/week, 4 health potions per week, or 2 health potions and 2 energy potions per week. This C amount can also be converted into ingredients matching the rarity of your goods, as shown in the ‘Starting the Business’ table. Once a product type is chosen, you cannot change it to another product unless you pay the appropriate cost from the ‘Starting a Business’ table below.

Premises & Staffing

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Starting the Business

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Study

A strong knowledge base is essential for any adventurer looking to achieve greatness! Whether you’re a bookish technician looking to expand your pool of knowledge or a sensible knight honing your fighting style and learning the weaknesses of your enemies, spending time in a library or with a mentor can help you immensely.

Fragments of Wisdom

After exhaustive study on a very specific subject, you gain a fleeting insight into deeper truths. The rewards for this course of study are called Fragments of Wisdom. These are stored Successes with the ability you choose to use below, and can be used when you make a check using that skill to enhance a success or mitigate a failure.

• Choose a Skill. This skill must reflect what you would like to study as it will be used in and gain the benefits from this activity.

• Roll. Using the skill that you chose, using either Intelligence or Acuity instead of the skill’s usual ability. The DS for this check is 12 + 2 for each Fragment you already have from this downtime activity. For each Success, gain 1 Fragment for the chosen skill.

• Take Notes. Possibly the most important step in every downtime activity, but crucial for this one. Carefully record which skills you gained Fragments for, and how many in each skill.

Guided Study

Working with a mentor, you may hone or refocus your talents and aptitudes. Mentors usually charge for their services, with a typical price being 75c for the workweek. However, your RM may offer opportunities for a mentor as quest rewards or story devices.

Note: You must have access to a mentor for this downtime activity.

• Choose a Focus. This focus can be a weapon part, armor part, power part, or technique part.

• Determine Bonuses. For weapon and technique parts, use their relevant ability + your martial archetype bonus. For armor parts, use Vitality + your martial archetype bonus unless the armor has an ability requirement; then, you may use that ability. For power parts, use your power ability + power archetype bonus.

• Roll. The DS for this check is 15 + 2 x the TP cost of your chosen focus. On a success, you gain proficiency in your chosen focus. Alternatively, you may choose to lose proficiency in other areas and refocus the TP into your chosen focus without a Skill Rolls.

Socialize

In most societies, your wit and words can carry you far. Whether to gain contacts amongst the locals, gain the trust or faith of the masses, or dig up dirt on your enemies, your way with words can prove to be your most powerful weapon.

Network

Gaining friendly contacts is essential for adventurers. From gaining access to resources to getting important quests from important individuals, any adventurer gains their share of contacts throughout their exploits.

• Choose a Profession. Decide what type of person you’d like to try forging a connection with. This can be a scholar, artisan, workman, sailor, etc. In short, any sort of person who makes sense for the settlement and setting where your downtime is taking place. If you’re having a hard time choosing, ask your RM.

• Roll. Using the Perform or Charm skill, make a Skill Rolls against a DS determined by the skill and or station of the person you’re trying to connect with. If you’re interacting with an artisan or craftsman, you may use Craft or its related subskill with Charisma as the base ability.

• Pick Your Reward. This can be determined between you and your RM or you can take an option from the table below.

DS Table

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Reward Suggestions

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Grandstand

You spend your time amongst the people, learning their wants and worries, slowly gaining their trust and admiration by easing their woes or inflaming their passions. Every society is unique and will respond differently to attempts to enact large social changes; as such, we’ll only go into the details of entertainment.

• Choose a Goal. Influencing large numbers of people is a tricky business; you and your RM will need to know what your goal is before starting.

• Choose a Method. If you’re entertaining the masses, find a tavern, playhouse, opera, amphitheater, or street corner. Your popularity rank determines the availability of these locations. For other goals, discuss your options with your RM. The availability of these methods and locations can be influenced by your connections in the criminal underground, the nobility, or even with sympathetic merchants and workers, at your RM’s discretion.

• Roll. For entertaining, make a skill roll using Perform or Entertain against a DS determined by your location as shown on the Entertainer table below. For other goals, roll a Skill Rolls using a skill and DS determined by your RM based on the social climate of the town you’re in.

• Reap your Reward. If entertaining, your reward is listed in the Entertainer table below. Add +5 to the Reward multiplier for each degree of success achieved in the Skill Rolls. Otherwise, your RM will determine the reward or, if appropriate, consequence of your time spent. Have fun inciting revolt!

• Gain Popularity. For entertainment, you’ll gain Popularity Ranks from each successful performance. You gain 1 Popularity Rank for each degree of success in each performance. If your character was an entertainer before becoming an adventurer, they start with a Popularity Rank of 5.

Entertainment Table

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Blackmail

Flavor Text

• Choose a Target. The social standing of your chosen mark will determine the difficulty of the job, the time it takes, and the value of the secrets found.

• Gather Information. Make a Skill Rolls using Decive, Act, Perform, Charm, Persuade, Intimidate, Calligraphy, Deduce, Insight, Investigate, Lockpick, Stealth, and/or Pickpocket. Each player participating in this activity must pick a different skill for each Skill Rolls in this activity. This will be a skill encounter that requires a minimum of three Skill Rolls and successes. The DS for these checks is outlined in the Blackmail table below.

• Choose a Reward. Sensitive information can be sold to information brokers or, in the case of criminal activity, the local guard; the price of your information is determined by the social standing of your target and the importance of the secrets shared. The price is outlined in the Blackmail table below. Alternatively, you can give this information to another individual to gain their favor and make a connection or as part of a deal. You may also choose to disseminate this information or use it to extort your target. For either of these options, you’ll need your RM’s participation.

Blackmail Table

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Trading

Every adventurer gets far more loot and treasure than they will ever need or use. Adventurers are also known for deep pockets and a penchant for expensive gear and deep pockets. This is where you can show off your riches and equip yourself for the next adventure.

Selling

You have more loot than money! What a tragedy…

Buying

You have more money than loot! What a tragedy…

Commissioning

You need something specific. Using your connections, you’ve found a craftsman who can meet your needs, for a price.

Note: You must have at least one connection in an artisans’ guild or among the nobility.

Gambling

You’ve made all this money fighting monsters and there is no way you’re playing it safe now!

Construction

Building bastions, castles, etc. expanding existing things, helping build/repair town structures or towns themselves, expanding civilizations, etc.

Cultivation

Ingredients are expensive… good thing some can be grown! (This can probably be part of the “running a business” section)

Downtime Skill Encounters

There is an abundance of activities Characters can take up during their downtime. Each activity, which may result in potential gains or losses of resources over time, occurs through a Skill Encounter in which the Character makes Skill rolls to determine the outcome of those downtime activities. Some activities involve risk, such as gambling or crime, while others are relatively risk-free but potentially less rewarding, like working a regular job as a hired hand.

Add here: Bastions, Downtime Skill Encounters (Generic Skill encounters for thieving, selling, buying, searching, trading, gambling, research, construction, cultivation, working, doing crafts, optional rule: EXP gain in downtime, etc)