Downtime

Downtime Overview
Downtime is managed by declaring what your character is going to do, and that will take a certain amount of time. During this time, your character is considered working towards the goal. Unless otherwise specified, downtime is generally done as either an in-game workday (taking 8 hours of a day) or an in-game workweek (5 workdays days a week, with 2 days of no activity). For a workweek, the 2 days of rest can be used for other, non-downtime related activities (such as a quest, if it only lasts for the two in-game days). You complete your goal at the end of the last day.

If you stop working towards your goal - say to go on an adventure - there may be penalties involved depending on the downtime activity being stopped, how long of an absence from it there is, and how far into it you are.

Because downtime is not accrued, if you don’t declare a goal your character is assumed to be loafing about or doing “non-productive” activities around wherever in the world they are.

Tracking Downtime
Downtime is tracked in the #downtime-channel, under the Guild-OOC Category. The post should follow the following format (additional details are fine):

Character Name: Self explanatory, which character is performing the downtime activity.

Activity: What activity the character will be performing (Working, Crafting, Training, etc)

Downtime Location: Where the activity is taking place. Generally this is the closest city, but can vary. This should also include any relevant skill information.

Start Date: The IRL date your character is starting this activity. Please use either the standard DD/MM/YYYY or Month Day, Year (September 3rd, 2020) format.

Expected End Date: The expected date your character will complete this activity, using the same format options as Start Date.

Complications: Use this field to note any complications that arose (ie, went on an adventure midway through)

Outcome: The final outcome of the downtime. Total gold spent or earned, skills learned, items crafted, etc.

Character Name: Activity: Downtime Location: Start Date: Expected End Date: Complications: Outcome:

Downtime Activities
Downtime activities are allowed for any character that has completed at least one session in the guild. Therefore, it is not possible to create a character and immediately begin earning gold or learning skills with them until after they have “done something” for the guild in a session.

All rolls performed during downtime activities cannot use spells or features to enhance or boost them; this includes spells like Guidance, fighting features such as reckless attack, feats such as lucky, or predetermined rolls from a divination wizard.

Downtime and Sessions
When you are performing downtime, but need to stop to go on a session, then the time required for the session takes priority over any downtime activity. As a player, you are expected to figure out and manage your time accordingly. If a session has a travel time of 5 days, and you are performing a task that takes a full workweek, then you can only gain the benefit of 2 days of that workweek.

Working a Profession
You opt to dedicate yourself to working for a full workweek - 5 days of work, with 2 days of travel back to The Hall. While working, you must assume a lifestyle expense, and you cannot use a skill directly (such as performance, athletics, etc) - you must use tools or musical instruments (for deception and con based profits, use of forgery or disguise kit would be required). If you have a background feature that allows you to get room and board for free, you are able to waive the lifestyle expense. The following features are allowed to waive the lifestyle expense: To determine how much you earn, roll: (1d6 * Tool Proficiency) - (lifestyle expense)
 * Shelter of the Faithful, from Acolyte (if your religion has a temple in the city you are working, see the Wiki)
 * Watcher’s Eye, from City Watch
 * Respect of the Stout Folk, from Clan Crafter (if there is a significant dwarven community in the city you are working, see the Wiki)
 * By Popular Demand, from Entertainer
 * Safe Haven, from Faction Agent (if your faction has a presence in the city you are working - speak with the relevant Master DM)
 * Guild Membership, from Guild Artisan (if your dues are paid up, and if your guild has a presence in the city you are working - speak with the relevant Master DM)
 * Knightly Regard, from Knight of the Order (if your order or those sympathetic to it have a presence in the city you are working - speak with the relevant Master DM)
 * Mercenary Life, from Mercenary Veteran
 * Down Low, from Smuggler (provided you have connections in the city you are working in - speak with the relevant Master DM)
 * Kept in Style, from Waterdhavian Noble (only if your noble house has standing within the city you are working - speak with the relevant Master DM)

Example 1:

A level 7 bard proficient with the bagpipes, and a charisma of 18, and a modest (1gp/day) lifestyle You can stop working early by choice, such as to go on an adventure. If you do so, you must take into account any travel time to where the quest starts (ie, if you are in Daran and the quest begins at the Hall, it will take 2 days to get back to the Hall) along with the amount of time spent on the actual adventure. You then earn gold only for the days actually worked.

Example 2:

You dedicate to working for one workweek in Daran, maintaining a modest lifestyle, using your carpenter’s tools (+5 modifier). On the 3rd day, you sign up for an adventure that will require 2 days of travel, starting at the Hall. You use your 2 off days to travel back to the Hall, and spend 2 days adventuring. This ends your workweek (3 days of work, 2 days traveling, 2 days adventuring). So you determine how much you would have earned for the full week, divide it by 5 to determine the amount you earned per day, and subtract the appropriate lifestyle cost (3gp for 3 days), and you take your gold and go on your adventure.

Acceptable Professions
Alchemist’s Supplies (Dex, Int, Wis) - You aid a local apothecary in the brewing of simple potions and tinctures.

Brewer’s Supplies (Dex, Int, Wis) - You help a distillery or inn in preparing their next batch of brews.

Calligrapher’s Supplies (Dex, Int) - You aid a local scribe or clergymen with documents.

Carpenter’s Tools (Str, Con, Dex) - You provide aid to a tradesmen in cutting lumber and repairing structures.

Cartographer’s Tools (Dex, Int, Wis) - You help the local township with surveying and updating their maps.

Cobbler’s Tools (Str, Dex) - You help repair shoes for the town.

Cook’s Utensils (Str, Dex, Wis) - You work as a chef for a local tavern.

Disguise Kit (Dex, Int, Cha) - You work for a theater troupe in helping put together costumes.

Forgery Kit (Int, Wis, Cha) - You aid the local clergy in identifying false documents.

Gaming Sets (Int, Cha) - You help a local tavern put on games of chance to draw in business, or serve as a referee over their existing games.

Glassblower’s Tools (Dex, Int, Wis) - You aid a local town in creating vials used by scribes in ink and the apothecary in potions.

Herbalism Kit (Dex, Int, Wis) - You aid the local apothecary in gathering herbs.

Jeweler’s Tools (Dex, Wis) - You help repair jewelry and value gems for a local shop.

Land/Water Vehicles (Str, Dex, Con) - You work as a simple cabby for the locals.

Smith’s Tools (Str, Con) - You work on crafting horseshoes, nails, and performing minor repair services for a local blacksmith.

Leatherworker’s Tools (Str, Dex, Con) - You aid in the tanning of leathers and helping provide simple changes to outfits for a local shop.

Mason’s Tools (Str, Con) - You take time to help in the construction of a home, or the repair of a building.

Musical Instruments (Dex, Cha) - You tell songs and perform on the streets for coin.

Navigator’s Tools (Int, Wis) - You act as a local guide, helping visitors and those in need find their way.

Painter’s Supplies (Dex, Wis, Cha) - You assist a local store or private collector in identifying and valuing art.

Poisoner’s Kit (Con, Int, Wis) - You assist the local town in testing waters and food supplies and ensuring that they have not been tainted.

Potter’s Tools (Dex, Wis) - You help a local shop repair cracked pots.

Smith’s Tools (Str, Con) - You help craft simple horseshoes, nails, and the like for a local smith.

Thieves’ Tools (Dex, Int) - You help folk who forgot their keys get back into their residences.

Tinker’s Tools (Dex, Wis) - You assist a local pawn shop in keeping trinkets that have come in in good shape and making them ready for sale.

Weaver’s Tools (Dex, Int, Wis) - You help a local tailor perform simple repairs and modifications.

Woodcarver’s Tools (Str, Dex) - You help value, polish, and repair wooden trinkets for a local shop.

Selling a Magic Item
You find a magical blade, but you're a wizard. You are a fighter and find a magical blade, which is better than your old magic blade. What do you do? Selling them to other players is an option, or you can try to find a buyer in the world. If you wish to sell a magic item, you must work with a Craftsman or Master DM to arrange for its sale. Some might be easy to find a buyer, others might be more difficult and attract attention. These may involve one or more sessions necessary to try and sell the item!

Travelling
You can spend downtime traveling across Cidir. Work with Helpers or a Journeyman DM (or above) to determine how long it would take your character to travel to your destination. There may be costs involved, depending on things like required food, method of travel, etc.

If you end travel early, you may need to work with a DM to see what costs you have spent to get where you are. It may not be possible to end travel if your character’s location would not allow for it, such as sailing!

Training
You may train a number of times equal to your proficiency modifier. Training in a skill, tool, or musical instrument requires 10 workweeks, minus your intelligence modifier in workweeks (having a negative int modifier does not increase this time). You must also spend 25gp per workweek in costs. If you wish to gain expertise in a skill, tool, or musical instrument you must first be proficient in it, and then calculate the amount of time necessary to learn it as if you were training for proficiency and triple it.

Learning a common language follows the same formula and costs as learning a skill, tool, or musical instrument. Learning an exotic language however doubles the amount of time necessary to learn it.

If training is interrupted, then you lose at minimum the current week in training (longer as appropriate based on reasons for interrupting it). An interruption is considered any activity beyond the use of the two free days during a workweek. If you choose to abandon the training completely (must declare that you are doing this) you lose all progress and gold spent.

Crafting an Item
If you choose, you can spend time crafting with your profession to make items of value (items that are purely for RP purposes and have no mechanical benefit are up to the player to decide on difficulty and investment required, if any). Crafting requires you to invest gold as you work on the project. Unlike working a profession, not all tools are capable of being used for crafting - for instance, you’re not going to use your disguise kit to craft something.

The following tools can be used for crafting:

Alchemist’s Supplies - For crafting potions

Brewer’s Supplies - For crafting kegs of ale

Jeweler’s Tools - Crafting Jewelry

Leatherworker’s Tools - For crafting Light armor

Poisoner’s Kit - For crafting poisons

Smith’s Tools - Crafting Weapons and Armor (requires a forge)

Weaver’s Tools - Crafting Clothing

Woodcarver's Tools - Crafting wooden weapons, including bows and crossbows, as well as wooden items like some arcane foci.

When crafting, you must spend at least half the gp value of the item in the creation of it. You roll a crafting check each day, and you spend that amount in gold pieces in materials working on the item, and make twice that amount in progress towards completing it.

If you are attempting to craft something non-magical that requires special components, you must request a session to gather those components from a Journeyman DM or above - you cannot gather these components during normal one shots.

Example 1:

A level 7 fighter with expertise in Smith’s Tools and 16 strength wishes to craft a breastplate. The PHB price is 400gp; which means the fighter will need to spend at least 200gp in crafting costs over the course of crafting it.

Each day for crafting, the fighter makes a Smith’s tool check. They take the amount rolled, and must spend that amount in gold that day. They then double that amount, and keep a tally of it. When that tally reaches or exceeds 400gp, they have completed crafting the item. Any gold spent going over the 400gp is lost.

Crafting Magic Items
Magic items require more than just time, effort, and materials to create. Creating a magic item is a long-term process that involves one or more adventures to track down rare materials and the lore needed to create the item. Potions of healing and spell scrolls are exceptions to the following rules. For more information, see “Brewing Potions of Healing” below.

To start with, a character needs a formula for a magic item in order to create it. The formula is like a recipe. It lists the materials needed and steps required to make the item. An item invariably requires an exotic material  to complete it. This material can range from the skin of a yeti to a vial of water taken from a  whirlpool in the Elemental Plane of Water.

Finding those formulas and material takes place as part of an adventure requested from a DM. The Magic Item Ingredients table suggests the challenge rating of a creature that the characters need to face to acquire the materials for an item. Note that facing a creature does not necessarily mean that the characters must collect items from its corpse. The creature might guard a place or resource that the characters need.

Magic Item Ingredients
The DM should pick a monster or location that is a thematic fit for the item. Ideally, the two should share a similar element or nature. For example, mariner’s armor might require the essence of a water weird. A staff of charming might need the cooperation of a specific arcanaloth, who will help only if the characters complete a task for it.

Creating a staff of power might rely on finding a piece of an ancient stone that was once touched by the god of magic—a stone guarded by a suspicious androsphinx.

In addition to facing a specific creature, creating an item comes with a gold piece cost needed for other materials, tools, and so on, based on the item’s rarity. Those values, as well as the time a character needs to work in order to complete the item, are shown on the Magic Item Crafting Time and Cost table. Halve the listed price and creation time for any consumable items.

Magic Item Crafting Time and Cost
To make a magic item, a character also needs whatever tool proficiency is appropriate, as is normal for crafting any object, or the character needs proficiency in the Arcana skill.

Brewing Potions of Healing
Potions of healing fall into a special category for item crafting, separate from other magic items. A character proficient with the herbalism kit can create them. The time and money needed to create such a potion is summarized on the Potion of Healing Creation table.

Learning a New Spell
Wizards spend much of their time studying and researching new magics. By utilizing this downtime, a wizard is capable of researching new spells to add to their spellbook. Learning new spells by this method requires spending time in a library or a mage academy as well as gold in research materials.

In order to learn a new spell, you must learn "lore" about it. How much lore depends on the level of the spell. The higher the level, the more difficult it is to learn.


 * Spells of 1st thru 3rd level require 1 piece of lore per spell level to learn.
 * Spells of 4th thru 6th level require 2 pieces of lore per spell level to learn.
 * Spells of 7th thru 9th level require 3 pieces of lore per spell level to learn.

Once you have completed the research, you then must scribe it to your book as if you had a spell scroll of the same spell; however there is no chance of failing to copy this spell into your spellbook.

Learning lore follows the XGE Research guidelines, as follows:

You spend a workweek in a library or speaking with a sage conducting research, spending at least 50gp in materials, bribes, gifts, and other expenses. The focus of the research is declared (in this case, a specific spell) and after the workweek you make an intelligence check with a +1 bonus per 100gp spent beyond the initial 50gp, to a maximum bonus of +6. There is no advantage allowed on this check. After this check is made, reference the Research Outcomes table to determine how many pieces of lore are learned.

For the purposes of research, "artificial" libraries - such as those created by Galder's Tower or Magnificient Mansion, cannot be used for this downtime activity. The time and expense to scribe the spell into your spellbook follows the standard rules in the PHB:

For each level of the spell, the process takes 2 hours and costs 50gp. The cost represents material components you expend as you experiment with the spell to master it, as well as fine inks you need to record it. Once you have spent this time and money, you can prepare the spell just like your other spells.

Features that reduce the time and/or cost for scribing a scroll are still used; such as an evocation wizard scribing an evocation spell.

When logging the downtime, it is best done in individual workweeks. Record the name of the spell you are researching, the cost for the week, and roll the intelligence check ahead of time along with when the result becomes available. If this downtime is interrupted, you may resume it afterwards by updating the log entry accordingly. If it takes more than one workweek to complete, create a new entry and perform a new roll for each workweek after the first.

Example Initial Downtime Posts
These are examples of posts created when the downtime activity is started, to be edited later.

Character Name: Direthel Activity: Training - Carpenter’s Tools Proficiency Downtime Location: Daran Start Date: September 5th, 2020 Expected End Date: 10 Weeks, November 14th, 2020 Complications: Outcome: Spending 25gp per week, total 250gp

Character Name: Faelynn Activity: Working (Calligraphy tools using int, 9), Modest Lifestyle Downtime Location: Daran Start Date: September 5th, 2020 Expected End Date: 1 week, September 12th, 2020 Complications: Outcome: 5gp spent on lifestyle

Character Name: Morana Activity: Training - Expertise (Brewer’s Supplies) Downtime Location: Daran Start Date: September 5th, 2020 Expected End Date: 30 weeks, April 3rd 2021 Complications: Outcome:

Character Name: Faelynn Activity: Crafting Magical Item (Pearl of Power, DM is Titty) Downtime Location: Akca Start Date: September 17th, 2020 Expected End Date: 2 weeks, October 1st, 2020 Complications: Outcome: 200gp in expenses

Example Completed Downtime Posts
These are the finalized posts based on the above.

Character Name: Direthel Activity: Training - Carpenter’s Tools Proficiency Downtime Location: Daran Start Date: September 5th, 2020 Expected End Date: 10 Weeks, November 21th, 2020 Complications: Helped city of Daran in session (4 days) added one week to the end date. Outcome: Spending 25gp per week, total 250gp, gained proficiency in Carpenter’s Tools

Character Name: Faelynn Activity: Working (Calligraphy tools using int, 9), Modest Lifestyle Downtime Location: Daran Start Date: September 5th, 2020 Expected End Date: September 12th, 2020 Complications: None Outcome: 36gp from work (rolled 4), 5gp spent on lifestyle, 31gp total earned

Character Name: Morana Activity: Training - Expertise (Brewer’s Supplies) Downtime Location: Daran Start Date: September 5th, 2020 Expected End Date: 38 weeks, May 29 2021 Complications: Went many missions, delaying it by 8 weeks Outcome: Spending 25gp per week, total 750gp, gained expertise in Brewer’s Supplies.

Character Name: Faelynn Activity: Crafting Pearl of Power via Arcana, DM is Titty Downtime Location: Akca Start Date: September 17th, 2020 Expected End Date: 2 weeks, October 1st, 2020 Complications: None Outcome: Faelynn now owns a Pearl of Power