Radiating Gnome
Adventurer
Hey -
I'm about to start an Age of Worms campaign, and one of the things that I wanted to do was develop the way time is spent when not adventuring -- it will help tie the PCs and players to the community a little better, provide a little more continuity for the campaign, etc.
I'll paste the full text of my rules document in here in a minute, but the reader's digest version works like this: unless there's a reason for the DM to set a specific time period, there will be a number of weeks (1d6/4 APLs in the party) of down time between adventures. In a given period, the PCs can perform a number of tasks equal to the number of weeks (not that they all happen in order, that's just a convenience). Tasks can be crafting, working at professions, research, community service, meeting and ingratiating oneself with the locals, etc. In most cases, the reward is minimal -- a one time bonus that can be saved for later, a little extra cash, and so on.
Let me know what you think . . . .
-rg
DOWN TIME
How Much Down Time is there?
There will be a number of weeks of “down time” between adventures – time spent working, goofing off, crafting, studying, etc. Unless the DMs set a different amount of time for campaign reasons, there will be 1d6 weeks of down time for every 4 APL in the party, rounding up. (at APL5, 2d6, etc).
Living Expenses:
Don't worry about it. Tedious. Yawn.
What do you want to do:
Each player will outline -- briefly -- what his character will want to try to do during the down time. A character can work on one task or goal per week of down time. Those can include crafting projects, community service, trying to earn money through honest work, trying to befriend an NPC, or to find an NPC who can help the PC with a specific goal in the future, and so on.
DM John will determine the level of success of each of those projects, making any necessary rolls for the character, and providing the player with a report of the results of the down-time.
Characters missing sessions:
Some characters may miss entire adventures (like the two alternating DMs). Downtime results for a character that missed will include all previous sessions of downtime.
Results:
The DM preparing the NEXT adventure will prepare a short report on downtime activity for each character, added to the Excel character sheet, based on the projects, goals, and priorities set by the player. For characters that have missed sessions, this may be a longer span. The DM will make all rolls for the PCs. PCs should provide all applicable bonuses in the Down Time plan for the DM.
Appropriate Downtime Projects, Tasks, and Goals:
The following is an incomplete list of ideas for downtime projects, tasks, and goals.
Crafting and Spellcrafting
Working
Training
Instruction
Gambling
Doin’ Crime
Find a Contact
Improve Relations with a contact
Research
Find an organization
Apply for membership in an organization
Travel
Crafting and Spellcrafting -- the most obvious downtime activity, rules for this sort of work already exist.
*Benefit: crafted item
Working -- A PC may work, either freelance or for someone else. The PC can specify a skill that will be used to try to make a living, and the PC's skill bonus in that skill, and the DM will let you know what sort of money the PC was able to make during the down time with that skill. For some sorts of work (like town guard), a specific skill may not be appropriate. In that case, BAB, Caster level, etc, -- with synergy bonuses for certain feats or class abilities, or other factors can be used. Talk it over with the DM. Characters may start with an existing job, depending upon the character’s background – the DM can help you sort out what job it is and who your character works for.
Freelance work checks are made at -5.
Finding work depends upon finding a contact who has a need for an employee with the given skill (see find a contact, below), but
* Benefit: Money. The amount varies by profession. In most cases, the PC can earn 1gp for every 5 points by which the skill check exceeds 10, and makes this check once/task.
Training -- All PCs are assumed to be doing some of this part time, so ignore it.
Instruction -- PCs can teach others (NPCs) their skills. This is a variety of working.
*benefit: either a one-time +3 to a social skill check in the community, or money as a craftsman.
Gambling – This is a sort of work. The Skill is profession (gambler) with synergy bonuses for skills like sleight of hand, sense motive, and bluff. Failing by more than 5 results in being accused of cheating, and the character being unable to gamble in this community ever again. Failed checks result in a loss of GP equal to the amount by which the check failed.
*Benefit: as working, rewards doubled.
Doin’ Crime – Again, a sort of work. Profession(cutpurse) or something similar, with appropriate synergy bonuses. Skill checks that fail by more than 5 result in legal trouble, at the DMs discretion.
*Benefit: as working, rewards doubled.
Find a Contact -- The PC declares that he or she is trying to find an NPC who can help the PC in some way – information, a job, etc. A Gather Information skill roll may be necessary with a DC based on how hard it is to find someone in that line of work. If a contact in the community is not available, the attempt will fail automatically.
*Benefit -- PC meets a contact. Initial contact attitude is indifferent.
Improve NPC Contact Relationship -- the PC can try to become more friendly with an NPC contact.
*Benefit -- PC may be able to improve the NPC's attitude towards the PC, making a single diplomacy check, with a DC based on the existing attitude and other modifiers as the DM sees fit (for things like racial penalties and so on). An NPC's attitude may not change by more than one step in a given period of downtime. During adventures, PCs can try to use favors from contacts who are friendly or better. Using a favor requires a diplomacy roll (DC varies based on the type of favor and the initial NPC attitude towards the PC). Asking for a favor is a strain on a relationship -- the NPC's attitude is reduced by one stage when a PC asks for a favor -- whether the favor is granted or not. During a given session of down time, no matter how long, the PC makes a single check to change a contact's attitude. Favors should not involve great risk to the NPC – they can be an request for special treatment, use of a skill, a moderate loan, etc.
Research -- PCs can try to research specific topics, new spells, etc., using whatever resources available. This will often be limited by the facilities available to the PC -- it depends upon an appropriate research source. The skill used will probably be either Gather Information or Search, and others as determined by the DM.
*Benefit -- the player can research different things:
***Specific Topic Research: Take 20 on a given knowledge check (if the PC would like to research something specific)
***General Reading in a Knowledge Area: Earn a single-use circumstance bonus for this knowledge skill. The bonus is +1/5pts by which the character exceeds a DC of 10 on a knowledge check for that skill. Each week spent earns another single use bonus. These bonuses do not stack, and the character must declare that he will use one of these bonuses before rolling. Because the DC is 10, this sort of research can be done untrained, so long as the character is literate. Using one of these bonuses, for a future knowledge check, does allow the PC to make knowledge checks, untrained, in the future, if they are using one of these bonuses. (So, for a future knowledge check with a DC of 20, the PC is permitted to make the check untrained).
***Spell Research: One week of study allows a DC 20+SL search check to find an unusual spell (a spell that is not available in the core rules).
***Spell Design: One week of crafting and study per spell level. Spellcraft check DC 25 + SL if it is a completely unknown spell, DC 20+SL if it is a spell that the PC has heard of (an existing spell) and a DC of 15 + SL for spells that the PC has seen cast.
Find an Organization -- this can be really easy (find the city watch) or really hard (find the secret order of halfling assassin monks). In most cases, since acquiring a prestige class will be associated with a specific organization, this may be important. Remember, making contact with an organization may not require that the organization be local (that just makes it harder to do, unless you travel). A Gather information check is used to find the organization, with the DC set by the DM to reflect how public the organization is, how big it is, and the proximity to the location the PC is in.
*Benefit: character has secured the attention and contacts necessary to try to join an organization (and enter a prestige class).
Apply for Membership to an Organization. This can vary depending upon the organization.
*Benefit: If successful, the PC may take appropriate prestige class levels and use other organization services.
Travel - For some things, like research and joining an organization, it may be necessary for the PC to travel to the big city, or somewhere else, to have a chance of success. Travel requires a week each way, and during that time no other tasks can be attempted.
*Benefit: allows access to downtime activities that are not available to the character in the home base community
So, let’s assume we have a standard party of 4 characters: Fighter, Rogue, Cleric, Wizard. They are 5th level, and have an average 7 weeks of downtime to work with.
The Fighter sets his tasks:
1. Working (guard) for 3 weeks. He has 2 ranks of Profession(guardsman), and has been granted a synergy bonus of +2 for having a BAB of 5 or more, so his total bonus is +4.
2. Instruction (other guardsmen) for 3 weeks.
3. Improve relationship with the Watch Commander (Diplomacy bonus = +3) for 1 week. He makes a diplomacy check at +2 (for his charisma bonus).
The Rogue's:
1. Gambling (profession(gambler) 2 ranks, +1 for wisdom, +2 for 5 ranks of Sleight of hand, +2 for 5 ranks of Bluff = +7 total) for 4 weeks
2. Improve relationship with local crime boss (diplomacy +5 ranks and charisma) for 2 weeks
3. Find someone who can make poison for 1 week. Gather information +3 (ranks and charisma)
The Cleric:
1. Working (healing the sick, prayers, etc) for 4 weeks. Use Caster Level check, with a synergy bonus for Knowledge(religion) and Heal skills. Total bonus +9.
2. Research on local history, esp. the manor house where they expect to go in their next mission for 1 weeks
3. Improve relationship with the local Bishop 1 week Diplomacy bonus +8.
4. Instruction (knowledge(religion)) for 1 week.
The Wizard:
Travel to Greyhawk to use the library.(one week)
Travel back to town.(one week)
1. Research a 3rd level spell from Sandstorm for 2 weeks. Search bonus +5
2. Craft wand of fireballs for 1 week.
3. General reading on Knowledge(planes) for 2 weeks. Knowledge(planes) bonus = +4 for intelligence (because this check is DC 10, he can use it untrained and apply his raw intelligence bonus).
The Results.
The Fighter spends his down time with the city watch, for the most part. He makes three profession checks (15,5,14) and manages to earn 9 gp. Thanks to a good roll (a natural 20), he manages to improve his relationship with the watch commander to Friendly. And, he spends some more time with the town watch, training them in more advanced combat techniques, and manages to earn 3 one-time +3 bonuses to social skill checks in Diamond Lake.
The Rogue frequents the gambling dens. He makes 4 Profession(gambler) checks, rolling totals of 23, 22, 24, and 17, so he manages to gamble 62 gp away from the poor workmen frequenting taverns and gambling dens in Diamond Lake. While gambling, he tries to ingratiate himself with a local crime boss of his acquaintance. Because of the guarded nature of the criminal underworld, the DM has applied a +5 modifier to the DC to improve the Crime boss’s attitude. The Rogue rolls a 17 and a 13, and fails, so the crime boss remains indifferent. But he does find an old crone who can make some low-grade poisons for him (the DM set the DC at 15; the rogue rolled a 15 exactly).
The Cleric busies himself with temple duties. He spends 4 weeks “working”, and makes rolls of 27, 22, 14, 18; he “earns” 41 gp. He also spends some time in the temple library, researching the old manor. Taking 20 on his check, he learns that there is an underground river that passes through the lower basement levels of the manor -- a feature they considered very valuable in the event of a siege. It has been many years, but that bit of information may hit at the sorts of things they might encounter down there. The cleric tries to make a favorable impression on the Bishop -- who already liked him (the DC is 20, and he rolls a 23). Now the Bishop is considered helpful. Finally, the cleric does some preaching in the community, educating the common folk in the teachings of his diety, and earns a single-use +3 social skill bonus in Diamond Lake.
The Wizard travels to Greyhawk to conduct the sorts of research he is not able to do in the base town. He has, on previous visits, made arrangements, so he is allowed to use the great library of the college of wizardry. He uses the college's facilities to craft his wand. He tries to find a copy of his obscure spell 3rd level spell. The DC is 23. He rolls an 8 and a 7, so finds nothing. He spends another two weeks reading up on planar horrors (knowledge(planes)). He rolls 22 and 19, and so earns two single use bonuses on Knowledge(planes) checks = one for +2 and one for +1.
I'm about to start an Age of Worms campaign, and one of the things that I wanted to do was develop the way time is spent when not adventuring -- it will help tie the PCs and players to the community a little better, provide a little more continuity for the campaign, etc.
I'll paste the full text of my rules document in here in a minute, but the reader's digest version works like this: unless there's a reason for the DM to set a specific time period, there will be a number of weeks (1d6/4 APLs in the party) of down time between adventures. In a given period, the PCs can perform a number of tasks equal to the number of weeks (not that they all happen in order, that's just a convenience). Tasks can be crafting, working at professions, research, community service, meeting and ingratiating oneself with the locals, etc. In most cases, the reward is minimal -- a one time bonus that can be saved for later, a little extra cash, and so on.
Let me know what you think . . . .
-rg
DOWN TIME
How Much Down Time is there?
There will be a number of weeks of “down time” between adventures – time spent working, goofing off, crafting, studying, etc. Unless the DMs set a different amount of time for campaign reasons, there will be 1d6 weeks of down time for every 4 APL in the party, rounding up. (at APL5, 2d6, etc).
Living Expenses:
Don't worry about it. Tedious. Yawn.
What do you want to do:
Each player will outline -- briefly -- what his character will want to try to do during the down time. A character can work on one task or goal per week of down time. Those can include crafting projects, community service, trying to earn money through honest work, trying to befriend an NPC, or to find an NPC who can help the PC with a specific goal in the future, and so on.
DM John will determine the level of success of each of those projects, making any necessary rolls for the character, and providing the player with a report of the results of the down-time.
Characters missing sessions:
Some characters may miss entire adventures (like the two alternating DMs). Downtime results for a character that missed will include all previous sessions of downtime.
Results:
The DM preparing the NEXT adventure will prepare a short report on downtime activity for each character, added to the Excel character sheet, based on the projects, goals, and priorities set by the player. For characters that have missed sessions, this may be a longer span. The DM will make all rolls for the PCs. PCs should provide all applicable bonuses in the Down Time plan for the DM.
Appropriate Downtime Projects, Tasks, and Goals:
The following is an incomplete list of ideas for downtime projects, tasks, and goals.
Crafting and Spellcrafting
Working
Training
Instruction
Gambling
Doin’ Crime
Find a Contact
Improve Relations with a contact
Research
Find an organization
Apply for membership in an organization
Travel
Crafting and Spellcrafting -- the most obvious downtime activity, rules for this sort of work already exist.
*Benefit: crafted item
Working -- A PC may work, either freelance or for someone else. The PC can specify a skill that will be used to try to make a living, and the PC's skill bonus in that skill, and the DM will let you know what sort of money the PC was able to make during the down time with that skill. For some sorts of work (like town guard), a specific skill may not be appropriate. In that case, BAB, Caster level, etc, -- with synergy bonuses for certain feats or class abilities, or other factors can be used. Talk it over with the DM. Characters may start with an existing job, depending upon the character’s background – the DM can help you sort out what job it is and who your character works for.
Freelance work checks are made at -5.
Finding work depends upon finding a contact who has a need for an employee with the given skill (see find a contact, below), but
* Benefit: Money. The amount varies by profession. In most cases, the PC can earn 1gp for every 5 points by which the skill check exceeds 10, and makes this check once/task.
Training -- All PCs are assumed to be doing some of this part time, so ignore it.
Instruction -- PCs can teach others (NPCs) their skills. This is a variety of working.
*benefit: either a one-time +3 to a social skill check in the community, or money as a craftsman.
Gambling – This is a sort of work. The Skill is profession (gambler) with synergy bonuses for skills like sleight of hand, sense motive, and bluff. Failing by more than 5 results in being accused of cheating, and the character being unable to gamble in this community ever again. Failed checks result in a loss of GP equal to the amount by which the check failed.
*Benefit: as working, rewards doubled.
Doin’ Crime – Again, a sort of work. Profession(cutpurse) or something similar, with appropriate synergy bonuses. Skill checks that fail by more than 5 result in legal trouble, at the DMs discretion.
*Benefit: as working, rewards doubled.
Find a Contact -- The PC declares that he or she is trying to find an NPC who can help the PC in some way – information, a job, etc. A Gather Information skill roll may be necessary with a DC based on how hard it is to find someone in that line of work. If a contact in the community is not available, the attempt will fail automatically.
*Benefit -- PC meets a contact. Initial contact attitude is indifferent.
Improve NPC Contact Relationship -- the PC can try to become more friendly with an NPC contact.
*Benefit -- PC may be able to improve the NPC's attitude towards the PC, making a single diplomacy check, with a DC based on the existing attitude and other modifiers as the DM sees fit (for things like racial penalties and so on). An NPC's attitude may not change by more than one step in a given period of downtime. During adventures, PCs can try to use favors from contacts who are friendly or better. Using a favor requires a diplomacy roll (DC varies based on the type of favor and the initial NPC attitude towards the PC). Asking for a favor is a strain on a relationship -- the NPC's attitude is reduced by one stage when a PC asks for a favor -- whether the favor is granted or not. During a given session of down time, no matter how long, the PC makes a single check to change a contact's attitude. Favors should not involve great risk to the NPC – they can be an request for special treatment, use of a skill, a moderate loan, etc.
Research -- PCs can try to research specific topics, new spells, etc., using whatever resources available. This will often be limited by the facilities available to the PC -- it depends upon an appropriate research source. The skill used will probably be either Gather Information or Search, and others as determined by the DM.
*Benefit -- the player can research different things:
***Specific Topic Research: Take 20 on a given knowledge check (if the PC would like to research something specific)
***General Reading in a Knowledge Area: Earn a single-use circumstance bonus for this knowledge skill. The bonus is +1/5pts by which the character exceeds a DC of 10 on a knowledge check for that skill. Each week spent earns another single use bonus. These bonuses do not stack, and the character must declare that he will use one of these bonuses before rolling. Because the DC is 10, this sort of research can be done untrained, so long as the character is literate. Using one of these bonuses, for a future knowledge check, does allow the PC to make knowledge checks, untrained, in the future, if they are using one of these bonuses. (So, for a future knowledge check with a DC of 20, the PC is permitted to make the check untrained).
***Spell Research: One week of study allows a DC 20+SL search check to find an unusual spell (a spell that is not available in the core rules).
***Spell Design: One week of crafting and study per spell level. Spellcraft check DC 25 + SL if it is a completely unknown spell, DC 20+SL if it is a spell that the PC has heard of (an existing spell) and a DC of 15 + SL for spells that the PC has seen cast.
Find an Organization -- this can be really easy (find the city watch) or really hard (find the secret order of halfling assassin monks). In most cases, since acquiring a prestige class will be associated with a specific organization, this may be important. Remember, making contact with an organization may not require that the organization be local (that just makes it harder to do, unless you travel). A Gather information check is used to find the organization, with the DC set by the DM to reflect how public the organization is, how big it is, and the proximity to the location the PC is in.
*Benefit: character has secured the attention and contacts necessary to try to join an organization (and enter a prestige class).
Apply for Membership to an Organization. This can vary depending upon the organization.
*Benefit: If successful, the PC may take appropriate prestige class levels and use other organization services.
Travel - For some things, like research and joining an organization, it may be necessary for the PC to travel to the big city, or somewhere else, to have a chance of success. Travel requires a week each way, and during that time no other tasks can be attempted.
*Benefit: allows access to downtime activities that are not available to the character in the home base community
So, let’s assume we have a standard party of 4 characters: Fighter, Rogue, Cleric, Wizard. They are 5th level, and have an average 7 weeks of downtime to work with.
The Fighter sets his tasks:
1. Working (guard) for 3 weeks. He has 2 ranks of Profession(guardsman), and has been granted a synergy bonus of +2 for having a BAB of 5 or more, so his total bonus is +4.
2. Instruction (other guardsmen) for 3 weeks.
3. Improve relationship with the Watch Commander (Diplomacy bonus = +3) for 1 week. He makes a diplomacy check at +2 (for his charisma bonus).
The Rogue's:
1. Gambling (profession(gambler) 2 ranks, +1 for wisdom, +2 for 5 ranks of Sleight of hand, +2 for 5 ranks of Bluff = +7 total) for 4 weeks
2. Improve relationship with local crime boss (diplomacy +5 ranks and charisma) for 2 weeks
3. Find someone who can make poison for 1 week. Gather information +3 (ranks and charisma)
The Cleric:
1. Working (healing the sick, prayers, etc) for 4 weeks. Use Caster Level check, with a synergy bonus for Knowledge(religion) and Heal skills. Total bonus +9.
2. Research on local history, esp. the manor house where they expect to go in their next mission for 1 weeks
3. Improve relationship with the local Bishop 1 week Diplomacy bonus +8.
4. Instruction (knowledge(religion)) for 1 week.
The Wizard:
Travel to Greyhawk to use the library.(one week)
Travel back to town.(one week)
1. Research a 3rd level spell from Sandstorm for 2 weeks. Search bonus +5
2. Craft wand of fireballs for 1 week.
3. General reading on Knowledge(planes) for 2 weeks. Knowledge(planes) bonus = +4 for intelligence (because this check is DC 10, he can use it untrained and apply his raw intelligence bonus).
The Results.
The Fighter spends his down time with the city watch, for the most part. He makes three profession checks (15,5,14) and manages to earn 9 gp. Thanks to a good roll (a natural 20), he manages to improve his relationship with the watch commander to Friendly. And, he spends some more time with the town watch, training them in more advanced combat techniques, and manages to earn 3 one-time +3 bonuses to social skill checks in Diamond Lake.
The Rogue frequents the gambling dens. He makes 4 Profession(gambler) checks, rolling totals of 23, 22, 24, and 17, so he manages to gamble 62 gp away from the poor workmen frequenting taverns and gambling dens in Diamond Lake. While gambling, he tries to ingratiate himself with a local crime boss of his acquaintance. Because of the guarded nature of the criminal underworld, the DM has applied a +5 modifier to the DC to improve the Crime boss’s attitude. The Rogue rolls a 17 and a 13, and fails, so the crime boss remains indifferent. But he does find an old crone who can make some low-grade poisons for him (the DM set the DC at 15; the rogue rolled a 15 exactly).
The Cleric busies himself with temple duties. He spends 4 weeks “working”, and makes rolls of 27, 22, 14, 18; he “earns” 41 gp. He also spends some time in the temple library, researching the old manor. Taking 20 on his check, he learns that there is an underground river that passes through the lower basement levels of the manor -- a feature they considered very valuable in the event of a siege. It has been many years, but that bit of information may hit at the sorts of things they might encounter down there. The cleric tries to make a favorable impression on the Bishop -- who already liked him (the DC is 20, and he rolls a 23). Now the Bishop is considered helpful. Finally, the cleric does some preaching in the community, educating the common folk in the teachings of his diety, and earns a single-use +3 social skill bonus in Diamond Lake.
The Wizard travels to Greyhawk to conduct the sorts of research he is not able to do in the base town. He has, on previous visits, made arrangements, so he is allowed to use the great library of the college of wizardry. He uses the college's facilities to craft his wand. He tries to find a copy of his obscure spell 3rd level spell. The DC is 23. He rolls an 8 and a 7, so finds nothing. He spends another two weeks reading up on planar horrors (knowledge(planes)). He rolls 22 and 19, and so earns two single use bonuses on Knowledge(planes) checks = one for +2 and one for +1.
