What do your heroes do when they're not adventuring?

[DM_Jeff]

Downtime

1-2: Collector. Increase your collection or work with merchants
to help appraise others collections. Your interest
could be anything from ancient weapons, to gem-encrusted
jewelry or old outdated game pieces. Collect a unique item
as a souvenir.
3-4: Citizen. Check local laws to be sure the party’s interests
or habits are within the legal limits.
5-6: Rumor mill. Collect information regarding the city.
Learn news from the roads leading to the city or neighboring
lands or the current Lords and Ladies gossip.
7-8: Fellowship. Win friends and influence people. Buy the
house a round of drinks, help a young person with their
chores. Make a friend who you can visit or call upon in need
at a later date.
9-10: Merchant. Once you discover the cities imports and
exports, determine the party’s direction and purchase accordingly
to sell a few items at your next stop.
11-12: Alchemist. Research spells, and magic item creation
formulas and procedures and search out components. With
luck you could even get down to actually working on the
item.
13-14: Brawler. Pick a fight in a tavern or inn to test your
mettle and gain a few new scars.
15-16: Actor. Present yourself as a different person to everyone
you meet during your stay in the city and watch the
fun! Using a different name, title and accent can lead to
many unexpected adventures.
17-18: Vanity. Update your PC’s looks with grooming or an
upgrade in clothing and equipment for visual, not functional
reasons. Pamper yourself with baths and massages.
19-20: Student. Search out a local teacher or trainer to help
you hone or learn a skill or talent.
21-22: Palate. Sample the best of the local cuisine and
drink.
23-24: Paladin. Upgrade your armor and /or weapons with
better materials to enhance their aesthetic and functional
capabilities.
25-26: Pen-pal. If the campaign allows it, write letters or
otherwise correspond with someone in another city with
whom you keep in touch.
27-28: Moneychanger. Cash in the party’s art objects, gems
and jewelry or vice-versa to aid everyone.
29-30: Bard. Set up a place or seek out a business where
you can ply your skills for pay or respect.
31-32: Artisan. Set up a place or seek out a business to ply
your trade for pay.
33-34: Boy Scout. Prepare for the trip ahead by getting supplies,
survival gear, maps, food and drink, etc.
35-36: Cartographer. Update and compare you recent maps
with local copies or knowledge to ensure accuracy or to add
new discoveries.
37-38: Piety. Check in with the local church of your deity to
pay homage and make offerings.
39-40: Romantic. Sneak into high society parties and charm
the lords and ladies with your dance, wit and wily ways.
41-42: Ranger. Travel the lands just outside the city to ply
your forester skills or stay in tune with nature.
43-44: Amorous. You go looking for love in all the wrong
places. A visit to the brothel or seducing the local lord is not
out of the question.
45-46: Gambler. Get involved in local games of chance or
skill for a wager.
47-48: Journal. Update the party journal (in the game, in
real life at the game, or both).
49-50: Politician. Check on local rulers and law enforcement
and the cogs of the government’s wheels. Aggressively
research the true movers and shakers of the city and
arrange a meeting and chances to further the party’s goals.
51-52: Gamer. Enter local contest or competition for reward
and respect.
53-54: Party. Check on upcoming local festivals and holiday
celebrations to attend or large parties to crash.
55-56: Animal Friend. Stable and care for the party’s
mounts and beasts of burden. Collect feed for mounts, animal
companions and familiars if any.
57-58: Injured. Seek healing, rest and rejuvenation.
59-60: Guard. Find other travelers going your way next so
you can arrange to travel together, perhaps even offer the
party’s services as guards.
61-62: Spy. Seek out information on local secret societies
and power party’s and what they are up to.
63-64: Race Seeker. Look for others of your race not otherwise
well represented to visit with and exchange information
and lore.
65-66: Family Tree. Research local bloodlines and genealogy
to map your characters background and history.
67-68: Employer. Hire and/or fire henchmen and hirelings
for the party’s next adventure.
69-70: Sightseer. Look for local famous landmarks and
sights just to say you saw them. Perhaps even keep a
sketchbook of your views.
71-72: Innkeeper. Secure lodgings to match the party’s
needs and affordability.
73-74: Moderator. Research foes and friends of the city to
aid with future encounters and dealings with them.
75-76: Hobbyist. Find supplies for your hobby and secure a
place to work at it (coat of arms, art, music, etc.)
77-78: Saint. Seek out worthy causes and donate your time
or money (orphanage, under-funded city watch, recently
damaged church).
79-80: Troublemaker. Crash parties in an overwhelming
way, pick pockets, play practical jokes.
81-82: Librarian. Search out local library and read for
knowledge and fun.
83-84: Respectful. Visit the tomb or grave of a local hero or
ruler or family member or friend.
85-86: Bounty Hunter. Check for rewards posted for the
capture or killing of criminals or monsters.
87-88: Streetwise. Learn the local layout of alleys, streets
and sewers around the party’s dwellings to aid in quick escape
or chases.
89-90: Passport. Register name(s) with local rulers/guilds/
law enforcement as the customs apply.
91-92: Entrepreneur. Start a business. Purchase a cart, building,
or land, hire folks to run the business, and see how it
develops over time.
93-94: Culture. Take in a show at the theatre, or a gladiatorial
fight at the local arena.
95-96: Slumming. Visit the seedy, law-skirting section of
town.
97-98: Braggart. Tell tales of all the parties deeds for respect
or free drinks.
99-100: Dependents. Send some of your extra loot to family
or friends. Perhaps your parents, the old master who raised
you, or the orphanage or church where you grew up.

-DM Jeff

 

[Thanee]

Your characters spend their downtime randomly?

Bye
Thanee

 

[DM_Jeff]

Your characters spend their downtime randomly?

Heh heh! I wrote that for my web site a couple of years back and figured I'd put a percentile list on there in case someone really had no idea what they wanted to do and leave their fate to chance.

I hand this out at the beginning of most of my campaigns as an idea generator more than anything, and thought it was in line with this thread!

-DM Jeff

 

[Thanee]

I see, I see. Yeah, it certainly is.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Ibram]

depends to much on the character to make a general statement

when I played a priest (in 2e) he spend his down time building a church for the small community he was based out of.

my paladins spend their down time traning

the monk i played spent her down time helping the poor

my current character, a rogue, spends his time with the local ladies.

 

[Jeff Wilder]

My PCs (scions of a merchant family, turned adventurers) are in Freeport, and are currently between adventures, as I continue to set up Black Flags Over Freeport.

The paladin, in addition to keeping one eye on the family business interests in Freeport, is a lawyer, and splits her time between helping the needy navigate Freeport's legal system and helping set up the construction of inexpensive housing for the city's recent influx of orc immigrants.

Her twin brother, the swashbuckler, spends most of his time patrolling the docks and combating violent crime and press gangs. He's also overseeing the laying of the keel for the group's own man o' war.

(Those two, BTW, were both nominated for positions on the Captain's Council, following Madness in Freeport. That was a lot of fun, because the two are very competitive.)

The eldest sibling, a ranger/shifter, spends most of his time in the heavy forests north of the city, exploring, working on his nascent shape-shifting powers, and hangin' with his furry homies. He hates the city, but feels familial responsibility for the others.

The fighter/wizard -- middle sibling, and deliberately nondescript -- had been working as a sergeant in the Sea Lord's Guard, but he recently resigned his post so he could pursue some spell research.

Finally, their cousin, a bard, is recently married and performs in his parents' very high-end tavern. All of the others maintain rooms in the place. The bard has a nasty secret ... as a child, he was the victim of a nasty crime. So now, like the swashbuckler, he's an occasional vigilante. Unlike the swashbuckler, the bard doesn't leave his targets alive and bruised. He also doesn't necessarily make sure he targets only the violent criminals.

Oh, I forgot: there was another bard -- the youngest of the siblings -- but he died on the voyage to Freeport (in the adventure Maiden's Voyage). The others currently are coming more and more to the uncomfortable realization that he might not have stayed dead. And he seems pissed off. If it is him, he spends his time doing things to creep the others out to the maximum possible extent.

 

[JDJarvis]

What the PCs do in my campaign during downtime:

Ale and Whores, not just for fun but also for profit.
Shopping.
Studying and spell research.
Bed rest, lots of it.
Interior decorating.
Maintaining contacts, throwing parties and worshipping.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

In my current game, I'm allowing a fair amount of time to pass between adventures - the PC's are 3rd level and are based out of a Hogwart's-like magical university. So they either go to school (in the case of the two arcane spellcasters), work at the school (in the case of the gnomish monk-gardener), or help out around the school to make up for their boarding costs (in the case of the elven druid and human psion).

This also gives them time for making scrolls, alchemical devices, researching plot hooks, etc.

 

[tonym]

In my Zogonia strip in Dragon Magazine, the Party Leader, Domato, spends most of his time between adventures looking for a new, exciting adventure for the party. Finishing an adventure is like being out of a job in Zogonia, and finding a new adventure can take months.

Kev the Rogue spends his time between adventures dodging his creditors and gambling.

Dindil the dwarf parties and gets drunk between adventures.


Tony

 

[Tonguez]

The Influence Mechanic

IMC I use an Influence mechanic which sort of combines BP from Birthright with the Wealth rules from D20 Modern. A PCs Influence = Level + Cha bonus and represents a combination of Status, charisma and personal ability to 'influence' others to gain access goods, favours and assistance.

PCs thus spend their downtown on increasing their influence (stories need to be told, supporters need to be feed, and authorities need to be appeased) This can be done as a straight Skill test vs DC ?? (eg Diplomacy vs DC 20) or in can be played out and to this ends I also have Faction rules.

Faction rules which essentially turns things like Guilds, Gangs, Towns, Barony and potentially whole countries into 'Characters' with the stats (roll 3d6) - Authority, Economy, Culture, Force as well as skills and feats which need to be learnt/researched

I also allow my PCs to create Patron NPCs whose level is Influence +3

eg A Smugglers Ring (Faction 1 Rogue)
Members 24 HP 144 (24 x 6)
Holdings:
Lair Fortified Def +2, Concealed DC 15
Trade Route: Contraband Prd 2

Authority 12, Economy 16, Culture 10, Force 14
Skills: Prof: Smuggling, Stealth*, Survival, Search, Gather Info, Bluff
Feats: Black Market Contacts, Friends in High Places
* Stealth combines hide and move silently

So the Smugglers Ring is a faction of rogues with 24 active members (determined as cha bonus x d20) It has a hidden lair - in a cave system near the warf - which has been fortified (+2). The Smugglers also control a Trade route for their goods (with a producivity of 2). The ring has skills which it can use for collective benefit and also a couple of feats - black market contacts which give access to illegal goods and venues to sell contaband and friends in high places which gives a +2 bonus to Diplomacy and Gather info checks

PC Benji is a smuggler and attempts to earn some cash for his faction he wants to get he uses 10 of the smugglers to earn 300gp => 300/10 = DC 30 He also wants to upgrade the Trade route which cost 100gp and uses another 5 smugglers to do it =>100/5= 20. 4 smugglers he sends out to spy on the local militia (gather info)
and the last 5 run a raid on a neighbouring smugglings ring

1. Earn 300gp -> Econmics check vs DC 30 => Roll D20 + Economy bonus + prof:Smuggling + Influence used

2. Upgrade Trade Rotue - > Economics check DC 20 Roll D20 + Economy bonus + Influence used

3. Spying - > Culture Check DC 15 => D20 + Culture bonus + Gather Info Skill + Freinds in High Places Feat + Influence

4. Raid -> * Raids can be a straight dice roll (Force bonus + Units + Influence) or the Units can be stated out and combat played as a skirmish