D&D 5E Hurry up and wait!

[77IM]

I'm running Princes of the Apocalypse and we're only a couple of sessions in but it is going pretty well. The players are motivated to go kick some cultist butt and they're a clever bunch so it's not long before they are traipsing about the countryside knocking over Haunted Keeps.

There's only one problem. I looooooooove the downtime system in 5e and would love for the adventure to feature ample opportunities to acquire and use downtime. Unfortunately the default assumption is that the cults are going to keep the pressure on, by destroying the countryside if the PCs don't act.

Can anyone think of interesting ways to put a giant pause on the whole plot line from time to time? Like, things quiet down and the PCs take a few months off to do their own thing. Or, in order to advance the quest the PCs just need to hang out in town for a while. I'm having trouble coming up with reasons that don't feel artificial.

I've spent years trying to come up with reasons to get the PCs OUT of town and motivate them to go on adventures and now when I want to do the reverse I am drawing a blank!

 

[HobbitFan]

One thing you could do is have other adventurers or faction NPCs tackle the cult during the downtime. What about an adventuring party with a friendly rivalry going on with your party? With some of the pressure off your party, they would have some time for downtime. You can concept the rival adventurers various ways, from comedic relief to serious "send in the cavalry" type back-up. They might be uber-perfect archetypes that make everyone else look bad or a bunch of goofballs and mess-ups.

You could introduce "roadblocks" during the course of the adventure where the players have to go elsewhere to uncover knowledge or items or such to help "unlock" the next area. It sounds a little video-gamey I know but I think you can make it work with a little finesse and not being too obvious about it.

The cults also might have to take a time out if there is alot of in-fighting. Air-Earth fighting or Fire-Water fighting for example.

You could also do a fake-out where the PCs think they have defeated the cults and won only to discover that there is much more going on...

 

[iserith]

Consider doing a house rule like this:

When the characters complete an objective, they earn a set number of downtime days. When the players choose to use those downtime days, it puts the plans of the enemy on hold during that time for whatever fictional reason makes the most sense in context. So the players might agree they want to spend three of their downtime days. You then say, for example, that inclement weather settles in which stymies the forward progress of the enemies and then ask what each player wants to do during this window of time.

Encourage the players to use their downtime wisely at strategic points and to engage in downtime activities that will give them a leg up on the villains when they go back out adventuring.

 

[Riley37]

I see a pretty direct connection between "players thwart cultist actions", thus earning downtime, and "the cult's progress has been reduced, they are not as close to Total Victory", thus allowing downtime.

 

[CapnZapp]

The Adventurers League rewards each (short) adventure with "downtime days", typically 10.

You could let players utilize these without dwelling on an exact timeline.

As long as there's an implicit contract of trust between players and the DM their characters won't be hosed by taking downtime, you're good to go!

 

[wedgeski]

Downtime days as player reward. Man, that's a great idea. (C'mon brain, where were you!)

 

[wedgeski]

There's only one problem. I looooooooove the downtime system in 5e and would love for the adventure to feature ample opportunities to acquire and use downtime. Unfortunately the default assumption is that the cults are going to keep the pressure on, by destroying the countryside if the PCs don't act.

I'm totally with you on this. My Princes group, normally not the most engaged bunch of froods between games, has embraced downtime like a long-lost brother. They're building a keep, crafting stuff, learning new skills, making friends, investigating enemies... They're engaged at a level I've rarely seen.

I've spent years trying to come up with reasons to get the PCs OUT of town and motivate them to go on adventures and now when I want to do the reverse I am drawing a blank!

LOL!

 

[Agamon]

Just have the players say, "We're gonna need a montage!" That's code for downtime time!

 

[Bupp]

I'm running Age of Worms and after The Three Faces of Evil I gave out a year of down time. I said that that the cults had suffered a setback from the party's victory. They pulled back and went into hiding, giving a semblance of peace.

 

[GX.Sigma]

House rule for additional downtime: In-game time is analogous to real-life time. Each session is one expedition. At the end of each session, you go back to town. For every real-life day between sessions, your character spends a day in town.