Unearthed Arcana Unearthed Arcana Explores Downtime Activities

This is EXACTLY what I wanted and EXACTLY what the game needed.

Then there's this: "For more information, see “Brewing Potions of Healing” in this section on crafting and “Scribing a Spell Scroll” on page Error! Bookmark not defined." (p. 7)

 

[MechaTarrasque]

Why do so many seem to think carousing needs to include getting blind drunk? How can I play my tea-totaler bard who just loves to go out singing and dancing?

Almost everything in D&D is built around fulfilling connotations, and the connotation for "carousing" involves drunken excess (and wantonness too, seriously it is pretty pitiful if your drunken carousing doesn't include at least an attempt at wantonness). Also good, clean fun in general doesn't lead to problems, and, in general, D&D tends to have rules for when PC's have problems more so than when they don't. They need a different word for PC's who are having fun in a responsible way.

 

[maceochaid]

I am so glad to just get something more than Archetypes. Over the course of 20 levels of play you choose an archetype ONCE. We need more options for things other than a level three choice.

 

[Li Shenron]

To repeat myself, what I think this article needs, is a follow-up where rules additions and tweaks are discussed when there is essentially no downtime.

Like, you know, in pretty much every official adventure published to date...

One of the biggest self-deceptions D&D is perpetuating is that the game is geared up for downtime, when in actual reality the practical implementations - the official adventures - simply aren't following the assumptions.

There is little or no downtime. There are mountains of gold. There are seldom any reasons to have 6+ encounters in a day. Player characters use all the powers given to them by the PHB and they use them reasonably well.

This are the facts. Now give me a set of UA articles that acknowledge this as actual fact.

Better yet - give me a version of the PHB that is specifically meant for this kind of play.

I have downtime in my games. Sometimes I had years of downtime. IMHO they keep publishing this sort of adventures because people keep asking for them. And they keep asking because their model is from movies and TV series where they have to pack everything in 2 hours, or games that need to hype your excitement continuously.

People are addicted to this model of entertainment like they are to sugar soda and doped burgers. Most have no patience for a slow paced story. We get what we ask for.

Then sometimes we might get the feeling that levelling up 20 levels in a PC's year is unsatisfying for opposite reasons, or that getting better without ever training doesn't feel realistic enough and so on...

I just say that ultimately it's our own fault. I am happy to have options to take the game in different directions. Without these options I'd have to do more efforts, and at the very least these articles raise awareness on these topics. More articles as you wish, would be of course even better

 

[eryndel]

Personally, I have no issues with the lists of complications, even though some specifics might not be appropriate to specific characters. The Player's Handbook includes similar lists when it comes to backgrounds for the Traits, Ideals, Bonds, Flaws section. These things are couched even with a die roll (d6 or d8) for each list, however, I've never met a group that felt constrained to roll a die for their background traits, nor have I seen anyone feel that those specific traits are the only ones available for a background. Backgrounds as a whole have been considered one of the successful features of 5e - although on the surface they seem pretty constraining, in practice they really aren't.

I can't imagine these complications would be treated any differently.

 

[Olive]

We used some of these in play last night. They worked fine and gave a framework to some activities that the PCs had wanted anyway. I'm not sure about the religious service idea but then again, I can sue that as a spur to do some work of my own.

The other thing I'm not sure about it the magic item prices. They seem cheap at the lower end. I will probably go to the Sane Magical Prices list that was worked up instead...

 

[Saeviomagy]

Create your own list of complications and give it to your DM.

Or... just use the existing one and ignore anything that says "you get drunk and..." Carousing sober is and should be way more effective at finding contacts than carousing drunk.

 

[smbakeresq]

Downtime can be very big in your campaigns today thanks to email. I am old, 30+years ago downtime was a big thing because you didn't have computer games or cable to go to. Everyone was doing something in their downtime, and I do not know anyone who didn't design their own stronghold or hideout and equipment.

Today it's making a comeback thanks to email. Downtime should be the perfect way to check in on PC via email and keep the story moving.

I have been using 1 real day is 2-3 days game time, expanding it out to about 7-10 days for each real day to provide enough in game time for PC to advance.

By being diligent about downtime it increases the treasure on adventures, PC will now search for rare ingredients that have value so you don't have to worry so much about putting shineys in. The eyes of the Umber Hulk are more valuable the any coins he would have laying around.

Players really enjoy this, and will start to load up on collection stuff like jars and such to gather the ingredients. It is entirely appropriate for a PC to order a magic item be built and pay for it in rare ingredients, the item is being built contemporaneous with the PC adventuring so the long build times can be gotten around.

PC with craft skills like dwarves can be part of the construction, they can start the item construction process and then let the NPC keep working on it and then check in and accelerate the process. Or they can work on it for a few weeks of downtime and then take it with them and work on it "on the road." This allows the PC to ingrain his personality on the item. I have had a PC start work on a special guan-do (halberd) for his PC at first level and then use the level up your magic item rules in (dragon magazine 292 IIRC) to improve it along the way. This is great for the DM, as you never have to worry about the random magic item being a good fit for your PC. This works exceptionally well for magic using PC to build themselves a custom staff or wand or something. Sort of essential for the warlock types and rods for warlocks are few and far between.

PC running a business is a great idea, just make sure it's a SUCCESS asap. Success breeds contempt and jealousy, that's what creates adventures and plot lines. In addition any successful business shoehorns into someone else's business, that someone else should be a neutral or good aligned person or group so the PC can't just kill them.

Good businesses that can lead to fun times is a butcher shop run by someone with access to the polymorph spell. Everyone eats, but exotic tastes and special orders (including special magic ingredients) are a spell away with polymorph on the dead. A butcher shop who uses polymorph can also have a very high level magic user to open a portal to another plane or have some other access to a plane where meat can be exported for profit. Is it an evil act to polymorph a cow into a Pegasus then kill it and export it through the infinite staircase to the lower planes for profit? I don't know but your PC can find out.


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