Downtime

The existing D&D crafting system does not have many defined rules to it, nor can it account for stage-by-stage crafting or “leveling up” a crafting skill. This system aims to change that, while making it possible for players in a campaign to track their own progression on individual crafting projects as well as their overall skill level in a crafting profession.

## Downtime Activities

This downtime system is designed to allow players in an action-packed, extended campaign to be able to do downtime activities. The system can also apply to different D&D playstyles.

Downtime is broken down into **Short Activities**, **Day Activities**, and **Multi-Day Activities**.

### Short Activities

This form of downtime is based on the idea that even with a full adventuring day, characters in a party will still have a few hours to spend in other ways, during the morning, throughout breaks in the day, or in the evening before bed. Typically, a short activity is accomplished in 2 to 4 hours. Examples of short activities include playing a performance at a local tavern, physical combat training, studying a language, or making progress towards crafting an item.

Every adventuring day includes the opportunity for one short activity, unless circumstances prevent the players from taking this (for example, they are imprisoned, or taking forced marches to travel farther in a day).

### Day Activities

If a player has a full day to themselves to do whatever they wish, they can use it for a day activity. This does not necessarily mean a player is committing 16, 12, or even 8 hours to their activity, but it does mean this is the primary focus of the player for that day. Usually, day activities take the same forms as short activities, but with more time and energy expended towards them to produce more results.

If a player is choosing to take a day activity, they cannot take any other downtime activity for that day. They can still interact with the rest of the party, or take multiple breaks from their chosen activity throughout the day; however, these interruptions cannot be used to do anything that couldn’t be accomplished during a short rest.

### Multi-Day Activities

These activities are more in line with the traditional concept of downtime, and could include fulfilling a contract for a local guild, progress towards creating a magic item, or a dedicated and extended research project.  Multi-day activities are usually used to expedite large periods of downtime, so that players do not have to roll and manage each day’s activities during a large span of time.

Usually, multi-day activities are assumed to take about a week’s time, and must take at least 3 days. Players must choose in advance how much time they wish to spend on a multi-day activity, working with the DM to resolve the timeframe and the results from their activity.

### Downtime During Play

Short activities and day activities are designed such that their rules are clear, and the results of a player’s efforts are easy to determine with little to no input from the DM. This means that if players want to complete short or day activities during a game session, they can be resolved quickly.

Multi-day activities should be handled outside of a game session, since their rules are less defined to allow for more freedom on the part of the player to choose what they want to accomplish. These activities also have higher stakes and could potentially affect the party’s situation or standing.

### Possible Activities

Downtime activities include, but are not necessarily limited to, the list you see below. Most of the time, these can count as either Short or Long activities, depending on the circumstance. See each activity’s relevant section for more details.

* **Crafting** with a set of Artisan’s Tools with which you are proficient. Also used for Alchemy or Enchanting.
* **Performing** with a musical instrument, dance, or another street performer’s skill, for an audience
* **Training / Studying** with the intent to learn a new proficiency or skill
* **Sparring / Working Out** to warm up or stay in shape, using a weapon or spellcasting ability
* **Working** to earn coin, goods, or standing in some profession you know and can perform.
* **Managing** an organization, shop, or other business venture.
* **Researching** written resources, with the intent to learn or seek some knowledge. Also used for Spell Creation.
* **Foraging** for herbs, food, or other flora. Also used for **Harvesting** things from dead monsters.
* **Shopping** to purchase goods, items, ingredients, or other things. Also includes **Selling** or bartering items to local vendors.
* **Carousing** to gain contacts, earn standing, or gather gossip within a civilized area
* **Recovering** from a wound or injury, or a condition such as exhaustion.

## Downtime Skill Checks

Many downtime activities require checks to determine whether a player succeeds or not. For such activities, a special sort of skill is used: the **Downtime Skill**. The normal skill check method has a high chance of failure, even if a character is very good at a particular check. This system aims to simulate the ability of a character to take their time when working on a task, thus increasing their odds of success and letting their skills shine through.

### Rolling a Downtime Skill Check

When you need to make a skill check for a downtime activity, you will roll a **skill die** that represents your ability, and you are attempting to get a **low roll**. When you get a result of **3 or lower**, you achieve a **satisfactory result**, performing your task as expected. If a feature allows it, or at the DM’s discretion, you may achieve a **mediocre result** if your check is **5 or lower**.

Your skill die normally starts at a **d8**, which represents proficiency with that skill. If you have double proficiency, you start at a d6. If you do not have proficiency, but are trying to learn the skill, you must have assistance or training of some sort. See the later section, *Training / Studying*.

Usually, these downtime skill checks are made when a character is trying to apply their skills over a long period of time, such as performing a concert at a bar, studying a new language during downtime, or crafting a sword in a smithy. For particularly long or challenging tasks, more than one skill check may be required.

### Circumstances

When you are making a downtime skill check under less than ideal circumstances, or when you have assistance of some kind, your roll becomes harder or easier. Certain conditions can modify your skill check for better or worse. Favorable conditions will **add dice** to your roll: **choose the lowest result** out of all the dice you roll. Difficult situations will **decrease the DC** that you are trying to beat, making your check harder to succeed on. See below for a list of conditions that can affect your roll:

* **[+1dX]**  You have the assistance of someone who also has training with the skill. Add their skill die (X) to your roll. This effect can stack more than once.
* **[+1d6]**  You are using state-of-the-art equipment and facilities to perform the activity.
* **[+1d8]**  You are under an effect that gives you **advantage** on **relevant** skill checks. The effect must last for the entire duration of whatever activity is requiring the skill check.
* **[+1d10]**  You have spent the last 24 hours doing nothing strenuous or dangerous, and you were not injured, exhausted, or poisoned for the entirety of that period.
* **[DC -1]** You are under any effect that imposes **disadvantage** on skill checks, or you have at least one point of Exhaustion.
* **[DC -1]** You current hit points are equal to half your hit point maximum or less.
* **[DC -1]** You are working in an environment that is considerably more challenging than usual. For example, you are trying to translate a language from a harsh dialect, perform music in a windy canyon, or carve a totem of wood using a rock and a spoon.
* **[DC -2]** Someone (or something) is actively trying to distract you or disrupt your work, in a way that isn’t directly harmful to you. For example, a pet is clambering over the book you are trying to read in order to get your attention, or a rival is spreading embarrassing stories about you in the bar you are carousing in.

### Leveling Up and Progress Clocks

Each downtime skill can be improved in specific ways, depending on the skill in question. Most often, you gain progress towards leveling up every time you fail a check. Most downtime skills track leveling progress using **progress clocks**.

Make a 6-section **progress clock** on your character sheet for a specific skill. Reaching certain milestones or failing checks for that skill will allow you to fill in one section of your clock (see the rules on each individual downtime skill for details). When the clock is full, you can level up your skill die for that skill, by changing the type of die you use. The progression of a skill die is shown below:

1d12  ->  1d10  ->  1d8  ->  1d6  ->  1d4

Note that if you wish to track your progress in other ways, you are welcome to do so. Tick marks, dots, or a simple written number would suffice just as well.

 Rules
 Equipment
 **Downtime** | Researching  •  Sparring  •  Carousing  •  Enchanting  •  Alchemy  •  Foraging  •  Managing a Business  •  Performing  •  Recovering  •  Training  •  Aiko's Mushroom Lore  •