Downtime Activities

When characters find themselves with a lot of free time, they can spend this time in a number of ways, both constructive and otherwise.

Short-Term activities are those that can be, in theory, completed in a relatively short amount of time. They grant a more immediate benefit, though typically don't grant advantages as strong as long-term options.

A character who knows spells may spend their downtime scribing spell scrolls, allowing them to access some spells with greater frequency, though at increased cost and less potency. To scribe a scroll, a character must know a spell and have it prepared, as well as expend resources equal in value to half the cost of the scroll they want to scribe. Any material components used in the spell being scribed must also be provided at the time it is scribed.

The scroll then takes 2 hours to scribe per spell level, and this time can be split across multiple days. A spell can be scribed into a scroll at a higher level, but requires an investment of both time and money at the new spell level. Any spell scribed into a scroll uses the default values for Spell Save DCs and Spell Attack Rolls, rather than those of the individual who scribed them.

A character with proficiency in Alchemist's Supplies is able to brew potions, using time and raw ingredients to create valuable elixirs. Brewing a potion requires raw ingredients equal to half the finished potion's value. The below table details the time it takes to brew a single potion, depending upon its rarity. A character with expertise in Alchemist's supplies can brew potions in half this time.

Additionally, a character may attempt to make potions in batches, using the same time to brew additional potions. When they do so, they expend resources for a number of potions equal to the batch size below, and make an Intelligence (Alchemist's Supplies) or Wisdom (Alchemist's Supplies) check against the difficulty below.

On a successful check, the character brews a full batch of potions. On a failed check, the character wastes the resources of the additional potion, though they are still able to brew a single successful one. If the character is interrupted for more than 10 minutes while brewing a potion, and no other proficient character is able to take over, the resources are lost and no potion is brewed.

As magic items can be quite expensive, it's often not the easiest time to find a buyer willing to pay the full price for them. Assuming a settlement has somebody with the money to pay for the item, the character can find a buyer with a single day of downtime, who will buy the item at the percentage of its base price listed in the “Potion Brewing” table.

However, with enough time, a character can find a more interested buyer if one exists within the current settlement. Each day of downtime increases the amount of money that a player will receive when choosing to sell the item, as shown in the table below. An item cannot exceed the local value of the item, though this may be higher than 100% of base price.

The character may also attempt to be more aggressive in pursuing leads on buyers to potentially increase this percentage faster. A character may make either a Charisma (Persuasion) or Intelligence (Investigation) check against the DCs below to find a more suitable buyer. A successful check doubles the rate of progress for the day, while a failed check halves it.

Some activities a player can take require a larger investment of time to see results, but can grant stronger benefits.

A character can attempt to craft a magical item in their downtime. In order to do so, they require ingredients equal to half the cost of the item they wish to craft, and they must have proficiency in a tool or kit relevant to creating the item. For example, if a character wants to forge a magic longsword, they must be proficient in Smith's Tools.

The character must spend a number of hours crafting the magic item equal to a quarter of the item's base price in gold pieces. At the end of this time, they make a checks with the relevant tool based upon the rarity of the item they are creating, as shown in the “Item Crafting” table.

On a successful check, the item is successfully created. On a failed check, they fail to craft the item, and the time spent in the attempt is wasted. A character may assist with creating the item, granting the crafter advantage on the final roll, if they devote their time to assisting and are also proficient in a relevant tool or kit.

Characters can spend downtime honing their skills, and gaining new abilities that are not tied directly to levelling up. All abilities a character may gain as a result of downtime training are detailed in the Talent Tree Guide. These abilities are referred to as talents, and act as mini-feats that a character can learn (and, if desired, unlearn) by spending time in-game to do so.

Different characters will have different numbers of maximum talents they can learn, based on their class or class type.

• Full Casters are characters who have levels in a class that can eventually cast spells above 5th level, such as Wizards or Clerics. These classes must work to maintain their potent spellcasting abilities, and therefore have the lowest capacities to learn other abilities.
• Rogues have the next lowest number of talents, as characters with this class have a high level of skill and expertise to maintain.
• Half Casters are characters who have levels in a class (or subclass) that grants them the ability to cast spells, but who would not be able to cast spells any higher than 5th level. Examples of Half Caster classes would be Warlock, Rangers, and Eldritch Knight Fighters. These characters have some flexibility from their spellcasting, but generally have fewer and weaker spells to focus on, granting them more time and energy to learn new things.
• Non-Casters are characters who would never be able to cast spells without the assistance of magic items. As they lack any innate magical flexibility, they are the most able to learn new things, and so they have the highest number of talent points.

If a character fits into more than one of the categories above, such as the Arcane Trickster Rogue or as a result of multiclassing, that character has the fewest number of talent points that their class(es) would give them. For example, a character with a level in Fighter and a level in Wizard would still be considered a “Full Caster” for the purposes of determining their maximum number of talents. This may change later on - if that same character eventually has 10 levels in Fighter, then no amount of additional Wizard levels would allow them to cast a spell higher than 5th level, and so they would then be considered to be a “Half Caster”.

To begin training, a character first selects the talent they would like to begin learning. The character may select any talent to begin training, so long as it is either a Base Ability (Tier 1 Talent) or they have the preceding talent for the one they wish to learn. If the character has a feat which grants them abilities similar to those provided by a talent, they may learn new talents as if they had the required talent.

After selecting a talent, you will then have the ability to roll at various times to attempt to learn that talent. This roll is a flat ability check, dependent upon the talent being trained - for talents in a skill tree, the ability used for the roll will be the ability used by that skill. For talents not in a skill tree, the ability used may vary, with different talents possibly having different options for the ability to use. Each talent will require you to succeed in a number of these training rolls, and both the difficult and number of successful rolls required increasing as you attempt to train abilities farther up a talent tree.

One character can assist another with their training. To do so, the assisting character must spend the entire training time assisting, preventing them from training themselves or completing any other business. The assisting character must also either have the talent themselves, or have a level of proficiency equivalent to the talent's level. For example, a character with Proficiency in Athletics can assist with training for the base ability or the step 1 talent in the Athletics talent tree. When a character is assisted during their training, they may add the proficiency bonus of the assisting character to their training roll.

Once a character has gained the Base Ability (Tier 1 Talent) from a Skill Tree, that character gains half-proficiency in that skill. Similarly, learning a Tier 2 talent from a Skill Tree grants the character proficiency in that skill, and learning a Capstone Ability (Tier 4) grants the character expertise.

Training can be done during any of the following situations:

• You may train using any time that would be devoted to light activity over the course of a long rest. When you do so, you make your training roll with disadvantage due to time constraints. You may still keep watch during training, if needed, though any related perception checks are made at disadvantage.
• You may train during 8 hours of downtime. When you train in this way, you make a single flat roll at the end of the full period which represents the sum of your training experience. The roll cannot benefit from any improvements (Guidance, Bless, etc.) unless the improvements last for the full 8 hours of training.
• You may training during 12 hours of downtime. When you train in this way, you make your training roll with advantage at the end of the full period which represents the sum of your training experience. The roll cannot benefit from any improvements (Guidance, Bless, etc.) unless the improvements last for the full 12 hours of training.

Once a character has a number of talents equal to their maximum, any new talents they wish to train in must replace an existing talent. An old talent is only replaced by a new one once the training for the new talent has completed, and so a character may still benefit from a talent they intend to get rid of even while they train their new talent. If a character's maximum number of talents decreases, such as by taking levels in a new class, they must choose talents to lose until they have reached their new maximum number of talents.

If you have any skill proficiency as a result of having a talent trained, and you then lose that talent, you also lose the corresponding level of skill proficiency. Similarly, if you lose a talent that was required to train other talents you have learned, you lose access to those talents until you have retrained their prerequisite talent.