D&D5e: Downtime Activities

Notes about what characters may do between adventures. More roll-play than role-play but nice to have some guidelines for DMs and players to set expectations.

Actions characters may take between adventures…
* Carousing: Live lavishly (spending 4+ g.p. per day) and roll of the Carousing table, adding the character’s level to the roll.
* Crafting: 5 g.p. worth of item(s) per day, or 25 g.p. for magic items, per proficient character (see example list below).
* Gaining Reknown: Multiple current Reknown by 10 for number of days work required to increase reknown by 1.
* Performance On Street/Busking: Performance check = silver piece per hour, or gold pieces per day.
* Performance At Minor Venue (Tavern): Performance check = gold pieces per night.
* Performance At Major Venue (Lead at theater/opera): Performance check x 4 = gold pieces per night.
* Performing Sacred Rites: After at least 10 days work, gain Inspiration at start of each day for 2d6 days.
* Practicing Profession (general labor): Wages cover daily cost of modest lifestyle (1 g.p. per day).
* Practicing Profession (organized in guild, temple, gang): Wages cover daily cost of comfortable lifestyle (2 g.p. per day).
* Recuperating: DC 15 Con save to end one effect that prevents regaining hit point, OR, DC 15 Con save to gain advantage on saves vs. one disease or poison in effect.
* Research: Make Investigation and/or Persuasion check (DM sets DC), spend +1 g.p., to earn one day of progress.
* Run A Business: Roll percentile dice and add number of days on-site working (maximum 30 days). See Running A Business table below.
* Sell Things: Roll on the Selling Things table below.
* Sow Rumors: Costs 1 g.p. per day based on size of local settlement (village 2d6 days, town 4d6 days, city 6d6 days).
* Training (Language): Spend +1 g.p. per day with instructor, gain language after 250 days.
* Training (Tool Proficiency): Spend +1 g.p. per day with instructor, gain tool proficiency after 250 days.

CRAFTING TIMES
Per PHB p. 187, Crafting rules allow 5 g.p. value of item value made per day, or for magic items per DMG p. 129, 25 g.p. value per day. One worker equals one work day, two workers equals 2 work days and so forth. (For example, two blacksmiths can craft a shield in one day.) DM may rule some items cannot be rushed, like potions or enchantments.

Requires proficiency in Arcana, Nature or Religion (maybe Herbalism kit)…
* 1/2 day … druidic focus
* 1 day … holy symbol
* 2 to 4 days … arcane focus (only 1 day for staff)
* 4 days … common magical item (min. 3rd level), spell scroll (cantrip or 1st level spell)
* 5 days … vial of acid or holy water
* 10 days … potion of healing
* 10 days … new spellbook
* 20 days … vial of poison (DC 10 Con save or +1d4 poison damage)
* 20 days … uncommon magical item (min. 3rd level), spell scroll (2nd or 3rd level spell), enchant +1 magic weapon
* 30 days … enchant clay golem
* 45 days … scroll of protection (any type) (min. 3rd level)
* 50 days … keg of gunpowder
* 60 days … enchant flesh golem
* 90 days … enchant stone golem
* 120 days … enchant iron golem
* 200 days (about 6.5 month) … rare magical item (min. 6th level), spell scroll (4th or 5th level spell), enchant +2 magic weapon
* 2,000 days (5.5 years) … very rare magical items (min. 11th level), spell scroll (6th, 7th or 8th level spell), enchant +3 magic weapon
* 20,000 days (55 years) … legendary magical items (min. 17th level), spell scroll (9th level spell)

Requires smith’s tools and materials (half market price)…
* 2 days … shield, flail, battleaxe, shortsword
* 3 days … longsword, warhammer
* 5 days … rapier, scimitar
* 6 days … ring mail, greataxe
* 10 days … chain shirt, scale mail, greatsword
* 15 days … chainmail
* 40 days … splint mail
* 80 days … breastplate
* 300 days … plate armor

Other tools…
* 2 days … leather armor or shield
* 5 days … shortbow
* 10 days … longbow, heavy crossbow

CAROUSING (and gambling) (DMG . 128)
Roll 1d100 + level
* 01 to 10 … You are jailed for 1d4 days at the end of the downtime period on charges of disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace. You can pay a fine of 10 g.p. to avoid jail time, or you can try to resist arrest.
* 11 to 20 … You regain consciousness in a strange place with no memory of how you got there, and have been robbed of 3d6 x 5 gp.
* 21 to 30 … You make an enemy. This person, business, or organization is now hostile to you. The DM determines the offended party. You decide how you offended them.
* 31 to 40 … You are caught up in a whirlwind romance. Roll a d20. On a 1 to 5, the romance ends badl On a 6 to 10, the romance ends amicably. On a 11 to 20, the romance is ongoing. You determire the identity of the love interest, subject to your DM’s approval. If the romance ends badly, you might gain a new flaw. If it ends well or is ongoing, your new love interest might represent a new bond.
* 41 to 80 … You earn modest winnings from gambling and recuperate your lifestyle expenses for the time spent carousing.
* 81 to 90 … You earn modest winnings from gambling. You recuperate your lifestyle expenses for the time spent carousing and gain 1d20 x 4 gp.
* 91 or higher … You make a small fortune gambling. You recuperate your lifestyle expenses for the time spent carousing and gain 4d6 x 10 gp. Your carousing becomes the stuff of local legend.

RUN A BUSINESS (or other institution) (DMG . 128)
Roll dl00 + Days.
* 01 to 20 … You must pay one and a halftimes the business’s maintenance cost for each of the days.
* 21 to 30 … You must pay the business’s full maintenance cost for each of the days.
* 31 to 40 … You must pay half the business’s maintenance cost for each of the days. Profits cover the other half.
* 41 to 60 … The business covers its own maintenance cost for each of the days.
* 61 to 80 … The business covers its own maintenance cost for each of the days. It earns a profit ofld6 x 5 gp.
* 81 to 90 … The business covers its own maintenance cost for each of the days. It earns a profit of 2d8 x 5 gp.
* 91 or higher … The business covers its own maintenance cost for each of the days. It earns a profit of 3dl0 x 5 gp.

Business or institution maintenance costs per day…
* Abbey (30 people) … 20 g.p. per day
* Farm … 0.5 g.p. per day
* Guildhall, town or city … 5 g.p.
* Inn, rural roadside … 10 g.p.
* Inn, town or city … 5 g.p.
* Keep or small castle (100 people) … 100 g.p.
* Lodge, hunting … 0.5 g.p.
* Noble estate … 10 g.p.
* Outpost or fort (60 people) … 50 g.p.
* Palace or large castle (300 people) … 400 g.p.
* Shop … 2 g.p.
* Temple, large (20 people) … 25 g.p.
* Temple, small (2 people) … 1 g.p.
* Tower, fortified (10 people) … 10 g.p.
* Trading post (6 people) … 10 g.p.

SELLING THINGS
Variation on the table found on DMG p. 130; roll 1d100.
* 1 to 20 … Buyer offers 1/10th item’s base price.
* 21 to 40 … Buyer offers 1/4th item’s base price, and a shady buyer offers half price.
* 41 to 80 … Buyer offers half base price, and shady buyer offers full base price.
* 81 to 90 … Buyer offers full base price.
* 91 or more … Shady buyers offers 1.5 times price, no questions asked.

Modifiers:
* + Charisma (Persuasion) ability check result
* +20 … Mundane item (worth less than 100 g.p.), takes 1 day to find buyer.
* +10 … Common magic item (base price 100 g.p.), takes 1d4 days to find buyer.
* +0 … Uncommon magic item (base price 500 g.p.), takes 1d6 days to find buyer.
* -10 … Race magic item (base price 5,000 g.p.), takes 1d8 days to find buyer.
* -20 … Very rare magic item (base price 50,000 g.p.), takes 1d10 days to find buyer.

Advantage if seller’s market (demand more than supply) or in major trade city.
Disadvantage if buyer’s market (supply more than demand) or in rural area.

LIFESTYLE EXPENSES PER DAY
* Wretched … n/a (DM House Rule: Disadvantage on social, health-related checks)
* Squalid … 0.1 g.p. (1 s.p.) per day
* Poor … 0.2 g.p. (2 s.p.) per day
* Modest … 1 g.p. per day (or work general labor for day)
* Comfortable … 2 g.p. per day (or work guild labor for a day)
* Wealthy … 4 g.p. per day (or work Performance proficiency for a day)
* Aristocratic … 10 g.p. or more per day

SERVANTS & SERVICES
* Coach cab between towns … 0.03 g.p. (3 c.p.) per mile
* Coach cab within a city … 0.01 g.p. (1 c.p.) per ride
* Skilled hireling … 2 g.p. per day
* Untrained hireling … 0.2 g.p. (2 s.p.) per day
* Messenger … 0.02 g.p. (2 c.p.) per mile
* Road or gate toll … 0.02 g.p. (2 c.p.)
* Ship’s passage … 0.1 g.p. (1 s.p.) per mile