Careless Whisper Downtime Rules

The following are the types of downtime activity permitted in the Tales from the Careless Whisper campaign.

Crafting

Equipment & Art

Cost: 1 day + half price of item in materials • Requirements: Appropriate proficiency and tools • Complications: None

• For each day spent crafting, you accumulate 5gp worth of the items final value, in terms of item completion.
• Multiple characters may pool their downtime efforts to craft a single item. This allows each craftsperson to accumulate 5gp worth of value to the item per day thus spent. The DM determines a maximum of how many craftspeople can work on an item at a time, given the item and facilities.
• Each day thus spent grants you a 1gp discount on lifestyle costs (min 0gp).

Magic Items (Consumable)

Cost: varies • Requirements: Ability to cast spells or Alchemy supplies proficiency (for potions, dusts, etc), schema for item type • Complications: 10%

• Cost varies by item created:
  • Common: 5 days, 25gp, no Magic Ingredients
  • Uncommon: 10 days, 100gp, Magic Ingredients (CR 1-3)
  • Rare: 50 days, 1000gp, Magic Ingredients (CR 4-8)
  • Very Rare: 125 days, 10,000gp, Magic Ingredients (CR 9-12)
  • Legendary: 250 days, 50,000gp, Magic Ingredients (CR 13-18)

Magic Items (Permanent)

Cost: varies • Requirements: Ability to cast spells, schema for item type • Complications: 10% per 5 tendays or fraction thereof

• Cost varies by item created:
  • Common: 10 days, 50gp, Magic Ingredients (CR 1-3)
  • Uncommon: 20 days, 200gp, Magic Ingredients (CR 4-8)
  • Rare: 100 days, 2000gp, Magic Ingredients (CR 9-12)
  • Very Rare: 250 days, 20,000gp, Magic Ingredients (CR 13-18)
  • Legendary: 500 days, 100,000gp, Magic Ingredients (CR 19+)

Magic Items (Material-Based Magic)

Cost: varies • Requirements: Appropriate proficiency and tools, schema for item type • Complications: 10% per 5 tendays or fraction thereof

• These are magical items whose powers come from what the item is made of rather than enchantments worked into it. Examples include adamantine and mithral items.
• Cost varies by item created:
  • Common: 10 days, Cost to Craft Item +25gp
  • Uncommon: 20 days, Cost to Craft Item +100gp, Magic Ingredients (CR 1-3)
  • Rare: 100 days, Cost to Craft Item +1000gp, Magic Ingredients (CR 4-8)
  • Very Rare: 250 days, Cost to Craft Item +10,000gp, Magic Ingredients (CR 9-12)
  • Legendary: 500 days, Cost to Craft Item +50,000gp, Magic Ingredients (CR 13-18)

Potions of Healing

Cost: varies • Requirements: Ability to use healing magic or Herbalism kit proficiency • Complications: 10%

• Cost varies by potion created:
  • Potion of healing: 1 day, 25 gp
  • Potion of greater healing: 10 days, 100 gp
  • Potion of superior healing: 30 days, 1000 gp
  • Potion of supreme healing: 40 days, 10,000 gp

Spell Scrolls

Cost: varies • Requirements: Ability to cast spell being scribed • Complications: 10% per tenday

• Cost varies according to level of the spell being scribed:
  • Cantrip: 1 day • 15 gp
  • 1st Level: 1 day • 25 gp
  • 2nd Level: 3 days • 250 gp
  • 3rd Level: 10 days • 500 gp
  • 4th Level: 20 days • 2500 gp
  • 5th Level: 40 days • 5000 gp
  • 6th Level: 80 days • 15,000 gp
  • 7th Level: 160 days • 25,000 gp
  • 8th Level: 320 days • 50,000 gp
  • 9th Level: 480 days • 250,000 gp

Carousing

Cost: varies • Requirements: Settled area • Complications: 10% per tenday

• Carousing involves a relaxing week of socializing, good food, and strong drink. It can be used to generate Contacts and Rumors.
• Cost is based on the strata of society:
  • Lower Class: 10 gp + 7 days. Includes cost of Modest Lifestyle.
  • Middle Class: 50gp + 7 days. Includes cost of Comfortable Lifestyle.
  • Upper Class: 250gp + 7 days. Includes cost of Wealthy Lifestyle. May only be taken by nobles and others with appropriate backgrounds, or by those with a disguise kit and the Deception skill.
• Resolution Check: Charisma (Persuasion) or Charisma (Deception) check. May be used to generate Contacts or Rumors.
• Contacts: If generating Contacts, these are individuals of some impact in that part of town. Contacts can be named and listed by their type, or left undetailed to be added as useful and needed. A Contact can be used as an ongoing source of Rumors. They can also be used to get a favor, but doing so "expends" the Contact (though they can be re-acquired through Carousing later). (May have a maximum number of unnamed Contacts equal to 1 + Charisma modifier.)
  • Lower Class: Criminals, laborers, mercenaries, town guard, and other folk who frequent the cheapest taverns in town.
  • Middle Class: Guild members, spellcasters, town officials, and other folk who frequent well-kept establishments.
  • Upper Class: Nobles and their retainers, guildmasters, merchant princes, and other community leaders who can be found at formal banquets, noble parties, state dinners, and the like.
• Rumors: When Carousing to generate Rumors, success generates a number of Rumors equal 1 + the character's Contacts.

Establish a Business

Cost: varies • Requirements: varies • Complications: 0%

• This action is used to establish a new business, using the Business Operation rules.
• Time cost equals 1d4 days per Skiled Worker employed, +1 per Unskilled Worker. This time is halved if the Business is Squalid or Poor, or doubled if the Business is Wealthy.
• Coin cost is one-half the Monthly Cost of the business.
• Once established, businesses run themselves, although owners may boost their success by taking the Work downtime action on behalf of that business.

Gambling

Cost: 10gp (minimum) + 7 days • Requirements: None • Complications: 10% per week; add +5% per 100gp to stake

• A week spent finding the best betting locales, discovering the upcoming games or places, and getting invitations to them. Coin is the stake for the gambling; may choose to bet up to 1000gp.
• Resolution Check: Make three checks: Wisdom (Insight) • Charisma (Deception) • Charisma (Intimidation)
  • Cheating: May choose to cheat, substituting one of the above rolls for a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) test instead. Doubles base Complication chance to 20% however.
  • DC for each is equal to 5 + 2d10.
• Results are based on total number of successes.
  • All Fail: Lose all the money bet, plus accrue a debt equal to the stake again.
  • One Success: Regain half stake.
  • Two Successes: Regain 150% of stake.
  • Three Successes: Regain double stake.

Pit Fighting

Cost: 7 days • Requirements: None • Complications: 10% per week

• Engage in fighting for sports viewing and betting.
• Resolution Check: Make three tests: Strength (Athletics) • Dexterity (Acrobatics) • Constitution with a bonus equal to the die roll the size of the fighter's largest Hit Die (does not expend Hit Die).
  • May substitute one of the rolls with an attack roll using one of the fighter's attacks.
  • DC for each roll equals 5 + 2d10.
• Results: Winnings are based on total check results:
  • All Fail: Bouts lost, winning nothing.
  • One Success: Win 50gp.
  • Two Successes: Win 100gp.
  • Three Successes: Win 200gp.

Relaxation

Cost: 7 days (Modest Lifestyle minimum) • Requirements: None • Complications: None

• A week of relaxation. Must be at a minimum of Modest Lifestyle.
• During this week, the character gains:
  • Advantage on saving throws to recover from long-acting diseases and poisons.
• At the end of this week, the character chooses one of the following:
  • Restore one ability score that has been reduced to less than its normal value;
  • End one effect preventing the character from regaining hit points

Religious Service

Cost: 7 days • Requirements: A non-hostile temple or religious community • Complications: 10% per week

• A week spent in service to a temple or religious community, aiding in tasks or rites.
• Resolution Check: Intelligence (Religion) or Charisma (Persuasion).
  • 10 or lower: Gain no Favors; gain one additional Luck Point for the next adventure.
  • 11-20: Gain one Favor; gain one additional Luck Point for the next adventure.
  • 21+: Gain two Favors; gain one additional Luck Points for the next two adventures.
• Favors: Favors are promises of future assistance, of a type typical for the temple to charge coin for. This could be spellcasting (up to one Favor per level of the spell), services, equipment, community or political support, and the like.
  • May accrue a maximum number of Favors from any given temple equal to 1 + Charisma modifier.

Research

Cost: 50+gp + 7 days • Requirements: Access to a library • Complications: 10% per week

• With access to an archive or library, a character can find pieces of information. Libraries usually have categories, based on what information can be pulled from them. This is usually one of the knowledge Skills (Arcana, History, Nature, Religion) or magical lore (Spells or Schema).
• Resolution: Intelligence check, with a bonus equal to +1 per 100gp spent beyond base cost, to a maximum of +6. Results are:
  • 5 or less: No effect.
  • 6–10: Gain one piece of Lore.
  • 11–20: Gain two pieces of Lore.
  • 21+: Gain three pieces of Lore.
• Lore: There are three kinds of Lore:
  • Knowledge Lore: Each piece of lore is the equivalent of one true statement about a person, place, thing, or event.
  • Spell Lore: Researching a spell successfully is performed at a penalty to the check based on spell level (–1 for 2nd-4th; –2 for 5th–7th; –3 for 8th and 9th), and requires a number of pieces of Lore equal to the level of the spell x2 (or just one Lore for a cantrip).
  • Schema Lore: Researching the building plans for magic items is performed at a penalty based on the rarity of the item, which also determines how many pieces of Lore is needed: Common (-0; 1 piece of Lore) • Uncommon (-1; 2 pieces of Lore) • Rare (-2; 4 pieces of Lore) • Very Rare (-3; 8 pieces of Lore)

Hiring A Sage

Sometimes one doesn't have the time to perform exhaustive research. This is the function of sages – professional scholars able and willing to find information of use to those who can pay.

• Each sage has a weekly Rate in gold pieces, and a Research Bonus.
• As long as the sage is paid, they perform the Research Downtime Action for that week, without the character needing to do so themselves.

Selling a Magic Item

Cost: 25gp + 7 days • Requirements: A magic item to sell • Complications: 10% per tenday

• A week spent hunting for buyers for a magical item.
• Base Price: Base price for a magic item is: Common (100gp) • Uncommon (400gp) • Rare (4000gp) • Very Rare (40,000gp) • Legendary (200,000gp)
• Resolution Check: Charisma (Persuasion) check. If the character does not like the price, and chooses not to take the offer, increase subsequent Complication chances by +10% for each time this has happened previously.
  • up to 10: 50% of base price
  • 11-20: 100% of base price
  • 21+: 150% of base price

Training

Cost: 25gp + 7 days • Requirements: An instructor • Complications: 10% per week

• A week spent learning a language or tool proficiency.
• Learning a new language or tool proficiency takes 10 weeks, reduced by 1 week per point of the character's positive Intelligence modifier.
• Other, specialized traits may also be learned through the Training downtime action, but those are specific situations or rewards.
• Exploits: Exploits require training time that varies depending on their ranking, as follows. (Some Faction grant access to specialized trainers for Exploits; this reduces the cost in half.)
  • Rank 1: 20 days + 50gp

Work

Cost: 7 days • Requirements: A place to work • Complications: 10% per tenday

• A week spent working to earn a living. This does not represent a character owning a business, but instead seeking and finding temporary work, the quality and wages of which are hard to predict.
• Resolution Check: Make an ability check, using one of the following: Strength (Athletics) • Dexterity (Acrobatics) • Intelligence (one set of tools) • Charisma (Performance) • Charisma (one musical instrument). Results as follow:
  • up to 9: 2gp
  • 10–14: 10gp
  • 15–20: 20gp
  • 21+: 45gp