Characters and Downtime

Written by Shiftrex

At our table, we use a unique system to allow players to manage and develop more than one character at a time. This allows us to explore multiple storylines, side quests and be as creative as we want to be with the different types of characters that we make. This article will explain how multiple characters can be used in a campaign when it is acceptable to switch characters, how the traveling "caravan" reaches each location so that you can switch characters and finally how we use downtime as a part of our storytelling and mechanical system.
These systems integrate parts of our world-specific lore and can even help to create the back story of a new character.

The Dagger Guild

In the world of Isekai, there are adventuring guilds, not an uncommon occurrence, but due to the catastrophic Eldritch War, only one major guild for adventurers has survived to the current day. This guild serves a two-fold function, firstly it provides adventurers with a means of work and shelter all across the world that is easily recognizable. Secondly, it is an organization that can provide employment, connections, and serve as a source of rumors so that both experienced and inexperienced adventurers alike can come together to solve mysteries and take on challenges.
In our system, when a player makes a character they will either have the Dagger Guild membership as a part of their backstory or they will join the guild as soon as the story allows. Later, when they make a second character, this process will happen again but with an added option for their new character to submit an application to "join" the adventuring party that is being played at our table. A role play interview takes place where the new character that is applying is introduced to some established members of the party and then the party decides whether to induct them or not. When a character is not being played, they will stay back at the last Dagger Guild tavern that the party visited and accumulate downtime.

Switching Characters

Characters that are currently part of the Dagger Guild and have been accepted as part of the main adventuring party can be switched out to take an active part in the story. The things to remember are this are:
1. You can only have one active character at a time, meaning you can only role play as one character and must switch out to play another character.
2. Your current character must be in a town where the Dagger Guild is present or they must be at a special location like a base of operations or a campsite where it has been specified that "extra" characters have gathered together.
3. If you have items or gold that you would like to transfer from one character to another you must wait until you fulfill the proper conditions to switch characters and then specify what equipment or gold is being transferred. 
4. When your party meets up with your extra characters it is assumed that you share all the information over the course of a long rest. This can be role-played through the course of conversations but all the escapades of your "main" character's adventure will be shared with all the "extra" characters that belong to you as a player.

Traveling Caravan

When players in our party have more than one character at their disposal those characters are still part of the story, even when not being actively played. When you travel from one area to another, as in from one country or large city to another, your other characters will form a caravan and travel after you have reached a point that you could switch characters. There are a couple of rules that govern this but the overview is that all "extra" characters will form a party, choose a route and then travel to meet the main party. 
1. Most of the time, when your party moves from one area to another area your caravan will travel to the nearest Dagger Guild tavern. These guild taverns are always in large cities, in every country, all over the world of Isekai. 
2. Some of the time, your party could travel to an area to make a large base camp. This area will have to be safe enough that your extra characters could defend it without any big problems and they may have to dedicate parts of their downtime to defending the area.
3. An exception would be if your party has a base of operations that your extra characters could inhabit. Something like a fortress, cave system or castle that has been claimed by your adventuring party is also an acceptable destination for your caravan.
4. Smaller groups can be broken off of the traveling caravan at any point for single travel of a character, secondary parties or downtime activities. The caravan is just the main way that your extra characters will travel.
5. The caravan can travel in any way, along any route, that they wish. This includes using mounts, boats, commercial means of travel and commissioning passage from other caravans. The only rule about this is that the caravan usually must have a destination that allows them to be in a position to switch out characters.
6. Each travel day is considered to take up 8 hours of your downtime on that day.

Downtime

Characters can accumulate downtime over the course of an adventure, this happens when a group wants to pass time for any reason. All characters in a campaign will accumulate downtime to include those that are actively playing in the main party and also your extra characters that are staying back in town or moving in the traveling caravan. You can choose to spend your characters' downtime much like a currency to improve them in a number of ways to include: learning other skills and spells, earning gold by performing a profession, investigating or researching information about the area or current goals of the party, and going off on small missions by yourself that can reward you just like a standard quest in the campaign.
The benefits of downtime are many, you can get extra equipment and information that is unique to your character(s) that you can choose to share with the party or keep to yourself. This also allows you to develop your character in between sessions and take care of side quests without detracting from the action during the main session of the game. All downtime is taken care of outside of the normal play hours of a campaign through a number of means to include: Discord (the main method), text, messenger, or meeting up outside of a session. When you engage in a downtime activity there may be role-playing involved, skill checks or even combat if you have chosen to do something dangerous. During downtime, a character can only be engaged in 12 hours of activity per day so that they do not become overburdened or strained.
Below are tables associated with some downtime activities:

Occupation

Size of the Civilization	Mundane Work	Specialized Work	Work Involving Magic
Village - DC = 10	1d6 Gold	2d6 Gold	3d6 Gold
Town - DC = 13	1d8 Gold	2d8 Gold	3d8 Gold
City - DC = 16	1d10 Gold	2d10 Gold	3d10 Gold
Capital/Trade Center DC = 20	1d12 Gold	2d12 Gold	3d12 Gold

In order to perform an occupation, it will take time to establish your presence in an area and find work. You need a minimum of 2 weeks in order to start work and attain compensation for it. For every week after you have started working you can gain the reward shown in the Occupation table. While you are performing this occupation you have the chance to stumble across information that may relate to your party, backstory or you may form a relationship with an important NPC. Occupations always require 8 hours a day and make learning skills alongside their execution difficult.
To use this chart, you will choose what type of work you would like to do and then roll a skill check associated with the job type. For example, working as a bouncer in the town tavern would require a strength or an intimidation check against the DC shown for the size of the civilization. If you beat the DC then you gain an advantage on the gold dice that are rolled. If you fail the DC then you will just roll the amount shown. A critical success will yield double the normal amount of gold dice and a critical failure will cut your gold revenue in half. A narrative scenario will be delivered based upon your skill check success or failure.
Mundane Work is work that anyone could do without any special tools or training. This could include manual labor, being a messenger or general odd jobs.
Specialized Work is work that you would need special training and proficiencies to do. This could include map making, artisan work, training others in weaponry use or any task that requires the use of a tool proficiency or language proficiency.
Magical Work is work that requires you to be able to use magic of some type. This could include teaching others basic spells, acting as a healer in a temple or a hospital, conducting magical research with a local wizard or any type of work that requires the use of a spell.
* Note: The Occupation table assumes that you fall in under some sort of existing business or establishment, you are always free to try and sell your services through role-play instead. Not every type of occupation may be used in every area, this is completely dependent upon where your character currently is and the demand for their skills.

Learning New Skills

Skill and Related Ability Scores	Self Taught	Book	Party Member	Teacher	Master Teacher
1 Simple Weapon (INT & STR or DEX)	25 Days DC: 25	20 Days DC: 22	15 Days DC: 20	10 Days DC: 17	10 Days DC: 10
1 Martial Weapon (INT & STR or DEX)	50 Days DC: 27	45 Days DC: 25	40 Days DC: 22	30 Days DC: 20	30 Days DC: 15
1 Exotic Weapon (INT & STR or DEX)	50 Days DC: 30	45 Days DC: 27	40 Days DC: 25	30 Days DC: 22	30 Days DC: 17
1 Specific Armor (INT & STR or DEX)	40 Days DC: 25	35 Days DC: 22	30 Days DC: 20	25 Days DC: 17	25 Days DC: 15
Written Language (INT)	N/A	500 Days / INT Modifier	250 Days / INT Modifier	200 Days / INT Modifier	150 Days / INT Modifier
Spoken Language (INT + CHR)	N/A	500 Days / INT + CHR Modifier	250 Days / INT + CHR Modifier	200 Days / INT + CHR Modifier	150 Days / INT + CHR Modifier
Cantrip (INT + Casting Mod)	N/A	20 Days DC: 25	15 Days DC: 22	10 Days DC: 20	10 Days DC: 15
Proficiency (INT + Used Ability Score)	90 Days DC: 30	75 Days DC: 27	60 Days DC: 25	45 Days DC: 22	30 Days D: 17
Tool Set (INT + WIS)	500 Days / INT + WIS Modifier	400 Days / INT + WIS Modifier	300 Days / INT + WIS Modifier	200 Days / INT + WIS Modifier	100 Days / INT + WIS Modifier
Ability Score (CON + Used Ability Score)	30 Days DC: 30	25 Days DC: 27	20 Days DC: 25	15 Days DC: 22	10 Days DC: 17
Feat (WIS + Used Ability Score)	90 Days DC: 30	75 Days DC: 27	60 Days DC: 25	45 Days DC: 22	30 Days DC: 17

Learning new skills takes up a considerable amount of time and each option on this chart details a slightly different struggle. Most skills require some intelligence in order to learn them more easily and sometimes there is a chance for failure. Some of the noted skills require your full attention, 8 hours a day during the training period, while others require less attention and their training period can be fulfilled by dedicating only 4 hours a day. Regardless, you can only train on two things at once during downtime even if they both only take up 4 hours a day because of the strain that it will cause on your character.
If the skill that you have requires a DC, that means you will make a skill check for every 5-day interval in that training period, you only need one success but regardless of how many successes that you have you must complete the full training period. A natural 20 will deduct one 5 day training period each time that you roll it during these skill checks. If you completely fail during this training period you will have to start over in a brand new training period.
If the skill that you have shows no DC, then it just requires time and dedication to achieve. The training period cannot be failed but the exact training time will need to be kept track of, meaning when those characters are switched out for adventuring purposes they must put their training on hold and return to it at a later date.
The skills shown above in Italics are skills that take up 4 hours of your day as opposed to a full 8 hours, you cannot double down on these training periods in an attempt to rush your training. The skills shown above in Bold are skills that you can only choose to train once, this means that you can only successfully complete the training once but if you fail you can attempt it as many times as you like.
In the case of learning languages, you do not gain full proficiency in a language until you have completed both the training periods for the written and spoken versions of that language. This shows that you are fluent in a language, fully able to speak, read and write in whatever language that it might be.

Other Options

Risky Business: You always have the option to do other things with your downtime as well to include occupations that present a higher risk and a higher reward. An example of this would be taking an assassination request or gambling, while these will payout in higher quantities of gold they pose a risk that may leave you with lasting injuries or persistent enemies. Risky business will always require more than one associated skill check with a DC that is based upon the reward and difficulty of the situation that you have chosen to involve yourself with. With this type of downtime, the reward will always be specified ahead of time but the full details of a situation may or may not be divulged based on how you approach it through role-play decisions. 
Investigation and Rumors: You can use your downtime to research a symbol, name or topic. This will involve role-playing decisions and skill checks. Sometimes this can incur danger but it is directly related to the choices that you make. You can gain information, meet useful or dangerous NPCs and find other quests or jobs that may interest the main party.
Adventures and Quests: Another option available for downtime is taking on a job or a side quest. This can involve your background, the happenings of the main party or could just be a monetary job that you take from the area that you are visiting. These jobs will play out much like a small session that you play on your own or with any contracted lackeys, the thing about these adventures is that no other player characters may be present to include your own. These are meant to be extra time to shine for your character where they can acquire gold, items, or information that is unique to them or to take actions that have an effect on the main party and their current quest.