Downtime

It’s possible for the characters to start a campaign at 1st level, dive into an epic story, and reach 10th level and beyond in a short amount of game time. Although that pace works fine for many campaigns, a campaign story may need some pauses built into it — times when adventurers are not going on adventures.

Downtime Activities

Downtime activities are tasks that usually take a workweek (5 days) or longer to perform. These tasks can include buying or creating magic items, pulling off crimes, and working at a job. A character selects a downtime activity from among those available and pays the cost of that activity in time and money.
Most handling of downtime will be away from the game table. Usually communicating about them by email or text.

Resolving Activities

Many activities require an ability check. The DM will determine the results.
Most downtime activities require a workweek (5 days) to complete. Some activities require only a few days or possibly months (30 days). A character must spend at least 8 hours of each day engaged in the downtime activity for that day to count toward the activity’s completion.
The days of an activity don’t need to be consecutive; you can spread them over a longer period of time than is required for the activity. Though there may be extra complications and costs to represent the inefficiency of the character’s progress.

Complications

Downtime activities can introduce ongoing complications or might bring the characters into conflict with rivals. When a complication or a rival comes into play during downtime, the DM determines the particulars. Complications are an excellent way to develop rich interactions between the setting and the characters.
Rivals represent any of the factions and organizations that can come into play during a campaign. Rivals don’t have to be villains or mortal enemies of the characters, though. Governments, merchants, guilds, religious institutions, and noble families can all take notice as characters grow in power. And outside the characters’ immediate sphere of influence, factions may be working dark plots that might make the characters plans.
When a complication occurs during a downtime activity, the DM determines whether and how that complication potentially connects to a rival. Certain complications might be caused by rivals, as when the orc army camping in the characters’ territory is revealed to have been invited there. Other complications might draw a rival in, as when a greedy noble decides they want a piece of the party’s action.

Downtime Activities

• Buying a Magic Item
• Selling a Magic Item
• Training
• Carousing
• Crafting an Item
• Crime
• Gambling
• Pit Fighting
• Relaxation
• Religious Service
• Research
• Scribing a Spell Scroll
• Work