Low-stakes downtime.

So Xanathar's Guide to everything has some pretty neat ideas about downtime, but several of them are really costly. They also don't take account of background which, to be honest, has almost no bearing on the rest of the game either. It stands to reason if your background is criminal you're probably better at theft, soldiers will be qualified to stand guard for town garrison, etc.

Rules

Several things can be obtained from this downtime, money, goods, social connections, gossip, risk. Gossip is information about secretive or unusual activities or oppertunities in the vague area. Risk can be physical, monetary, or social. The activities stated here all take a week, although a charecter can opt to stop some that have a day-by-day reward/risk. Without further waffle, here are some minor downtime activities that can be used AS WELL as xanathar's.

Petty thief

A charecter might spend a day attempting to relieve people in the street of their pocket coin. There are three kinds of area to work in: seedy, modest, well-off. The risk and reward for these area's varies, and a trained criminal will earn an extra 50% of the stated value. Seedy areas yield 5-10gp, and have a 10% chance of being caught, fined 10gp, and spending the night in prison. Modest areas yeild 10-20gp, and have a 10% chance of being caught, fined 30gp, and spending the rest of the week in prison. Well-off areas yeild 20-60gp, and have a 15% chance of being caught, fined 60gp, and spending a week in prison without the ability to send a message to anyone legally. In this senario there's a 3% chance of being sentanced to death, and your party will notice your absence and may attempt to bargin for your release or life.

There is a 10% chance to make an enemy, either of fellow criminals or the public. The chance to make a friend or contact in the underworld is 40% (60% for a criminal background).

Begger

Some charecters find they can get by by simply asking the public for money. These charecters can earn 1-5gp in a week, depending on how wealthy the town and area is. Profciency with some performance skill (provided you have the required equipment) can add 3gp to this. All money is in small change, copper pieces mostly. Begging is only possible in common clothes, and unless you are performing the charecter must look scruffy. Lots of beggars sleep on the street, which gives a charecter a 4% chance to have all the money stolen, and a 10% chance to hear gossip, per night. Even if you spend the nights in lodgings, your time on the street gives you a 50% chance to hear gossip over the week.

Town guard

A charecter may attempt to use their combat skills to sign up to the town guard. A week spend here earns the unqualified 5-10gp in standing upon the walls, at the gate, or patrolling town for eight hours a day. The qualified soldiers can earn 15-20gp a day, training new recruits or leading patrols. The amont varies depending on how much the town needs the respective worker, but less than the values stated would be an insult. While a (temporary) member of a town guard, a charecter has a 30% chance to hear a snippet of town gossip, a 10% chance to get into a small fight, and a 10% chance of making an enemy of some local criminal. They are also offered cheap accomodation at the barracks, of a poor standard, for 5sp.

Hunter

If you are less than a day's travel from a strech of forest, a charecter may opt to hunt for a week. Some landowners may extract a tax on the goods caught, varying from 0-20%, which can be determined before starting to hunt. Hunting requires the expenditure of 10gp worth of equipment (loaned and bought) and travel. The hunter must make three ability checks to determine the quality and quantity of their catch: stealth, survival, nature. The sum of these checks is the amount of gp the week's catch is worth, which the charecter may choose to keep or sell. It is made up of furs, meat, and items such as teeth, of a type in keeping with the terrain, as determined by the dm.

Artisan's Assistant

A proficiency with tools, such as brewer's or carpenter's tools, can bring a charecter a steady income if the town contains such a craftsman. 15-30gp can be earned, and the artisan in question will become your friend if you pass a DC 10 charisma check. For 3-5gp the artisan will allow you to use tools and materials after hours to create a small item for yourself, such as a wooden figure, a small sketch painting, a cheap ring, chair, pot, or pair of shoes. Cheap accomodation on the floor of the workshop can be bought for 5sp.

Labourer

Labourers are varied in their work, and a charecter may decide to become a labourer to pay their way simply and without too much risk. Tavern-workers, workmen, stable-workers, etc, the labourer can earn 4-6gp in a week as well as free (poor quality) lodging. They have a 15% chance to hear gossip.

Street Researcher

Rather than getting a job, a charecter might choose to spend a week seeking urban knowledge. Identities of local criminal bosses, the ins and outs of a smuggling ring, the location of secret rooms to escape the law, the romantic life of the lord's wild daughter, how to get in contact with an important figure. If there's someone in the town that knows it, a street researcher can find it. They hear 1d4 pieces of gossip. In order to determine if they were successful they make a persuasion check (DC 12) or an intimidation check (DC 8, but with a 25% chance of making an enemy). A failed check will yeild slightly incomplete information, and a significant success may reveal extra aspects. There is a 15% chance that their attempts become gossip.

Gaining proficiencies

A character who seeks a specific skill might become a student in order to gain this proficiency. They must spend six weeks (one month) being taught the skill, which they can split week by week if desired. This can be ability, tool/instrument, weapon, or armour/shield proficiencies.

Shopping

A character might want a specific item, which they can spend a week seeking out (or, if the object is not avaliable in the general area, learning the location of).

Serving a faith

All kinds of people are drawn to serve gods and spirits, which might take the form of bequeathing themseves to an entity for the first time, working as a temple hand, a healer, or a preacher. Such activity has no monetary reward, but the longer you spend serving a particular area, the more friendly the locals and fellow religious people feel towards you (unless your faith actively and obviously harms the community). Serving a faith provides free lodging, and after a week any fellows of your religion are considered your allies and will help you if you need them.

Coming soon: Social climber, Lore/magic researcher, Other activities: learning stories/music, socializing.