Downtime and Crafting
Downtime
Introduction
We use a custom set of Downtime rules for Embris, replacing any other established downtime rules in the source books. When you play games on the server, you will accrue Downtime days to spend on various activities. The rate you earn this Downtime is 1 day per half hour of a session, as long the session lasts at least 1 hour. Downtime is rounded to the nearest half hour. For example, if you played in a 4 hour session, you would earn 8 days of Downtime. If you played in a 2 hour and 20 minute session, you would earn 5 days of Downtime. A document that covers solely the downtime systems can be found here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RaplfRDCPAA_Jb0bFgQUWmIfw_lNRtNzAZy2gb407yk/edit?usp=sharing
Activities
Most Downtime activities require a week of Downtime, though some require more or less. You must have the required amount of Downtime needed to do an activity in order to do it. If your Downtime activity requires you to make a skill check, you cannot add any bonuses to this check unless they are permanent (such as a Stone of Good Luck). The following activities are available through Downtime.
Downtime Hours
If an activity takes less than a day, then the days are broken into hours. Each Downtime day consists of 8 hours, since it is assumed to be a regular work day. For example, if Ability McScore wanted to spend 2 hours copying the 1st-Level spell Sleep into his Spellbook, he could spend 2 hours of one day, and have 6 hours left over. He would not need to spend those 6 hours immediately, and could save them for later.
Making Money
You can spend one week of Downtime performing skilled labor using one of your skill or tool proficiencies. You may select any ability score to make the skill checks with. I.e. Using the Sleight of Hands skill with Charisma or Constitution instead of Dexterity.
Make seven ability checks in your chosen skill. If you’re using a Tool you’re proficient with (such as Blacksmithing Tools), you make the check with advantage. Then, add the results of your rolls together and multiply it by 3. That is your earned gold for the week. You can only use either a skill or tool you’re proficient with, not both at the same time.
For example, if Ability McScore wanted to use his Athletics, which he has a bonus of +8 in, he would input the following command in #downtime-rolls:
!rr 7 (d20+8)*3
This will roll (d20+8)*3 seven times, and the total will be the gold earned from his week of working. If he instead wanted to use his Smithing proficiency, with his Dexterity of 5, he would roll the following:
!rr 7 adv (d20+8)*3 adv
This will roll the same but with advantage on each individual roll. If you are not sure what Ability Score to apply to a specific tool, feel free to ask in #questions.
Hunting
Hunting. A character may spend 1 DT hunting (or performing other tasks that would gain them experience) and gain 50xProficiency Bonus XP per DT spent.
Mundane Crafting
You can spend Downtime to use your Tool proficiencies to craft mundane items. First, you must spend gold equal to a fourth of the value of the item you wish to craft to buy raw materials. Next, for each day of Downtime you spend, make an ability check using a Tool you have proficiency in, and multiply the result by 6. That is the value in gold of items you can create using your Tools that day. You can string multiple days together to craft more expensive items, adding the results until the sum is equal to or greater than half the value of the item you wish to craft.
For example, if Ability McScore wanted to use his Blacksmithing tools to create a set of Splint, he would first need to spend 50 gold upfront for the raw materials. He would then roll the following:
!r (d20+8)*6
He continues to roll this until the sum of all rolls is greater than or equal to 200, since Splint has a gold value of 200. Any excess after the item is completed is lost, because crafting is not a perfectly efficient process.
Magic Item Crafting
Step one: The Schema
The first step of crafting a magic item is acquiring a Schema to craft that magic item. You can find a Schema in the world or from another player. In order to find a Schema you must either carouse and receive a Middle Class, Upper Class, or Religious contact, or spend a lore point to receive one.
You can also break down a magic item to gain its schema. This process takes no Downtime, and fully destroys the magic item you are gathering the Schema (destroys a single dose of items with multiple doses such as Dust of Dryness, a single piece of magic ammunition, etc.).
If you wish to make a copy of a Schema you currently have it simply takes 3 days of DT and no gold cost to copy it.
Step two: The Materials
The Schema will call for various ingredients covered by the cost of crafting the magic item, but also for a special ingredient which the item cannot be made without, and which will be hard to find. It will be based on a Challenge Rating appropriate to the rarity of the item. Note that this does not necessarily mean you will have to slay a specific creature of a certain challenge rating, just that the difficulty of obtaining the ingredient will be on par with slaying such a creature. The item can also be made with an ingredient from a creature of a higher CR with DM approval.
If you do look to defeat a creature the particular creature/part of the creature will be given to you by a DM or Lorekeeper through a ticket from #lore-points-and-item-materials in the Downtime folder on discord. An example of a material being a chunk of a bullette’s armor for a +1 Shield.
Item Rarity
CR Range
Common 1-3
Uncommon 4-8
Rare 9-12
Very Rare 13-18
If you are strong and experienced enough, you can instead spend Downtime to acquire materials necessary to create magical items. This activity always takes one week of downtime and has no gold cost.
When you use Downtime to gather materials to brew a potion, you acquire enough material to craft 4 of those potions. (besides Potions of Healing, those are covered with a later rule)
When you use Downtime to gather materials to produce a consumable magic item, such as a bag Dust of Dryness or a bundle of +2 Arrows, you acquire enough material to craft 2 of those items.
Otherwise, you acquire enough materials to produce a single magic item.
You can acquire a material at certain levels based on the following chart:
Rarity of Item Material is For - Minimum Character Level
Common - Level 5
Uncommon - Level 9
Rare - Level 13
Very Rare - Level 17
Step three: Completing the Magic Item
To complete a magic item, you also need an appropriate tool proficiency, as for crafting a non magical object, or proficiency in either Arcana, Nature or History, and a minimum Proficiency Bonus based on the rarity of the item. The cost in time and gold is based on the Rarity of the item, as well as whether it is Minor or Major (any item not labeled Minor is Major). Consumable items cost half the designated cost and time. Downtime can be broken down into hours, one DT day is 8 hours. So if you were crafting an uncommon consumable it would cost 3 DT and 4 hours.
When crafting Spellwrought Tattoos the crafter must also pay the material cost of the spell per tattoo in addition to normal costs.
Costs:
Commons Require a +2 Proficiency Bonus
Common, Minor Item: 3 Days, 50gp
Common, Major Item: 1 Week, 100gp
Uncommons Require a +3 Proficiency Bonus
Uncommon, Minor Item: 1 Week, 100gp
Uncommon, Major Item: 2 Weeks, 200gp
Rares Require a +4 Proficiency Bonus
Rare, Minor Item: 2 Weeks, 500gp
Rare, Major Item: 4 Weeks, 2,000gp
Very Rares Require a +5 Proficiency Bonus
Very Rare, Minor Item: 4 Weeks, 5,000gp
Very Rare, Major Item: 8 Weeks, 20,000gp
Injectors
An Injector is a reusable container that stores the contents of a single vial. A creature can use a bonus action to use the injector on themselves (an action to use on others), administering the effect of whatever it contains. An Injector is a Rare, Minor item that follows the rules for crafting a magic item. During a short rest, you can transfer the contents of a vial into an empty Injector. An Injector can be used only once until it is cleaned. Cleaning an Injector can be done during a long rest, counting as 30 minutes of strenuous activity or by using Prestidigitation or similar magic. This cleaning process allows you to switch the potions within the injector should one be unused.
Casting During Downtime/Out of Quests
You are able to cast spells outside of quests, however unless Downtime is spent to specifically cast spells. You may only cast spells for a total of 2 hours per Downtime day spent on something else.
Scribing Spell Scrolls
Scribing a scroll takes an amount of time and money related to the level of the spell you want to scribe. In addition, you must be able to cast the spell, and you must provide any material components for the spell, which are not included in the gold cost of scribing the scroll. Scribed spell scrolls have the spell save DC and bonus to hit equal to the scriber at the time of crafting, including permanent boosts.
Spell Level - Time - Cost
Cantrip - 1 Day - 25 gp
1st - 1 Day - 50 gp
2nd - 3 Days - 125 gp
3rd - 1 Week - 250 gp
4th - 3 Weeks - 750 gp
5th - 4 Weeks - 1,250 gp
6th - 6 Weeks - 2,500 gp
7th - 7 Weeks - 3,750 gp
8th - 8 Weeks - 5,000 gp
9th - 12 Weeks - 25,000 gp
Brewing Potions of Healing
If you have proficiency with the herbalist’s kit or the alchemist’s kit, you can create potions of healing. You will need to be at least the minimum tier required to craft the denoted type of potion. Whenever you brew any healing potion, you can use an empty Injector as its container if you possess one.
Type - Time - Cost - Minimum Tier Required
Healing - 1 Day - 25 gp - T1
Greater Healing - 3 Days - 50 gp - T1
Superior Healing - 1 Week - 250 gp - T2
Supreme Healing - 2 Weeks - 2,500 gp - T3
Training
Receiving training in a language, weapon, skill, or tool requires 4 weeks of Downtime and 500 gold as you pay a teacher to train you. You can gain any number of language, tool and weapon proficiencies through spending DT on this feature. You can gain a number of skill proficiencies equal to half your Proficiency Bonus (rounded down). Additionally you can use the 4 weeks of Downtime and 500gp to retrain a feat/ASI/subclass/fighting style. You may also retrain your subclass through questing.
This feature may also be utilized to teach a companion to understand (or speak if they are capable of speech) a language or to gain a skill proficiency, following the restrictions listed above for player characters. In order to do so the companion must have an Intelligence score of 3 or higher, and you must spend 4 weeks of Downtime and 500gp.
Carousing/Religious Service
Carousing covers a week of fine food, strong drink, and socializing. You can attempt to carouse among lower-, middle-, or upper-class folk, or to perform religious service at a local temple. Carousing with the lower-class requires 10 gold, the middle-class requires 50 gold, and the upper-class requires 250 gold, as well as access to local nobility. Performing Religious Service is free. You must then spend a week, and then make a roll appropriate to the Carousing/Religious Service you are doing.
Group
Skills
Lower-Class
Athletics, Constitution Saving Throw, Nature, Persuasion
Middle-Class
Arcana, Insight, Performance, Persuasion
Upper-Class
Deception, History, Persuasion, Sleight of Hand, Insight
Religious Service
Medicine, Religion, Persuasion
Whatever roll you make, the number of Contacts you gain is based on the result.
Check Total
Result
1-5; Hostile Contact
6-10; No new Contacts
11-15; 1 Allied Contact
16-24; 2 Allied Contacts
25+; 3 Allied Contacts
Contacts are NPCs who share a bond with the character. Each one either owes the character a favor, or has some reason to bear a grudge. A hostile contact works against the character, placing obstacles but stopping short of committing a crime or a violent act. Allied contacts are friends who will render aid to the character, but not at the risk of their lives.
Lower-class contacts include criminals, laborers, mercenaries, the town guard, and any other folk who normally frequent the cheapest taverns in town. Middle-class contacts include guild members, spell-casters, town officials, and other folk who frequent well-kept establishments. Upper-class contacts are nobles and their personal servants. Carousing with such folk covers formal banquets, state dinners, and the like. Religious Service provides contacts within the Clergy, or anyone else who works at a temple.
Once a contact has helped or hindered you, you need to carouse again to get back into the NPC's good graces. A contact provides help once, not help for life. The contact may remain friendly, which can influence roleplaying and how you interact with them, but doesn't come with a guarantee of help.
You can use your contacts to make connections with people on the spot after carousing. You can spend an allied contact to designate an NPC you meet as a contact, assuming the NPC is of the correct social class you caroused, and can be found in the location you caroused. You should provide a reasonable explanation for this relationship and work it into the game. Alternatively, you can ask your Control DM to tell you who your contacts are.
Your contacts can cast spells for you. They will do so at a cost of 100gp times the spell’s level, plus 2x the gold cost for any material that lists a gold price/cost. This feature cannot be expended for a spell that will be used on an upcoming quest (ie one cannot place Death Ward or Mage Armor on themselves before a quest). Utilizing this feature expends the contact, and may only be used on a spell of fifth level or lower.
At any time, you can have a maximum number of unspecified allied contacts equal to 1 + your proficiency bonus. Specific, named contacts don't count toward this limit—only ones that can be used at any time to declare an NPC as a contact.
Research
If you wish to learn information about something and have access to a library, you can perform research. Research costs 1 week and 50 gold. You can spend additional gold in increments of 100, up to 600, to gain a bonus to your research. At the end of your research, make an Intelligence Check with a +1 bonus per additional 100 gold you spent (the gold is spent before the roll is made). You will gain a number of Lore-points based on the result.
When a roll is made, a player can add text to the end of the roll if desired by inputting text after the roll command. This is not required to be done but can be done using the following example:
!r 1d20+3+5 Research with 16 (+3) intelligence and 500 extra gold spent (total of 550gp)
Check Total
Lore-points Earned
1-5; None
6-10; One
11-20; Two
21+; Three
You can expend a Lore-point at any time to gain information about anything. For example, if you encounter a strange creature with tentacles on its face and blue slimy skin, you can expend a Lore-point and ask your Dungeon Master what your character knows about this creature. The length and content of the will vary from Lore-point to Lore-point, but you can expect to get relevant information to the situation. Keep in mind that the more obscure the knowledge you are requesting is, the less information you will receive. For some knowledge, the Dungeon Master may simply say the information is too obscure. You will still retain the Lore-point.
Outside of a quest if you wish to expend a Lore Point to learn information you can open up a ticket in #lore-points-and-item-materials under the Downtime folder in discord. You can also directly message the DM running the quests if it is quest specific information.
At any time, you can have a maximum number of unspent Lore-points equal to 1 + proficiency bonus. If you gain Lore-points which would take you over this maximum, you can ask a Dungeon Master for information about any topic immediately.
Retraining Classes
As time goes by your character may find themselves no longer utilizing some of their skills. You can utilize downtime to move your skills towards something more meaningful to your character. The cost to change one of your class levels varies based upon your current class level’s primary ability (listed below). If the two classes share a primary ability, it costs 4 weeks of downtime and 500 gold pieces to retrain a class level. If the two classes have a different primary ability it costs 8 weeks of downtime and 1,000 gold pieces.
Artificer - Intelligence
Barbarian - Strength
Bard - Charisma
Blood Hunter - Strength, Dexterity, Wisdom, or Intelligence
Cleric - Wisdom
Druid - Wisdom
Fighter - Strength or Dexterity
Monk - Dexterity or Wisdom
Paladin - Strength or Charisma
Ranger - Dexterity or Wisdom
Rogue - Dexterity
Sorcerer - Charisma
Warlock - Charisma
Wizard - Intelligence
This downtime feature may only be utilized once per month per character. Meaning only one level can be retrained per month.
Supporting a Faction
If you wish to gain favor with one of the many factions of Embris, you may do so through dedicating your time and resources to assist them in their regular business. Supporting a Faction costs 1 week of downtime and 100 gold. At the end of your week roll a d20 and add your proficiency bonus, you will gain an amount of renown based on the result.
Check Total
Lore-points Earned
3-14; None
15-19; One
20+; Two
This downtime activity may only be completed if you do not have negative five or less renown with the selected faction.
Ventures
If your character wishes to do something over a longer period of time that is not covered in the other Downtime options, you can work with a willing DM to have your character start a Venture to do it. You will work together to determine what resources need to be expended, what your character needs to do, who your character needs to talk to, how many days it will take, and what rolls (if any) need to be made. Once the Venture is resolved, the DM will tell you the results, which will be based on your planning and rolls.
For example, if Ability McScore wanted to host a charity event for the War Orphans’ Relief Fund, his player would start by asking the willing DM about it. He and the Dungeon Master would work together to determine the steps Ability McScore would take, how long it would take, and what rolls, if any, would need to be made. His Dungeon Master might tell him to first reach out to the nonprofit, then secure support from wealthy nobles in the city, either through roleplay or die rolls, and organizing the logistics of the event, such as catering and finding a venue. The success would be determined by how good the plan was, and how well it was executed. Some parts of it might even lead to interesting side quests, such as Ability McScore needing to take on the local weapons manufacturing industry which is worried about the bad publicity such an event would cause.
Note that this is not meant to be an outline for a specific activity; if you want to host a charity event, the DM might decide that an entirely different set of steps is appropriate. Likewise, you are not limited to things like hosting charity events. Anything you can think of which would take an extended period of time may be possible, as long as you communicate with the DM. Please log these Ventures in the #miscellaneous channel unless told to mark them elsewhere.
Miscellaneous Activities
If there is an activity referenced in the rules but not outlined here, such as casting a spell with a casting time of one hour or more, you can expend Downtime days to perform these activities outside of sessions. If an activity takes less than a day, then the days are broken into hours. Each Downtime day consists of 8 hours, since it is assumed to be a regular work day. For example, if Ability McScore wanted to specifically spend 1 hour casting Clairvoyance repeatedly he could spend 1 hour and have 7 hours left over. He would not need to spend those 7 hours immediately, and could save them for later.
The Passage of Time
If your character is involved in something which is concerned with the passage of time, such as building a structure, every day of Downtime you spend counts towards that, regardless of what you spend the Downtime on.
For example, if you were building a Shop, which takes 60 days, and it had already been 30 days since you started, and you spent 14 days of Downtime, it would count as 44 days having passed for that construction.
Jail
Players should be aware that jail time is possible within the server. If you do something illegal you could be awarded a fine and/or jail time. Players are allowed to use downtime to pay their jail time. If you do not have enough downtime, and do not wish to serve your time with real time, you will be put into downtime debt.