D&D5e Downtime

Lore Research

You seek through tomes of lore and folios of letters, collections of journals and the scribbled notes of sages and scholars for some piece of important lore. Each Topic has a given DC - the more obscure the lore, the higher the DC. This DC is what it takes to simply know that fact using a normal Skill check. If no one knows it, then research is necessary. Researchers should add their full Skill bonus to this roll, with additional researchers adding only their Intelligence bonuses.

• Everyday Lore (DC 10): +15% • 1gp • 1 hour. Lore that even those without any real training are likely to know.
• Common Lore (DC 15): +10% • 1 gp • 1 hour. Common lore among those who are trained in the discipline in question.
• Uncommon Lore (DC 20): +0% • 10 gp • 1 day. Lore known most commonly to those with great knowledge in the discipline.
• Rare (DC 25): -10% • 25 gp • 1 day. Lore considered rare even among the sages of this discipline.
• Very Rare (DC 30): -20% • 50 gp • 3 days. Lore likely to be known only to those at the pinnacle of learning in this discipline.
• Legendary (DC 35): -30% • 100 gp • 5 days. Lore unlikely to be known by even the finest of sages, usually requiring extensive libraries and weeks of research to uncover.

d100	Result
10 or lower	Failed Research. Your research takes you down meandering paths and wrong turns. You suffer a -10 to your next Lore Research roll on this Topic.
11-20	No Progress. Your research takes you nowhere useful.
21-45	Simple Progress. You're getting somewhere and quickly. Gain a +10% to the next Lore Research roll on this Topic.
31-55	Solid Progress. Your research is fruitful. If you are researching a DC 10 Topic, you succeed at finding your answer. If your goal is higher than that, gain a +15% to your next Lore Research roll on this Topic.
41-80	Marked Progress. If you are researching DC 15 Topic, you succeed at finding the answer. If your goal is higher than that, gain a +20% to your next roll.
66-95	Tremendous Progress. If you are researching a DC 20 Topic, you succeed at finding the answer. If your goal is higher than that, gain +25% to your next roll.
81-99	Breakthrough Progress. If you are researching a DC 25 Topic, you succeed at finding the answer. If your goal is higher than that, gain +30% to your next roll.
100-125	Masterful Progress. If you are researching a DC 30 Topic, you succeed at finding the answer. If your goal is higher than that, gain +35% to your next roll.
126+	Legendary Progress. You succeed at finding the answer you seek, even if you are researching a DC 35 Topic.

Magical Research

You engage in extensive research, experimenting with any number of magical principles and theories in an attempt to expand your understanding of the Art. You must choose what you are seeking to research, whether a new spell or the formula of a new magic item. The level of the item being researched imposes a modifier to this roll. In order to research a formula, a researcher must be of the level needed to either learn the spell or create the magic item. Each research roll also costs a base amount to even make the roll at all, though this cost can be modified by the result gained. The researcher adds his total Arcana, Nature, or Religion bonus to these rolls, depending on the item or spell in question.

Spells

• Cantrip (+15 to roll, 1gp and 1 day per roll)
• 1st Level (+10 to roll, 10gp and 1 week per roll)
• 2nd or 3rd Level (+0 to roll, 25gp and 1 week per roll)
• 4th or 5th Level (-10 to roll, 50gp and 2 weeks per roll)
• 6th or 7th Level (-20 to roll, 100gp and 1 month per roll)
• 8th or 9th Level (-30 to roll, 500gp and 1 season per roll)

Magic Items

• Common (+10 to roll, 10gp and 1 week per roll)
• Uncommon (+0 to roll, 25gp and 1 week per roll)
• Rare (-10 to roll, 50gp and 2 weeks per roll)
• Very Rare (-20 to roll, 100gp and 1 month per roll)
• Legendary (-30 to roll, 500gp and 1 season per roll)

d100	Result
01 or lower	Magical Disaster. Your experiments have gone terribly awry, and you have accidentally laid a curse of other lingering malignant effect on yourself or something you treasure. Research expenses are doubled for this Research roll.
02-10	Failed Research. Your research takes you down meandering paths and wrong turns. You suffer a -10 to your next Magical Research roll, and the cost of this Research roll is half-again as expensive.
11-20	No Progress. Your research takes you nowhere useful.
21-45	Simple Progress. You're getting somewhere and quickly. Gain a +10 to the next Research roll.
31-55	Solid Progress. Your research is fruitful. Gain a +15 to your next Research roll.
41-80	Marked Progress. If you are researching a Cantrip or 1st Level spell, or a Common or Uncommon magic item, you succeed at finding the formula. If your goal is higher than that, reduce the cost of this Research roll by 10%, and gain a +15 to your next roll.
66-95	Tremendous Progress. If you are researching a spell of 4th Level or lower, or a magic item of Rare quality or lower, you succeed at finding the formula. If your goal is higher than that, reduce the cost of this Research roll by 10%, and gain +25 to your next roll.
81-99	Breakthrough Progress. If you are researching a spell of 6th Level or lower, or a magic item of Very Rare quality or lower, you succeed at finding the formula. If your goal is higher than that, reduce the cost of this Research roll by 25%, and gain +25 to your next roll.
100-125	Masterful Progress. If you are researching a spell of 8th Level or lower, or a magic item of Very Rare quality or lower, you succeed at finding the formula. If your goal is higher than that, reduce the cost of this Research roll by 25%, and gain +35 to your next roll.
126+	Legendary Progress. You succeed at finding the formula you seek, no matter its complexity. Reduce the cost of this Research roll by 50%

Rare and Unique Spells

The above mechanics assume that the spells being researched are common spells.

• Rare Spells: If creating a spell that is unique to a character or organization, or simply rarely discovered or heard of, research rolls gain a -20 penalty to the research roll, reducing the penalty by 5 for every spell level the target spell is below the highest the researcher can cast.
• Unique Spells: Creating a spell entirely from nothing, based entirely on the researcher's own innovation, is a -30 penalty, reduced by 5 for every spell level the target spell is below the highest the researcher can cast. Additionally, move the time each research roll takes up one step.

Magic Items

• If the researcher actually has in his or her possession an example of a given magic item, reduce the research time at each roll by one step (one week becomes five days).
• Success on this roll results in the creation of a schema, or "formula" for creation of that kind of magic item.
  • Schema take up a number of pages, just like spells do, based on their rarity. Common items take up 1d4+1 pages, Uncommon take up 1d4+3, Rare take up 1d4+5, Very Rare take up 1d4+8, and Legendary take up 1d4+9.

Running A Business

Successfully running a business means having the right people and putting time into the work done.

• Business Roll: On the last day of each month, a business owner may make a business roll.
  • A Direct Hand (Bonus): This gains a +1 per day of downtime the character dedicated to working on the business exclusively. Other characters may also lend help, granting a +1 per two days of dedicated assistance.
• Quality: Each business is given a Quality, which describes at what Lifestyle most of their customers exist. It is easier to make coin on cheaper business ventures, but one can make larger profits.
  • Poor: Base cost of business is reduced by 50%. Gain a +10% to the Running a Business roll. Reduce any profit by 50%.
  • Modest: Base cost of business is reduced by 25%. Gain +5% to the Running a Business roll. Reduce any profit by 25%.
  • Comfortable: Profit, Running a Business roll and profits are normal.
  • Wealthy: Base cost of business is increased by 50%. Gain -5% to the Running a Business roll. Increase any profit by 50%.
  • Aristocratic: Base cost of business is increased by 100%. Gain -10% to the Running a Business roll. Increase any profit by 100%.

Criminal Businesses

Crime	Total Cost per Day	Skilled Hirelings	Unskilled Hirelings
Burglary	2 gp	1	-
Drug Dealing	3 gp	1	5
Fencing	5 gp	2	10
Smuggling	6 gp	3	-
xxx	xxx	xx	xx
xxx	xxx	xx	xx
xxx	xxx	xx	xx

Criminal businesses can be more profitable, but can also result in being discovered by the law or running afoul of rivals.

• Profits: Double the normal profits if a business is a criminal enterprise.

Dealing with the Law

As a criminal enterprise goes through its business, it attracts the attention of the law.

• Law Rating: Each neighborhood has a Law Rating, rated 1 - 100.
• Legal Attention: Each business has a running tally of how much attention it has garnered from the law.
  • On each Running a Business check, add the result of the 1's die (before modifiers) to the business's accrued Law Results.
  • Legal Reprisal Check: When a given business's Legal Attention rating exceeds the Law Rating of the neighborhood in question, it triggers a Legal Reprisal - roll on the chart below. Add the following modifiers to the check, based on the profitability of the business: Poor (-20), Moderate (-10), Comfortable (+0), Wealthy (+10), Aristocratic (+20)
  • A character may spend active efforts to reduce the amount of legal attention his criminal enterprise is earning by scaling back the operation, increasing security, and being more subtle. The criminal chooses how much to reduce his Legal Attention rating by, and on his next Running a Business roll, he reduces his die roll by the same amount.

Legal Reprisals

Roll	Reult
00-20	None: Rumors trickle about, but the Watch finds nothing worth investigating about you.
21-40	Peaked Interest: Investigations reveal enough to spark interest. Double Legal Attention gains for the next 1d6 checks.
41-55	Active Investigation: The law begins taking a closer look at your affairs. Gain +10 on your next Legal Reprisals check.
56-70	Special Interest: The law is fairly certain it has something worth noting on you. Gain +20 on your next Legal Reprisals roll, and double your Legal Attention gains for 1d6 months.
71-85	Interrogation: You are wanted for questions by the Watch. They begin looking to bring you in.
86-100	Arrests: You are wanted for arrest by the Watch.
100+	Raid!: Your operation is raided by the Watch.

Dealing with Rivals

As a criminal enterprise grows and is successful, it attracts the envy of enemies and rivals. Each time a criminal business generates a profit, make a Rival Reprisal check.

• Money Makers: Reduce rolls by -15% for Poor businesses, -5% for Modest businesses, +0% for Comfortable businesses, +10% for Wealthy businesses, and +20% for Aristocratic businesses.
• Dealing with Rivals: For each day a character deals with rivals, reduce the check by 2%. For each day a Skilled Hireling is sent to deal with rivals, reduce the check by 1%.
• Leery of the Law: Legal Attention can sometimes cause rivals to step more carefully, reducing Rival Reprisal checks.