System Agnostic Downtime Rules

Downtime Rules

In mission-based games, where each adventure doesn’t directly follow into the next, the heroes will need something to do in between each mission. This is downtime, which by definition is uneventful, so you need a list of things the characters can do. Of course this assumes the character is working to maintain their lifestyle, however, depending on the length of the downtime; usually one per week, the characters may also perform a downtime activity.

Downtime Activities

During each week of downtime where you are not resting to heal, you may perform one of the following downtime activities. The nature of where the downtime takes place may limit certain activities.

The Downtime Check

Most downtime activities use an average difficulty skill check (what that means varies by game, so just know your ruleset and adjust accordingly), but the can be anything you and he referee feels best fits how your character would go about it, and the difficulty can vary depending on where you are, what you are doing, and the results of whatever roleplay you engage with.

Example Downtime Actions

Extended Bed Rest: You do nothing but rest and recover, removing all of your injuries. No checks are required, you have enough time to focus on recovery and get seen by someone who knows what they’re doing.

Get Something Useful: Inform the referee what utility item you’re looking for and what sort of channels you’re going to use to try and get it (or even make it yourself), then make a check. This includes brand new utilities, or finding a supplier to turn a limited item tactically relocated during a mission into an owned item for later missions.

Learn Something: Ask the referee a question about the ongoing narrative of the campaign, something that wouldn’t be common knowledge and explain how you’d go about learning it, then make an average difficulty check. On a success, the referee answers the question honestly, accurately, and if possible, in a way that is actionable or at least useful.

Make a Friend: Inform the referee what kind of character you’d like to meet, and how you’d like them to help. You may make an average difficulty check to meet somebody who might help out in some way. You then need to negotiate with the character, usually via roleplay or with more checks. If all goes well, made a friend that might be a useful contact, companion, or other sort of ally, don’t worry however if you really bungle it. You need to go out of your way to make an enemy doing this.