Downtime

#downtime
See also:

ItsLuxy D&D Downtime Activity System 👍

On Downtime and Demesnes 👍
Mystic Arts: Homebrew I use to fix D&D 5e
Downtime Job: Write History of Loggers County
Prerequisite: A book.
You write the History of Loggers County, when you have that book with
you: you have advantage on history checks related to Loggers County.

DC: 15
HRS: 60
COST: NO
Other examples: Learning the ranger hunter subclass -> go hunt an
animal. Learn the arcane trickster rogue subclass -> learning
spellcasting from a spellcaster. Fix a gun.

The Geek Pantheon: Maximizing Downtime:

Making the Most of Your TTRPG Sessions
What is up, everybody? Welcome back to the Geek Pantheon. I am Eric,
and today I wanted to talk about how to maximize your downtime in
between adventures, still at the table, in order to encourage character
development, relationship building, and world exploration and give you the
tools necessary to do this effectively so that you can create a stronger
sense of immersion and realism in your game and build a sense of
camaraderie with your character and the other player characters as well,
and allow your GM to be in on it to make things that much better.
Character Development
So, let's kick things off with character development. We're talking about
how, rather than focusing solely on leveling up and gaining new character
class abilities and stuff like that, taking downtime is an opportunity to
explore the more personal side of your character and exploring how they
are working through the events of their backstory in the present day.

So, let's say that your Rogue, as part of their backstory, used to be part of
a nefarious Thieves Guild that didn't have any sense of moral code. They
stole from anywhere that they could, and the only thing that concerned
them was the weight of the things that they were trying to pick up and
steal. And your Rogue realized that this is wrong, like, "We shouldn't be
taking advantage of the innocent and marginalized and the people that
can't defend themselves. We should be helping them and protecting
them." And so your Rogue is on this journey of atonement and redemption
over the course of the campaign. Using downtime as an opportunity to
explore that, have the Rogue go make contact with some old people that
they knew were loosely associated with the Thieves Guild and try to bring
them onto their side of thinking, try to get them to walk away from the
thieves guilt, or even trying to make plans to make a direct attack on the
Thieves Guild or undercut an operation that they have coming up. Or, and
this might venture more into like potential personal adventures down the
road, but they can begin exploring stealing back some of the things that
they stole, taking the fight directly to the old Thieves Guild to take some of
the gold, some of the treasured possessions, and give them back to those
people that they took advantage of in the past.

Practicing or improving skills that your character wants to be good at—

perhaps The Bard is spending the downtime trying to write their next big
hit based on the previous adventure, or the wizard is spending a lot of
time in their lab trying to perfect an alteration to a spell to make it the
correct damage type for the dragon that they're gonna go kill later. These
moments not only help flesh out your character's daily life but provide a
fun in-character opportunity to role-play what your character is doing and
how their class skills and their character skills interact with the real world.

Additionally, don't forget about personal projects. As opposed to focusing

on the skills that your characters have, what do they like to do in their free
time? Maybe the Paladin has taken up painting in order to show the
beauty of their Deedee's creation, or the Druid is working on a community
garden in an urban part of the city that your party lives in in order to bring
their love of nature to this community and into the city in a very real way.
These kind of moments can really open up your character and reveal their
personality and their passions to the rest of the party and to the GM so
they can incorporate those things into their characters' interactions with
your character or into a larger adventure moving forward.

Player Communication & Avoiding the Spotlight

Now, I know you're thinking, "Eric, this all sounds great and like a lot of
fun, but how do I make sure that I'm not hoarding the spotlight for my
character by introducing all these downtime activities that I want them to
do and not make my other players or my GM frustrated with me wanting to
do all these things and delaying the adventure that's on the horizon?" I'm
glad you asked. Good question. Keep them coming.

First and foremost, communicate. Communicate with your GM and your

fellow players about your intentions to want to engage in these kind of
activities, either at section zero or the session prior to when it makes
sense that there's going to be some downtime. If you're just coming off of
an adventure and there's not a pressing, time-sensitive thing right there
next up, say at the end of that session, "Hey, I would like to spend the
next session maybe exploring some downtime in the city. I have some
non-player characters I want to go talk to. I have some activities that I
want to do. So yeah, could we do that?" And by doing this, you will not
only be letting your GM know, "Hey, these are the things that I would like
you to be prepared to engage with my character on next session," but
you're also opening up the floor to your fellow players to start thinking
about, "Oh, what do I want my character to be doing during their
downtime that this player character is going to be doing? What can I be
up to?"

And you might have a player at your table that just does not enjoy
engaging this type of stuff during the sessions. If they've never done it
before, if you've never done it before, I would encourage you to give it a
shot for the aforementioned reasons and the reasons that we're going to
be talking about for the rest of this video. But if you have somebody that
just does not enjoy engaging in that stuff, you're setting up the proper
expectations for them to where they're not going to be sitting at the table
itching to get going, thinking that there is an end to all of this nonsense.
They know going into the session, "Hey, some players want to do some
downtime activities, and once those are wrapped up, we will move on, but
we're going to kick off with those type of activities."

Second, be mindful of pacing. When you're engaging these downtime

activities, try to focus on the most interesting and impactful parts of this
activity. If your character is wanting to create a shrine to their deity, then
don't get caught up in the minutia of going to buy the lumber for the
construction of the shrine. Focus on the big moments: finding the perfect
site that your deity guided you to, blessing the site for the first time,
recruiting the NPC that is going to be the caretaker for the shrine while
you're off on adventures. Those are moments that are worth role-playing
out and engaging with. Focus on those and skip over the other stuff.

Lastly, remember that you're part of a team. While it is fun to explore your
character's personal stories during your downtime, it can be equally as fun
and rewarding to weave your stories together. Perhaps you are in the
party with this rug that we mentioned earlier in the video that's on a path
to redemption and atonement. You play a cleric who is happy to see the
Rogue on this path and you want to encourage them. Now sure, you have
a shrine thing that you want to do and some other, like, prayer-like clerky
stuff, and also you have a hobby where you like to go play chess in the
park, but you decide for this downtime, "I'm going to, for my downtime
slot, seek out the Rogue and I'm just gonna have a conversation with
them about, 'Hey, I'm really proud of the work that you're doing. I'm proud
of the progress that you're making, and I know that when it comes to
morality and what's right and wrong, we don't often see eye to eye, but to
help you on this path, I'm willing to meet you in the middle. What, what do
you need from me? There are obviously some lines that I'm unwilling to
cross, but there's some grayness in my deity's domain to where I might be
able to push the envelope a little bit in order to help you on this path.'"
That can be such a great story. And the next time downtime comes up,
maybe when the Rogue player steps up to say what they want to do for
their downtime, they can turn to you and be like, "Hey, I think it would be
really cool if our characters work together during this downtime for my
personal thing." And then that's going to be a much more fulfilling and
rewarding scene because now the party is coming together in a little way.

Strengthening Group Dynamics

And there's a perfect segue because we've talked about using downtime
to develop your individual characters, but what about the group dynamic?
Downtime can be a phenomenal chance to strengthen the sense of
community and camaraderie within the party as a whole.

First things first, the simplest one: engage in some fun role-playing
conversations, either around the campfire as you all are settling down to
take a long rest after a day of journeying through the woods or when
you're sitting down to have a meal together. And take the opportunity to
just share adventuring stories, communicate your backstory in-character
to your fellow party members, or engage in friendly banter about what
went wrong on the last adventure in a very playful and jovial kind of way.
Conversations can reveal new layers to the various characters around the
table and create a good sense of camaraderie within the party.

And another really fun way to encourage this kind of in-character

relationship building is through in-character games and competition.
Maybe The Bard challenges the rest of the party to a game of fantasy
poker, or the fighter, barbarian, and paladin get into a verbal sparring
match about who the better hand-to-hand combatant is, and the ranger
proposes, "Why don't we have a little sparring tournament? See really
who is the best toe-to-toe fighter in the party?" Non-lethal damage, of
course, and cleric, just stand by in case the fireball goes astray. These
activities not only foster team building but also create really memorable
moments that might outshine the more epic moments throughout your
campaign. What are you more likely to talk about? The time that the party
escaped from prison, or the insane upset when The Bard beat the fighter
in a fist fight?

Another great way to enhance the group dynamics within your party is to
introduce group projects that the party needs to work on together, whether
it's opening a tavern as an additional revenue stream because they have
all this gold and they just want to invest it in something that can generate
more gold, and all the party's different skills can be applied to running the
tavern in a unique way. Or maybe the party wants to build a hideout or a
secret base that they can plan the rest of their moves during the
campaign from, and the party's different skill sets can lend themselves to
the different accommodations and aspects of this hideout, with the Rogue
developing a spy network, The Fighter training up the guards, the wizard
making the arcane laboratory and the magical defenses. It's these
projects not only serve a practical purpose, but they also give a sense of
unity and shared purpose to your group.

And lastly, do not be afraid to explore in-character conflicts during

downtime. I'm going to say it again: in-character conflicts during
downtime. Just like in any group of people, it's natural for disagreements
and misunderstandings to come up while they're out in the field together.
Use downtime to address these things in a mature, in-character way. Or if
it's wholly in character, it's fine to get a little immature. Sometimes you just
need to punch someone else across the face to make your point, in
character. Allow your characters to work through their differences and
grow stronger as a team.

Justifying Mechanical & Narrative Progression

Another fantastic aspect of downtime is the opportunity it provides for
character development, both narratively and mechanically. Ever wondered
how to justify a character's sudden new abilities or the decision to dip into
a new class? Downtime is a perfect opportunity to ground those decisions
in the game world. For instance, let's say your Rogue got hit with a really
nasty spell on the last adventure, and they realize they don't understand
magic in a meaningful way. It's just something they've never really
engaged with, and so they've decided to study the arcane arts. During
their downtime, they talk to the wizard and borrow some books or go to
the arcane library in town, and they sit down and you role-play them
studying and talking with some other magic users to gain a greater base
understanding to the point where they can actually cast a few spells on
their own. The player may have had a totally different reason for why they
wanted to dip their Rogue one level into wizard, but the character has a
completely different reason that is grounded in the game world, and you
can role-play that.

Similarly, downtime can be used to explore level-ups where you're gaining

new abilities. Perhaps the fighter spends some extra time in the training
yards honing their skill, and they figure out how to utilize their momentum
in just the perfect way to unlock an extra attack during that six-second
window that they attack in. Or the cleric, having their faith shaken a bit on
the last adventure, spends a good deal of time in prayer at the shrine that
they've built, speaking to their deity, communicating with them,
communing with them, and in return, the deity grants them a little bit extra
power for the adventures moving forward. By using downtime to justify
this in-character progression, you not only make the game seem more
realistic and immersive, but you also create a richer narrative for your
character's development, mechanically. And who knows, these moments
might create new opportunities for story arcs or passion projects for the
character.

Exploring the Wider World & Collaborating with

the GM
So now we've discussed character development, strengthening the group
dynamics, and all the character stuff, but what about the wider game
world? Downtime can be a phenomenal opportunity for you to make
connections with NPCs, dive deep into the lore of the setting, or just
explore interesting locations in the world that your GM is laying out before
you.

First up, let's talk about NPCs. Now, it's a blast to talk to the quest-givers
and the important story figures in your game world, but don't forget about
the smaller, more intimate moments that you can have with characters
that don't have any larger significance to the story. Use downtime to strike
up conversations with local town's folk, merchants, and other background
characters, and you'll be shocked at the wealth of information that you can
get from these non-player characters. And depending on how your GM
handles it, these conversations can lead to new allies, contacts, or even
side quests down the road. For example, your character might take the
time to get to know the local blacksmith in town and ask them, "Hey, I've
always had an interest in learning smithing. Can I watch and, like, work
with you and you take some time to teach me? I'm more than willing to
pay for your time." And over the course of the time that they're spending
with this dwarf blacksmith, they learn that this dwarf's style is actually
hearkening back to an older time for his people that they feel like is a lost
art and that just isn't as highly regarded anymore. And in order to actually
be able to do this style in the way that they want to, there's actually a
specialized hammer that—it's all the molds have been lost, it's impossible
to make it anymore. He's read about it, but there's no actual physical
descriptions of this style of hammering. If only they had that, then they
could really dive into their passion and what they want to do. Then maybe
the player character says, "Hey, there's an ancient Dwarf Mine that we
were near during the last adventure, gang. Maybe in order to help out the
blacksmith, we could delve down there and see if we can find some of the
old smithing materials. It'd go a long way to making him happy, and
maybe we can get discounted armor down the road, who knows?" But it
can lead to exciting and engaging stories.

Exploring the lore of the world is another fantastic use of your downtime,
whether it's studying ancient tomes that discuss an artifact that you
discovered on the last adventure, or talking to local merchants about the
trade routes that used to be utilized in between the towns before the war
happened, or they spend their nights at the tavern listening to stories of
legendary heroes and their battles in a time gone by. Spending this time
engaging with the lore of the world can actually provide greater context for
the campaign and the adventures the players are taking part in, which can
make things more exciting and, once again, more immersive. And
additionally, you can use downtime to interact with your character's
actions and the larger world. Maybe The Bard, in trying to learn some new
music and see what other songs are out there, comes across a song
about their party and the adventures that they did, like, three towns over—
that there's now a bard over there writing songs about what the party did.
Or the Druid can seek out members of other circles and start creating a
network of Druids that, while they don't all practice the same style of Druid
craft, they can work together to preserve nature throughout the world.

I know you're thinking, "That all sounds great, Eric, but what if my DM
doesn't have any of this stuff planned because they don't know that I'm
planning on doing all these cool downtime activities?" Once again,
another great question. Keep them coming. But like we talked about
before, communication is key when trying to engage in this type of
gameplay. Your GM has to know that this is what you're wanting to do
next session so that they can appropriately plan. Some GMs are really
good at improv. Some GMs can pull these type of story beats out from
nowhere and be able to make you think that they had this planned all
along. But do your GM a favor: let them know that you're wanting to do
some of these things during the downtime that you all have between
adventures. Plus, this is a chance for you and the GM to collaborate on
things like world-building or your character's development so that things
can be more engaging and holistic for everyone at the table. If you want to
research an artifact during your downtime, letting the GM know will allow
them to not only develop their own lore about the artifact or discover the
setting's lore about that artifact, but they can also potentially plan a side
quest or a mini-adventure surrounding your research, presenting new
stories and challenges for the whole group.
Personal Bonding & Scene Etiquette
We talked a little bit about earlier developing your characters' bonds
together through shared activities, but I did want to take another
opportunity to circle back around to personal bonding with other party
members, which I do think is a completely separate thing. Downtime
provides an opportunity for party members to not only bond as a whole
but have meaningful one-on-one interactions to develop strong party
relationships.

Perhaps your party's Rogue and cleric both grew up worshiping in a

temple of the Silver Moon, for example. Now, not the same temple, but
just, they shared that upbringing. And by talking with one another, they
can share the differences in their experiences within this faith and why the
cleric felt strengthened through their experiences, whereas the Rogue
perhaps drifted away from those experiences, leading them to become a
rogue. This exploration of personal backstories not only reveals new
aspects of these two party members but provides them a level of
understanding with each other's stories that they may not have had.

Alternatively, you could even develop, if the players want to, a mentor-
mentee relationship. Perhaps the party sorcerer, who's a wild magic
sorcerer, is having a hard time controlling their magic, and so they seek
out the party's Druid who seems to have a much more calm, collected,
serene demeanor when they're casting. And they seek out, "How do I gain
that level of understanding of how my magic works? How do I calm my
mind in order to control this magic that I have?" It might not bear any fruit
mechanically, but it's an interesting narrative relationship.

Don't forget about moments of vulnerability. Perhaps the proud warrior

fighter of the party, in a moment of vulnerability, can be talking with the
party's Bard and reveal her fear of not living up to her family's legacy, her
family of proud warriors. These intimate conversations can lead to
meaningful moments between player characters, and they can also lead
to opportunities for character development and character change, as well
as strengthening the relationship between the party members.
Now, these especially should not be instances where you just dive in with
another player without really prepping. Planning for these character-
bonding moments can make them so much richer and deeper when both
people are on the same page going into a scene together. So, before
initiating a conversation or interaction, approach the other player away
from the table, even via messaging apps or in person, and pitch your idea.
"Hey, I had the thought, my rogue and your cleric, as part of our backstory,
both are associated with the Temple of the Silver Moon, and I thought it'd
be interesting if we had a conversation about our upbringing in the temple
and why your cleric became a cleric of the Silver Moon, whereas my
rogue ran away from the faith. What ideas do you have, or what would
you like to explore in a scene like that?" Opening up the table for them to
have a conversation about the scene as opposed to feeling like you are
dictating something to them and their character. And it's important to
remember that not everybody is comfortable with certain topics or styles
of interaction, so be sure to communicate and be respectful of your fellow
players' boundaries and be open to adjusting your ideas if needed. Some
players do not have any desire for any kind of romance to enter the game
on their end with their player character. And so, if you had the idea that
you and another player's character might be developing something and
they simply say, "I'm so sorry, I'm not interested in anything like that,"
respect that and adjust it to, "It seems like our characters have a
connection, so what if it was just a really strong, sibling-style friendship? Is
that something you'd be more comfortable with?" And if they are, then you
can go with that, or if they're still uncomfortable, then move on.

But try to find the balance between planning and improvisation. You don't
want to script out the scene word for word. I would encourage you to
come up with the prompt for the scene together. "Hey, I want to talk about
our characters' shared relationship regarding the Temple of the Silver
Moon." "Okay, yeah, my character is really ingrained into it and had a
really positive experience, so if your character had a negative experience,
maybe it can be a revelatory thing for my character to realize that not
everybody had the same experience as them." And the player controlling
the rogue can be like, "Totally, and I think my character will also have a
similar kind of response to, 'Oh, some people actually find meaning and
purpose in this.'" And then leave it at that. Let the scene play out beyond
that start, obviously at the beginning of the conversation, but then once
you hit that point where you've reacted, then get into the improvisation,
because both of you are bought in, you've established boundaries, and
you know where the scene is going. So then you can have fun riffing off
each other and seeing where the scene will develop spontaneously.

Quick caveat that's not in the script, though: if you're at a table and two
players are having a really cool bonding scene like this, they probably
talked about it and planned it out, or at the very least, feel comfortable
having a scene like this together. Your character should not just walk into
the room or pop on by and insert themselves in the scene. Respect what
other players have set up. And this is different for every table. Some
tables, it's much more open and fine with people interjecting themselves
into scenes, but at the very least, you should, at a time that makes sense
where there's a lull in the role-play, ask, "Hey, I feel like my character
would have something interesting to contribute to this scene. Is it okay if I
come in?" And if you are on the other side of that question, feel
comfortable and empowered in saying no. If you have a specific idea for a
scene that you're role-playing with another character, developing a bond
with them, have the trust at the table to where the other player will
understand if you say, "I really want to focus on what we're doing here,
and then maybe in the next scene we can introduce your character."

Conclusion
There you have it. Keep in mind that the biggest thing for maximizing your
downtime in a tabletop role-playing game session is communication.
Communicate with your GM, your fellow players, about what you want to
do, who you want to do it with, and what you would like to get out of those
scenes. These can introduce a new level of depth and vulnerability to your
characters and the stories that they are telling, both individually and as a
group. And if you want some more ideas on more advanced player
techniques, then go check out the video right there.