Downtime
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| These rules are meant to completely replace the downtime used in D&D. These rules are specifically meant to allow downtime to be something between game sessions that don't need to directly involve a narrator, be simpler to follow, and feel more natural at the rapid pace of adventure found in video games like Zelda. If your narrator prefers it, the normal downtime rules for D&D—either those in the Dungeon Master's Guide or those in Xanathar's Guide to Everything—can be used with Legends of Hyrule. Due to copyright protection, those rules will not be reproduced here. |
Normally each downtime activity represents roughly a few days doing something other than adventuring, but this need not necessarily be the case. Each activity can represent as little as an hour or as much as a month, or whatever fits the world and circumstances of your campaign. Your ability to complete an activity might have much more to do with your motivation and luck than the amount of time available, after all.
During any amount of downtime in Hyrule, assume you find a way to cover your living expenses such as shelter and food. You needn't expend your accumulated rupees on rations or lodging unless your narrator calls for it.
What follows are the default downtime activities you can choose from, but your narrator might change or add to these depending on the location of downtime and the nature of your campaign. (Whenever you make an ability check as part of an activity, assume you can't use a temporary effect like spell to get an advantage or other increase to your ability check unless that effect grants this benefit continuously for at least 24 hours.)
Contents
Buy magic items
Your narrator is the ultimate arbiter of what magic items appear in your campaign, so consult them before undertaking this activity.
If a magic item has a specific rupee price listed on its page or appears on the gear page, you can buy or sell it as part of the Trade activity. This activity is only used for less abundant items.
First, decide if you want to search for a specific magic item or simply any magic items you can find. The latter is much easier to accomplish.
Then, make an ability check to track down a reputable seller. You can use either an Intelligence (Arcana) check to use your knowledge of magic itself, or an Intelligence (Investigation) check to rely on your connections and deductive abilities. Unlike a normal ability check, you also add your character's level to the result. Your result determines what items are for sale.
If you're looking for any magic item, see the following table for the items available and the asking price for each. If you're looking for less expensive magic items, you can willingly lower your result. Once you've rolled up or decided on your magic items, roll the item's asked price, then finally decide which of these items you'll buy if any. You can always choose not to buy the rolled magic items; it just means your downtime activity is wasted.
| Result | Specific Item | Asking Price |
|---|---|---|
| 1-5 | 5 (2d4) random common minor magic items | 200 (4d4 × 20) rupees |
| 6-10 | 2 (1d3) random common major magic items | 600 (4d4 × 60) rupees |
| 11-15 | 5 (2d4) random uncommon minor magic items | 1,000 (4d4 × 100) rupees |
| 16-20 | 2 (1d3) random uncommon major magic items | 3,000 (4d4 × 300) rupees |
| 21-25 | 5 (2d4) random rare minor magic items | 5,000 (4d4 × 500) rupees |
| 26-30 | 2 (1d3) random rare major magic items | 15,000 (4d4 × 1,500) rp |
| 31-35 | 5 (2d4) random very rare minor magic items | 25,000 (4d4 × 2,500) rp |
| 36-40 | 2 (1d3) random very rare major magic items | 75,000 (4d4 × 7,500) rp |
| 41-45 | 5 (2d4) random legendary minor magic items | 125,000 (4d4 × 12,500) rp |
| 46+ | 2 (1d3) random legendary major magic items | 400,000 (4d4 × 40,000) rp |
If you're looking for a specific item, you find it depending on its rarity and your result. For any uncommon item, you need a 20 or higher. For any rare item, you need a 30 or higher. For a very rare item, you need a 40 or higher. For a legendary item, you need a 50 or higher. You can't normally look for a specific item of master rarity. The item's price is rolled as shown for the item's type in the previous table.
Craft
| This page or section is incomplete, and will eventually be expanded with more information. |
- Brew potions
- Forge weapons
- Prepare rations, cook
Rest
By recovering from your adventures, you gain temporary heart points equal to your level. You also get advantage on the first saving throw you make against a disease or poison before your next period of time
If you spend 500 rupees on professional services during this activities, you can also gain one of the following benefits for every 500 rupees you spend:
- A curse afflicting you ends (per the remove curse spell)
- One effect that prevents you from regaining heart points ends
- One reduced or damaged ability score returns to its full amount
Retrain
You forget one Improvement you've previously acquired from your class to replace it with a new Improvement you could gain from the same class. You can't forget an Improvement if it's a prerequisite for something else you have.
Alternatively, you can use the "Retraining" feature of your initial class during this downtime instead of waiting to use it when your level increases. You can still use it again when your level does increase.
Sell magic item
It takes some time to track down even one legitimate buyer for something as prestigious as a magic item. Each time you undertake this activity, you can scout for a buyer of a magic item you have. Use the following list to roll the best offer you manage to find for your chosen item. Then, make a DC 15 check with Intelligence (Arcana or Investigation) or Charisma (Persuasion) check. If you failed, roll two offers from the list below and use the lower one. If you succeed, roll one offer. If you succeed by 10 or more, roll two offers and use the higher one.
You can always refuse any offer, wasting the downtime spent on this activity. You can still try to sell a magic item during the next downtime period.
| Common minor | 2d4 × 20 rupees |
| Common major | 2d4 × 60 rupees |
| Uncommon minor | 2d4 × 100 rupees |
| Uncommon major | 2d4 × 300 rupees |
| Rare minor | 2d4 × 500 rupees |
| Rare major | 2d4 × 1,500 rupees |
| Very rare | 2d4 × 2,500 rupees |
| Very rare | 2d4 × 7,500 rupees |
| Legendary minor | 2d4 × 12,500 rupees |
| Legendary major | 2d4 × 40,000 rupees |
Study
By pouring over tomes, interviewing experts, training, and scouring together knowledge, you can improve your repertoire of skills. Make an Intelligence check against DC 15. On a success, you gain a proficiency point per your initial class which you can invest immediately or save for later.
Trade
By visiting a few different merchants in nearby locations, you can buy or sell any number of common items so long as you have enough rupees. You can buy any item listed on the pages for armor, weapons, gear, tools, goods, and services for their listed cost in rupees. You can also sell any listed items to regain half (50%) of their cost in rupees. You can't sell services; that counts as work instead. If you sell trade goods or gemstones, you instead regain their full cost in rupees.
Buying or selling magic items not listed on these pages is a little more difficult, and requires you to undertake the buy magic items or sell magic items activity instead. Any other items not listed on these pages—such as real estate or animals—should either be discussed with your narrator or not accomplished during downtime.
Work
You put your skills into freelance work or other honest means of earning some extra rupees. If your campaign centers around one city, you might even start running a regular business there. You make one ability check to represent your effort over the entirety of downtime. You can choose one of the following checks to make, plus any your narrator deems appropriate:
- Strength (Athletics) check for manual labor
- Constitution (Animal Handling or Nature) check to work as a farmhand
- Intelligence check using artisan's tools, a professional tool, or a vehicle with which you are proficient
- Charisma (Performance) check
- Charisma check to entertain with a musical instrument with which you are proficient
At the end of downtime, you gain a number of rupees equal to the result. As your level increases, work earns exponentially more rupees due to your experience and connections.
- Starting at 5th level, you instead gains rupees equal to your result × 10.
- From 11th level, you instead gain rupees equal to your result × 100.
- At 17th level onward, you gain rupees equal to your result × 1,000.
Alternative activities
Your narrator might also offer some of the following options as an activity, depending on the nature of your campaign:
- Tame or train an animal
- Make an Charisma check to sow rumors that affect society
- Gain renown, carouse, attend festivals, or engage in other social events with various outcomes
- Make an Intelligence check to gain lore relevant to the world or the campaign
- Undertake criminal activity, with greater risks but greater rewards than work
- Invest in a business or run one yourself, which has an upfront cost but is more profitable than work
- Trade in property, real estate, bonds, or other financial assets adventurers don't normally chase
- Construct a strongholds, castle, or ship over several downtime activities
- Employ mercenaries, artisans, or other professional workers
- Make a Wisdom (Religion) check for religious activity that might earn subtle supernatural benefits
- Succeed on a DC 15 Strength check to gain proficiency with all simple weapons
- Succeed on a DC 12 Intelligence check to increase one of your ability scores by 1, to a maximum of 7
- Gain an amount of experience points to catch up with higher-level members of your party
- Require a downtime activity be used to raise your level
