Hi,
http://www.enworld.org/forum/content.php?2080-DUNGEON-MASTER-S-GUIDE-Excerpt-Downtime-Activities!#.VHWLeWdavcs
contains another except this time on Downtime activities and probably the most directly relevant to AL.
A lot of us will have characters accruing a lot of downtime by now. I know I do.
Lets look at each of examples we are given
Building a Stronghold
A staple of the D&D 'universe' since earlier additions the first thing I thought about this in regards to AL: 'Never going to happen'.
A) The season for expeditions takes place in Phlan. Are people going to build an abbey and then move on.
B) Costs would be prohibitive.
For the above reasons and many more, its not going to happen in AL
Carousing
While this shouted out to me that it was likely to happen a lot., the fact its a random table (of a sort) means its integration into AL is hazy at best. Not only would a player have to really start to document their downtime to bigger degree than normal, they would need to resolve this in front of the DM which could take a large amount of time pre or post game. Time that may not neccesarily be available.
The ranges of 1-10, 21-30 and 31-40 might be especially problematic to incorporate into an AL game. (Although I would find it amusing for a player character carousing in Phlan to go on a Whirlwind romance with Fat Marr or Knight Aleyd) If the carousing option is incorporated into AL, then well.. Id really need to see how they would try to incorporate it. It would be difficult.
Which leads me to
Crafting a Magical Item
Now in the preview we arnt given any facts and figures but lets see what we do know
A) 5e is a low magic item game. Player character might never get one, or if they do , its never going to be as powerful as say the same item was in 3e.
B) Characters are very demanding in regards to what items they want their characters to have based on not getting a second bite at the apple until everyone else has had one already.
Im not sure this will be incorporated either. The costs in terms of gp and downtime might be extreme. We might see consumables as being what this downtime activity is directed at. And I wouldnt be opposed to that.
Anyway, I think the 3 examples we have been given above will be far more useful to Non AL games but I think Carousing is the most likely one we will see.
The Laughing Goblin is certainly going to get more lively!
Tyranthraxus wrote:
The full list of optional Downtime Activities:
- Building a Stronghold
- Carousing
- Crafting a Magic Item
- Gaining Renown
- Performing Sacred Rites
- Running a Business
- Selling Magic Items
- Sowing Rumors
- Training to Gain Levels
Building a Stronghold, Carousing, and Crafting a Magic Item have already been commented on above.
Gaining Renown:Work for your faction off-camera and you gain a point of Renown. Since the benefits for the different statuses in the factions is unknown, I don't see this happening.
Performing Sacred Rites: Spend time and gain Inspiration at the start of each of the next 2d6 days. I guess this is feasible.
Running a Business: This also involves a random table for results, so is as unlikely as Carousing. Plus I see this as also taking a lot of time at the table to adjudicate.
Selling Magic Items: I think this will get added to the list of available options, mostly because it alleviates the problem of what to do with a magic item you got because of the way magic items are divided up, that isn't what you really wanted. On the other hand, addiing a downtime day requirement also gets rid of the tables that would sell all magic items and divide up the money.
Sowing Rumors: I really like this option for home games, but I can see a lot of people seeing it as a waste of time in the AL. You take time (spending 1 gp each day) and make a Charisma check to shift a settlement's attitude to something or someone.
Training to Gain Levels: The AL rules already have this option, in a more limited form -- the DMG version covers all levels from 2-20.
TheBreen wrote:
Yeah well Greg also breaks the AL rules as evidenced in another thread here and thinks that's fine so I won't be taking anything he says as gospel.
Then there's what Mearls said in an AMA on reddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/comments/2l69tp/ama_mike_mearls_codesigner_of_dd_5_head_of_dd_rd/clssw96
Hi Akaddk,
Can you be specific as to a rule I am breaking (as I write the rules, I'm not even sure how its possible)? In Mearls' thread he says "I'd say proficiency is all that is needed. The magic of a potion of healing presumably comes via something more in line with alchemy than divine or arcane magic." Its still a magic item. In the DnDAL you cannot make magic items, therefore you cannot make potions of healing in Organized Play. Its possible that might change, but that is the direction we were given from WOTC and asked to impart to the players. You can do anything you like in a home game of course. If you don't want to listen to the Admins, that is of course also your call, but you might expect other people to call you on it.
Greg Marks
DnDAL Associate Resource Manager
PS. I have forwarded this back up the chain to WOTC to have the designers speak (as a different designer specifically told us they were unmakable magic items, but now Mike posted this alchemy comment.)
Which DT activities are legal for AL? Are only the phb offered DT activities legal for AL?
GTKA666 wrote:
Where can I find the value of gold needed for each day of downtime per Lifestyle?
I looked in the PHB and in the ALPG but I don't see anything which says, "You spend xGP for 10 days of downtime for a wealthy lifestyle."
Lifestyle expenses are in Chapter 5: Equipment in the PH and in the Basic Rules (I don't have the PH with me right now, but the chart is on p.53 of the BR).
Also, Mike Mearls doesn't have any role within Organized Play. If you want to reference a WotC employee who is in charge of OP, that would be Chris Tulach.
The impression I get is that both Mike Mearls and Jeremy Crawford, when they make impromptu Twitter rulings, are doing so with the idea that they're providing clarification for people running home games, not for folks playing in OP. As a DM, I would never use or accept a Mearls Twitter ruling at my AL table, unless it was identical to a ruling I was already planning to make.
--
Pauper
FWIW, Jeremy Crawford has tweeted that his tweets are "official", whereas Mearls' tweets are more for how he would run it at his own table.
Again, FWIW.
Please note that sometimes the DnDAL has to make rules due to the Ogranized Play environment and how it might differ from home play. We try not to, but sometimes we must, and those rules might conflict with some rules clarification given by WOTC employees when they are talking about a home game. Please refer to the DnDAL PG, Chris Tulach (the WOTC employee in charge of OP), any of the DnDAL Managers or our website (http://dndadventurersleague.org/) when looking for OP specific rulings. Also note that when such conflicts arise, we do flag them and check with WOTC if we should alter our rules. That process is not immediate and you should always use the current version of the DnDAL PG until we update it (twice yearly).
Greg Marks
DnDAL Associate Resource Manager
Skerrit wrote:
AlHazred wrote:
Pauper wrote:
As there isn't much in the current downtime activities list that interests me, I'd like to say that I think the 'renown' option would be kind of cool. I'd love to spend my downtime days to become the "most famous" bard in the greater Phlan area. 
Skerrit wrote:
January
Skerrit wrote: