Downtime in the Age of Worms Adventure Path [Spoilers Likely]


Age of Worms Adventure Path

Shadow Lodge

Hi Everyone,

I was just wondering what other DMs have done to introduce downtime into the adventure path? Obviously, between adventures but what about during the actual modules. What have you done to each of the modules to give your wizards and crafters extra time to put spells into spellbooks and craft items?

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise


I don't plan on enforcing an extreme sense of urgency in this campaign (at least not for the first few modules). There should be plenty of time to enter Whispering Cairn, explore for a bit, leave, rest, level, craft, brew, scribe, etc., then re-enter and continue at a safe yet ambitious pace. Rinse and repeat. Those are great times for free-form role-playing. An encounter with Tidwoad, a conversation with Osgood at the smithy, an evening at the Feral Dog, a meeting with Allustan... Great stuff.


I seem to recall at several points in various adventures that Dungeon said time really wasn't an issue for The AoW and that the players could take breaks.


Unless the modules specifically state there's no downtime, I give the players as much as they need in between modules. The group's pretty experienced, so they aren't bothered by the "next chapter will start when you're ready" aspect of it. Sometimes they start to wander, and I'll snap them back into the plotline by moving ahead when they aren't ready though ;)


I'm co-dming with another DM/player (we take turns, swapping chairs adventure-by-adventure) and we've been using a home-grown downtime system. It's far from perfect, but the idea was that the only classes that seem to really benefit from downtime are wizards, and anyone who has invested in item crafting feats. There isn't much else in the RAW to handle what happens while the rest of the gang is lounging around the inn playing spin-the-flagon with barmaids.

We roll for a number of weeks (1d6 weeks for every 5 levels of APL) to determine how much downtime is available, unless there is some sort of campaign specific reason why it should be a certain amount of time. The downtime rules allow time for the wizards and crafters to do their thing, while anyone else can take on other activities -- gamble, pick pockets, find some sort of work, make a concerted effort to make some new contacts, research new spells, apply for membership in an organization (almost always a requirement to enter a prestige class). We require time spent searching libraries and researching any non-core spell (i.e. a spell compendium spell). We're still trying to make sure that everyone can do something during the down time -- and we're about to test drive a new set of rules designed to handle carousing.

A lot of the intention of the down time rules is to create some connections to NPCs and the communities that the PCs are passing through. We're trying to make the communities seem like real places, and give the PCs some NPC contacts that they can call on when they need help or information.

-jpj


John Jones wrote:
I'm co-dming with another DM/player (we take turns, swapping chairs adventure-by-adventure) and we've been using a home-grown downtime system.

I would LOVE to see these rules. Are they posted online anywhere? If not, I think this thread would do nicely (hint hint). . .

:-)

Chris

Sovereign Court

Other than allowing downtime between adventures, I allow the use of craft points as detailed in Unearthed Arcana.

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