Pathfinder generally assumes that DMs and Players will take part in a continuous role playing experience such that all the player's contacts, experience, favors, holdings, and treasure should be either be gained through role playing or through accurate accounting of the players experience/gold acquisition and expenditures. This makes it tough when DMs and players would like to have larger periods of downtime between adventures and would like to gain so non dungeon related things (like a social life). Presented here are some (hopefully) simple rules to account for down time events without having PCs fall behind on the wealth per level amount of magic items along with greatly reducing the DM's accounting work.
Level advancement: Fast advancement: gain one level every 3 sessions. Medium advancement: gain one level every 4 sessions. Slow advancement: gain one level every 8 sessions.
Wealth per level guidelines: During each downtime session of one month or more wealth equilibrates. Characters will review their magical and non magical items and can exchange, gain, or subtract items (using sources approved by the DM only, for example the core rule book and the advanced players guide) such that they obey the PC Level and Wealth Post Downtime Table (note: no more than 50% of the magic and personal equipment total can be invested into any one magical item and no broken or partially charged items). A character has easily portable wealth equal to coin and also has access to an extra gold amount equal to his coin amount while in a friendly urban environment (savings); consider this savings non-portable wealth that one can sell or trade as long as he has a few days in a large town.
PC Level and Wealth Post Downtime
1st 800 gp (magic and personal equipment 720 gp, coin/savings 40 gp)
2nd 2,400 gp (magic and personal equipment 2160 gp, coin/savings 120 gp)
3rd 4,800 gp (magic and personal equipment 4320 gp, coin/savings 240 gp)
4th 8,400 gp (magic and personal equipment 7560 gp, coin/savings 420 gp)
5th 12,800 gp (magic and personal equipment 11520 gp, coin/savings 640 gp)
6th 18,800 gp (magic and personal equipment 16920 gp, coin/savings 940 gp)
7th 26,400 gp (magic and personal equipment 23760 gp, coin/savings 1320 gp)
8th 36,800 gp (magic and personal equipment 33120 gp, coin/savings 1840 gp)
9th 49,600 gp (magic and personal equipment 44640 gp, coin/savings 2480 gp)
10th 65,600 gp (magic and personal equipment 59040 gp, coin/savings 3280 gp)
11th 86,400 gp (magic and personal equipment 77760 gp, coin/savings 4320 gp)
12th 112,000 gp (magic and personal equipment 100800 gp, coin/savings 5600 gp)
13th 148,000 gp (magic and personal equipment 133200 gp, coin/savings 7400 gp)
14th 192,000 gp (magic and personal equipment 172800 gp, coin/savings 9600 gp)
15th 252000 gp (magic and personal equipment 226800 gp, coin/savings 12600 gp)
16th 328,000 gp (magic and personal equipment 295200 gp, coin/savings 16400 gp)
17th 424,000 gp (magic and personal equipment 381600 gp, coin/savings 21200 gp)
18th 548,000 gp (magic and personal equipment 493200 gp, coin/savings 27400 gp)
19th 704,000 gp (magic and personal equipment 633600 gp, coin/savings 35200 gp)
20th 880,000 gp (magic and personal equipment 792000 gp, coin/savings 44000 gp)
Final adjustments to the table: A character’s Wisdom modifier adjusts the magic and personal equipment gold amount by + or - (2.5% x his Wisdom modifier).
Standard of living assumption: Assume that during each session a character has enough money to take care of ammunition (arrows, quarrels, sling bullets, and at higher levels magical ammunition subject to DM discretion (a couple of preselected types)), expenditures, and purchases without needing to write the gold off his character sheet as long as each item’s cost is equal to or less than his standard of living amount. These expenditures/purchases can only have an effect during the current session (one time toll to cross a river, food and lodging in an inn, a horse borrowed to get to the next town) or to purchase immediate healing magic (cure light wounds, make whole spells for broken equipment, remove disease) and are not able to be “saved up” or “sold off”. Note that this standard of living assumption does not mean that the character just has money falling out of the sky into his pockets, assume for practical purposes that through their bullying, charisma, fame, family members, favors, friends, loans, lovers, seduction, or theft they have access to anything under that gold limit cost whenever it would be reasonable available.
PC Level and Standard of Living Assumption
1st 8 gp
2nd 24 gp
3rd 48 gp
4th 84 gp
5th 128 gp
6th 188 gp
7th 264 gp
8th 368 gp
9th 496 gp
10th 656 gp
11th 864 gp
12th 1120 gp
13th 1480 gp
14th 1920 gp
15th 2520 gp
16th 3280 gp
17th 4240 gp
18th 5480 gp
19th 7040 gp
20th 8800 gp
Final adjustments to the table above: A character’s Charisma modifier adjusts the standard of living gold amount by + or - (25% x his Charisma modifier).
Optional feats:
Frugality
Prerequisite: Cha 10
Decrease your standard of living gold amount by 50% from the base amount to increase your savings by 50% over the base amount and your gold (magic and personal equipment) amount by 5% over the base amount.
Flamboyant
Increase your standard of living gold amount by 100% over the base amount and reduce your savings to zero. Also reduce your gold (magic and personal equipment) amount by 5% from the base amount.
Renown: A character’s deeds have an effect on how their peers view them. Each character at character creation decides whether he will be focusing on conquest, crime, heroism, or politics. Then at each even level (2nd, 4th, etc.) they gain a step in their respective track, “a title” so to speak. Please see the Renown Rank table for example title names. These steps tell you where characters would be viewed in comparison to other ranking members due to their accomplishments and what kind of strings they can pull.
Recognition and reactions: The higher your renown, the greater the chance someone has heard of you. Once a day you can request that any NPC who can see and hear you make a knowledge (lore) DC 20 check adding ½ your total renown to the roll as an insight bonus to have heard of you and know your title.
Renown Rank//Conquest title// Crime title //Heroic title //Politic title
1// Squire// Footpad//Swordsman// Lord
2// Man-at-Arms// Filcher// Adventurer// Baron
3// Corporal// Cutpurse// Gallant// Viscount
4// Sergeant// Robber// Champion// Earl
5// Lieutenant// Burglar// Knight Errant// Margrave
6// Captain// Thug// Knight// Marquis
7// Major// Sharper// Exemplar// Duke
8// Lieutenant General// Executioner//Knight Champion//Archduke
9// General// Assassin// Dragon Slayer// Monarch
10// Warlord//Guild master//Savior of the Realm//Lord Sovereign
Fame points: Each character has fame points that he can spend for rewards. These fame points are 10 per character level, replenished each session barring a few exceptions, and they are spent on contacts, favors, followers, or holdings.
Contacts: Fame points can be spent on contacts in multiple ways. First, you can look for a character type or a specific character you wish to find. If the DM rules that you could reasonable contact this person at this time you will find your contact. If found, expend 10 fame points x the CR of the contact you are finding. The contact will start with an attitude of indifferent to you (unless they are a recurring character) and will help you with one task in one non combat scene automatically. Contacts can develop and become recurring characters. During a session in which you have already called upon that contact, for an extra 10 fame points a contact can help you with an additional task automatically in the same or different scene. Also if you call upon the same contact again (at the same fame point cost as the first time) in a different session his starting attitude shifts one more step in your favor unless you did something to provoke him in the last session in which you encountered him (indifferent to friendly, friendly to helpful). If calling on a specific contact a 4th or more time you make him into an associate. Calling on such an associate cost half as many fame points as it would normally cost to contact him (i.e. 5 x the contact’s CR), but due to your known association with the contact if he is captured or killed you lose fame points equal to 10 x your contact’s CR for each session until you have a one month downtime period, or the contact is freed or resurrected. Also an associate can have his level and power permanently increased if a character spends fame points equal to his new more powerful CR x 10 when calling him (this is an exception to the case where associated can be called at half price).
Followers: Followers as a special type of contact. You can spend fame points to gain the benefits of the leadership feat at the cost of 10 fame points per character level you wish to buy for the purposes of this leadership feat (note: your leadership score is not automatically based upon your character level, rather it is based off the character level you purchase, and a minimum purchase of 6th level is required). These followers require you to continue to expend the same number of fame points at the start of each session until it is reasonable to release them in safety (DM’s discretion). If these followers are killed you lose fame points each session equal to the followers cost until such time as you have a one month down time period.
Favors: Please review the favors chart (my next post in this thread) to see the required renown rank, minimum time required to complete the favor, and the fame point cost for each favor.
Holdings
Holdings: Hideouts, homes, and other places you acquire are all holdings. Holdings are the only rewards that players can merge their fame points each session on (allowing them to combine to have one larger holding if desired), but the scale of a holding cannot exceed the highest HD of those contributing fame points into this holding. Each holding has a scale ranging from 1 to 12, and this scale determines the maximum number of guests it can hold and shelter in addition to the characters(s). A holdings fame point cost is listed in the following table. You can keep more than one holding but you must pay for each one separately. The GM must approve holdings before they can enter play.
Scale// Examples// Maximum guests/Fame cost
1// Room at an inn or storage place on a ship// 2/10
2// Apartment, private deck on a ship// 5/20
3// Cottage, fishing boat// 10/30
4// Small farm, private dock compound// 15/50
5// Boarding house or small barracks, barge// 20/70
6// Large farm, small caravan// 30/90
7// Hunting lodge, slope// 40/120
8// Small manor house or galley// 50/150
9// Large manor house, large caravan// 75/180
10// Large manor house with compound, frigate// 100/220
11// Mansion, mountain aerie// 150/260
12// Palace, private island// 250/300
Each holding that you possess gains fortification challenges to keep out unwanted guests according to the following table
Scale// Fortification// challenges
3-4// 2// (DC 14)
5-6// 3// (DC 18)
7-8// 4// (DC 22)
9-10// 5// (DC 26)
11-12// 6// (DC 30)
Fortification challenges: The table gives the number and different types of skill checks a character would have to pass to break into your holding. The Player and DM can determine which skill checks are required.
Followers: Often characters will use fame points or the leadership feat to gain retainers that they will keep in their holding to guard it. Player characters can link associates to their holdings if desired also.
Rooms: Special rooms can be added into a holding to give a benefits, a player can add one special room to a size 4 to 7 holding, two special rooms to a size 8 to 11 holding, and three special rooms to a size 12 holding.
Escape passage: Your holding has a hidden route out of your holding that can only be found with a successful DC 25 perception check. The exit must be within 5 miles of your holding.
Library: Choose a Knowledge or the spellcraft skill. While at your holding a character may reroll one knowledge or spellcraft check (depending on what type was chosen for the library) each session.
Prison: This room may contain a number of prisoners equal to the holding’s scale. They may only leave if you release them or someone overcomes the guards and your fortifications.
Stables: This room contains a number of animals equal to your holdings scale and Handle animal skill check rolls to train animals gain a + 4 bonus when performed in this holding.
Stage: Perform skill checks gain a +4 bonus when performed in the holding.
Throne room: Your diplomacy skill check rolls gain a +4 bonus in this room.
Torture chamber: Your browbeat and demoralize rolls gain a +4 bonus in this room.
Vault: Vaults can only be found with a DC 25 perception check and can only be entered by a DC 25 disable device check. It may contain 1000 pounds worth of items.
Workshops: Workshops can be added to your holding. Chose a craft skill that this holding contains a workshop for, you gain a +4 bonus to that craft skill checks while in your holding.
Optional Feats:
Association Membership
Prerequisite: Cha 14, 3th level
You gain a second fame pool equal to your character level x 10 each session. The max you can spend on any one category (contacts, favors, or holdings) is still your character level x 10 each session.
Association Leader
Prerequisite: Cha 16, 9th level, Association Membership
You gain a third fame pool equal to your character level x 10 each session. The max you can spend on any one category (contacts, favors, or holdings) is still your character level x 10 each session.
*Favor table*
Favor// Renown requirement// Minimum time// Fame cost
*Blessing (grants a heroic bonus)
Luck (+1 action point)//Heroic 2//-//40
Protection (+1 to AC and saves) (lasts entire session)//Heroic 4//-//60
Rage (lasts entire session) (+1 to attack and +2 to damage rolls)//Heroic 6//-//80
Victory (+4 to confirm a critical) (lasts entire session)//Heroic 8//-//100
*Decree
Holiday// Conquest/Politic 2// Day// 40
Instate minor law// Conquest/Politic 4// Week// 60
Suspend minor law// Conquest/Politic 6// Week// 80
Instate major law// Conquest/Politic 8// Week// 100
Suspend major law// Conquest/Politic 10// Week// 120
*Deliver message or small item secretly without incident
Neighboring (50 miles)// Any 1//-//40
Regional (within 500 miles)//Any 3//-//40
Remote (over 500 miles)//Any 5//Day//80
*Detention - Imprison 1 NPC without trial
For 1 day// Conquest/Politic 4//-//20+ CR*10
For 1 week// Conquest/Politic 6//-//40 + CR*10
For 1 month//Conquest/Politic 8//-//60 + CR*10
Indefinitely// Conquest/Politic 10//-//100 + CR*10
Per additional 5 characters detained//+1 (max of 10)//-//+20
*Diversion – Arrange spectacle:
Minor (observers suffer a -2 penalty with perception checks for 1 minute//Any 2//-//10
Moderate (observers suffer a -4 to perception checks for 2d6 minutes)//Any 4//-//20
Major (observers suffer a -10 penalty with perception checks for 4d6 minutes)//Any 6//Day//40
*Event - Draw people to a gathering
Small (local protest/private event 10-100 attendees)// Politic 2//-//20
Medium (speech or ceremony/city-wide event 100-500 attendees)// Politic 4//day//40
Large (holiday or festival/region wide 500-2000 attendees)// Politic 6//day//60
Massive (kings coronation/national event 2000-10,000 attendees)// Politic 8//week//80
*Feat training - Character receives 1 temporary feat for the adventure
Basic (Great fortitude, Iron will, Lightning reflexes, Skill focus (any))//Any 3//Start of session//40
Advanced (Improved Great fortitude, Improved Iron will, Improved lightning reflex)//Any 5/Start of session//80
Expert (Any character would legally qualify for)//Any 7//Start of session//120
*Harassment - Abuse 1 NPC (lasts entire session)
Emotional abuse (target suffers -2 penalty to will saves)// Conquest/Criminal/Heroic 3//Day//60
Mental abuse (target suffers -2 penalty to reflex saves)// Conquest/Criminal/Heroic 3//Day//60
Physical abuse (target suffers -2 penalty to fortitude saves)// Conquest/Criminal/Heroic 3//Day//60
*Invitation - Party gains access to restricted area
Private (pivotal stadium game, guard tower, audience with influential citizen)// Heroic/Politic 1//-//20 (60 in hostile area)
Privileged (noble’s ball, city court, audience with local lord)// Heroic/Politic 3//Day//40 (80 in hostile area)
Elite (kings coronation, royal dungeon, see the emperor)// Heroic/Politic 5//Day//80 (120 in hostile area)
*Language training - Character gains one language till the next session//Any 1//week or start of seesion//10
*Pardon - Escape punishment for one crime
Minor crime//Any4//-//60
Major crime//Any8//Day//100
*Reconnaissance - Party gains info about a character or location
Cursory (public information 1 key detail)// Conquest/Criminal 2//Day/20
Detailed (private information 2 key details)// Conquest/Criminal 4//Day//60
Exhaustive (guarded information, 3 key details)// Conquest/Criminal 6//week//80
Meticulous (secret information, 4 key details)// Conquest/Criminal 8//week//100
*Rumor - Character shifts public disposition toward 1 character
Calm campaign (+2 on social checks)// Criminal/Political 2//Day/40
Earnest campaign (+4 on social checks)// Criminal/Political 4//Day//60
Impassioned campaign (+6 on social checks)// Criminal/Political 6//Week//80
Zealous campaign (+8 on social checks)// Criminal/Political 8//Week//120
Target is a group//-//-//+40
*Safe Haven - Party gains food and shelter for a day
Common// Criminal/Heroic 2//-//20
Fancy// Criminal/Heroic 4//-//20
Luxurious// Criminal/Heroic 6//-//20
Extravagant// Criminal/Heroic 8//-//20
*Safe Passage - Party safely transported to a destination
Neighboring (within 50 miles 1 day travel)//Any2//-//20
Regional (within 500 miles, 1 day per 50 miles traveled)//Any 4//Day//40
Remote (over 500 miles, 1 day per 50 miles of travel)//Any 6//Week//80
*Spell casting - Character benefits from 1 successfully cast spell
Any 1 spell allowed by the DM// Any equal to spell level//Day//20 x spell level + must pay gp cost of spell
*Support - Hiring an NPC for a skill check//Any 2//Day//20 per 1 CR over characters HD
Forgive me, I couldn't read all of this. You obviously put a lot of work into this. But it seems to me your trying to make a system that rewards the pcs without actually playing out the stuff where they would earn those rewards. I feel like I am reading the tables behind a turn based facebook app.
Essentially I am asking what's the point?
In your opening statement you said...
"This makes it tough when DMs and players would like to have larger periods of downtime between adventures and would like to gain so non dungeon related things (like a social life). Presented here are some (hopefully) simple rules to account for down time events without having PCs fall behind on the wealth per level amount of magic items along with greatly reducing the DM's accounting work."
I don't get it.. it's down time. In other words between adventures. How are the pcs going to fall behind the wealth per level amount if they aren't leveling?? Or is this supposed to help players that aren't making the sessions compensate? If the whole group isn't playing or you as the DM are giving them a few months where nothing happens in the game world why do they need to earn or acquire anything during that time?
Honestly I am not a fan of this idea that players who aren't playing should be getting stuff anyway.
Ralantar, sounds like you are more a fan of a continuous vs episodic play style where downtime has little effect on a player's character sheet. There is nothing wrong with that and in fact is by far the most popular play style here on these boards.
For episodic play look at what Paizo tried with the armageddon echo or howl of the carrion king. In the armageddon echo they advanced the AP a level and expected the DM to fill in the blanks to let the characters gain more XP and treasure to level them up while in howl of the carrion king they told players at the end one year passes gain one of the following benefits: 3000 gp, +1 to permanent bonus to a skill check, one free magic item, etc for free. In kingmaker they intermixed sim city like rules in between the adventures letting the characters gain XP, gold, and magic items for just sitting around and "building a kingdom" during downtime.
In response to your "how are PCs going to fall behind the wealth per level guidelines if they are not leveling??" that is a tricky question. I would image that if most people took six months off without working their wealth would be much less than it was when they had a job. One can rule that during downtime a player gains exactly as much as they spend, but personally that seems too unrealistic to me to use.
In response to your "how are PCs going to fall behind the wealth per level guidelines if they are not leveling??" that is a tricky question. I would image that if most people took six months off without working their wealth would be much less than it was when they had a job. One can rule that during downtime a player gains exactly as much as they spend, but personally that seems too unrealistic to me to use.
Hmm, but is it unrealistic? I'm going with the assumption your running standard fantasy medieval type worlds. So between adventures your pcs fall back on a secondary profession. Do you really need to calculate the 3 gold they might earn as a sheep herder. the 5gp they got as a shipwright. If your pcs can become wealthy from their secondary professions then wouldn't the whole world?
Sure by a certain level your pc may be the best blacksmith in the shire but only a few people are going to be willing to pay for that level of quality.Thinking about this now I'm going to have to go look. They give you a guideline for how much a professional practicing their trade can make don't they. How much does a Miller for example make in a year.
And when it comes down to it does it matter enough to bother calculating.
Helaman, I wish the tables were better also but these message boards do not do tables well. They do give the players and you guidelines to what to give out as non treasure perks during downtime though.
Ralantar, I would recommend a magical medieval society: western europe by expeditious retreat press, in fact all of their magical society books are great. It really goes into the medieval society showing how it worked, though it does not bother to go into monthly incomes for anyone but rulers since the feudal and guild systems taxed everyone excessively and that is pretty much why no one was able to afford anything by the nobles. To be honest my world does not really fit the standard fantasy medieval type world you are imagining. For me secondary professions like being a sheep herder is hard, since if you can cast spells or take down an entire army single handedly why would you live in the shire where no one could pay you for your services? By day I am a lowly carpenter, but in my side job I summon efreets and djinn and call earthquakes to level entire mountain ranges. Spells and magic throw off assumptions greatly.