I recently joined a campaign with a couple of my friends, and I've been having a good time, but I'm not very experienced with their play style. I am used to playing and running tight, story-based games with lots of intrigue, mystery, and combat. They take a much more lax approach to D&D. We, the party, currently don't have much direction right now, and most of what your character gets to do is decided by what you want to do. For example, one of the players is currently shmoozing the mayor of the town so he can access his office and get files on a person he is looking for. Another player is trying to create a profitable coffee stand. Most of the sessions are being spent doing stuff individually and progressing our own character's goals. I've talked to the DM, and he said that we are going to be moving into more story-based gameplay soon, but I still want to be prepared for when we have a lot of downtime in the future.
The issue I'm having is coming up with ideas for what to even do. I am playing a storyteller bard, who comes from a very humble life in the mountains. He's unfamiliar with the city environment and spends most of his free time playing to a sparse crowd in a tavern. I'm perfectly happy sitting back and letting the other guys do stuff, but the DM says that he feels like he's leaving me out and wants me to think of something to do next session. So, any ideas? We're pretty light as far as tone goes, so the more whimsical the better I suppose.
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I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone, there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
Well, there’s practical stuff. If you’re using xanathar’s optional rules, you can use downtime to train new proficiencies, language, tool, skill, weapon, etc.
It doesn’t sound like that’s what you’re going for, though. Also in xanathar’s, there’s ideas for other downtime activities, like just having a job. As a bard, you could always start putting on a show. You say there’s a sparse crowd, maybe you try to drum up business. Hand out flyers, start rumors about this great bard in town, that kind of thing. You say you’re a storyteller, maybe you’re working on a book, or epic poem. You just hang out at a coffee shop, writing. After a couple levels, when you finish it, you can try to get it published.
People are creatures of habit. Think about what your character did before being an adventurer or what tools you might be proficient in. Being an adventurer is dangerous and unpredictable work, so it would be natural to want to regress to something you know when you have time to relax.
In one of my campaigns at the moment, one of the characters has herbalism supplies and alchemy tools so they regularly make health potions during downtime. My character is a bounty hunter, so they'll pick up simple jobs in town. Heck, just recently during some downtime I asked the DM if I could pick up the breadcrumbs on a really old questline we never followed and see it through. At our current level there was basically no chance for failure doing it solo, so the DM did some handwaving and theater-of-the-mind.
Look for personal growth opportunities with your character. Maybe your storyteller starts attracting a larger audience to the point the tavern you normally perform in (assuming it's the same one) gets too crowded, so maybe you open a small black box theater or work with the tavern owner to expand their establishment to accommodate a small stage for entertainment. The next time you have downtime in the same spot, expand that idea further.
It's one thing for a character's name to go down in story and legend for being an accomplished adventurer, it's another thing to make a name for yourself in a very domestic way that's tangible for the average person.
Seek out the town's local legend and talk to them about their life. If your DM is asking for you to come up with downtime stuff to prepare for your character, I'm sure they'll love giving you lore about the world through your interactions with them. Maybe some of it will even tie into the present-day story/conflict, or maybe you'll make a new ally.
Or follow other PCs around and see what they're up to. I'm sure they'd love some bardic inspiration every now and again during a downtime skill check, and it could also be a great opportunity to share some backstory stuff.
Take the information you learn about your party and the town, and write a new song for your tavern performances. Drum up support for the coffee stand, or sow the seeds of fame/infamy about your crew. NPCs in other places might react differently if they've heard about you.
There are also mechanical things you could do to help you long term, and depending on the table, that could be the best move. But I love to play a support-y bard, whether that's in or out of combat, and I almost always get a ton of satisfaction just talking to other PCs and NPCs. Sometimes the outcomes/benefits of these interactions (gain an ally, become famous, etc.) can be vague for your DM, so I'd just be clear with them about what your character is hoping to achieve.
I recently joined a campaign with a couple of my friends, and I've been having a good time, but I'm not very experienced with their play style. I am used to playing and running tight, story-based games with lots of intrigue, mystery, and combat. They take a much more lax approach to D&D. We, the party, currently don't have much direction right now, and most of what your character gets to do is decided by what you want to do. For example, one of the players is currently shmoozing the mayor of the town so he can access his office and get files on a person he is looking for. Another player is trying to create a profitable coffee stand. Most of the sessions are being spent doing stuff individually and progressing our own character's goals. I've talked to the DM, and he said that we are going to be moving into more story-based gameplay soon, but I still want to be prepared for when we have a lot of downtime in the future.
The issue I'm having is coming up with ideas for what to even do. I am playing a storyteller bard, who comes from a very humble life in the mountains. He's unfamiliar with the city environment and spends most of his free time playing to a sparse crowd in a tavern. I'm perfectly happy sitting back and letting the other guys do stuff, but the DM says that he feels like he's leaving me out and wants me to think of something to do next session. So, any ideas? We're pretty light as far as tone goes, so the more whimsical the better I suppose.
I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone, there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
- Litany Against Fear, Frank Herbert
Well, there’s practical stuff. If you’re using xanathar’s optional rules, you can use downtime to train new proficiencies, language, tool, skill, weapon, etc.
It doesn’t sound like that’s what you’re going for, though. Also in xanathar’s, there’s ideas for other downtime activities, like just having a job. As a bard, you could always start putting on a show. You say there’s a sparse crowd, maybe you try to drum up business. Hand out flyers, start rumors about this great bard in town, that kind of thing.
You say you’re a storyteller, maybe you’re working on a book, or epic poem. You just hang out at a coffee shop, writing. After a couple levels, when you finish it, you can try to get it published.
People are creatures of habit. Think about what your character did before being an adventurer or what tools you might be proficient in. Being an adventurer is dangerous and unpredictable work, so it would be natural to want to regress to something you know when you have time to relax.
In one of my campaigns at the moment, one of the characters has herbalism supplies and alchemy tools so they regularly make health potions during downtime. My character is a bounty hunter, so they'll pick up simple jobs in town. Heck, just recently during some downtime I asked the DM if I could pick up the breadcrumbs on a really old questline we never followed and see it through. At our current level there was basically no chance for failure doing it solo, so the DM did some handwaving and theater-of-the-mind.
Look for personal growth opportunities with your character. Maybe your storyteller starts attracting a larger audience to the point the tavern you normally perform in (assuming it's the same one) gets too crowded, so maybe you open a small black box theater or work with the tavern owner to expand their establishment to accommodate a small stage for entertainment. The next time you have downtime in the same spot, expand that idea further.
It's one thing for a character's name to go down in story and legend for being an accomplished adventurer, it's another thing to make a name for yourself in a very domestic way that's tangible for the average person.
Seek out the town's local legend and talk to them about their life. If your DM is asking for you to come up with downtime stuff to prepare for your character, I'm sure they'll love giving you lore about the world through your interactions with them. Maybe some of it will even tie into the present-day story/conflict, or maybe you'll make a new ally.
Or follow other PCs around and see what they're up to. I'm sure they'd love some bardic inspiration every now and again during a downtime skill check, and it could also be a great opportunity to share some backstory stuff.
Take the information you learn about your party and the town, and write a new song for your tavern performances. Drum up support for the coffee stand, or sow the seeds of fame/infamy about your crew. NPCs in other places might react differently if they've heard about you.
There are also mechanical things you could do to help you long term, and depending on the table, that could be the best move. But I love to play a support-y bard, whether that's in or out of combat, and I almost always get a ton of satisfaction just talking to other PCs and NPCs. Sometimes the outcomes/benefits of these interactions (gain an ally, become famous, etc.) can be vague for your DM, so I'd just be clear with them about what your character is hoping to achieve.
options could be to run it yourself. But the people that want to roll play will continue to want to do so.
You could plant a garden. Some players really get into the down time playing and can have a lot of fun.