I know feats can do this, but I don't want my players to have to burn feats for something that IMHO should be able to be done as part of RP.
Here's what I'm thinking, and this is just a SWAG and I'm looking for alternatives.
Learning a language: Learning a language takes 8 weeks of in-game play and requires someone in the group speak the language and they travel together. This is reduced as follows:
-1 week if > 1 other person in the group speaks the language
-1 week if any of the above people speak it natively (a dwarf teaching dwarven)
-0.5 weeks for every point of intelligence bonus on the student
So, student with 18 intelligence, learning elvish from an elf, and at least 1 other person in the party speaks it, will take 3.5 weeks for them to learn it, in-game time. Is this too short? I'm only letting them learn from other party members, so the language is already in the party and I don't see it as imbalancing anything. It's mostly for RP purposes.
Learning a new Craft/Tool/Instrument: Learning a new kit or instrument requires 12 weeks of game time and requires the person to have the kit/tool/instrument and the space in which to do it. Cartography, calligraphy, portable musical instruments can be learned while in the field, so they are fine. Alchemy and Blacksmithing require static places so they are more difficult and make it harder to learn. The time is modified as follows:
-1 week if 1 other person in the group is proficient
-1 week if > 1 other person in the group is proficient
-0.5 weeks for every point of the relevant stat bonus on the student (Dex or Cha for instruments, Int or Wis for cooking, Str or Dex for smothing, GM discretion). The idea here is that they're a "natural" due to their stats.
The person can begin trying to use the Craft/Tool/Instrument immediately, but with modifiers:
For the first 1/3 of the time, it is at disadvantage
For the second 1/3, it's without proficiency
For the final 1/3, it's at half proficiency
I would appreciate the community's thoughts on this. Again, this is not RAW, not even RAI, it's RAF for RP.
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Ancient GM, started in '76, have played almost everything at some point or another.
I run/play Mercer-style games, heavy on the RP and interaction, light on the combat-monster and rule-lawyering. The goal is to tell an epic story with the players and the players are as involved in the world building as the GM is. I run and play a very Brechtian style, am huge into RP theory and love discussing improv and offers.
250 days (more than 8 months) does feel like a bit much for most things though. My gut feeling is that a language should take around 3 months, for example (assuming you can devote a couple hours a day to it). On the other hand, I'd kind of expect something like blacksmithing to take years to learn.
Basically all the rules you've come up with sound great, but I'd be inclined to adjust the time required a bit upward. Maybe do some googling to see if you can figure out how long some stuff would take?
My logic on the language is that the character can literally do it all day, every day. You and I are walking along, going somewhere, and we're talking in Elven while I teach you. We point at things, we have conversations, you slowly learn how to do it organically. I certainly wouldn't charge you and there'd be no other costs. I did use google and it was wildly varied in thoughts.
As for crafting, a 1st lvl fighter who is proficient in blacksmithing isn't a "master", they're proficient, which means they know the basics. As they level and their proficiency and stats go up, they get better over time. That was my thought for learning the trade. I can teach you the basics, until you are proficient, you will then develop expertise over time.
I can adjust the times upwards a little, but 250 is really high and has no compensation for smarter people learning quicker, so I likely won't use the Xanathar optional suggestion.
Thanks for the feedback! :)
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Ancient GM, started in '76, have played almost everything at some point or another.
I run/play Mercer-style games, heavy on the RP and interaction, light on the combat-monster and rule-lawyering. The goal is to tell an epic story with the players and the players are as involved in the world building as the GM is. I run and play a very Brechtian style, am huge into RP theory and love discussing improv and offers.
Hello! I am looking for something to implement in a group myself and found your system looks quite smooth. What was the final time adjustment that you added on to it?
However... Xanathars Guide to Everything page 134 changes the players handbook
now it takes at least 10 work weeks which is reduced by the intelligence modifier and it costs 25 gold per work week (an intelligence penalty doesnt increase the work weeks). Theres also complications but I wont go into them...
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“Animals die, friends die, and I shall die, but one thing never dies, and that is the reputation we leave behind at our death.”
This is mostly fair, except for the "-0.5 weeks for every point of intelligence bonus on the student" on the language. If you do use that bonus, change it to -0.25 weeks at least
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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I know feats can do this, but I don't want my players to have to burn feats for something that IMHO should be able to be done as part of RP.
Here's what I'm thinking, and this is just a SWAG and I'm looking for alternatives.
Learning a language: Learning a language takes 8 weeks of in-game play and requires someone in the group speak the language and they travel together. This is reduced as follows:
So, student with 18 intelligence, learning elvish from an elf, and at least 1 other person in the party speaks it, will take 3.5 weeks for them to learn it, in-game time. Is this too short? I'm only letting them learn from other party members, so the language is already in the party and I don't see it as imbalancing anything. It's mostly for RP purposes.
Learning a new Craft/Tool/Instrument: Learning a new kit or instrument requires 12 weeks of game time and requires the person to have the kit/tool/instrument and the space in which to do it. Cartography, calligraphy, portable musical instruments can be learned while in the field, so they are fine. Alchemy and Blacksmithing require static places so they are more difficult and make it harder to learn. The time is modified as follows:
The person can begin trying to use the Craft/Tool/Instrument immediately, but with modifiers:
I would appreciate the community's thoughts on this. Again, this is not RAW, not even RAI, it's RAF for RP.
Ancient GM, started in '76, have played almost everything at some point or another.
I run/play Mercer-style games, heavy on the RP and interaction, light on the combat-monster and rule-lawyering. The goal is to tell an epic story with the players and the players are as involved in the world building as the GM is. I run and play a very Brechtian style, am huge into RP theory and love discussing improv and offers.
The Player's Handbook does have some brief rules for using downtime for learning a tool or language, available in Chapter 8 under Between Adventures -> Downtime Activities -> Training (https://www.dndbeyond.com/compendium/rules/basic-rules/adventuring#BetweenAdventures)
250 days (more than 8 months) does feel like a bit much for most things though. My gut feeling is that a language should take around 3 months, for example (assuming you can devote a couple hours a day to it). On the other hand, I'd kind of expect something like blacksmithing to take years to learn.
Basically all the rules you've come up with sound great, but I'd be inclined to adjust the time required a bit upward. Maybe do some googling to see if you can figure out how long some stuff would take?
My logic on the language is that the character can literally do it all day, every day. You and I are walking along, going somewhere, and we're talking in Elven while I teach you. We point at things, we have conversations, you slowly learn how to do it organically. I certainly wouldn't charge you and there'd be no other costs. I did use google and it was wildly varied in thoughts.
As for crafting, a 1st lvl fighter who is proficient in blacksmithing isn't a "master", they're proficient, which means they know the basics. As they level and their proficiency and stats go up, they get better over time. That was my thought for learning the trade. I can teach you the basics, until you are proficient, you will then develop expertise over time.
I can adjust the times upwards a little, but 250 is really high and has no compensation for smarter people learning quicker, so I likely won't use the Xanathar optional suggestion.
Thanks for the feedback! :)
Ancient GM, started in '76, have played almost everything at some point or another.
I run/play Mercer-style games, heavy on the RP and interaction, light on the combat-monster and rule-lawyering. The goal is to tell an epic story with the players and the players are as involved in the world building as the GM is. I run and play a very Brechtian style, am huge into RP theory and love discussing improv and offers.
Hello! I am looking for something to implement in a group myself and found your system looks quite smooth. What was the final time adjustment that you added on to it?
However... Xanathars Guide to Everything page 134 changes the players handbook
now it takes at least 10 work weeks which is reduced by the intelligence modifier and it costs 25 gold per work week (an intelligence penalty doesnt increase the work weeks). Theres also complications but I wont go into them...
“Animals die, friends die, and I shall die, but one thing never dies, and that is the reputation we leave behind at our death.”
This is mostly fair, except for the "-0.5 weeks for every point of intelligence bonus on the student" on the language. If you do use that bonus, change it to -0.25 weeks at least