Downtime in The Fantasial Freeze takes one of 10 forms, depending on what the player characters is doing with their downtime. The list is derived as such because these are the 10 actions that both take time and are potentially significant: They develop a character, leave a mark on the world, or provide a leg up for adventuring
Players may question whether or not their hirelings or other retainers can help them perform multiple downtimes -- the answer is no. But they are welcome to invite more players to join the campaign and do downtimes for their character's sake.
At the moment, each PC gets 1 downtime activity per IRL month. Downtimes are resolved at the top of the next month.
Building The Bastion
[Unavailable until a Player hits Level 3]
Cultivating a Relationship
This downtime activity allows a character to form or deepen a relationship with an NPC. To perform this action, the player must identify an already existing NPC or describe a new NPC in collaboration with the GM.
To cultivate a relationship, the player must say what they are trying to achieve during the downtime between their character and the NPC to create or deepen the relationship. The rolls made to resolve the activity will then be noted for that NPC on the player's Faction sheet.
| Strangers (0) | Acquaintance (1) | Associate (2) | Friend (3) | Intimate (4) |
| -2 attempts to recruit or utilize for a session. | The NPC will do courtesies, but -1 on attempts to recruit them for a session. | A lesser bond. NPC will do small favors. +0 on checks to do more than that. | A serious bond. +1 on attempts to recruit for adventures. The NPC will do big favors | A deep bond between you, like true friends, veterans, or lovers. Receive +2 attempts to recruit, the NPC will risk serious suffering or harm on your behalf. |
Resolving
The player then rolls 2d6 adding a base modifier equal to their ability modifier for charisma. Situational modifiers come from things like the character’s standing with a faction to which the NPC belongs, a difference in station between the character and NPC, or perhaps a thoughtful gift or welcome news from the character. Any sum of modifiers bottom/top out at -3/+3.
| Roll | Result |
|---|---|
| 6- | The relationship tracker does not advance |
| 7-9 | The relationship tracker advances, but the PC must meet a need of the NPC |
| 10+ | The relationship tracker advances. |
Gathering Intelligence
This downtime action allows a player to gather information from other people. The player first specifies what they want information about and whom they will consult. The player will then say how they go about trying to elicit the information. Do they share war stories and buy the mercenary outfit free rounds of drinks to learn about a certain enemy they’ve faced? Or maybe they want to track down rumors about a traveling caravan by bringing trade goods to an outpost?
Resolving
To perform the downtime action, the player rolls 2d6 adding a modifier based on the character’s highest relationship tracker with a faction or a specific NPC who might be able to introduce them to relevant people or help them track down the information. If there are none, then the character is trying to gather intelligence from strangers (–2). Any sum of modifiers bottom/top out at -3/+3.
| Roll | Result |
|---|---|
| 6- | No Intel: The character doesn’t find what they were looking for, but the GM will provide an interesting rumor about something else. |
| 7-9 | Shaky Intel: The character finds what they were looking for, but the GM has the option of mixing the truth with one piece of ambiguous or misleading information. |
| 10+ | Solid Intel: The character finds accurate, real information about what they were looking for |
Learning a Skill
Characters will sometimes want to learn some skill, whether it’s a language, sailing, becoming a card shark, or the daunting art of riding giant crows. This is true even in games where there is no skill system. When the player declares the intention to learn a new skill, the GM should decide whether this is possible.
Depending on the skill, power, or ability, this downtime will require completion of a tracker with either 1, 3, or 5 steps
Example Tracker (Upgrade a Skill from -1 to 0)
| Month 1 |
| After one month of study you are no longer "untrained" in this skill, and have a rank of 0 in it (rather than an untrained -1) |
Example Tracker (Cast with Armor On)
| Month 1 | Month 2 | Month 3 |
| Early attempts are fruitless, but you begin to understand where you are weakest. | After inconsistently figuring out your best practices, you've fallen into a routine of study. | After 3 months of dedicated training, you have opened your soul to carve your spellcasting to ignore your armor. |
Example Tracker (Double Movement Speed)
| Month 1 | Month 2 | Month 3 | Month 4 | Month 5 |
| "Line up at the start, the running speed will start slowly and get faster when you hear the triple beep." | You are able to match pace with most of your peers. | You've kept a healthy pace of training, and your muscles are sturdy. You comfortably move 5 feet faster. | Training continues, you now move 10 feet faster. | After 5 months of training...Finally: You are speed, you can move up to 60 feet every round. |
Resolving
The player rolls 2d6 with a base modifier set by the skill of the teacher. No teacher (–1), competent teacher (0), skilled teacher (+1), and master teacher (+2). Further situational modifiers might come from a relevant ability score or from experience. Any sum of modifiers bottom/top out at -3/+3.
| Roll | Result |
|---|---|
| 6- | Not Catching On: The skill tracker does not advance |
| 7-9 | Steady Progress: The skill tracker advances one step. |
| 10+ | Leaps and Bounds: The skill tracker advances one step. Next month treat your roll as "Steady Progress" if you rolled lower than that. |
Martial Training
In war as in peace, practice makes perfect. There are two ways to engage in martial training: Keeping in Form and Mastering a Technique. Keeping in form might involve sword play with a dueling partner, sweaty knife work alone in a darkened barn, or shooting a bow on a range. Mastering a technique is about learning secrets of war from masters of the art through intense instruction.
Option 1: Keeping in Form
Anyone may spend a downtime practicing at arms. The player must choose a weapon type (sword, knife, bow, etc) with which their character practices. They roll 2d6. Although any class may keep in form, only fighters (or fighter sub-classes) receive a base modifier equal to 1/3 their level rounded up. Situational modifiers are granted for having a training partner. If the character is assisted by another player character as a training partner, both may take the downtime action adding +1 to their roll. Any sum of modifiers bottom/top out at -3/+3.
| Roll | Result |
|---|---|
| 6- | A Little Rusty: Pick one:
You keep the passive benefit chosen until the next downtime period. |
| 7-9 | In Good Form: Pick two from the above list. |
| 10+ | In Top Form: Pick three from the above list. |
Option 2: Mastering a Technique
One may also work with a master to learn more sophisticated and esoteric fighting styles. To do so, a player character must first find a teacher who knows the relevant art. Such martial masters are few and choose their disciples well, often requiring them to prove themselves through adventures or feats of arms.
Example Technique (Revenant's Wrath)
| Month 1 | Month 2 | Month 3 | Month 4 | Month 5 |
| Training. | Training. | Training. | Training. | Revenant's Wrath Unlocked: This strange technique allows its user to fight five rounds after their heart has stopped through sheer force of will. Should the combat end before the 5 rounds is up, the dying character may deliver a farewell speech before collapsing. Healing will not avail them for they are already dead. |
To master a technique, the player rolls 2d6. Although any class may master a technique (provided they can use the weapons involved), only fighters (or fighter sub-classes) receive a base modifier equal to 1/3 their level rounded up. Any sum of modifiers bottom/top out at -3/+3.
| Roll | Result |
|---|---|
| 6- | The martial tracker does not advance. |
| 7-9 | The martial tracker advances one step. |
| 10+ | The martial tracker advances two steps. |
Research
This downtime action allows one to acquire lore or knowledge through study. To research a topic the player character must have access to a trove of information. Most often, this will be a library, grimoire, or an archive of some sort. But the trove could be any source of information from which the answers to questions can be researched, whether this takes the form of translating runes on ancient obelisks, or alchemical or scientific experimentation.
To perform the downtime action the player must formulate a question they would like to investigate that falls within the subject matter of a trove. The GM then writes up a research tracker for that question in advance. This research tracker is kept secret since it represents the revelation of information through the progress of the investigation. Each step is an entry that reveals progressively deeper information in answer to the question
Example (Secret) Tracker
In this example, the player asked to research Sasquatches.
| Knowledge Level 1 | Knowledge Level 2 | Knowledge Level 3 | Knowledge Level 4 | Knowledge Level 5 |
| Sasquatches are legendary ape-like creatures said to inhabit Osugborn forests, notoriously reclusive, no known populations are mapped. | Physical traces like footprints, hair samples, and audio recordings have been collected and can be found in a number of libraries or private collections. | Vocalizations, rock knocking, and wood banging are said to be their communication methods. | A Sasquatch known as "Redfur Ridgewalker" has been identified through consistent sightings in the Olympic Forest. | Redfur Ridgewalker has reportedly interacted with humans, leaving woven gifts of grass and bark in exchange for food. Analysis from hair samples suggests a unique chromosomal pattern, hinting at an undiscovered hominid species. |
Resolving
For any open question, a character can spend a downtime action investigating the topic. To see whether they make progress, the player rolls 2d6 adding a base modifier equal to their intelligence ability modifier. Situational modifiers might come from alternate sources of information or background knowledge of the relevant subject. The results are the following:
| Roll | Result |
|---|---|
| 6- | Stymied: The research tracker does not advance. |
| 7-9 | Shaky Research: The research tracer advances one step, BUT at least one bit of ambiguous or misleading information may be added. |
| 10+ | Solid Research: The research tracker advances one step. |
Revelry
Revelry is a downtime action in which a character flush with gold spends it on wild revelries, whether a feast lasting many nights, raucous tavern crawl, or the extended use of mind-altering substances. The player describes where and with whom their character intends to share their revelry keeping in mind that it must involve the expenditure of large sums. The character spends up to Level x 100 GP. This excess provides a rich and memorable experiences. They roll 2d6 adding a base modifier equal to their constitution modifier.
Resolving
| Roll | Result |
|---|---|
| 6- | Some Regrets: Receive 1 XP, but roll on the Revelry Mishaps table. |
| 7-9 | Wild Experience: Receive 1 XP |
| 10+ | Something to Remember: Receive 1 XP and roll on the Revelry Boons table. |
Revelry Mishap Table
| 1d8 | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Hangover! The player suffers –1 on all physical actions next session. The player should describe the hangover and their character’s appearance at the start of the session. |
| 2 | Brawl! The character starts the next session 1d4 HP below maximum (min. 1). The player will collaborate with the GM to say who the fight was with and how it ensued. |
| 3 | Lost Possession! The player should dice randomly to see which item from their character sheet they lost. If it is an important item, the GM will determine who has it. The character may use the Gather Information downtime action to reveal this information (p.14). An adventure or confrontation will usually be required to recover it. |
| 4 | Acting the Fool! The player should describe the embarrassing public episode that led to their character’s new bad reputation. They receive –1 on all reaction rolls and attempts to cultivate relationships in the area. This condition can only be removed by succeeding at an adventure that cultivates their renown in the area. |
| 5 | Secret Divulged! The character lets slip something crucial they shouldn’t have, like the location of a dungeon, or the possession of a magical weapon. This will come back to haunt them. The player and GM may collaborate on the secret revealed and the GM will decide who has heard, placing the information in the hands of a rival, or the authorities, or creating a rival adventuring party. |
| 6 | Offense Given! Either lose 1 tick on a relationship tracker or acquire a new rival. The player will narrate who is offended and how in collaboration with the GM. |
| 7 | Financial Loss! The character failed at gambling, or made a very imprudent investment, or was conned. The player will narrate this loss in collaboration with the GM. They lose Level x 100 additional GP with no additional XP gain. If they cannot pay, they are now in debt to unsavory characters who will blackmail the character into going on adventures or performing other services for them. |
| 8 | Illness! The character has acquired some long-term illness from their revels, whether a parasite from street food, a sexually transmitted disease, or an allergic reaction. The effect should be mild but real. Examples might include needing to eat double rations (for a parasite) or a 1 in 6 chance each session of fevers giving a –1 on all rolls (disease). The cure will usually require an adventure to locate the necessary elements of the cure (rare salts, curative springs, etc). |
Revelry Boon Table
| 1d8 | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Magical Night! After a magical night, the character feels like they’re still walking on water. They may take +4 on saving throws for the next session. |
| 2 | Carousing Patron! The drinks were freeing flowing over the course of the night, but many of the expenses were covered by a drinking companion. The character retains half the GP spent on carousing but takes the full XP reward. |
| 3 | Experience of a Lifetime! The character will never forget this night. The player should share with the group one memory or image or scene from the evening that their character will carry with them forever. They acquire an additional 50% experience bonus from their carousing expenditure |
| 4 | Drinking Friends or Romance! The character shared some special times with an old friend or made a new one. Increase the character’s relationship tracker by one step with this person. The player may pick the NPC, or if it’s a new friend make a proposal to the GM and open a tracker at the acquaintance level. |
| 5 | Golden Opportunity! During their revels, the character finds a unique opportunity to set back the interests of a rival by going on an adventure. If the character has no rivals, treat this as the following result. |
| 6 | Secret Information! While under the influence, someone lets slip a secret of some significance. The GM should provide the player with real actionable intelligence, ideally in the form of an adventure hook, or at the least something very amusing (and potentially compromising) about a known NPC. |
| 7 | Business Prospects! During the revelries, the character is presented with a one-time opportunity to found a new institution. They may pay half price in the next downtime to Build an Institution and take +1 on the roll |
| 8 | Living Legend! It was legendary night, and the character did something amazing that the player may narrate. What the character did is now the talk of the town: receive +1 to reaction rolls and cultivating relationships in the region until their reputation changes. |
Spellcraft
This downtime activity allows a character to form or deepen a relationship with an NPC. To perform this action, the player must identify an already existing NPC or describe a new NPC in collaboration with the GM. To cultivate a relationship, the player must say what they are trying to achieve during the downtime between their character and the NPC to create or deepen the relationship. The rolls made to resolve the activity will then be noted for that NPC on the player's Faction sheet.
Example Tracker
| Strangers (0) | Acquaintance (1) | Associate (2) | Friend (3) | Intimate (4) |
| -2 attempts to recruit or utilize for a session. | The NPC will do courtesies, but -1 on attempts to recruit them for a session. | A lesser bond. NPC will do small favors. +0 on checks to do more than that. | A serious bond. +1 on attempts to recruit for adventures. The NPC will do big favors | A deep bond between you, like true friends, veterans, or lovers. Receive +2 attempts to recruit, the NPC will risk serious suffering or harm on your behalf. |
Resolving
The player then rolls 2d6 adding a base modifier equal to their ability modifier for charisma. Situational modifiers come from things like the character’s standing with a faction to which the NPC belongs, a difference in station between the character and NPC, or perhaps a thoughtful gift or welcome news from the character. Any sum of modifiers bottom/top out at -3/+3.
| Roll | Result |
|---|---|
| 6- | The relationship tracker does not advance |
| 7-9 | The relationship tracker advances, but the PC must meet a need of the NPC |
| 10+ | The relationship tracker advances. |
Splendid Artifacts
This downtime activity allows a character to form or deepen a relationship with an NPC. To perform this action, the player must identify an already existing NPC or describe a new NPC in collaboration with the GM. To cultivate a relationship, the player must say what they are trying to achieve during the downtime between their character and the NPC to create or deepen the relationship. The rolls made to resolve the activity will then be noted for that NPC on the player's Faction sheet.
Example Tracker
| Strangers (0) | Acquaintance (1) | Associate (2) | Friend (3) | Intimate (4) |
| -2 attempts to recruit or utilize for a session. | The NPC will do courtesies, but -1 on attempts to recruit them for a session. | A lesser bond. NPC will do small favors. +0 on checks to do more than that. | A serious bond. +1 on attempts to recruit for adventures. The NPC will do big favors | A deep bond between you, like true friends, veterans, or lovers. Receive +2 attempts to recruit, the NPC will risk serious suffering or harm on your behalf. |
Resolving
The player then rolls 2d6 adding a base modifier equal to their ability modifier for charisma. Situational modifiers come from things like the character’s standing with a faction to which the NPC belongs, a difference in station between the character and NPC, or perhaps a thoughtful gift or welcome news from the character. Any sum of modifiers bottom/top out at -3/+3.
| Roll | Result |
|---|---|
| 6- | The relationship tracker does not advance |
| 7-9 | The relationship tracker advances, but the PC must meet a need of the NPC |
| 10+ | The relationship tracker advances. |
Spiritual Exercises
This downtime activity allows a character to form or deepen a relationship with an NPC. To perform this action, the player must identify an already existing NPC or describe a new NPC in collaboration with the GM. To cultivate a relationship, the player must say what they are trying to achieve during the downtime between their character and the NPC to create or deepen the relationship. The rolls made to resolve the activity will then be noted for that NPC on the player's Faction sheet.
Example Tracker
| Strangers (0) | Acquaintance (1) | Associate (2) | Friend (3) | Intimate (4) |
| -2 attempts to recruit or utilize for a session. | The NPC will do courtesies, but -1 on attempts to recruit them for a session. | A lesser bond. NPC will do small favors. +0 on checks to do more than that. | A serious bond. +1 on attempts to recruit for adventures. The NPC will do big favors | A deep bond between you, like true friends, veterans, or lovers. Receive +2 attempts to recruit, the NPC will risk serious suffering or harm on your behalf. |
Resolving
The player then rolls 2d6 adding a base modifier equal to their ability modifier for charisma. Situational modifiers come from things like the character’s standing with a faction to which the NPC belongs, a difference in station between the character and NPC, or perhaps a thoughtful gift or welcome news from the character. Any sum of modifiers bottom/top out at -3/+3.
| Roll | Result |
|---|---|
| 6- | The relationship tracker does not advance |
| 7-9 | The relationship tracker advances, but the PC must meet a need of the NPC |
| 10+ | The relationship tracker advances. |
