Downtime
Between game sessions, players can engage in a variety of activities such as research, following up on leads, improving skills, or building relationships. A PC is limited to one Downtime Action at a time. These actions cannot be undertaken in unsafe conditions or while a character is in recovery. A character cannot perform a downtime action if it would put their safety at risk.
Milestones
For activities requiring multiple steps, the Guide assigns 1-5 Milestones for players to track progress. Each Milestone represents a comprehensive, non-interactive task. The Guide may present different strategies to achieve these goals, each with distinct Milestones. Depending on the unfolding events in the game, the Guide is also empowered to introduce new Milestones or discard existing ones.
Costs
For samurai in the Sengoku period, Bugeiyonmon was emphasized, the “four skills” covering swords, horses, bows and guns. Sometimes there would be “six skills” (rikuegi) by including spear and jujitsu.
PCs can complete individual Milestones by taking a Downtime Action and paying its respective Cost. If a character is unable to pay the Cost, they may have to find some other way to achieve their goal. A few examples of Cost:
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Gold: Direct payment of gold from a character’s inventory.
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Resources: Non-monetary costs, such as material goods, specific common items, and so on.
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Reputation: Betting on a character’s renown, personality, presence, social connections, etc.
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Loss: Offering something specific and unique. A finger, a soul, a Relic, etc.
Some Costs can be reduced or disregarded through character skills, connections, or force of will. For example, a PC may have already acquired the necessary reputation to gain access to a renowned institution, and thus the cost is abated. On the other hand, another character may not be so lucky and must rely on their force of personality instead. In this case, the Guide should state the risk (a permanent ban on entry, a loss of reputation, etc.). The PC then makes a WIL save; on a success, the cost is either reduced or avoided entirely.
Downtime Actions
Peasants had limited access to formal education or research sources, with most knowledge being passed down orally through families, communities, and apprenticeship systems.
In some cases, local temples and monasteries served as informal centers of knowledge. Commercial leading libraries (kashihonya) would emerge during the Edo Period, providing access to knowledge if one was able to read.
The following activities represent some of the most common Downtime Actions a players can choose. The Guide can also create custom actions based on the needs of play.
Research
A PC investigates a single question about a bit of lost or forgotten lore, the location of a lost item, the whereabouts of an important NPC, and so on. To take this action, the player must have a clearly formulated question they’d like to answer and a Source of knowledge in the game world that their character can interact with. If the PC does not have a Source, then they can spend a Downtime Action trying to find one. There is no guarantee that they will be successful. Once a question is posed and an appropriate Source has been identified, the Guide should provide any Milestones and associated Costs.
Questions
As always, the question must come from an experience that occurred during play.
Examples:
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“Where is the Lost Temple of East Nipoor?”
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“Who in Fortune City might know how to crack an ancient vault?”
Sources
A Source is a person, place, faction, or entity that holds either a part or whole answer that the character seeks. They can be NPCs, Factions, spirits, or even other PCs.
Examples:
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Kewr the Mouth, a frequent contact for the Conclave of Merchants. Despite their excellent relationship with this faction, asking for help in an illicit activity might come at a high cost.
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A Woodwose who makes his home deep in the Forest of Knives. The party encountered him in an earlier expedition, and the encounter did not end well. Still, he is said to know the nature of every herb and their healing properties.
Training
Weapon Types and Skills
Training requires finding a trainer for a specific skill. This can be to gain a bonus to an attribute, with a specific weapon type or skill, or other advancements.
Training occurs at a specific location – finding a school that specifically teaches naginatajutsu (fighting with a naginata) – or with an individual – finding a thief to teach how to pick a lock.
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Hiring a trainer will cost 10 ryo per day (or other incentives other than ryo).
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Players must say how long their PC is training for and pay the Ryo cost before rolling for a success.
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When the number of days has passed, PCs must roll d10 equal to or under the number of days they trained to gain a modifier.
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PC’s gain +1 to the target roll under number for each time they successfully trained for this skill in the past.
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A player must always roll to see if they gain the modifier, even if the target number is greater than 10.
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A 10 is an automatic failure.
Modifiers gained by training are temporary and only last 30 days of in-game time, unless the PC has successfully trained again for that skill during that time.
PCs may train for different modifiers provided they have the time and ryo necessary.
PCs cannot stack modifiers. Training for the same skill when the PC already has a modifier only resets the 30-day expiration clock.
Increasing Abilities
A PC can increase their Abilities through training.
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This training costs 200 ryo per week.
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At the end of the week, the player rolls a D20. If the roll is above their current maximum ability score, it increases by 1.
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An ability cannot be raised above 18.
Ability Trainers
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Strength Training can be given by physically strong trainers, such as sailors, blacksmiths, and soldiers.
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Dexterity Training can be given by thieves, assassins, and hunters.
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Willpower Training can be given by magic-users, priests, or similar folk.
Crucial Saves
Abilities can also be increased by failing Ability Saves in dramatic moments. When a player is about to make a dramatic, important Save in a moment with high stakes, the Guide can declare it a Crucial Save. After laying out the consequences of success and failure within the fiction, the player rolls their dice. If they fail the Save, the used Ability has its maximum increased by 1.
Finding A Trainer
Not every town or village necessarily has the same available resources as another. Same goes for training – there may be a region better known for certain skills than others. Perhaps what a PC needs to learn is only taught by a particular religious sect at one temple in the far, distant north.
The Guide can let players know where they’ll need to travel and who they’ll need to talk to for training and advancement, or the following tables can be used to help generate a story.
The Trainer Is…
| D20 | THE TRAINER IS… |
|---|---|
| 1-12 | where you expect them to be; a normal member of society. |
| 13 | retired. |
| 14 | isolated from society, living the hermit life. Getting to them will not be easy. |
| 15 | the head of a prestigious institution. |
| 16 | hiding in plain sight. |
| 17 | in prison. |
| 18 | kidnapped. |
| 19 | on retainer for the local lord. |
| 20 | a member of a rival adventuring party. |
This Person is Willing to Teach Their Skills… (D20)
| D20 | RESULT | D20 | RESULT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | for the usual fee. | 11 | for double the usual fee. |
| 2 | only to those who fulfill their desire for revenge. | 12 | only to those who clearly possess a strong sense of justice. |
| 3 | only to members of the same social class as them. | 13 | only to those who would cause chaos and mayhem with it. |
| 4 | if you can provide them with some valuable information they have been seeking. | 14 | if you are able to defeat 3 of their students in challenges of STR, DEX, and WIL. |
| 5 | only to those with similar goals. | 15 | only to close friends. |
| 6 | only to those who prove themselves worthy in a friendly contest. | 16 | if you can do something good for the community first. |
| 7 | only to those who would use these skills responsibly. | 17 | only to members of the same clan or guild |
| 8 | if you are able to return their missing pet. | 18 | if you are able to prove your loyalty and dedication to their cause or ideology. |
| 9 | only to those who can solve their riddle. | 19 | if you can teach them something in return. |
| 10 | only to those who prove themselves worthy by fetching a rare item. | 20 | if you can prove that you don’t need the skill. |
Strengthening Ties
A character fosters a connection with an NPC or Faction in the game world. First, they must identify the entity with whom they wish to strengthen ties, as well as a specific intent (e.g., building trust, mending a friendship, seeking membership in a Faction, forming an alliance, and so on). The Guide then provides concrete measures (described as Milestones and Costs) that the PC can undertake to advance the relationship. With each completed Milestone, the Guide describes how the PC’s relationship has grown or changed.
Examples:
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During a play session, a PC becomes friendly with an Agent of the Order of the Helm. Impressed by the Order’s values, the PC asks what the requirements are to join.
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An agent for a powerful faction dies during the Battle of Frogs while under the party’s care. The party wishes to provide redress, so that the party can once again perform tasks for that faction.