Homebrew Story Awards for Downtime Days:
“Ear to the Ground”
spend this Award to learn 3 rumours about topics important in the upcoming game session
1 will be true, 1 will be mostly true, 1 will be partly true
doing this multiple times before the same game session will reveal the same three rumours
cost: 2 Downtime Days and 50gp
“Forbidden Knowledge”
learn a dangerous secret about something in the setting (but not nec. about the next plot)
cost: 10 Downtime Days and 250gp
“Good Thing I Brought This Along Just in Case”
spend this Award to get any one item from the Adventuring Gear list in the PHB (p150) till the end of the game session
cost: 1 Downtime Day and 100gp
“I Have Trained for Exactly This”
you can spend this Award at anytime in this campaign to get a “20” on a d20 on an ability check you would have rolled with proficiency
you must spend this Award before rolling - you cannot use it for a check after rolling
cost: 10 Downtime Days
“It Was a Fake the Whole Time”
spend this Award to have a duplicate of any magical or nonmagical item featured in the adventure, including any necessary casting of Nystul’s magic aura to sell the ruse. Duplicates of magic items have no real magical power. You decide who currently has the fake, even if it doesn’t logically make sense.
note: should the task of an adventure be to aquire a specific item, you cannot use this Award for that specific item (but for any other item in that adventure)
cost: 10 Downtime Days and 500gp
“Wait! I Have Talked to This Guard Before”
spend this Award to start a backflash scene how you met and interacted with a guard 10 days earlier
all ability checks in the backflash scene will have advantage
note: only works on living guards (so neither contructs nor undead)
cost: 10 Downtime Days (plus maybe gold if you spend it during the “flash-back scene”)
“You Really Had Me Going There”
spend this Award to start a backflash scene how you secretly have tried to struck a deal with an antagonist 10 days earlier.
cost: 20 Downtime Days (plus maybe gold if you spend it during the backflash scene)
“Working the Ranks”
you gain a mission from a Faction
depending on your degree of success, your Reputation for that Faction will rise by 1 or 2
prerequisite: Faction Reputation 1+
cost: 10 Downtime Days
“Training Montage”
gain proficiency in one of the tools (or Languages) from your Faction
prerequisite: Faction Reputation 3+
cost: 10 Downtime Days and 200gp
“Dirty Fighting”
You gain the Martial Adept Feat as a Homebrew Story Award.
note: should you have levels in the Battle Master subclass, the superiority die gained from this Homebrew Story Award will still stay a d6.
cost: 15 Downtime Days and 500gp
“Undercommon by Exposure”
You pick up the local slang and learn Undercommon
note: people from Skullport can immediately spot your “upperworldy” accent.
prerequisite: being able to speak Common
cost: 10 Downtime Days
“Shopping in Skullport”
You use extra time to track down goods from various Underdark merchants.
prerequisite: being able to speak Undercommon
cost: 1 Downtime Day per shop visited
Dead Man's Corner (Spellbook/Zombies)
This ramshackle and crammed shop is run by Olivia Stillwater.
She lets you copy some spells for “free”: t.m. you do not have to pay an additional cost to the cost to copy these spells, but you have to swear an oath to Olivia Stillwater, that you will always memorize spells learned this way (in case a fire breaks out).
Skullport firebrigarde spells:
- gust of wind (Evoc.), warding wind (Evoc.)
- sleet storm (Conj.), tidal wave (Conj.)
- watery sphere (Conj.)
Zombies:
- you can buy “zombies on a leash” for 50gp a piece here
Feathered Rat (Mounts/Familiars)
A petshop run by the half-elf Ulvira Snowveins.
She sells the following mounts:
- deep rothé pack beast for 50gp
- giant riding lizard for 100gp
- trained cave badger for 500gp
also, for a fee, she can teach someone to increase their list of summoned familiars
- add campestri to your list of conjurable familiars for 50gp
- add cranium rat to your list of conjurable familiars for 50gp
- add tressym to your list of conjurable familiars for 100gp
should you have a pseudodragon familiar via your Pact of the Chain warlock feature, she can show you how to strengthen your bond:
- learn to share your familiar’s Magic Resistance trait as long as your pseudodragon is within 10 feet of you, for 1500gp
House Auvryndar (Poisons)
This drow house sells various poisons. Malice Auvryndar, who hangs around the Bat’s Roost fighting pit, handles most of the “merchandise”.
- (200gp) Drow poison [injury]
- (400gp) oil of Taggit [contact]
- (600gp) torpor [ingested]
Nightshade's Caress (Potions)
An apothecary shop run by the mummy known as Nightshade.
She sells the following potions:
- (50gp) potion of climbing
- (50gp) potion of embalming fluid (as potion of healing but works on undead instead)
- (250gp) potion of greater healing (4d4+4 HP)
- (250gp) potion of fire resistance
- (250gp) potion of water breathing
- (1250gp) potion of invisibility
Poisoned Quill (Spellbook/Scrolls/Teleportation-Circle)
A mage shop run by the eccentric Tasselgryn Velldarn.
Poisoned Quill spells:
You can pay her to copy spells from her spellbook.
Prices are in addition to the cost to copy these spells.
[25gp] absorb elements (Abj.), comprehend languages (Divin.), detect magic (Divin.), identify (Divin.), illusory script (Illu.), mage armor (Abj.), ray of sickness (Necro.), shield (Abj.)
[75gp] augury (Divin.), continual flame (Evoc.), gentle repose (Necro.), invisibility (Illu.), knock (Trans.), spider climb (Trans.)
[150gp] counterspell (Abj.), dispel magic (Abj.), feign death (Necro), fly (Trans.), stinking cloud (Conj), water breathing (Trans.)
[300gp] arcane eye (Divin.), dimension door (Conj), greater invisibility (Illu.), locate creature (Divin.), Mordenkainen’s private sanctum (Abj.), polymorph (Trans.)
[750gp] cloudkill (Conj.), modify memory (Ench.), passwall (Trans.), Rary’s telepathic bond (Divin.), seeming (Illu.), teleportation circle (Conj.)
[1800gp] guards and wards (Abj.), move earth (Trans.), programmed illusion (Illu.)
Poisoned Quill scrolls:
- spell scroll of comprehend languages for 50gp
- spell scroll of detect magic for 50gp
- spell scroll of ray of sickness [attack +5; DC 13]) for 50gp
Teleportation Circle
- you can persuade her to use her teleportation circle for a fee of 50gp per person
Sword & Sextant (Maps)
A map shop being run by a pair of halfling brothers Oleander and Will.
- crude map of Skullport for 50gp
- buy lots of maps of Skullport widely varied in age and quality for 500gp
Old Xoblob Shop (Trinkets)
This curiousity shop is run by the gnome Xoblob. It is famous for the stuffed beholder that hangs above its front window.
Couriosities for sale:
- a potion that permanently turns a magic item purple, for 10gp (max. 3)
- gain a random trinket for 5gp (max. 3)
please keep in mind, that these Homebrew Story Awards only work at my table