Downtime Training
You may spend your time actively training a skill or talent without spending XP. This training happens slowly and must be the main activity that you focus on during the time spent training. The downtime training for skills and talents are calculated separately, but only one can be done at a time. Any cost reductions in XP do not count as spent XP.
- Skills: You can use downtime training to train up to a number of Skills equal to your highest Mind Attribute modifier. Every day you spend training towards a Skill, you gain 1 XP reduction towards the cost of that Skill. Once the cost of the Skill reaches 0 XP, and you have all prerequisites, you gain the Skill for free. Every additional time that you train a Skill this way, you add one additional day of training to attain that 1 XP reduction.
- Talents: You can use downtime training to train up to a number of Talents equal to half of your highest Mind Attribute modifier. Every day that you spend training towards a Talent, you gain 1 XP reduction towards the cost of that Talent. Once the cost of the Talent reaches 0 XP, and you have all prerequisites, you gain the Talent for free. Every additional time that you train a Talent this way, you add one additional day of training to attain that 1 XP reduction.
Special Downtime Training (Optional)
Depending on your GM, you may be allowed to take part in special downtime training. This type of training is more focused on the flavor of- and actions-taken during the training. You typically should only have access to this type of training during long stretches of downtime or time skips, usually one month or longer. You should describe what you are doing during this time, and the GM should reward you based on those actions.
Some examples of rewards a GM may give for special downtime training are flat amounts of XP that can only be spent on a specific category, percentage cost reduction on a category of talents when using downtime XP, unlocking special abilities created by the GM, uncovering information, or receiving some items related to the downtime taken.
It is recommended that the GM averages the rewards up towards what you received the most to keep things balanced. Just like with normal downtime any XP gained through this does not count as spent XP.
- Example: Lillian Softpad spends a month in the city making contacts in the black market as well as the local gambling ring. She gains 15 XP to spend on skills or talents related to luck and gambling, these are also 50 percent cheaper when using this XP. In addition, she now has access to items in the black market and made 50 gp gambling.
NPC Downtime Training
Non-Player Characters or NPCs, such as Cohorts or Hirelings can gain XP like normal PCs, however it is more common for them to spend time learning new skills and talents. These NPC’s train at a slower rate than compared to PC or unique creature would. In addition, this training takes their full day and as such they are unable to do other things such as crafting.
- Skills: NPC’s can train a skill at 1 XP for every 1*skill rank days. For example, a Journeyman adventuring skill would take 40 days of training.
- Talents: NPC’s can train a talent at 1 XP for every 1*talent tier days. For example, a tier 2 general talent would take 80 days of training.