Night Out Activities

Night out activities function similarly to downtime or journey activities, but take place over the course of only a couple hours, usually (but not necessarily) over the course of an evening. While these activities are commonly undertaken in taverns, they can also take place in casinos, coffee houses, and similar establishments. Each activity can be performed by any number of adventurers at the same time, though each makes their own roll.

Unless otherwise stated, an adventurer can only perform one such activity each day. This doesn’t mean they can only do one thing for that period, but the choice represents what they invest the most time in and the only one that provides a mechanical effect. When making an ability check for a night out activity, an adventurer may achieve a success or a failure, or a critical success or a critical failure, each with a different outcome. At the Narrator’s discretion, certain negative outcomes can be removed with spells such as lesser restoration or items such as antitoxin, but otherwise resolve within 24 hours or after a successful saving throw.

Before starting a Night Out, the Narrator and the players should decide whether the goal is for it to be a brief interlude or the set up for a lengthy roleplaying session. Players should never be pushed into to taking part in a Night Out, and it is important for the Narrator to clarify in which way they will be used in case a player intends to sit out. Obviously such things occasionally go awry, and a single roll or witty comment could transmute what was intended to be a brief interlude turn into an entire raucous session. In such cases it’s suggested that the Narrator offer any adventurers who would otherwise have chosen a quiet night in another chance to join in the evening’s hijinks.

Additionally, this system is intended to be a fun break from the main plot. While of course Narrators may choose to allow adventurers to discover plot-relevant information during this time or potentially meet a particular NPC, it’s best to avoid any “load-bearing” scenes or interactions without informing the players. That said, night out activities do not happen in a vacuum—poor behavior, being caught thieving, or using lethal force will likely have consequences in the settlement, whether social or legal.

Available Activities. A Night Out can only occur in an occupied area. This is most often a Country Shire, Open Roads, or Urban Township, but army encampments, druid groves, and mysteriously isolated taverns in dark woods may also allow for certain night out activities. The Narrator determines which night out activities can be performed, based on location, settlement size, and the tone and themes of the game.

Difficulty Class. Like journey activities, the DC of a night out activity is based on the region’s tier: tier 0 — DC 10, tier 1 — DC 12, tier 2 — DC 14, tier 3 — DC 16, tier 4 — DC 18. The Narrator may also rule that a region may grant advantage or disadvantage to certain activities.

Modifying DC. The Narrator can raise the DC on a night out activity based on extenuating circumstances. Here are some suggestions for modifying a night out activity’s difficulty class:

• Dangerous Times (+2) may have the whole population on edge, making them scarce and generally less friendly.
• Multitasking (+3) such as attempting a night out activity while trying not to be identified, may make it harder to attempt the check.
• Bad Reputation (+2–4) may make it difficult to interact with the locals, impeding a check made to Perform, Look for Romance, or Rumormonger.