Downtime: this phase is for three things:

First, expanding and improving your base,

Second, gathering information you'll need later, and

Third, trying to recruit helpers and/or allies.

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Finally, we're done cleaning up after the last cycle! Now it's time for everyone to start contributing at once!

Each of you say which of the above three things you want to do.

You can pick the same option as someone else, if you want.

With more people coming in now, I'm thinking some expansion would be good.

Would that Expansion include a Temple?

Rasal, now that you've started your rebel horde, you can spend some money and finish the barracks room... Want to do that...?






The Sandstone is a "stronghold," so I feel that one would need to "fill out" all the other features of a stronghold before we talk about officially adding a temple or shrine.


Stronghold : Through Strength of Arms
A stronghold is your seat of power from which you project your might through strength of arms. You build raiding parties and later small armies, looking to free a dominion from the rule of a tyrant, patriarchy, or what-have-you.
In a stronghold, helpers flock to your banners looking to follow powerful leaders into glorious battle.

--War Banners: You start with helper salaries 1 and your salaries are always one higher than your base tier. At salaries 5, you attract an enormous beast of war or small army, a single veteran helper with three edges that rolls 3d on actions and can face a tier 3 faction on equal footing.

Stronghold Rooms

--Barracks: You can pay light cost to automatically recruit the following helper types:
grunts - raiders - scouts. These fresh recruits also function as a creature equal to your
base tier.

--Bestiary: You always have fresh mounts, which come with an edge (choose one): aquatic - armored - fast - flying - intelligent - magical - terrifying. Your mount can help out on a roll, but you risk losing it.

--Fighting Pit: You can choose two combatants (helpers, creatures, or prisoners) to fight, rolling their tier or an action in opposed fortune rolls. Which side do your helpers cheer for? If that side wins, take +1d to calamity, and helpers regain all morale. If it loses, the PCs each gain a Heart. On a tie, everyone wins!

--Smithy: Each of your helpers gains the deadly edge as you equip them with dangerous weapons. If they already had it, they take +effect when attacking.

--Armorer: Each of your helpers gains the armored edge as you equip them with armor. If they already had it, they gain it again, becoming heavily armored.

--Prison: You can hold prisoners for ransom.

--War Room: Take +1d on engagement rolls for the following raid plans: set a trap, slaughter, smash & grab.

These are what the Sandstone has:




Stronghold : Through Strength of Arms

--War Banners: You start with helper salaries 1 and your salaries are always one higher than your base tier. At salaries 5, you attract an enormous beast of war or small army, a single veteran helper with three edges that rolls 3d on actions and can face a tier 3 faction on equal footing.

Stronghold Rooms

--Barracks: You can pay light cost to automatically recruit the following helper types:
grunts - raiders - scouts. These fresh recruits also function as a creature equal to your
base tier.

--Bestiary: You always have fresh mounts, which come with an edge (choose one): aquatic - armored - fast - flying - intelligent - magical - terrifying. Your mount can help out on a roll, but you risk losing it.

--Fighting Pit: You can choose two combatants (helpers, creatures, or prisoners) to fight, rolling their tier or an action in opposed fortune rolls. Which side do your helpers cheer for? If that side wins, take +1d to calamity, and helpers regain all morale. If it loses, the PCs each gain a Heart. On a tie, everyone wins!

--Smithy: Each of your helpers gains the deadly edge as you equip them with dangerous weapons. If they already had it, they take +effect when attacking.

--Armorer: Each of your helpers gains the armored edge as you equip them with armor. If they already had it, they gain it again, becoming heavily armored.

--Prison: You can hold prisoners for ransom.

FILL OUT
Are you saying that we will need to supply the SandStone with all the ones in bold before we can add a Temple?



There are additional things in the SandStone but not posting for Fill Out list:
--Creature lair:
--Trick:
--Lock:

Well, you can turn a space into a shrine now, but yes, I am saying that you will have to do the others first, before getting game-mechanics benefits from it.




Yes, because all lairs have those.

The list I gave is just a list of the special features a Stronghold can get.

So to confirm, all we need to get is the Barracks?

Then after that we can get a Temple?

No, all of the things on the list: Barracks, Bestiary, Fighting Pit, Smithy, Armorer, Prison.


And again, as I said earlier-- you can have a shrine or other consecrated area right now... you will just not get any game-mechanic bonus from it at this time.

I would definitely like to complete the barracks right now.  And I would certainly be on board with a shrine that gives flavor text but no mechanical effect for now.

Since the shrine gives no mechanical effect, I won't charge you for it. All Lady Chessintra has to do is supervise the brownies setting up a shrine to look however she wants it to be.

So that still leaves two of you to choose how you'll spend your downtime phase...

I will also be performing a Ritual to help make the process successful and perfect.

I accept that, but I am not charging you for that-- you may do something else, as well.

Ritual:
Level 1
❖ Learn the location of the magical item to benefit from.


11:51, Today: Lady Chessintra rolled 9 using 3d6 with rolls of 2,3,4.  Ritual.

Oh! Doing a Ritual! That's quite different!

So, but... what "magical item to benefit from" are you referring to...?

I’m leaving that in the hands of Fate.


She would know what is beneficial

Lady Chessintra's ritual is partially successful.

Through it, Kirith Sotheril informs Lady Chessintra that there is a powerful artifact that would greatly help the rebellion in the Ruined Castle, to the east.

However, everyone knows that the Ruined Castle is the home of The Duchess, a powerful ghost...

The ritual did not reveal what the artifact is, nor did it hint what the rebels ought to do to get it...

A small earth elemental of only about three feet in height appears before Graithar... but it seems to have trouble maintaining its form.

It informs him that there are indeed various tunnels around here... some are filled with water, but there's one that might be good for his purposes of making for a good emergency getaway tunnel... "...the one complication that might not make it perfect is that at the far end, there's... there's..."

The earth elemental collapses into a pile of stones and sand. End of ritual.

Still, Graithar knows more than he knew before... it can be done... although there might be some complication at the far end...?

Probably a new ritual would have to be done to get more information (like, which direction, exactly, to dig in)... but Graithar will have to rest up for that.

---

Meanwhile, spending a little money from the hoard, Rasal equips the barracks. The barracks are now ready for use...

(I have updated the SANDSTONE thread-- the Barracks are now ready for use. You can use them to recruit help on your next Downtime phase.

Everyone ready for the next Raid phase?

If so... what shall it be? Attacking the Duchess at the Ruined Castle...? Or will you hold off on that, and try diplomacy with her at the next Downtime phase...?)