RAW (Research)

The time between adventures is a great chance to perform research, gaining insight into mysteries that have unfurled over the course of the campaign. Research can include poring over dusty tomes and crumbling scrolls in a library or buying drinks for the locals to pry rumors and gossip from their lips.

When you begin your research, the DM determines whether the information is available, how many days of downtime it will take to find it, and whether there are any restrictions on your research (such as needing to seek out a specific individual, tome, or location). The DM might also require you to make one or more ability checks, such as an Intelligence (Investigation) check to find clues pointing toward the information you seek, or a Charisma (Persuasion) check to secure someone's aid. Once those conditions are met, you learn the information if it is available.

For each day of research, you must spend 1 gp to cover your expenses. This cost is in addition to your normal lifestyle expenses.

Forewarned is forearmed. The research downtime activity allows a character to delve into lore concerning a monster, a location, a magic item, or some other particular topic.

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Resources

Typically, a character needs access to a library or a sage to conduct research. Assuming such access is available, conducting research requires one workweek of effort and at least 50 gp spent on materials, bribes, gifts, and other expenses.

July 4th, 2022

Resolution

The character declares the focus of the research — a specific person, place, or thing. After one workweek, the character makes an Intelligence check with a +1 bonus per 50 gp spent beyond the initial 50 gp, to a maximum of +6. In addition, a character who has access to a particularly well-stocked library or knowledgeable sages gains advantage on this check. Determine how much lore a character learns using the Research Outcomes table.

July 4th, 2022

Research Outcomes

Check Total	Outcome
1-5	No Effect.
6-10	You learn one piece of lore.
11-20	You learn two pieces of lore.
21+	You learn three pieces of lore.

Each piece of lore is the equivalent of one true statement about a person, place, or thing. Examples include knowledge of a creature’s resistances, the password needed to enter a sealed dungeon level, the spells commonly prepared by an order of wizards, and so on.

As DM, you are the final arbiter concerning exactly what a character learns. For a monster or an NPC, you can reveal elements of statistics or personality. For a location, you can reveal secrets about it, such as a hidden entrance, the answer to a riddle, or the nature of a creature that guards the place.

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Research Complications

The greatest risk in research is uncovering false information. Not all lore is accurate or truthful, and a rival with a scholarly bent might try to lead the character astray, especially if the object of the research is known to the rival. The rival might plant false information, bribe sages to give bad advice, or steal key tomes needed to find the truth.

In addition, a character might run into other complications during research. Every workweek spent in research brings a 10 percent chance of a complication, examples of which are on the Research Complications table.

d6	Complication
1	You accidentally damage a rare book.
2	You offend a sage, who demands an extravagant gift.*
3	If you had known that book was cursed, you never would have opened it.
4	A sage becomes obsessed with convincing you of a number of strange theories about reality.*
5	Your actions cause you to be banned from a library until you make reparations.*
6	You uncovered useful lore, but only by promising to complete a dangerous task in return.

*Might involve a rival

July 4th, 2022

Monster Research

Type	Suggested Skills
Aberration	Arcana	The brain or other organs of a rare creature	Flattery and obsequiousness	Secrets or lore it doesn’t already know	Accepting a strange, organic graft onto your body
Beast	Animal Handling, Nature or Survival	Fresh meat	A soothing melody	Brightly colored beads, cloth, feathers, or string	An old stuffed animal or other soft trinket
Celestial	Arcana or Religion	The tale of a heroic figure	An oath to do three charitable deeds before dawn	The crown of a defeated tyrant	A holy relic or treasured family heirloom
Construct	Arcana or History	Oil to apply to the construct’s joints	A magic item with charges, to be used as fuel	A vessel infused with elemental power	Adamantine or mithral components
Dragon	Arcana, History or Nature	Gold or gems	Anything from a draconic rival’s hoard	An antique passed down at least three generations	A flattering artistic depiction of the dragon
Elemental	Arcana or Nature	A gem worth at least 50 gp, which the creature eats	An exceedingly pure sample of a favored element	A way to return the elemental to its home plane	Performing a dance from the elemental’s home plane
Fey	Arcana or Nature	The memory of your first kiss	The color of your eyes	An object of deep sentimental value to you	Reciting a sublime poem
Fiend	Arcana or Religion	Your soul	A desecrated holy object	Blood from a living or recently slain loved one	Breaking a sacred promise in the fiend’s presence
Giant	History	A dwarf admitting giant-craft to be superior to dwarf-craft	A strong working animal	Multiple barrels of ale	Treasure stolen from a rival giant
Humanoid	History	Promising to find a lost item of great importance to their culture	Challenging them to a type of friendly contest, such as dancing, singing, or drinking	Recovering something they’ve lost	Information on a foe’s secrets or weaknesses
Monstrosity	Nature or Survival	Dislodging the stuck scraps of the creature’s last meal	The creature’s favorite food	Driving off the creature’s rival	Making movements that mimic the monster’s mating dance
Ooze	Arcana or Survival	A vial of putrid liquids	A cloth bearing a noxious odor	Bones or metal, which the ooze promptly absorbs	A gallon of any effervescent fluid
Plant	Nature or Survival	A pound of mulch	Water from a spring infused with Feywild energy	Clearing invasive vegetation from the creature’s territory	Destroying all axes and fire-making implements the party carries
Undead	Arcana or Religion	A vial of blood	A personal memento from the creature’s past	Materials, tools, or the skills to sun-proof a crumbling mausoleum	Completing a task the creature was unable to finish in life

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Resources

Resolution

Research Outcomes

Research Complications

Monster Research

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Boosted feature

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