Adventurers League: What is downtime and what can it be used for?

Question

The Adventurers League DM gave me 5 days of downtime. I don't even know what it is for. What can I do with my 5 days of downtime?

I'd like some examples of things that can be done other than what is in the book, if there are other options.

Answer 1

Adventurers League Player's Guide (v9.2) page 3

You can use the downtime activities found in the Player’s Handbook or the following activities. Others can be used if allowed by other campaign documents

It only allows these three sources:

1. Player's Handbook

   section Downtime Activities below the Between Adventures heading.

   Between trips to dungeons and battles against ancient evils, adventurers need time to rest, recuperate, and prepare for their next adventure. Many adventurers also use this time to perform other tasks, such as crafting arms and armor, performing research, or spending their hard-earned gold.

   These are the options provided in the Player's Handbook/Basic Rules:

   1. Crafting
   2. Practicing Profession
   3. Recuperating
   4. Researching
   5. Training

   _{Note : Practicing Profession and Researching are not used in Adventurers League game, as far as I've known.}

2. Adventurers League Player's Guide

   additional options for you to spend your downtime days:

   1. Spellcasting Services
   2. Catching Up
   3. Copying Spells
   4. Trading Magic Items
   5. Brewing Potions of Healing (Xanathar's Guide to Everything)
   6. Scribing Scrolls (Xanathar's Guide to Everything)

3. Other campaign documents

For further details on each option, please consult their respective source (PHB, ALPG, or XGE).

Other than activities mentioned in these three sources, none are allowed.

Answer 2

It might be worth taking a look at the Player's Handbook, the section on Downtime Activities, beginning on page 187. Among other possibilities it mentions crafting non-magical objects or conducting research. You might want to then have a discussion with your GM.

As Vylix suggested, there are a number of questions here on rpg.se that deal with downtime.

Good luck!

Answer 3

My interpretation of downtime is kind of like the time "between adventures." It's the time that you spend doing different activities like Crafting, Practicing your profession, Recuperating, Researching, and Training. My DM has our group have downtime every other week or so, in the time in between meetings (once a week). Things like the kind of lifestyle you live in can come into hand. My DM has us pay our lifestyle fee every time we start downtime. He also has us prepare "schedules" for what we do during downtime.

FOR EXAMPLE: If we have a 5-day downtime, we can preprogram our characters (kinda like readying a move) to do things like practicing our profession on Monday, or researching a new spell on Wednesday.

It's really up to your DM to say what activities and what you can do during downtime. I would suggest asking him what he means by it and using that as your answer.