Characters of a religious persuasion, or those simply wanting to do something good in their community can carry out the Religious or Civil Service DTA and potentially benefit from it. Putting your skills to use for the benefit of the community is likely to be rewarded with kindness in Kantas.
With DTDM agreement, Religious or Civil Service can be done anywhere.
Performing religious or civil service requires access to, and often attendance at either a temple (or a similar place of worship and faith), or a civic institution whose beliefs and ethos align with the character’s. If such a place is available, the Religious or Civil Service DTA can be carried out spending either 1 Light or Taxing DTA Slot. No expenditure of gold is required. Only 1 Light DTA slot per DT week can be spent for the Religious or Civil Service DTA.
The character attempts to gain a favour from the institution they volunteer at for a week, potentially helping with services for the institution and the community at large.
At the end of the required time, the character chooses to make either an Intelligence (Religion), a Strength (Athletics), a Intelligence (History), a Wisdom (Medicine), or a Charisma (Persuasion) check. If a Taxing DTA slot was spent, add a +2 bonus to the roll. The total of the check determines the benefits of service, as shown on the Religious or Civil Service table.
Religious or Civil Service
Check Total | Result |
1-12 | Your efforts are appreciated, but this time you have not earned a favour. |
13-21 | You earn one favour. |
22+ | You earn two favours. |
A favour, in broad terms, is a promise of future assistance from a representative of the institution. It can be expended to ask for help in dealing with a specific problem, for general political or social support, or—with the DTDMs approval based on the circumstances of the service—to reduce the cost of cleric spellcasting by 50%.
A favour could also take the form of a deity’s intervention, such as an omen, a vision, or a minor miracle. This latter sort of favour is at the discretion of the DTDMs, who also determine its nature, and is without mechanical implications. Favours earned need not be expended immediately, but only a certain number can be stored up. A character can have a maximum number of unused favours equal to 1 + Charisma Modifier (minimum of 1 unused favour).
For other ideas and ways to use Favours earned please refer to the Favours section of this downtime guide.
Characters carrying out this DTA with a trained pet might gain extra benefits. See the commands descriptions in the Pet Training section for details.
Temples and civil institutions can be labyrinths of political and social scheming. Even the best-intentioned priests and administrators can fall prone to rivalries. A character risks
becoming embroiled in such struggles.
Every 1 Light DTA slot spent volunteering brings a 5% chance of a complication. Every 1 Taxing DTA slot spent volunteering brings a 10% chance of a complication, examples of which are on the Religious Service Complications table.
Religious or Civil Service Complications
d6 | Complications |
1 | You have offended a priest or administrator through your words or actions.* |
2 | A fistfight is still a fistfight, even if you got involved by accident. |
3 | You accidentally lose the donations of the week and have to reimburse the institution with 4d6 gp. |
4 | The administration misunderstands your intentions, thinking you are an undercover investigator. |
5 | The administrators implore you to take up a crucial quest to help them. |
6 | You accidentally discover that an important person at the institution is a fiend worshiper.* |
*Might involve a rival