In an earlier post, I outlined the character sheet that I created for my Castle Xyntillian (great module) online-game. Like the character sheet, I wanted this one to be focused on aspects that are important for an old-school game AND promote character engaging with the fiction of the game.
LEFT: Domicile/Money/Inheritance
Domicile: I think I like tracking town time in "weeks" unlike overland travel which is in "days" and dungeon movement which is in 10-minute turns. Since it's "ye olde fantasy land", players have to wait for things- people are out, goods are in limited supply, someone could be off with nobility; shops don't keep completely regular hours. As such, I need to know where the players are staying per week and how much they are paying.
Wealth: Different graphic to also remind players about storing this stuff in a chest somewhere and where is it. Also might matter if their BURDEN limits them from carrying a lot of stuff. They might want to switch things out.
Inheritance: I like the idea of leaving one item to a new character in the advent the old ones dies. Helps also create a little additional backstory to the new character and the player doesn't feel like they have lost everything.
LOWER CENTER: Activities
Adornment: Is a way for the players to invest up to 200 GP in a week to gain equal XP. They will write that change on the center wheel (more on that later).
Magical Research: A couple of rules on scroll making and learning new spells for the magic-users of the group. Two pretty important functions in a mega-dungeon downtime situation.
Martial Improvement: Something for the fighters
Hire a Sage: Certainly good for the players to invest in if they want a true answer from the DM. Cost a lot of money, but its a direct, true answer about the game world.
Pray at a Shrine: I like the idea of religion being a more active component of the world. There are many gods and while there is a general conflict between ORDER and CHAOS, an individual might pray at a shrine for all sorts of divine intervention.
HIRELINGS
Underrated. My players mostly don't use them, but I don't know really why unless it's just they don't want to track another thing or pay them. But I do think hirelings can play an important part in old-school adventuring, so I've tried to give them a prominent position. I've also listed cost for leveled and un-leveled hirelings and dogs.
CENTER: The wheel of improvement
The center wheel is for the player to list prominent or adorned items/things in their possession that are a part of what the character has on display or often talks about in public. The idea is for the player to paint a better picture of the character so we understand how they look to the NPC public at large. I have three groups: weapons/armor; art/literature; clothing/gems/jewelry/icons
Often players say very little about the look of their character other than the new magic sword they got. So when players come off the road from a dungeon, they would be grimy, blood-covered, and wrecked. Certainly not a little for polite society. Also, what about non-magical art or tomes they are reading and quoting? That should have a place too, especially for bards, magic-users, clerics, or other scholarly classes.
Per each downtime session in town, players can work on improving these areas. If they improve two areas they will be invited for a drink by a specific society or guild in town. If they improve all 6 areas, they will be invited to a salon by the nobility. The intent is to create a direct link between how the character carries themselves and who notices them.