The frenetic pace of adventuring and running a franchise sometimes covers up underlying issues. Has the party's cleric accidentally started worshiping a dark god? Is the majordomo at odds with the occultant's habit of displaying entrails in the great hall? Is the fighter questioning their life choices? The team building activity can help characters work through problems, settle differences, and adjust the work-life balance. In the end, everyone ends up with a healthier working relationship. Or at least that's the plan. At the DM's determination, characters might be directed by Head Office to run this activity each time a new franchise rank is gained, or during times of exceptional chaos or uncertainty. ***Resources.*** Team building requires the involvement of at least two characters, or a character and a staff member. Those individuals must dedicate at least one workweek to this activity, whose particulars are worked out by participating players and the DM. The team building exercise might be a trust-inspiring ropes course, an emotional "resolve your issues" workshop, a meeting with an NPC spiritual guide, or any other suitable endeavor. Setting up the exercise incurs expenses of from 50 gp to 250 gp per franchise rank, as determined by the DM. ***Resolution.*** Each character or staff member participating in team building chooses another participant, then creates a negative story connection to a bond, ideal, or similar element of that participant's backstory. The players come up with such connections for their own characters. The DM creates connections for franchise staff, either on their own or in consultation with the players. (Characters and staff members do not need to pair up. If everyone else in the franchise has a particular problem with one character, so be it.) Each character and staff member then makes a Wisdom (Insight) check. With the DM's approval, different ability checks and skills might be allowed if they relate to the specifics of the team building exercise. A participant has advantage on their check if the DM decides the story connection was particularly clever or well roleplayed. All checks gain a +1 bonus if one of the characters taking part in the activity is a decisionist. Each check is compared to the Team Building table. The outcome of the check can help redefine the relationships between individual characters, and can establish the tone of roleplaying between characters and franchise staff. Some outcomes also involve a team building memory that provides a potent benefit (see below). ##### Team Building | Check Total | Benefit | |:-----------:|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1–5 | The participant uncovers deep-seated issues between themself and their chosen partner. If this is a character, they have disadvantage on ability checks made in the presence of the partner until the character undertakes this activity again. If this is a staff member, they are traumatized and leave the franchise unless the characters can convince them to stay. | | 6–10 | The participant did not benefit from the team building exercise, but avoided serious trauma. | | 11–15 | The participant was able to work through one or more issues. If this is a character, they have advantage on the next check they make during a franchise or downtime activity. | | 16–20 | The participant sees themself and their connection to the other participant in a whole new way. If this is a character, they have advantage on the next check they make during a franchise or downtime activity, and they gain a team building memory (see below). | | 21+ | The participant has had an awakening, gaining a deep sense of who they can become and their connection to their partner. The character has advantage on the next check they make during a franchise or downtime activity, and gains two team building memories. | ***Team Building Memories.*** The most potent personal changes inspired by team building can last a lifetime. Or at least an encounter. A character who earns a team building memory gains an extraordinary ability that can be used once. As a bonus action, the character gains one effect of the *enhance ability* spell for 10 minutes (no concentration required). A character can retain team building memories only from the most recent instance of this activity. If a character has unused team building memories and undertakes this activity again, those memories are lost. *Wait, we're a team? I thought we were independent entities with temporarily aligned goals.*— **Môrgæn*****Complications.*** At the DM's determination, every team building exercise has a chance of creating a complication as things get real, yo. The DM can choose a complication or roll on the Team Building Complications table. ##### Team Building Complications | d6 | Complication | |:---:|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1 | The team building activity is revealed to actually be a death trap, an island of doom, or a similar challenge. The DM determines whether this was an honest mix-up, the act of a disgruntled staff member, or the actions of a rival.* | | 2 | Upon hearing what took place during the team building exercise, uninvolved staff members decide that the franchise is subjecting them to too much trauma. Some staff members might threaten to quit, or decide they want more benefits. | | 3 | It's revealed that the team building exercise was set up by a rival as an opportunity to ambush the participants, or to attack the franchise headquarters while the characters were away.* | | 4 | The participants learn way too much about each other. Each character participating in the activity must select a bond, ideal, or similar background aspect from their partner and come up with a story explaining how this becomes a conflict for them. | | 5 | Staff members who did not participate in the team building exercise feel left out, and morale drops at the franchise. The characters must find a way to raise staff spirits that does not involve running this activity again. | | 6 | A staff member involved in the activity is secretly a member of a rival organization, or has been duped into doing that organization's bidding. During the team building exercise, the rival organization plans to steal franchise secrets or destroy the participants' morale.* | *Might involve a rival