A religious service can be anything from attending rites, proselytizing in the community or aiding the temple with various tasks (i.e. help construct a building, delivery goods to disciples, representing the church in certain matter). By performing these tasks, the character has a chance of winning the favor of the temples leaders.

• • A character can have a maximum number of unused favors equal to 1 + the character’s Charisma OR Intelligence modifier (minimum of one unused favor.)

To perform religious services, a character needs access to a temple whose beliefs and ethos align AND in good standing with the temple.

• This activity takes 5 downtime days.
• No gold is required for this activity.
• Features, spells and items are allowed for this downtime activity.

Downtime Example: Zera spends 5 days in religious service to the Mother of the Waters. Rolling the Persuasion check. (modest lifestyle)

Complications: Temples can be labyrinths of political and social scheming. Even the best-intentioned follower can fall prone to problems. For each workweek spent in religious service, there is a 10 percent chance of a complication. For more information, click here for the Hostiles & Rivals.

• • Hostile Contacts​ give -1 on every skill check involving downtime. Characters are required to spend these until no hostile contacts remaining.
  • Rival Contact give a permanent -1 to all checks involving the downtime performed by that character, until resolved.

Favors are defined in Xanathar’s as “a favor, in broad terms, is a promise of future assistance from a representative of the temple.”
The table below provides a list of possible favor exchanges, but a dungeon master may allow something else in sessions.