Ptolus The City of Magic and Adventure by Monte Cook
A city of mysteries, secrets, and dark histories. Will you be the one to discover them all? Or will you delve the depths of the world below Ptolus?
$20.00
/ Session
Details
Weekly / Thursday - 11:30 PM UTC
Session Duration / 2–2.5 hours
Campaign Length / 5–200 Sessions
0 / 6 Seats Filled
Report Adventure
StartPlaying Money Back Guarantee
If your game doesn't happen, we guarantee a refund. Just reach out to StartPlaying Support. Refund Policy
About the adventure
This campaign blends urban intrigue and classic dungeon delving, where your party might investigate cult activity in one session and explore ancient ruins the next. The city is full of factions, mysteries, and moral gray areas — a place where heroes rise not because they must, but because someone has to. My table thrives on story-driven roleplay, meaningful choices, and collaborative worldbuilding. You’ll encounter rich NPCs with their own motives, dangerous plots that twist and evolve, and moments of humor and heart between the chaos. Whether you love tactical combat, immersive storytelling, or uncovering hidden lore, there’s a place for you in Ptolus. If you’re a player who enjoys character development, shared storytelling, and a living, breathing world that reacts to your actions, then welcome — the City by the Spire is calling. Will you answer?
Game style
Combat Heavy
Combat Lite
Roleplay Heavy
Roleplay Lite
Rule of Cool (RoC)
Dungeon Crawl
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(2)
Less than a year on StartPlaying
Highly rated for: Creativity, Knows the Rules, Rule of Cool
About me
I’m Vicki, and I’ve been a Dungeon Master for over 15 years — and a D&D player for even longer! My DM journey began in the comic book shop my husband and I owned, where I hosted both official Wizards of the Coast events and homegrown campaigns. When the shop closed in 2010, I couldn’t let the adventure end — so I kept running games for friends and local groups, keeping the stories alive. I recently moved to Saint Louis and am now excited to find (or form!) a new adventuring party to share new tales and laughter with. Outside of D&D, I live with my husband and our two dogs, and I love cheering on my nephews at soccer and baseball games. I’m also close with my family and enjoy spending time supporting my parents whenever I can. By day, I work full-time as an SAP Systems Analyst, supporting enterprise software — so yes, technology plays a big role in my life (and it tends to sneak into my games, too!). I’m looking forward to meeting fellow adventurers who love storytelling, creativity, and good company as much as I do. Let’s roll some dice and create something amazing together!
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
We will be starting at level 1 to introduce you to the world of Ptolus. Don't worry, you will level quickly for the first few levels. All Wizards of the Coast books are acceptable as is anything in my World Anvil site. 3rd party books are acceptable after approval. We will go over character creation in a free Session 0 as Ptolus has some differences from WoTC. Some Ptolus specifc rules 1. No rangers, druids or artificers. 2. Races can be Ptolus elves (see Player's Guide), Ptolus dwarves (see Player's guide), humans, halflings, gnomes 3. Backgrounds: In addition to the standard backgrounds, there are the following: Alchemist’s apprentice, Arena fighter , Artisan’s apprentice , Carriage driver , City Watch guard, Clerk in office , Clerk in shop , Conservatory student , Gang member , Gardener , Imperial soldier ,Laborer , Messenger , Sailor Sea , Servant , Squire Knight or other noble , Stablehand , Temple acolyte , University student , and Wizard’s apprentice
What to expect
Preparing for the session
Before the free Session 0 please do the following: 1. Have Discord installed and a profile created (let me know the profile name in Session 0). 2. Create an account on World Anvil (let me know the account name in Session 0) 3. Create an account on Roll20 (I will let you know the campaign link in Session 0). 4. Have a character idea or 2 Preferably before Session 0 but definitely before the first session, please read the Player's Guide to Ptolus. It is free to download at https://www.montecookgames.com/store/product/a-players-guide-to-ptolus/.
What Vicki brings to the table
My GM style is to let the players lead the campaign where they want to go. Ptolus has plenty of adventure and places to explore so we can do what we as a group want to do. The more your backstory is tied into Ptolus the better the experience will be. We will start out with an urban adventure, but we as a group will decide where to go from there. While I love roleplaying, I am very bad at character voices, but I do my best. Don't be surprised if all my characters sound like the same 2 or 3 people. I am good at creating maps, so we will be using a lot of custom maps.
Homebrew rules
1. Drinking a healing potion as a full action is max hit points. You need to roll for hp if you drink it as a bonus action. 2. Special rules for lockpicking and trap disarming.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Vicki creates a safe table
Before the game, everyone will fill out the Lines and Veils document. During session 0 I will cover what topics are out of bounds, with reminders as necessary. During the game, we will use Roll20's Safety Deck (green, yellow, red cards). The first 4-6 weeks I will check in after every session to see how things are going, then every 4-6 weeks after that.
Content warnings
Safety tools used