CTP Presents: Rise of the Runelords
The Adventure Path that started it all, remastered. An ancient evil is stirring in its slumber to menace the present day. It's time to be a hero.
$24.00
/ Session
Details
Weekly / Wednesday - 9:00 AM UTC
Session Duration / 3–4 hours
Campaign Length / 30+ Sessions
0 / 5 Seats Filled
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About the adventure
The original Pathfinder adventure path is a classic romp through Varisia, a rugged land haunted by the ruins of a fallen ancient empire of sin and magic. The challenges start small but linearly increase in size, both literally and figuratively, leading you from humble beginnings to the near-zenith of power. This is a pulpy, action-packed series of adventures featuring classic dungeon delves, as well as more exotic locales. Visit sleepy towns, bustling cities, and the ruins of a long-gone civilization while uncovering an emerging conspiracy that threatens to plunge Varisia into a new age of tyranny, and possibly threaten all of the Inner Sea region. There's no 'wrong character' for Rise of the Runelords; expect combat, mystery, memorable NPCs, and High Adventure. Veterans to 3.5 D&D/Pathfinder 1e are welcomed, as are new players that want to experience 'the old ways.'
Game style
Combat Heavy
Rules as Written (RaW)
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(16)
Less than a year on StartPlaying
58 games hosted
Highly rated for: Knows the Rules, Teacher, Creativity
About me
The name's Seth, but you can call me CTP! My goal is to provide the best gaming experience for you that I possibly can, and I have high standards! I've got over 20 years of TTRPG experience; at least 50% of that time was as a DM/GM running games for my friends. I consider myself an exceptional GM. I balance improv, acting, fun voices and accents, and thorough system knowledge with a sense of fairness, excitement, narrative development, and humor. I run pre-written material as well as creating my own adventures and campaigns. I also know what it's like from the players' POV. https://www.youtube.com/@CTP_GNG ^ check out my silly gaming YouTube channel if you want to hear some voices and SUCH; the Legend of Legaia playlist has a lot of voice acting nonsense I tell you what boy howdy.
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
Your character is still inexperienced, but they have the spark of future greatness. You find yourself in Varisia, a rugged land sparsely populated by the 'civilized' races of Golarion. Perhaps you were born here, maybe you fled here to avoid civil unrest, war, or the long arm of the law. Perhaps the ancient ruins of the lost empire of Thassilon have attracted your scholarly interests, or your deity guided you here in a dream. By chance, you find yourselves in the sleepy coastal town of Sandpoint. The Swallowtail Festival is about to begin, so it's a good time to relax and get some free food! But unbeknownst to the people of Sandpoint and Varisia as a whole, evil is stirring... Characters begin at level 1, and the campaign uses the fast experience track. Please use 20 point buy to generate your ability scores. You can take the average roll for your starting gold. All 1st party material is allowed, but please note the following: The foes you will face off against will largely be evil, and your character should be motivated to help people, or at the very least defend their friends, loved ones, or homeland from a looming threat. Characters dependent on large-sized mounts will likely wind up frustrated. The Vigilante class is a pretty poor choice for this campaign. Not unusable but not really its scene. While traps will be around every once in a while, a dedicated trap-solver is not really necessary. The Leadership feat and similar features are soft-banned unless you have something very particular in mind; please consult with me before going down that road! I would prefer Summoners, Monks, and Rogues use the Unchained versions of those classes; Barbarian is more dealer's choice. Archetypes must be compatible with the Unchained versions. Tromp L'oeil is banned. Sacred Geometry is banned. In general please consult with me if you are interested in an archetype or possibly multiple archetypes.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
All you will need to play is a Discord account and a microphone, I will be providing the virtual table top. If you have artwork you would like for your character, send it my way so I can make a token! There are various ways and methods to save a Pathfinder 1e character sheet. In the past I have used the old forum Myth Weavers, but as long as you have a way to send me a character sheet or stat block, I will be able to ingest your stats into Foundry.
What CockroachTeaParty brings to the table
What are you paying for? 1. Dedication. You can trust that I will not flake and will be dedicating a professional amount of time to giving you the best version of this adventure possible. 2. System mastery. I have over 15 years of experience with this rule set, or versions of it. I've even written guides for Pathfinder 1e that people still read today! I know how this system works, and I can help you realize the fantasy you want to see. It can be intimidating to confront the monolith that is the entire 1st party Pathfinder 1e rules, but you will have direct access to my BRAIN as a resource. 3. Trust. I guarantee I will be running the rules to maximize player enjoyment. I aim to provide a compelling, exciting challenge, without cheating or fudging the rules against the players. If an NPC gets defeated by a stroke of luck or an excellent plan, I will not deny you your victory! 4. Quality virtual play experience. Foundry VTT is a great tool, highly customizable, that will help us organize and expedite the play experience. Expect cool maps, special effects, animations, and tools to help us juggle all of this MATH. 5. Finally, I will be vetting interested players to make sure everybody is on the same page with the type of game you desire. I am hoping that my price point will attract serious players. Do not be intimidated if you are new to the system! I enjoy teaching and helping you realize your ideal character fantasy.
Homebrew rules
If I say a character is 'bloodied,' that means they are roughly at 1/2 hp; this is a habit from the old 4e D&D days. If you are interested in going down some of the more notorious rabbit holes of the rules, do me a solid and let's discuss it first so we can clearly establish expectations. This includes hardcore necromancy, summoning and binding outsiders, ambitious crafting, simulacra, mindscapes, and doing action economy crimes. You will NOT need to hyper optimize to succeed at this game, I promise you.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How CockroachTeaParty creates a safe table
I will be talking to every prospective player and am offering a free session 0, both to help you make your character as well as to establish boundaries and discuss any sensitive topics I need to be aware of. I want my game to be a safe space where you can relax and enjoy some pulpy high fantasy rather than let reality's troubles encroach. If you have issues with the game or other players, you will always have an open invitation to message me directly so we can discuss and hopefully come to an equitable solution.
Content warnings
Safety tools used