Do all the APs take place at arount the same time?


Pathfinder Adventure Path General Discussion


I would think so unless the DM says otherwise


Certain APs are explicit sequels to others. Rise of the Runelords can't be run after the events of Jade Regent. Shattered Star assumes that Rise of the Runelords, Curse of the Crimson Throne, and Second Darkness have all occurred, and the upcoming Return of the Runelords is a trilogy with Rise of the Runelords and Shattered Star.

Apart from that, APs take place only if and when your table completes them -- unless the GM says otherwise.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Joana is quite right that for the most part, APs exist in a vacuum wherein they can start pretty much at any time. However, the actual default for most APs seems to be the same date system used by the Pathfinder Society. That is to say, the in-game year of the first book is usually the release year of the first book + 2700. This is the standard Paizo generally goes by, including for their material that mentions APs in relation to historical events or vice versa.

For example, Wrath of the Righteous marks the beginning of the Fifth Mendevian Crusade, which is canonically established to have begun in 4713 (since the first book of that AP came out in 2013). Hell's Rebels as well makes a few mentions of the current year being 4715 (it was released in 2015). Curse of the Crimson Throne has content dating it as being around 4708.

That said, these dates usually aren't that rigid and a DM can moves the dates around a bit without it being too much of a problem, with a few exceptions. There are some specific continuity details established by some of the APs that are much harder to get around. Here's the full list to my knowledge (I may have missed some though):

- Jade Regent assumes that Rise of the Runelords already happened
- Shattered Star assumes that Rise of the Runelords, Curse of the Crimson Throne, and Second Darkness all already happened
- Hell's Rebels and Hell's Vengeance are assumed to be happening roughly in parallel
- Hell's Vengeance has a weird relationship with Council of Thieves as of book 5
- Though not strictly canonical for these reasons, some people I know like to think Hell's Vengeance must happen after Wrath of the Righteous is complete, because that's a lot of high-powered Paladins starting a civil war when there's still a Worldwound to close (this one is more speculation than fact, though the canonical presence of certain Helknights in Mendev and the dates mentioned by both APs supports this)
- War for the Crown is assumed to happen after 4714 (when Lady Morilla replaced the Taldor Pathfinder faction with the Sovereign Court faction) and probably happens after Reign of Winter, Strange Aeons, and any other AP that spends time in Taldor (this one is also conjecture and can easily be ignored; really it's just going by the logic that the fact that Taldor is undergoing a major succession issue seems like the kind of thing that might come up when passing through the nation)
- Return of the Runelords assumes Rise of the Runelords and Shattered Star already happened

There are of course a few other small details here and there that hint at a certain canonical timeline, though these are often just easter eggs or continuity details so minor that they can be easily explained or ignored.

Acquisitives

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Trichotome wrote:
Though not strictly canonical for these reasons, some people I know like to think Hell's Vengeance must happen after Wrath of the Righteous is complete, because that's a lot of high-powered Paladins starting a civil war when there's still a Worldwound to close (this one is more speculation than fact, though the canonical presence of certain Helknights in Mendev and the dates mentioned by both APs supports this)

i really like this.

Quote:
- War for the Crown is assumed to happen after 4714 (when Lady Morilla replaced the Taldor...

I really like the idea about War for the Crown happening simultaneously with Strange Aeons... particularly the showdown in the Arcaneum occurring whilst the opening scenes in WftC happen... or, even better, with the PCs arriving in the midst of an Oppara divided between street gangs and noble retinues.

Community / Forums / Pathfinder / Pathfinder Adventure Path / General Discussion / Do all the APs take place at arount the same time? All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.
Recent threads in General Discussion