Pathfinder Adventure: Rusthenge

4.50/5 (based on 6 ratings)
Pathfinder Adventure: Rusthenge
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Rusthenge is a deluxe Pathfinder adventure for 1st-level characters.

The ruins of Rusthenge have stood silent vigil over the southern coastline of Chakikoth Isle for eons, dating back to the era of the runelords of ancient Thassilon. The town of Iron Harbor was built in Rusthenge's shadow, but now that New Thassilon has risen from the depths of the distant past, the old ruins are coming under unexpected scrutiny. Something sinister is afoot in Rusthenge, and it falls to a brand new band of adventurers to learn the truth of the ancient evil that stirs deep within its long-abandoned halls! This adventure also includes new items and character backgrounds, as well as a pair of new monsters tied to the region's notorious history.

Written by: Vanessa Hoskins.

ISBN-13: 978-1-64078-542-7

Rusthenge is sanctioned for use in Pathfinder Society Organized Play. The rules for running this Adventure and Chronicle sheet are available as a free download (968.3 kb PDF).

*While supplies last.

Note: This product is part of the Pathfinder Adventure Subscription.

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4.50/5 (based on 6 ratings)

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An absolutely wonderful Beginner Adventure! Better then beginners box!

5/5

Ran this for my players as a mini campaign and it was great!

Solid introduction to get peoples boots wet, followed by investigation, and multiple paths to their final destination. A dungeon that feels alive, with clear RP opportunities. Much better at showing a player what it FEELS like to be in a TTRPG with clear player agency, with a story that's much more interesting then 'Demi-humans in the basement' with far grander stakes that still make sense for your heroes to tackle.

It has completely replaced Beginners box for me as my way to introduce new players to PF2, this adventure did not get the attention it deserved I feel.


Excellent Introductory Adventure for Pathfinder 2E

5/5

I just completed this adventure yesterday as a player. It's quite good overall, and frankly, a better introduction to Pathfinder 2E than the Beginner's Box, especially for players who have played TTRPGs before.

The module does a number of things quite cleverly:

* It has a NPC healer who helps you out for a couple encounters at the very beginning, giving you "training wheels" that also feel like a natural part of the world and precondition you towards remembering that NPCs have agency, too.

* It has a variety of different (if mostly pretty simple) enemies you fight over the course of the module.

* It presents the players with a small mystery that they get to solve via RP after getting a few combat encounters under their belt, and which has multiple ways of solving it that lead to the next part of the adventure so the players can't really get stuck.

* There are actual stakes - the players aren't just doing it just because, there's a reason why they need to help out and go and continue into these dangerous situations, and it makes sense from an IC perspective that they would do so.

* The combat encounters aren't overly difficult but aren't overly simplistic.

* It teaches players about weaknesses, gives them the tools to exploit them, and rewards them for exploiting them.

* There are RP encounters throughout the module, not just in one place - each section of the game has an opportunity where you can do some roleplaying, and not just going into every encounter with bloody intentions in mind can allow you to avoid fights and get help and allies

* The NPCs who are helpful often have a good, very sensible reason why they are supplying you with stuff rather than joining in to help you fight, so you don't feel like they are just shoving it on the PCs for no reason or leaving the fighting to the PCs for no reason.

* You can disrupt the bad guys' plans in ways that go beyond just killing things that, if the players are paying attention, will allow them to make their life significantly easier.

* The little town in the module is just big enough to be interesting without being so big that you'll get lost in it and derail the adventure.

I liked it a lot! It was a fun thing and it worked very well, and had a bit of charm to it.


2/5




Excellent PPF2 introduction adventure

5/5

My expectations surged high when the module was announced as soon as I saw the author (very good memories from Thralls of the Shattered Gods!). I enjoyed prepping this one immensely, and had absolute fun running it.

Prep
Everything is where you expect it to be. The mechanics are pretty standard, and the monsters are cool. With the remaster rules there is something to convert when it comes to alignment damage, but that's relatively easy.

Story
The lore ties well into the New Thassilon lore and all the chaos that came with it. The story is pretty cool, and the stakes are reasonably high.

Mechanics
The backgrounds that come with the scenario feel a bit bland at first sight, but they all provide skills that are practical to have for the adventure (also just add a fitting Lore skill to the one background that is missing one).
The custom monsters from this scenario are super cool and I would love to see them more often in PFS.
Mechanically, everything is all relatively straightforward. What stood out for me was that the hazards are well thought out, and they are a very good introduction of what you will come across during an adventuring career. My only minor gripe was that the final boss encounter becomes too easy if the players "do everything correctly".

Combats
The encounters are reasonably smart, and some can be diplomanced, but all combat encounters are interesting. The variation in types of encounters is very well thought out (barring suicidal cultists, of course) and they fit the theme of the scenario very well.

Overall
I loved this module: A very well-executed theme, a nice story, interesting combats with creatures I had never seen before, and cool hazards. There was loads of fun at the table, up to RNG insta-killing the BBEG with a crit fail before the party could act (a mild wtf? moment there ^^).


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Paizo Employee Sales & eCommerce Assistant

3 people marked this as a favorite.

Announced for October! Product image and description are not final and may be subject to change.


4 people marked this as a favorite.

This sounds fun! As a fan who came in with 2e, I'm excited to finally get to touch some Thassilonian goodness.

Dark Archive

2 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

New Thassilon level 1 adventure does kinda count as varisian adventure right? :D Either way nice surprise


2 people marked this as a favorite.

Exciting! Not what I expected for "rust", but I love me some Thassilonian history.

Scarab Sages

3 people marked this as a favorite.

I love Thassilon stuff, and maybe I can tie it to Shadows at Sundown (also takes place in the Saga Lands).

Quote:
Rusthenge is a deluxe Pathfinder adventure for 1st-level characters.

What makes this Adventure deluxe?


2 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

I think "deluxe" is just the term they use for all their ~3 level spanning adventures. A holdover from when the pf1 adventures switched from a shorter to longer format.


4 people marked this as a favorite.

Is this a first solo outing for Vanessa Hoskins? If so I am excited! Love her work.

Any hints as to the themes of this adventure? As in, other than the setting, what separates it from the pack? Or can/should we speculate until it comes out?


2 people marked this as a favorite.
Vardoc Bloodstone wrote:

Is this a first solo outing for Vanessa Hoskins? If so I am excited! Love her work.

Any hints as to the themes of this adventure? As in, other than the setting, what separates it from the pack? Or can/should we speculate until it comes out?

The placeholder art shows a Sinspawn, so I assume this is some ancient Thassilonian nastiness escape to menace the folk of a new age. One can presume there are dungeons to delve.

Silver Crusade

1 person marked this as a favorite.

This is so silly I love it.

Liberty's Edge

3 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Pathfinder Accessories, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

Congrats to Vanessa Hoskins! Also, as a fan of Thassilon, this has me hyped!

Sovereign Court RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16, 2011 Top 32

What levels will this adventure cover? 1-5? 1-3?


James Martin wrote:
What levels will this adventure cover? 1-5? 1-3?

My guess would be 1-4, which is the range for the other level 1 P2 adventure.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

4 people marked this as a favorite.

It's for 1st to 3rd level characters.

Vigilant Seal

3 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, Rulebook, Starfinder Society Subscriber

Are these "one-of's" getting the Foundry treatment moving forward?


Nice! I'm always interested in learning about old Thasalonian ruins.


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Congratulations, Vanessa!


9 people marked this as a favorite.
James Jacobs wrote:
It's for 1st to 3rd level characters.

Can I make a hopefully constructive suggestion, that this be added to the official text at the top of the page? It's good information for everyone to have!

Director of Marketing

17 people marked this as a favorite.
SatiricalBard wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
It's for 1st to 3rd level characters.
Can I make a hopefully constructive suggestion, that this be added to the official text at the top of the page? It's good information for everyone to have!

Yes, I have requested every adventure product page now say what levels it covers, above the line, both in the future and retroactively.


Aaron Shanks wrote:
SatiricalBard wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
It's for 1st to 3rd level characters.
Can I make a hopefully constructive suggestion, that this be added to the official text at the top of the page? It's good information for everyone to have!
Yes, I have requested every adventure product page now say what levels it covers, above the line, both in the future and retroactively.

Thanks Aaron, that would be great!


Pathfinder LO Special Edition, Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, PF Special Edition Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Starfinder Superscriber

Where the heck is chakikoth island?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

11 people marked this as a favorite.
Ed Reppert wrote:
Where the heck is chakikoth island?

It's in the Ironbound Archipelago. Three islands northeast of the Mordant Spire, and west of the Mierani Forest in Varisia.


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber

Will the first Standalone Adventure printed under the ORC License? If so that's very exciting!

Paizo Employee Creative Director

15 people marked this as a favorite.
Brinebeast wrote:
Will the first Standalone Adventure printed under the ORC License? If so that's very exciting!

Rusthenge is an OGL adventure, but you'll notice one particular result of the whole thing in that there are no rust monsters in this adventure. We do different things with rust instead.

We have not yet announced any ORC adventures or any adventures that will be written with the expectation that the bulk of readers will be using the remastered rules. That day will come, but not this year, since integrating ALL of those changes isn't something we can really do until we've got the Monster Core book off to the printer and know its contents aren't going to change.

Of course, OGL 2nd edition Pathfinder adventures and ORC 2nd edition Pathfinder adventures will be compatible with each other, so whenever whatever comes out you'll still be able to run the one of your choice with no fuss.


2 people marked this as a favorite.

Was brainstorming the idea of Edasseril third partying the Linnorm Kingdoms and remembered that King Opir Eightfingers was currently unaccounted for. Was considering the idea that he might be brainwashed or swapped, so I decided to read through the Saga Lands section of the Lost Omen World Guide again. Lost my s%&! when I read that it's rumored that he's locked away in a cell in the "island reaches of western New Thassilon" specifically. Given that adventures for Pathfinder can often include unexpected twists, I might pick up this adventure just to see if this is where that plot bunny is picked up.


Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

Ooooo, that cover art from the PazioCon panel is rad!

Scarab Sages

Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, PF Special Edition Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber; Starfinder Superscriber

Did anyone catch any details about the new backgrounds at PaizoCon? If not, maybe someone could ask Vanessa if she's in a panel today.


logic_poet wrote:
Did anyone catch any details about the new backgrounds at PaizoCon? If not, maybe someone could ask Vanessa if she's in a panel today.

JJ mentioned that they’re all “what is your role in Osprey’s Cove (your hometown)?”


Nice!

Paizo Employee Creative Director

3 people marked this as a favorite.

Yup... the backgrounds are meant to contextualize what role your PC plays in Osprey Cove, your hometown, and also to contextualize why the town elders choose YOU all as the ones to go on this adventure.

Scarab Sages

Seven Dooms for Sandpoint might be a fun follow-up to this. How far is Sandpoint from Osprey Cove? Are there ties between the two?

Paizo Employee Creative Director

9 people marked this as a favorite.
NECR0G1ANT wrote:
Seven Dooms for Sandpoint might be a fun follow-up to this. How far is Sandpoint from Osprey Cove? Are there ties between the two?

It's a boat ride, but not SUPER far. The original settlers of Osprey Cove are from Riddleport.

THAT SAID.

There is a very deliberate tie from Rusthenge to Seven Dooms for Sandpoint that GMs can use to tie the two stories together. The Seven Dooms for Sandpoint Player's Guide will give more context.

Scarab Sages

1 person marked this as a favorite.

Great! Rustenge + Seven Dooms sounds like a great 1-11 Adventure Path!


5 people marked this as a favorite.

As someone who came on with 2e and so has no Runelord/Sandpoint/Varisia nostalgia, the chance to have an introductory storyline that plays with those classics is really exciting.

It's also very cool that Howl of the Wild means those Varisian Centaurs are finally PC-playable!


Will Rustenge be an OGL or ORC adventure?

Silver Crusade

Pathfinder Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

This is a hardcover?


Pathfinder LO Special Edition, Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, PF Special Edition Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Starfinder Superscriber
Cori Marie wrote:
This is a hardcover?

At 25 bucks, I doubt it.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Kelseus wrote:
Will Rustenge be an OGL or ORC adventure?

Rusthenge is an OGL adventure.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Cori Marie wrote:
This is a hardcover?

It's a softcover adventure.

Silver Crusade

Pathfinder Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

Ah today's blog said it was hardcover.


Yup, was just coming in to double-check that. (Though a hardcover version would be Nifty, just sayin'. Or maybe a hardcover collection of Rusthenge + Dooms? Maybe a bit early for that, tho.)


James Jacobs wrote:
Kelseus wrote:
Will Rustenge be an OGL or ORC adventure?
Rusthenge is an OGL adventure.

Do you know if it will be updated to work with the Remaster like Rage of Elements?

Quote:

Aaron Shanks comment on Rage of Elements

The rules in this book are fully updated to work with Player Core, GM Core, and Monster Core. If you’re using the Core Rulebook, Bestiary, and other older books, it notes the changes.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

4 people marked this as a favorite.
Kelseus wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Kelseus wrote:
Will Rustenge be an OGL or ORC adventure?
Rusthenge is an OGL adventure.

Do you know if it will be updated to work with the Remaster like Rage of Elements?

Quote:

Aaron Shanks comment on Rage of Elements

The rules in this book are fully updated to work with Player Core, GM Core, and Monster Core. If you’re using the Core Rulebook, Bestiary, and other older books, it notes the changes.

Partially. We worked to ensure the monster mix in Rusthenge skews strongly away from OGL content and toward our own monsters, but minor things like spell and item name changes from OGL to ORC was not an option at the time. There will be a period of time while we're still publishing OGL adventures after the Remastered rules start to come out, but you can still run these OGL adventures fine. You'll just need to continue referencing some elements from OGL books is all for a few things.

Shadow Lodge

1 person marked this as a favorite.
James Jacobs wrote:
Yup... the backgrounds are meant to contextualize what role your PC plays in Osprey Cove, your hometown, and also to contextualize why the town elders choose YOU all as the ones to go on this adventure.

Are Osprey Cove and Iron Harbor (mentioned in the blog) two names for the same place (one perhaps being the town and the other an institution within it or the geographical feature where it's built), or are these two separate towns?


Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
zimmerwald1915 wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Yup... the backgrounds are meant to contextualize what role your PC plays in Osprey Cove, your hometown, and also to contextualize why the town elders choose YOU all as the ones to go on this adventure.
Are Osprey Cove and Iron Harbor (mentioned in the blog) two names for the same place (one perhaps being the town and the other an institution within it or the geographical feature where it's built), or are these two separate towns?

From the Paizo Con PF Adventures session they are two separate towns.

One is

Spoiler:
the original settlement (Osprey Cove)

And the other is

Spoiler:
a breakaway settlement founded by a group that left Osprey Cove.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

3 people marked this as a favorite.
zimmerwald1915 wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Yup... the backgrounds are meant to contextualize what role your PC plays in Osprey Cove, your hometown, and also to contextualize why the town elders choose YOU all as the ones to go on this adventure.
Are Osprey Cove and Iron Harbor (mentioned in the blog) two names for the same place (one perhaps being the town and the other an institution within it or the geographical feature where it's built), or are these two separate towns?

They're two different settlements. Osprey Cove was founded first by a pair of siblings who fled Riddleport, and then a little bit later they got angry and had a falling out and one headed east up the now-called Kindred Coast to found Iron Harbor, and ever since the two settlements have had a low-key feud going on.

Silver Crusade

Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

James, sorry if you mentioned this elsewhere already but will the Dooms Player's Guide be out in time for this adventure, or at least the way to tie things together? I plan to run them back to back but I'd like to be prepared for the connection before running this.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

7 people marked this as a favorite.
Lesrek wrote:
James, sorry if you mentioned this elsewhere already but will the Dooms Player's Guide be out in time for this adventure, or at least the way to tie things together? I plan to run them back to back but I'd like to be prepared for the connection before running this.

Nope. Rusthenge will be out later this year. Seven Dooms For Sandpoint Player's Guide will be out closer to that release in/around March 2024.

That said, the connection you're looking for is mentioned in the text of Rusthenge, and my plan for the Seven Dooms Player's Guide is to set things up so that those who played Rusthenge will be able to transition their PCs over with ease.

So as long as you end Rusthenge at 4th level and with the PCs still on the Kindred Coast, your biggest complication will be how to stretch out Rusthenge until Seven Dooms is out! :-)


1 person marked this as a favorite.

I just want to go on record as saying that "Rusthenge" is one of the most evocative titles I've ever seen...I feel like it could give someone tetanus. :P


Hooray!

Dark Archive

Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder Adventure Subscriber; Pathfinder Battles Case Subscriber
smitty22 wrote:

Are these "one-of's" getting the Foundry treatment moving forward?

Good question!

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