Sandpoint Campaign setting book

[Lanathar]

From what I understand this book is post ROTR

Has anyone identified the major things in it that a user of this book would need to be careful of? I need to decide whether or not to buy it

It looks like it will take some careful reading

I haven’t read all of the main campaign but I imagine for example the Kaijitsu related stuff will all need to be wound back. And presumably there are others who have died / places that have been destroyed in between Runelords and this book ?

[GreenMandar]

Most of it is still relevant, at least the more fleshed out descriptions and stats of locations and NPCs. Of course some things are changed as you alude to, a few NPCs that died or locations that are no longer the same. It does seem a lot of the extra encounter material is post ROtRL. But unless you are feel a lot more encounter material that shouldn't be a problem.
What else..
There are pictures of many more of the town's NPCs.
And updated wandering monster chart for the hinterlands (more specific for the type of terrain you are in).

I'm on my phone or I would give more specific answers. I'll try to come back.

[GreenMandar]

Also, while it's post RotRL, it is before other Adventure Paths that occur in Sandpoint or interact with Sandpoint characters so it's not too far on the future.

[Yossarian]

It's a good book if you're really into Sandpoint.

If you don't want to buy a book, here's a Sandpoint guide I created for my RotRL campaign that provides a bunch of stuff to flesh the town out more.

[Nicolas Paradise]

While the content within is post RotR I have been using it to add side quests and make Sandpoint more alive. It includes a lot of good info like specialty items in all the inn and taverns menus. None of the content in it happens after Shattered Star, or Jade Regent. It also assumes things like the Beginners Box and some of the Bash Demos happened. It also gives better info on some enemies and legends around Sandpoint that are hinted at in RotR and a few of the enouunters from the back of the comics.

Personally I feel it is a great book that can be used durung RotR if you are willing to have the AP be more packed and it also gives good places for things to do even at high level once you finish rotr.

[Askar Avari]

I just read the entire setting guide a few days ago, and I've already introduced changes/additions to Sandpoint based on its contents. Some notables:

- Shayliss Vinder is given a satisfying follow-up to her sister's death as a zealot of Calistria

- Shayliss's story become heavily entwined with Rhyshinn, another interesting character with little explanation about her.

- Most of the characters in town given portraits are people of color, including Kaye, Jabyl (Sabyl's new name), and, rather unsurprisingly, Ameiko.

- Some of the more traumatic events, such as the Glassworks, have notes or full quests about their impact on the town and people involved, which I think really helps make Sandpoint feel like it's changing over time.

- The loss of Scarnetti influence that happens over many RotR games seems to make being visibly queer easier in Sandpoint, as there are multiple married gay couples, a lesbian(?) ship builder, and Kaye's very continued existence, which is just a lovely bonus.

- A dungeon for the Old Light! And another beneath Sandpoint Cathedral! Two very promising locations got maps with recommended monsters and traps.

- A fairly detailed explanation of the Red Bishop's plans for the Lost Coast, something I've been trying to understand since I started DMing in Golarion, that really ties in a lot of what's happening during Rise of the Runelords through the Jade Regeant together.

[Captain Morgan]

Have folks had much luck layering this stuff into Rise of the Runelords? Obviously some of it can't be tapped early on. But I have run the Valdemar manor stuff which worked fairly well as a heist from Jubrayl to retrieve a journal the party couldn't decipher. (Though they might be able to eventually... I should figure out what it says. XD)

But between the pacing of Rise and the amount of detail given on the various potential adventure hooks, it feels hard to fit in. I know that isn't the book's intended purpose, as it is meant to be used as a post-Rise sandbox campaign rather than an AP extension. But there are so many fun ideas and it seems a shame to not make them work somehow.

[Askar Avari]

Hey there Captain Morgan,

I absolutely loved the setting guide, and have been pretty disappointed at how little I can integrate it into Rise of the Runelords without just fully distracting from what you're there to do. Here's what I've used it for:

- A lot of the character information can be used to help flesh out Sandpoint.

The Avertins:

For instance, Arika Avertin's "wanting to be a hero but gets out of her depth" was something I already had devised for Aneka, so I pulled ideas from that. The quest that she ended up taking on was going to Thistletop. In addition, she chose that moment specifically to start adventuring because her mother was pressuring her to marry rich (specifically, encouraging her to court Aldern Foxglove).

- Some of the events described in the book are happening parallel to Rise of the Runelords, and can be used to keep a feeling of motion and activity in Sandpoint during downtime and during times the party is away.

The Vinders:

For instance, I always found it jarring that Shayliss has no role in Book 2, given her father's jailing and her sister's murder. I personally decided to make her a major NPC before ever starting the game, turning her into a vigilante. However, she now has an official arc about HOW she becomes a vigilante - her family's grief and rejection of her leads to her suicidal mentality, which leads to the uncovering of Calistria's shrine. That shrine can absoLUTELY make an excellent one-shot, and significantly flavor Sandpoint's history. The decades of conflict for followers of Calistira in Sandpoint is, in my opinion, one of the best violations to the "quaint village with huge troubles" aesthetic that Sandpoint has throughout Rise of the Runelords, and the Vinders are one of the easiest ways to access that history through Shayliss. Rynshinn is of course the other major player here, and an interesting enough character to be fleshed out in most campaigns in her own right.

- As the party starts spending less time in Sandpoint (especially starting in Book 3), it can be kind of fun to have little side-sessions for favored NPCs or extra characters if, for some reason, you're not going to continue the main campaign during some session. I run a large party, but if people can't make it, I still like to host a game - just with lower stakes!

- Some stuff I think really shouldn't be touched because it's too big of a distraction. The Lamashtu v Pazuzu conflict involving Grubber's Hermitage and several locations that appear in RotR and the Sandpoint Hinterlands is way too large-scale to tack onto Rise of the Runelords, but it can make for an AWESOME adventure if your players are attached to Sandpoint. I originally had my own Lamashtu v Pazuzu conflict written up for the area, but I ended up trashing good chunks of it because the campaign setting book gave me a lot to flesh it out with (so much so that I wasn't okay rushing it as a side thing anymore!)

- Plenty of the little one-off adventures work great for PCs who develop special interests in the area.

Thassilonian Ruins:

For instance, I have multiple players who LOVE Thassilonian ruins, and are especially interested in anything having to do with Alaznist, so the ruins beneath Sandpoint make for fantastic sessions for a smaller group.

The one thing I would say is don't try and fully merge these two things - the heroes of Rise of the Runelords are supposed to feel somewhat distant, the stuff of legend who happen to have a soft spot for the town where it all started. The heroes who investigate every nook and cranny of Sandpoint and put down the Red Bishop? Those are legends, but they are extraordinary people - and there's a good chance they emerge from Sandpoint's own citizens, perhaps inspired by the Heroes of Sandpoint. Pull interesting, fleshed-out tidbits, but for the most part I'd leave the quests and extended plot hooks behind. And, of course, as I'll always recommend: make as much use of Shayliss's story as you can. I personally can't stand how she's treated in the original RotR, but Shayliss/Shroud is my favorite NPC in Golarion with the addition of the Setting Guide (perhaps second only to Nualia Tobyn, but that's a close one...)

[Uqbarian]

Coming in late to this thread, but I'm excited to read that we get the lowdown on the Red Bishop's plans at last!

[Captain Morgan]

Askar Avari wrote:

Hey there Captain Morgan,

I absolutely loved the setting guide, and have been pretty disappointed at how little I can integrate it into Rise of the Runelords without just fully distracting from what you're there to do. Here's what I've used it for:

- A lot of the character information can be used to help flesh out Sandpoint.
** spoiler omitted **

- Some of the events described in the book are happening parallel to Rise of the Runelords, and can be used to keep a feeling of motion and activity in Sandpoint during downtime and during times the party is away.
** spoiler omitted **

- As the party starts spending less time in...

Great stuff! Thanks. :)