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I'm looking for information on which Adventure Paths form a series, even if the series is only loose. I have in mind things like:
Rise of the Runelords
Shattered Star
Return of the Runelords
While things like War for the Crown and probably Hell's Vengeance are more standalone.
Obviously, they aren't proper series since each Adventure Path has its own internal story and 1-20 (or at least very high) progression. The ones I mentioned above are all strongly Thassilonian/Runelord themed, however.
Are there other series out there? Did I get all the parts of the Runelords storyline?
You have the main Runelords one listed, but Curse of the Crimson Throne, Jade Regent... and I keep thinking one other one... are both slightly related to the three you mentioned.
I haven't read it, but I assume Carrion Crown and Tyrant's Grasp are kind of related.
Hell's Rebels and Hell's Vengeance pretend to be related but only because they happen in the same country at the same time. The players might hear about general things happening in the other one but neither has any actual impact on the other.
You have the main Runelords one listed, but Curse of the Crimson Throne, Jade Regent... and I keep thinking one other one... are both slightly related to the three you mentioned.
I haven't read it, but I assume Carrion Crown and Tyrant's Grasp are kind of related.
Hell's Rebels and Hell's Vengeance pretend to be related but only because they happen in the same country at the same time. The players might hear about general things happening in the other one but neither has any actual impact on the other.
I think the third one you're thinking of here is Second Darkness which is linked to Rise of the Runelords and Jade Regent by a prominent NPC who features in all three.
There is at least one direct link between Rise of the Runelords and Curse of the Crimson Throne (certainly in the RotR Anniversary Edition) but Curse does not assume that RotR has taken place (nor do Second Darkness or Jade Regent for that matter).
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Carrion Crown definitely takes place before Tyrant's Grasp, although Tyrant's Grasp doesn't assume that Carrion Crown has occurred.
You can see
Carrion Crown
Strange Aeons
Tyrant's Grasp
as an unconnected trilogy of weird and deadly horror APs
beyond that though, it's fun and easy to make connections between APs if you happen to play several of them.
Professor Lorimor (Carrion Crown) would be a fantastic NPC in Mummy's Mask, for instance. No reason not to encounter a rather memorable hobgoblin swashbuckler (Ironfang Invasion) in Giantslayer. A high level party in Ruins of Azlant may well have a run-in with another party in an unusual vehicle (Giantslayer) on their way to make some repairs. The dancing hut (Reign of Winter) can appear anywhere, at any time.
I remember writing a post to this effect some time back in a thread about timelines...
Ah, here it is.
The additions I can think of since then are:
- In addition to the previously listed dependencies, Return of the Runelords has a tangential relation to Wrath of the Righteous by virtue of the appearance and redemption of one significant character
- Tyrant's Grasp assumes that Carrion Crown already happened
Based on that, I think the AP timelines that are at least somewhat established are as follows:
Varisia Continuity
1. Rise of the Runelords
2. Curse of the Crimson Throne
3. Second Darkness
4. Jade Regent
5. Shattered Star
6. Wrath of the Righteous (tangent)
7. Return of the Runelords
Cheliax Continuity
1. Council of Thieves
2. Wrath of the Righteous (speculative)
3a. Hell's Rebels
3b. Hell's Vengeance
Ustalav Continuity
1. Carrion Crown
2. Tyrant's Grasp
Taldor Continuity
1. Reign of Winter (tangent)
2. Strange Aeons (tangent)
3. War for the Crown
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One thing I would do were I to run Strange Aeons is move the Katheer bit of book 4 to be in Oppara.
I'd have the PCs arrive in Oppara in the wake of or during the events of book 1 or book 6 of War for the Crown.
It's not really important that book 4 of Strange Aeons goes to Qadira, although it's probably a better head nod to Mr. Lovecraft.
Interestingly enough, there is a revelation in Return of the Runelords that plays directly into Tyrant's Grasp in how the Tyrant is breaking free from Gallowspire. Specifically, the Tyrant ios only able to escape due to events that occur in Return.
There's a nosferatu that appears in both Curse of the Crimson Throne and Carrion Crown, although the order doesn't matter as long as he survives both.
What is the speculative tie to Cheliax for Wrath of the Righteous?
What is the speculative tie to Cheliax for Wrath of the Righteous?
Isn't it in one of the novels where an important Maguffin which plays a role in WotR ends up in the hands of Mendev even though Abrogail coveted it?
Oh! And the House on Hook Street module is good to play after Curse of the Crimson Throne!
What is the speculative tie to Cheliax for Wrath of the Righteous?
As I mentioned in the post I linked to, it's a common theory (at least among the people I've played with) that Hell's Vengeance necessarily comes after Wrath because the Worldwound being closed justifies the scale of Iomedaeans taking arms to crusade against Cheliax. Otherwise one has to wonder what all of these extremely powerful soldiers are doing there when there is a literal hole where demons are coming out. Your mileage may vary of course, though canonically the 5th Mendevian Crusade (the one that starts Wrath) begins in 4713 AR and the Glorious Reclamation topples Citadel Dinyar in 4715 AR, which supports the idea.
Another point to this case is that canonically there are Hellknights assisting in the Worldwound, and given the events that transpire between the Iomedaeans and the Hellknights to trigger the AP, it's unlikely that the relationship between these factions would be as tolerating as it is during the time that Wrath is occurring.
That said, all of this is more concerned about timeline over pure narrative ties, though arguments could be m,ade that the two are inexorably related.