Welcome to the Phriday Phantoms Player's Guide!
Phriday Phantoms, a story about the mysteries of The Ancients' Forest, lost magics and mysterious phantoms. The campaign's main themes are forgotten gods, ancient magic and mystery. This story takes place in The Industrial Era.
If you're reading this Player's Guide it means your GM has roped you into starting a new adventure. In this Pathfinder 2e campaign you will be starting at Level 1.
To the right, you will find an index to navigate this guide with ease. Make sure to read it in its entirety at least once, it's the least you can do.
Below you’ll find spoiler-free lore, campaign details, and specific suggestions to help you create a character tailored specifically for this campaign. This Player’s Guide is organized into the following sections:
Gazetteer
A brief overview of the area in which this adventure will take place.Key Players
A look at the many key players that are active within the setting in general, each of which plays a role within the story.Coming Together
The plot hook for the first session, and a reason for the party to stick together.Character Suggestions
Additional guidance, practical advice, and specific tips for creating a character that fits seamlessly into this campaign.Game Execution
An overview of everything relevant to the meta-level execution of the campaign.
Index
Gazetteer
Runeshroud
A small town near the south western edge of the forest. Home to the Runebound Adventuring Guild, some farmland, and a close-knit group of citizens.
Key Players
The following factions are likely to play a role in the adventure:
Runebound Adventuring Guild - The adventuring guild the party is a part of, which has recently seen some unfortunate circumstances.
Inventor's Dominion - A group of inventors who wish to use their rudimentary tech to discover the secrets of the forest. They see the RAG as their rivals.
The Ancients - Ĕ̵̩͈́́t̷̼̥͛i̷̖̲̠̺̐͜͝a̵̧̫̲̓́͑̂̕m̴͈̯̺̺̓ ̴̙̫͍͒̀̏͌͝m̶̮̘͇̮̚a̵̡̫̥̍̾͒͠ͅl̷̠̀͌͛͘ë̴̬̞̳́̽͜ṣ̸̢͎̳̎͜u̷̻͎̐͆ȃ̶̢̪̟͊̐͌̅ͅḑ̶̝̓͘a̴̮͚̻̗͋̂͆̀́ ̴̖̙̬̻͑̀̆͗s̵̭͌̋̚͝͝ͅḁ̶͊ǵ̷̡͚̦͕ȋ̴͓̦t̸̪̮͊̓ṱ̶̢̖̻͇̐̏͘͝i̵̡̘̠̤̕s̵̘͔̈̽͊ ̷̼̯͍̎̀s̷͙͎͓̀̄ę̴̬̈̈͝m̸͓̘̘͙͋̈́,̴̳̜̃ ̸̤̃̏̈ą̶̼̻͓̪̾͂͌c̸̡̩̹̒̾͘͜͝ ̷̯͉̣̱̈́͗͑͝ò̴̥̆͐͗͠r̸̩̈́̏͊̎̈́ṅ̴͙̐̑̄ḁ̴̼͈̤͎̎r̶͚͍̬̀͒͗͗͘͜ẹ̴̢̗͍̈ ̵̧̥̺̱̦̆l̶̛͕͉͓̱̇̊̈õ̷̻̮̋̕ṛ̴̰͒̊́͌͆e̷̢̙̥̙̓͊̏͘m̶̙̝̩͈̾̄͠ ̸͍̄̾͒͜m̷̦̍́́̾̂ǫ̵̨̖̙̠̽̍͘l̵̛͇͍̾̔ͅé̶̡̡͚̦̊͠s̸̩̱͉̭̞̆͑̂͊̍t̸̰͎̥̀͑͜͠į̶̛̯̗͜ͅe̸̢̺͉͇͝ ̸͚̝̤͓̓v̷̡̛̝̣́̈́̏̌ȋ̴̥̝̚t̶̨́̂å̷̤̫͠é̷̘͂.̸̫̭̹̎̐̑̈͜ ̴̢̨͓̼̱̈Ị̸̇̃͊n̷̬̳̈ṭ̴̳̠̘̽̽͝ȩ̵͎͖͋̽͘g̷̮̓͒ê̴͕̔r̷͕̱̦͓̋́́͛̑ ̷͚͚̝̂̒͝d̷̫̟̉̑̎́o̷̺̩͎̅ͅl̵̛̪̀͊̆̀o̷̢̊ṛ̴͐̎̈́ ̶̖͙͂õ̷̢̬͓̰͔r̸͉͑̈͘c̶̘̘̖͈̈i̵̞̩̓̽̊̀̚ͅ,̸̡̾͌͑̂ͅ ̴̼̩̞̜̍̈́́̐̕h̴͇͛̃͆͝é̵̟̑͗̈́͛n̶̨̈͂̋d̴̡͗̿̈̚ŗ̸̦͍̗͔̿̽̋͌̽e̵̯̖̖͒͂r̴̪̟̲͐̊̀i̸͕̰̜̅ṱ̸̻̖̬̅̂ ̷͙́e̵̛̖̐͐͑̍g̷̜͖͝ͅẻ̵̺̪̥̀̄̿͘ͅt̸̹͉͊ͅ ̷͍̠̜̩͎͌t̶̨̬̝̥̾í̴͍̰̬̑͑͊͝ń̵͐͜ç̸̼͇̞̔̿͒͛͛ͅi̸͎̺̤̿̂́̄͌d̴̗̈́͒̈̑ṳ̵͈̪͚͍̅̍̿̌ņ̶̪̜͉̦̌̽̕t̸͓̯͍̞̝̎͂͘ ̷̧̰͕̻̈̽u̴͎̐̕t̵͎́,̵̨̹̖̒ ̷̣̯̝͈͐̐̀͝f̵̢̦̠̝͚̌̔̈͊â̸̹ṵ̸̊̈c̴̨͕͙̼̥͌͝͝i̸̤̫̜̯̯͆̇b̸͈͖̈́u̸̖̜̾̈́̚ś̵͉ ̶͍̺̣͑̏f̸̖̌́̔̚͘a̸̰̜̰̫͗c̶͖̱͙͗̆́̆͘i̴̢̝̰̼̰̎̍̓͘l̶̙̺̞̆͂̊̍͜i̷͇̖͋͋͊͝͠s̶̬͌̀͛i̶̼̹͛́͊̓ṣ̶͛́͑ ̶̛̤̖̠̞̥̈́̄l̸͚̱͖̀ḭ̵̘̼͍͋̈b̴̝̥̣̄ͅe̶̲͐ŗ̵͓͙͈̠̍̐̍͝ơ̴͇͉̬̳̒.
Coming Together
The Ancients' Forest, with the town of Runeshroud in particular, has recently been plagued by incorporeal creatures, referred to by the populus as Phantoms. These Phantoms have been attacking people, and the most recent victim was Elder Verdan Dayi, priest of the Runebound Adventuring Guild you are all a part of. Your mission is loud and clear, trace his footsteps and find out what happened to him.
The party already knows each other to a certain extent, as they find themselves part of the same adventuring guild. Whether you joined recently, have been a dedicated member for years or something else, you start this adventure as a member of this guild.
Character Suggestions
You are free to shape your character in whatever way you would like, taking into consideration the matters described above and below. Taking the following matters into consideration will help you get the most out of this campaign.
Disposition
Curious characters will most suit this campaign. Whether they lean towards law or chaos, good or evil, will not matter much. All that matters is that they joined the RAG for whatever purpose, and are interested in investigating what is going on.
Ancestries & Heritages
As a citizen of Runeshroud, and by extension, The Ancients' Forest, the most appropriate ancestries (and heritages) to choose are those active in the area.
Common Ancestries and Heritages
The following ancestries are represented thoroughly in the area lore. Humans and Kitsune are the most common ancestries, making up a significant amount of the populus in Runeshroud.
Leshy are also plentiful within the forest, especially with the ancient magics.
Uncommon Ancestries and Heritages
Catfolk are also represented well, mostly through the Clawstrider Nomads.
The same goes for the Orcs, with the Solar Orcs roaming around the forest.
Dromaar (Half-Orc)s and Empyrean (Moon)+Empyrean (Sun) are both common within the forest as well. The former due to the contact orcs have with humans, the latter due to the many leylines that are in the area.
Rare Ancestries and Heritages
Automaton have recently started awakening in the forest, and while rare, they can certainly be found in the area.
Sprite are available, though they would need to have a good reason to leave Inventor's Dominion for their rival faction.
Available Ancestries
Available Heritages
Classes
While basically every class can work for this campaign, there are a few classes that may suit the story better than others.
Most recommended classes
The Investigator would work very well ability-wise. As the campaign is focussed on mysteries, the Pursue a Lead feature ties into the investigating of these mysteries perfectly.
The Thaumaturge is also very recommended. As the ghost-hunting class, their various knicknacks and talent for the occult makes them a perfect fit for both the theme and storyline.
Recommended classes
The Druid and Ranger will suit the campaign's forest setting well, both being in tune with nature and good at exploring.
The Witch and Oracle suit the spiritual theme well too, both being closely knit with the occult. The same can be said for the Summoner when combined with a thematic Eidolon, and the Kineticist with a Wood element dedication.
Not recommended
While they are allowed, I wouldn't recommend the Alchemist and the Inventor.
The Alchemist doesn't suit the ancient forest vibe well unless reflavoured to be more of a natural ingredient user.
The Inventor would, like the Sprite, likely have come from the party's rival faction (Inventor's Dominion). They would need a good reason to have left this faction for the enemy.
Not allowed
The only class that is not allowed for play in this campaign is the Gunslinger. Guns are unavailable in the region, and while your character may have carried one over from a different region, there is no chance that they will find any sustainable way to continue using their main weapons.
Skills, Lore, and Languages
While skills and lores that complement your character concept are the best ones to take, some may see more use than others. It is good to keep the below information in mind when choosing.
Recommended Skills and Lore
Arcana
There is plenty of magic in the campaign, Arcana will see a decent amount of use.
Lore: Ancients
The limited knowledge about The Ancients will be of much use during the campaign.
Lore: Ghosts
As you are all fighting phantoms, lore and knowledge about ghosts will come in quite handy.
Occultism
The phantoms are likely to have to do with the occult, thus Occultism will see a decent amount of use.
Religion
For spoiler-related regions, Religion will be see quite a bit of use.
Survival
As some of the campaign will be exploring the forest, Survival will be quite useful during your journey.
Recommended Languages
Runespeak (Common)
Self-explanatory.
Fey
Plenty of Ancestries in the forest speak Sylvan, it can be useful for connecting with those who have it as a native language.
Orcish
The Solar Orcs are a common presence in the forest, and may be a worthy ally.
Not recommended Skills and Languages
Crafting
There will not be many opportunities for crafting or downtime during this campaign.
Performance
Unless for Bardic purposes, Performance is unlikely to come up in any scenarios.
Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Gnomish, Halfling, most Uncommon languages, all Rare languages
It is very unlikely any of these languages will be spoken by NPCs you meet this campaign.
Religion
Verdanwyth is the most commonly worshipped goddess, as she rules over the forest.
Kaelen as the god of travel is also a recommended deity, spreading stories and protecting travellers.
Solariel is worshipped by all Orcs in the region.
Backgrounds
Campaign-specific backgrounds
Aside from the campaign-specific backgrounds, these backgrounds are also recommended for the campaign:
Dendrologist - As a dendrologist, the various trees in The Ancients' Forest fascinate you. They are touched and changed by the magic of the leylines. Perhaps this adventuring guild can help you delve deeper into the forest.
Farmsteader - Born and raised in Runeshroud, you know everything there is to know about farming. Everything, except for why the crops have been failing recently. Maybe it has to do with those darned phantoms...
Hunter - Hunting the wildlife of the forest, or perhaps the giant insects of the rainforest, has given you many skills. And these newfound phantoms just may be the hunting challenge you're looking for.
Spell Seeker - The magic of The Ancients' Forest intrigues you. It's new, unconventional, and it ought to be studied more thoroughly.
Trailblazer - Most of The Ancients' Forest and its ruins are uncharted, unmapped. Someone has to be the first to map them out, and you're the one for the job.
Game Execution
The Game Execution includes some standard rules and set-ups for play. This will be updated after session 0.
House rules
Summary Rolls
At the start of each session, every player rolls a d20 to determine who writes the summary. The player who wrote the previous summary rolls with Fortune. A player who did not write their summary before the session rolls with Misfortune.
Recall Knowledge
On a succesful Recall Knowledge check the player will gain basic knowledge of their enemy, including their 'gimmick' (think regeneration for Trolls).
On a successive success, the player gains a bit of information that doesn't express itself in numbers. Think of their weakest save, whether they're resistant to X damage, etc.
On a critical success, the player will gain an additional bit of knowledge.
Hero Points
Hero Points apply Fortune to a roll of choice, rather than a reroll (can be applied after viewing the result).
You will gain 1 Hero Point when you start the session, and gain another once every hour.
The person chosen by the Summary Roll also starts the session with 2 Hero Points.
Sessions
The sessions will run every other Friday from 19:30 to 22:30.
We will take a 15min break at about half of the session, or when prompted earlier/later.
Attendance
Attendance is to be indicated in the Apollo Event beforehand. Failure to indicate this means you're not playing, even if you are available.
We will play with a minimum of 3 players.
Table Manners
Preparation
Know your character. Make sure you have a decent grasp of what your character can do. Skimming your sheet before the session helps!
Be prepared when you show up. It is recommended to hop into call 1-15 minutes early to sort out any technical issues and gather the materials needed to play.
Make sure you've done any 'homework' assigned for the session. The game often can't continue properly without this.
Substance use
Please do not take part in substance use during or shortly before our sessions.
Having a beer for taste is fine, but know your limits. Excessive use will get you booted from the session, and upon repeated offense, the campaign.
If you need any substances for medical reasons, please inform the GM beforehand.
Campaign Preperation
Pre-Session 0
Make sure you have a vague character concept to play during the campaign.
Make sure you have read at least this guide, and preferably browsed the LK a bit.
Pre-Session 1
Have your character sheet ready and fully filled out in FoundryVTT.
Send me a token with the following requirements:
It must be a circle or hexagon. This can be done with tools like TokenStamp.
It must be of the .webp format. You can use an online converter to turn your .png into the correct format.
Send me a backstory with the following requirements:
Minimum length of a paragraph, maximum length of 1.5 pages.
Include a TL;DR version of the backstory in the glossary.
Include any NPCs that are important to your backstory in the glossary.
Clearly state your character goals (in character) and player goals (out of character) for the campaign.
Game Mechanics
We will be using the 2024 Remastered rules for Pathfinder 2e.
Legacy content is allowed as shown in the LegendKeeper. Legacy items are also allowed.
Please message me before using any other legacy content.
We will be using the Free Archetype optional rule.
Please check the usage of non-common items, spells, feats etc. with the GM first.
Lines and Veils
Lines and veils are used to set boundaries on content in a game. Lines are hard limits on content, things that the game master or the players don’t want to engage in. Setting up a line means that content won’t show up in the game at all. Veils are soft limits, things that are ok “behind a curtain” or when they “cut-to-black.” Setting up a veil means that the content might be in the game but not spotlighted or described in great detail.
Lines
Images of spiders.
Queerphobia of any kind.
Veils
Sex.
Suicide.
Extreme grief.