Apocalypse the Risen Campaign Setting (5E & Pathfinder)
Created by Rusted Portal Games
Battle undead and demonic horrors ravaging post-apocalyptic Earth 25 years after the Rise. DnD Fifth Edition (5E) & Pathfinder RPG.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Game Designer: Build Your Colony Add-on
over 7 years ago
– Wed, Apr 26, 2017 at 08:16:17 AM
Hello Survivors!
Rusted Portal's own Jason Stolberg and Chad Matson have put together some example questions/answers for the Build Your Colony add-on. We want to spark your creativity and include YOUR colony in the core campaign guide.
Colonies are the starting point for campaigns in AtR. These colonies will become destination locations, canon in Apocalypse the Risen lore. Colonies that players of AtR can include in their home games and that we will use in future adventures. Your ideas plugged right into this game to be explored. And you receive colony designer credit right in the book!
Build Your Colony Add-on: $50
Colony Size: Is your colony a small close knit family (perhaps 20) or a larger more complex community of 100-160?
Outpost Up to 20
Community 21-40
Colony 41-80
Small Town 81-160
Colony Type: Does your colony raid others and claim territory as Marauders? Are they Nomadic and wander from place to place in a convoy of vehicles or pack animals, trading with more rooted communities on the way? Or perhaps they are Isolationist and try to hide their location and numbers from wandering strangers? Examples:
Marauder: Actively raids other colonies in the region, and attempts to control all roads near your colony's base of operations.
Nomadic: Wanders from place to place, the convoy of vehicles serves as the colony.
Isolationist: Tries to conceal their location and numbers as much as possible, the less outsiders that know of them the better.
Trading Hub: Gates are open to goodsmen and strangers, usually has a strong militia and organized bureaucracy to keep control.
Village: Open by nature of their location or other circumstance, depends on a more fortified ally colony (usually a beacon or network of other types) nearby.
Beacon: Larger in size, a beacon colony serves as the stabilizing presence in a region, usually very organized in government, trade, and militia.
Colony Leadership: Is your colony run by a dictator or a counsel? Do they have a working bureaucracy? Examples:
Imperial: Aggressive expansion, constantly ordering probes into outlying areas. Usually run by one person in charge, or perhaps a small group of 3. Their word is law, and the law of the colony matters most. Trusted advisors assure smooth operation of the colony's day to day.
Feudal: Defends territory, usually a single leader or lord. That leader is usually fair and just, but their judgment is ironclad. Orders can come from no one else but the lord of the colony.
Communal: Run by a council or other small organization, everyone serves for the betterment of the community and shares what they can.
Republic: Democracy is the name of the game here, as this colony type believes in the democratic tradition of the Before. One may serve as a voice and face, but it is the vote of the every day colonist that matters on important colony decisions.
Zealot: Pure believe and worship keep this colony together. There is usually a single figurehead religious figure, but the colony's collective belief is strong enough to keep the community knitted strong.
Location: Is your colony a collection of houses from an old neighborhood? Is it a school? Military installation? Use your imagination; where would people settle in the post-apocalyptic world? Examples:
Old Schoolhouse: Has the facilities to house families, usually a solid building with entry points that could be defensed.
Abandoned Factory: Was it a processing plant for food? Or a textile mill? Factories are often in isolated areas with lots of land around it with good sightlines and choke points.
Military Installation: An underground bunker? A personnel barracks? Very defensible and often with large swathes of land around it in all directions.
Ship: Cargo vessel or yacht? A ship is highly mobile but would require a lot of combustible resources to continue being viable.
Town Remains: Perhaps residents never left a neighborhood? Over time the neighborhood becomes a functioning colony with makeshift farmland and pens for livestock.
In and Around: What interesting features does the colony have? Is it built around a mysterious statue of a creature that no one has ever seen and no one knows who put it there? Is there a high school stadium turned into a gladiator fighting pit? Is the blasted remains of an urban center, rich with resources and Risen, nearby for scavenging?
Who lives in the colony? What kinds of personalities have been living there? Maybe the colony leader is an eccentric collector and sends adventurers out to collect shiny baubles from the Before. Or perhaps a goodsman in your town can get pretty much anything that is asked for, even if you know what was requested can't be had in the area around your colony. Or a rock band from the Before resides there, and still plays for the colony from time to time.
How do they react to outsiders or specific races? Some colonies are xenophobic, shunning any from one or more other races than their own. Other colonies are melting pots for all races. A few others embrace demonkind.
If you are considering adding your colony to the official Apocalypse the Risen lore, we encourage you to include the add-on now and slam through those stretch goals.
Stretch Goal News:
We have a real possibility of clearing $20k in the final hours of this campaign. Help us get there and we will add a valuable surprise into the $20k stretch goals already announced!
Truth Transmissions
We are super excited to let you know that we have lined up the voice actor for the role of Truth. We know you'll be pleasantly surprised with the professionalism and talent with this Friend of the Portal, fellow backer, and future apocalypse survivor!
18 Backers from unlocking 2 more "Truths"
3 Twitter Followers from unlocking 2 more "Truths"
You all have been killing it throughout this campaign. Let's knock these stretch goals out of the park with a massive finish!
Leather Bound Kickstarter Exclusive:
In case you missed the earlier update, we have added 10 additional ANTIQUITY level pledges. Many Envy Progeny expressed a desire to acquire this limited edition double-pack, and after speaking with our printer we decided to increase the available quantity. When these sell out no more will be offered at this pledge amount.
We also announced a full color limited edition dust cover will be included for all leather bound backer levels! Below is a mock-up of the leather cover, highlighting the Eclipse Devil in gold foil by artist Preston Stone.
Leather Bound Cover Mock-up
Leather Bound Dust Cover Mock-up
Sincerely,
Donaven - Rusted Portal Games
PORTAL DISCOVERED!
over 7 years ago
– Tue, Apr 25, 2017 at 10:03:20 PM
Hunters,
The colony discovered a new portal and you've just been sent through to scavenge the other side. Eight hours in the channel and you reach the exit portal and step out into a dark warehouse.
Among the dusty collapsing shelves you discover boxes and boxes of mechanical resources, a parts house of some type before the Rise. Stepping over the rubble of a collapsed shelf you see a room in the back, light shinning through the window illuminates something that catches your eye. As you investigate you cannot believe your luck. You've discovered...
Glorious illustration of the Eclipse Devil Dust Cover!
Each leather bound book backer (PF, 5E, or combined) will now include a full color Limited Edition dust cover featuring the Eclipse Devil by artist Preston Stone.
And yes, if you have backed at Antiquity for both books you get two! :)
Sincerely,
Donaven - Rusted Portal Games
We having fun yet?
over 7 years ago
– Tue, Apr 25, 2017 at 10:00:57 PM
Hell yes we are!
You are hardcore backers and we couldn't appreciate you more. Look around, these are the kind of hunters that keeps a colony in resources! And you just unlocked some more goods. Before I get into what's waiting in the dark just around the corner I thought we would give you some insight into our work session last night.
We have local convention PaizoCon coming up at the end of May and we will be running two different games with two GMs.
Chad has a dirty 11th level adventure that will test the knowledge of even the most hardcore Pathfinder players. That game is done and dusted, just waiting for some feisty hunters.
Jason will be running an 8th level adventure which we spent most of the evening plotting. We will be unleashing a beastie previously not seen in the public and it is gnarly. Seriously, if you're local and joining that game, you might reconsider that artifact you're tracking. Ugh.
Another piece of great news... we recorded a podcast interview with BJ Shea's Geek Nation (thanks, Rev!) which will be live tomorrow for us to share out. The Rev was able to get in an awesome 5E session at local Norwescon over Easter weekend playing Blast Radius the Splicer. He told me he had a great time and you could feel the energy in the interview. How awesome is that?!? As soon as that's available we'll let you know.
Okay, so back to these stretch goals you ravenous backers keep running down and devouring. $15k was dropped and $16k is just around the corner. That means you stretch goal level backers will be getting another Scavenge Map, a 2nd level one-shot adventure, and 15 additional micro adventure hooks added to the Journal. Oh, and those one-shot adventures will tie nicely together for those starting up your new campaign!
As discussed in the last update, you know what $16k brings... finishing out the iconic back stories for some world lore, magic items, and great flavor for AtR. Plus some horrifying Ghost stories and a TON of expanded gear added right to the campaign book!
Truth Transmissions:
28 Kickstarter backers for 2 additional "Truths"
26 Twitter followers for 2 additional "Truths"
Now if that doesn't sharpen your axe, check out what $17k and $18k has in store... I'm telling you because we are getting there. I'm only holding back more for suspense. Get it!
Upcoming Stretch Goal: $17,000
War Chest: Scavenge Map 3
War Chest: Adventure Level 3
Adventure: Journal Entry with 20 more adventure hooks!
That's is a heck of a lot of adventuring!
Upcoming Stretch Goal: $18,000
Adventure: Journal Entry with 3 chilling Poltergeist adventure hooks
Corrode (Envy Demon) is a first draft work-in-progress from Preston Stone. We haven't even provided feedback on the overall build but find it so disturbing I had to share. Let's make sure these creatures make the AtR core book because you need these in your game!
RUMOR: We hear from a local Reporter that a new portal was found. We are sending out our hunters to scout the site. Keep an eye out for an update soon on details.
Stretch Goal Update:
over 7 years ago
– Sat, Apr 22, 2017 at 07:55:38 PM
Hello Survivors,
Are you excited? We are really excited! We've broken through another stretch goal and about halfway to the next. You know well how this last week can go and we are dedicated to pushing hard to close strong. Keep with us, retweet and share our social media posts, blast your own with #AtRRPG or "Apocalypse the Risen", and share with your gaming friends and local gaming stores (we've got an add-on just for them)!
Below is a recap of the current stretch goals and what's coming up with the next two... just to make sure you're sufficiently excited.
Truth Transmissions Unlocked: 8 Truth Recordings
33 Twitter Followers away from unlocking 2 more!
43 Backers away from unlocking 2 more!
These are absolutely both doable goals so keep pushing and let's get it done.
Most Recently Unlocked Stretch Goals: $14,000
Adventure: Journal Entry with Four soul-shredding Ghost Stories (Emotes)
Adventure: Iconic Backstories for the Arbiter, Enforcer, and Harbinger
Campaign: Expanded Bestiary! (Devourer, Poltergeist, and Dredge)
Devourer (Risen) by artist Vincent Coviello
Poltergeist (Ghost) by artist Preston Stone
Dredge (Lust Demon) by artist Preston Stone
Upcoming Stretch Goal: $15,000 (~$500 away, just a few backers!)
War Chest: Scavenge Map 2
War Chest: Adventure Level 2
Adventure: Journal Entry with 15 more adventure hooks!
With $16,000 Stretch Goal just around the corner...
Adventure: Journal Entry with Five Terrifying Ghost Stories (Adventure Hooks)
Campaign: Expanded Gear (Magic Items, Special Materials, Vehicles and more!)
Adventure: Iconic Backstories for the Conservator, Hound, and Shepherd
As a first time release teaser... meet your Conservator Iconic: "Mushroom" by artist Raven Mimura. "Mushroom" is one of our convention characters, a mutated human and wielder of Darkland weaponry and armor. In an epic battle against the dreaded Siren Pine, Mushroom was the last remaining of his hunting party, finishing off the foul evergreen with a series of flame strikes. You know who you are, PaizoCon AtR Player!
Okay, and maybe I told Raven that Mushroom should look like Reid. :)
Mushroom, Conservator Iconic, Order of the Flaming Pine
Have you considered the Build a Colony add-on? There is no better value than designing an awesome colony included in the Apocalypse the Risen Campaign. Plus you will work with us and get added to the credits as a colony designer! Build the community and a colony!
Keep it rolling and let's close this campaign out with a big push in the final week!
Sincerely,
Donaven - Rusted Portal Games
Tech, Paradox, and Future Products:
over 7 years ago
– Fri, Apr 21, 2017 at 09:43:04 AM
Greetings Survivors,
We had some great questions from NecroNuke being answered here. You will find some details on old and new tech, information on Paradox not previously released, and a recap of some future products for both Apocalypse the Risen and other connected Worlds of the Portal campaign settings.
Feel free to ask any new questions this sparks!
*Classified Tech*: I’m going to blame Jeff and his 20 years in the Air Force. Jeff likes to believe that warfare tech exists that we don’t know about in present day. I suppose if that were true you might find such tech at places like Area 51. Certainly, no future tech exists, and post-Rise tech is limited at best. You won’t find powered ex-suits or celestial-powered fighter jets, even if that sounds killer! That stuff would be for another world entirely.
(Also, thank you for your service, Jeff!)
*Ancient Artifacts*: Now these absolutely exist. We have been collecting stories of interesting artifacts throughout history. Some of these items appear in iconic stories, others in adventure hooks, and yet a handful of others in the magic item section.
Pre-Rise antiquities may have been created with magic or infused with suppressed energy realized only after the Seals were broken.
Post-Risen magic items occur from supernatural energy attaching to items through events or just chaos. We like to reference Warehouse 13 as an influence in these designs. Magic items you are used to in 5E or Pathfinder are more likely to be found here.
*Paradox*: This is our version of the “Astral Plane” meets the “Upside Down” or “Dark World” from other stories. Paradox will be found in all our Worlds of the Portal campaign settings, accessed differently depending on that world.
In Apocalypse the Risen it is possible to physically travel to Paradox. When it is daytime on Earth it is night in Paradox and at night Paradox is lit only by the various phases of the moon. There are real and unique dangers within Paradox, including entirely different creatures. Joseph Thompson (Project Biomodus) will be illustrating the first of these creatures and we are damn excited about that!
Worlds of the Portal: The Light and the Darkness
Our Worlds of the Portal (WotP) universe is a story about the Light and the Darkness. The Darkness emerged from the Void and soon the Light followed, thus beginning an eternal battle. Every campaign world in our universe has a representation of the Supernatural and the Darkness, but only on Earth does the Supernatural spawn as Risen (zombies) and the Darkness manifest as demons. On Earth, when the Light encountered the Darkness, the Darkness fractured into the seven sin natures.
--> Likely combined as the “AtR: Campaign Expansion” <--
* Bestiary Series (The Dead, The Damned, The Darklands)
* Adventure Series (several adventure paths, many introducing new creatures)
Example: "Horror Scope" will be a higher level adventure introducing the Zodiac, twelve devils once given influence over time that had been hiding out on Earth for over two thousand years.
* Scavenge Maps (Packs of illustrated laminated maps of scavenge locations for the table)
