Out of Your Depth

This week we're going to start taking a look at the inaugural first-party adventure for Realm of Runes. Introducing... Sunk Costs! A few playtest groups have run through this adventure already, and it's a lot of fun. As we discuss Sunk Costs, I'll try to keep spoiler-y information to a minimum while still getting across what makes this adventure special.

As with the Menagerie, Sunk Costs is written in a level-agnostic format. This allows the adventure to naturally scale to your party whatever level you start the adventure at, or the speed (or lack thereof) with which your party levels. This is especially important for Sunk Costs, as its structure is fairly open-ended. There are many areas to explore, but the order in which they can be attempted is left to the players themselves to decide.

Also thanks to its level-agnostic format, a group of any level can play through this adventure with an appropriate challenge. Brand new characters are not required, but new characters have access to several bespoke Backstory Boons if built fresh for this campaign specifically. These boons help integrate characters into the story, but are not required to enjoy the adventure. Characters still have the freedom to choose any of the other boons already available, and those which go into Sunk Costs at higher levels are not punished for losing access to them. Still, these boons are very useful in the adventure and beyond for those that want them!

Sunk Costs pulls many of its encounters directly from the Menagerie, but also includes its own cadre of unique encounters designed specifically for the adventure. There are also many rare items, and even new materials, to be found that characters normally would not have access otherwise!

Another benefit of Sunk Cost's design, is that your group's pace does not adversely affect the adventure's overall challenge. There are several milestones included throughout the adventure, and reaching these milestones can be a good reason to level up. If your group likes to gain levels quickly, or plays through the adventure slowly, you might gain a lot of levels over the course of Sunk Costs. On the other hand, if your group likes to savor their levels, or plays through quickly, the challenge won't leave you behind.

We'll discuss some more details about Sunk Costs in future installments. Next week we'll take a look at some of the worldbuilding for Rimukyr, so stay tuned!