A city of mysteries, secrets, and dark histories, Ptolus lies forever in the shadow of a towering stone spire reaching impossibly high into the sky, itself an enigma and a reminder of evil long past. Ptolus is a place where the supernatural is expected, and treachery lies around every corner—or is it that the supernatural lies around every corner and treachery is expected? Either way, Ptolus is a city of danger, magic, intrigue, and above all: adventure.

“Some place needs to be the worst place in the world. Why not here?”—Brusselt Airmol, well-known rogue adventurer

This 32-page guide is designed to introduce you as a player to the fundamentals of Ptolus, so that you can create and run a character with plenty of knowledge about the world. The city is rich enough in detail that it’s difficult to absorb it all at once, so keep this information handy to reference while you play in a Ptolus campaign—and be prepared to discover that what you learn in these pages is only the very briefest of overviews.

The guide includes a full map of the city of Ptolus, as well as an introduction to the city and sections on campaign look and feel, the various local districts, noble houses, organizations, history, NPCs, religion, the larger world, character creation, magic, equipment, and more.