Pathfinder® Society™ / FAQ

General Questions

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What books are Pathfinder Society players and GMs assumed to have?

Pathfinder Society Organized Play assumes that every player has access to the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook and a familiarity with Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Pathfinder Society Field Guide, and that every Game Master has access to the above plus the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary. When designing and developing scenarios, we assume that references to rules or flavor in these books needn't be explained. Lack of access to these materials may prevent players or GMs from being able to participate in the campaign. All relevant content from both the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook and Pathfinder RPG Bestiary may be found for free on the Pathfinder Reference Document at http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/.

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What do I need to bring to a game to use non-core material?

In order to use additional resources for your character, you must bring a physical copy of the book with you or printouts of the appropriate pages detailing cost (if any) and explanations for each feat, item, spell, prestige class, and so on that you use. One need not prove ownership of said material but they must be from a legally obtained PDF or book printed by Paizo Publishing; content reproduced in other sources under the Open Gaming License (such as an online reference document or a homemade omnibus) is not legal with regard to use in sanctioned Pathfinder Society play. Since the core assumption for Pathfinder Society Organized Play is the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook, Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Pathfinder Society Field Guide, and the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary, we cannot assume that every Game Master will have the products included in the Additional Resources list. As such, it is each player's responsibility to bring to the game any necessary rules for running his or her character so that GMs may properly adjudicate the game during play.

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I have a Season 0 character built with D&D 3.5 rules. Do I have to convert her to Pathfinder Roleplaying Game rules, and if so how?

You must convert your PC before playing any further scenarios. 3.5 characters are no longer legal for play.

To convert your PC, follow these simple steps:
1) Your PC's name, XP, and faction remain the same.
2) Determine what character level your existing XP allows you to make, and create a new character as similar to or as different from the 3.5 version as you want, following current character creation rules, as outlined in the Guide to Pathfinder Society Organized Play.

Refer to Table 1 to determine your new character’s new wealth and max value—you will not be using your old 3.5 chronicle sheet-based wealth during the conversion, as the assumptions for wealth by level for Pathfinder RPG are higher than for 3.5. In nearly every instance, you’ll receive more gold piece value in gear to spend using this system than you would by adding up all of your 3.5 character’s gear. Max value (shown in Table 1) is the highest gold piece value item you can buy—if your max value is 2,000 gold pieces, you may not purchase any single item above that value during conversion. Please note that max value does not apply to items that are considered always available for purchase (see Guide to Pathfinder Society Organized Play for more information); it only applies to additional magic items and equipment. You must repurchase new gear, weapons, armor, magic items, and so on using the guidelines in Table 1 and cannot simply keep the items you have now (as many items have changed in price, name, and description).

Table 1: Pathfinder Society Wealth Conversion Table

Level	Wealth (GP)	Max Value (GP)
[1-2 total XP]
1 scenario	500	250
2 scenarios	750	375
[Level 2+]
2	1,000	500
3	3,000	1,500
4	6,000	3,000
5	10,500	5,250
6	16,000	8,000
7	23,500	11,750
8	33,000	16,500
9	46,000	23,000
10	62,000	31,000
11	82,000	41,000
12	108,000	54,000

3) Adjust Your Prestige Award Because of the changes to prestige in the Pathfinder RPG, the current PA totals of all 3.5 characters must be adjusted based on their level to more accurately match the current system. See Table 2 for details.

Table 2: Pathfinder Society Prestige Award Conversion Table

Level Range	Prestige Adjustment
1–4	Add +1 to your Prestige Award total
5–6	Add +2 to your Prestige Award total
7–8	Add +4 to your Prestige Award total
9–10	Add +6 to your Prestige Award total

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Can I use the GameMastery Critical Hit Deck, Critical Fumble Deck, or Plot Twist Cards in a Pathfinder Society Organized Play game?

No. None of the listed accessories are legal in the Pathfinder Society Organized Play campaign.

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My character is playing in the First Steps intro series. How can I pick a faction trait before I've chosen a faction?

If you are playing the First Steps adventure arc as a newly created first-level character, you can choose to leave one of your two trait slots open at character creation. After you have chosen a faction at the conclusion of the three-part series, you may select a faction trait to fill this slot. You may also choose any other legal trait if you decide that none of the faction traits for your chosen faction fit your character.

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How do poisons work in Pathfinder Society Organized Play?

Any character with the Poison Use class ability can purchase and use poisons. For now, they are the only classes that have a list of “always available poisons” (those noted below)—no other class may purchase poisons unless they appear on a chronicle sheet. Alchemists, ninja, and poisoner rogues may only purchase the following poisons from the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook:

Giant wasp poison
Large scorpion venom
Medium spider venom
Shadow essence
Small centipede poison

Paladins, per their code of conduct, may not use poisons, but they don’t necessarily view the use of poisons as an evil to be opposed—it’s simply something their code prohibits them from doing themselves.

Alchemists and rogues with the poisoner archetype and the Master Poisoner ability can use Craft (alchemy) to produce poisons (see "How can alchemists craft in Pathfinder Society Organized Play?").

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Is the massive damage rule used in Pathfinder Society Organized Play?

The massive damage rule is not used in Pathfinder Society Organized Play.

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If my PC or pregenerated character dies permanently, what happens?

Player characters and pregenerated characters who do not return to the realm of the living receive 0 XP, 0 PP, 0 gold, and no items or boons. This is marked on their Chronicle sheet along with a note that the character is permanently dead. If a player was planning to hold the Chronicle from a pregenerated character and apply it to a lower level PC once the PC reached the level of the pregenerated character, they must either apply the Chronicle sheet immediately and report the PC as dead or assign the Chronicle sheet to a new level 1 PC (ie a new PC number) and report that character as dead.

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Can pregenerated characters from other sources be used in Pathfinder Society Organized Play?

The pregenerated characters included with any 3rd-party publisher product, such as the Adventure Path Iconic PCs found in Hero Lab, are not legal for Pathfinder Society Organized Play and may not be used in Pathfinder Society games. The only pregenerated characters legal for the Pathfinder Society campaign are the 1st-, 4th-, and 7th-level Iconics available as free PDF downloads.

Pregenerated characters printed in We Be Goblins! may be used when playing that module only. Pregenerated characters appearing in Pathfinder RPG Adventure Paths and Pathfinder RPG Modules are not legal for play. Any pregenerated characters that appear in the NPC Codex will be addressed in Additional Resources under that book.

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Wealth and Treasure

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Can I buy a magic item or spellcasting services with a metamagic feat applied, such as a scroll of maximized fireball, a wand of empowered shocking grasp, or employ the services of a wizard to cast extended mass bull's strength?

Generally, no. Magic items or spellcasting services must be purchased as listed in the Core Rulebook, including wands and scrolls. You may not apply metamagic feats when purchasing magic items or spellcasting services. The only exception is when the item or service is specifically listed as a reward on a Chronicle sheet.

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Can I Upgrade a Named Magic Item?

Named magic items—including specific armor and specific weapons—are not upgradeable. Non-magic specific armor and specific weapons may be upgraded normally. Magic armor and weapons may be upgraded to named versions if they are the same basic material and shape as, and meet but do not exceed the enhancement bonuses of the named versions. Wondrous items whose names include a +X value (such as bracers of armor, headband of vast intelligence, amulet of might fists, etc.) may also be upgraded following the rules for upgrading magical items on page 19 of the Guide to Pathfinder Society Organized Play.

Upgraded versions of named magic items may appear on Chronicle sheets.

Intelligent magic items are not available for purchase unless they appear on a Chronicle sheet or are provided as part of a class or archetype (such as the black blade magus archetype).

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What impact do NPCs, such slaves or vanity-purchased NPCs from the Pathfinder Society Field Guide have on my character?

First and foremost, the Leadership feat remains unavailable as a choice in Pathfinder Society. NPCs purchased with Prestige Points out of the Pathfinder Society Field Guide, pages 60-61, continue to provide only the benefits listed under the entries created for the Chronicler, Foreign Contact, Guide, Herald, Hunter, Porter, Seneschal, and Squire. Other than the benefit listed, they have no statistics and can not make any checks involving a dice roll. Slaves or any other NPCs, purchased with gold, are purely roleplaying flavor and have no mechanical benefits because they have no statistics. They can not make any checks involving a dice roll. Creatures that are granted by a class ability, such as animal companions, familiars, eidolons, and mounts have stats and therefore can be utilized in combat, for skill checks, etc...

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Can an Arcane Bonded Item be upgraded?

A character with the arcane bond class feature may create a bond with any item he owns, either magical or mundane, as long as the item falls within the categories permitted by the arcane bond ability (the cost for bonding with a new item still applies). If a caster later wishes to upgrade an existing bonded item, he may do so for the cost (not price) of the final item as listed in the item's statblock.

For items which can be enhanced incrementally (such as weapons or a ring of protection), the caster must meet all prerequisites for the item as outlined in the item crafting rules. For example, a nonmagical bonded dagger can be enchanted to a +1 dagger for 1,000 gp instead of the normal 2,000 gp, but the caster must be at least 5th level (a prerequisite for the Craft Magic Arms and Armor feat). To upgrade the item further to a +2 dagger, the caster must have a caster level of 6 or higher (three times the item's enhancement bonus).

A bonded item that is enhanced must still conform to all the campaign rules for access to and upgrading of magical items. The final and total price of the item (not the cost) is used on the Fame chart to determine whether a caster can apply such an enhancement to a bonded item.

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Can a character be assigned more than one convention boon, holiday boon, or other special Chronicle sheet or boon?

A player who possess more than one copy of the same convention or other special Pathfinder Society Chronicle sheet may not assign multiple copies to the same character. Also, if the only difference in the Chronicle sheet is the title of the convention or event listed at the top, it is effectively the same Chronicle sheet.

For instance, if a player has a Tian Weapon Training special Chronicle sheet received at Gen Con, Dragon Con and Paizo Con, the titles will be different as they would list each convention, but the text of the boon remains the same. Multiple copies of the Tian Weapon Training could not be assigned to the same character. Each of these would have to be assigned to three different characters.

For holiday boons, a player may only receive one copy of the boon but may assign it to any one of his characters during the dates specified on the boon.

For Pathfinder Tales boons, a Chronicle sheet from each novel may be assigned to each character that player has.

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Can my animal companion or familiar wear or use magic items?

It is intended that animal companions or familiars can not activate magic items. An animal companion could benefit from an item with a continuous magical effect like an amulet of natural armor if its master equipped the item for the animal companion. Animal companions of any type may not use manufactured weapons.

Animal companions are also limited by their individual anatomies. In Pathfinder Society Organized Play, animal companions always have access to barding and neck-slot items so long as they have the anatomy. For example, a horse and pig can always have access to barding and neck-slot items. A snake does not have access to either.

Additionally, animal companions have access to magical item slots, in addition to barding and neck, as listed on the inside front cover of the Animal Archive so long as they select the Extra Item Slot feat. The Animal Magic Item Slots table found in Animal Archive is not a legal except under the following conditions. First, an animal companion, familiar, or bonded mount, may choose one slot listed under its body type when taking the Extra Item Slot feat (this feat may be taken multiple times, each time selecting a different available magic item slot based on the creature’s anatomy). Second, access to specific magic item slots may be granted at a later date by another legal source. If you do not own a copy of the Animal Archive, your animal companion may only use barding and neck-slot items.

An animal or familiar has to have an intelligence of 3+ to activate an ioun stone. If the animal or familiar has less than a 3 intelligence, they may not activate an ioun stone.

The brownie, faerie dragon, imp, lyrakien azata, mephit, quasit, sprite familiars, granted by the Improved Familiar feat, use the Biped (hands) section of the chart. The carbuncle and voidworm protean, familiars granted by the Improved Familiar feat, uses the Serpentine section of the chart. If you do not own a copy of the Animal Archive, your animal companion may only use barding and neck-slot items.

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Are multiple spell scrolls one item for the purposes of prestige point purchases? (E.g. Can I spend 2 PP to get one scroll with 5 copies of Scorching Ray?)

You may purchase a multiple spell scroll but are limited to multiple copies of the same spell on the scroll. So, you can have five copies of scorching ray on one scroll but only that spell. You can not mix and match different spells on the same scroll.

A multiple spell scroll may be purchased with either Prestige Points or gold pieces.

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Are siege engines legal for Pathfinder Society play?

Unless prompted in a scenario or granted by a Chronicle, the rules for siege engines or the purchasing of siege engines, whether they are found in the Core Rule Book, the Ultimate Combat, or any past, present or future Pathfinder book are not used in Pathfinder Society Organized Play.

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Does the gladhanding class ability available to bards with the street performer archetype affect Day Job checks?

Perform checks made as part of a Day Job check benefit from this ability, doubling the earned gold from all Day Job checks made using the Perform skill.

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Does the generic prestige award to recover a dead character's body include recovery of the character's equipment?

Yes. The 5 PP cost includes recovery of the character's body, as well as all personal equipment the character possessed at the time of death. The same applies to the Shadow Lodge prestige award, No One Left Behind.

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Can a spell-storing item, such as a ring of counterspells or a spell-storing weapon, carry a stored spell from one scenario to another?

Yes. An NPC spellcaster may be paid to cast a spell into a spell-storing item and it can be carried over to the next scenario if unused. The GM should note the purchase on the Chronicle sheet. Once the stored spell is used, it should be noted on that scenarios Chronicle sheet in the Conditions Cleared box.

A PC with the ability to cast spells may cast a spell into a spell-storing item that he owns and it may be carried over to the next scenario. As noted above, the GM should notate on the Chronicle sheet, in the Conditions Gained box, that the spell-storing item contains a spell at the conclusion of the scenario. Once expended, treat as above.

PCs may fill one another's spell-storing items, but if such spells are not cast during the same adventure, they are lost and are not recorded on Chronicle sheets for future use.

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Character and Class Questions

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How many animals can I have at any given time?

During the course of a scenario, you may have one combat animal and as many noncombat animals as you like. Noncombat animals (ponies, horses, pet dogs, and so on) cannot participate in combat at all. If you have so many noncombat animals that their presence is slowing a session down, the GM has the right to ask you to select one noncombat animal and leave the rest behind. A summoner's eidolon is considered an animal companion for the purposes of counting combat and noncombat animals. If you have more than one class-granted animal companion (or eidolon), you must choose which will be considered the combat animal at the start of the scenario. In general, a mount, a familiar or mundane pet, and your class-granted animal(s) are acceptable, but more than that can be disruptive.

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Do purchased animals come fully trained or do I have to train them myself?

The entry for Handle Animal on pages 97–98 of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook details which animals come trained—namely, some riding horses and riding dogs have training, but they only come trained to bear a rider into combat. All other animals are subject to Handle Animal to learn additional tricks. See the “Mounts and Related Gear” table on page 159 of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook for additional details.

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How can I teach tricks to an animal using Handle Animal?

You can teach any animal a trick so long as you follow the rules for Handle Animal on pages 97–98 of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook. A GM must observe your Handle Animal check, and must initial what tricks the animal gained in the "Conditions Gained" section of the scenario's Chronicle sheet. The first time a character with levels in druid, ranger, or any other class that grants an animal companion gains an animal companion, the animal enters play knowing its maximum number of tricks as dictated by the animal companion's Intelligence and the character's effective druid level. If the character replaces the animal companion for any reason, the new animal starts with no tricks known, save for bonus tricks granted based on the PC's effective druid level. Once per scenario, you may attempt to train the animal companion a number of times equal to the number of ranks you have in the Handle Animal skill. Each success allows you to teach the animal a single trick; a failed attempt counts against the total number of training attempts allowed per scenario, and you may not attempt to teach the same trick until the next scenario. Alternatively, you may train one animal for a single purpose as long as you have enough ranks in Handle Animal to train the animal in each trick learned as part of that purpose. You may take 10 on Handle Animal checks to teach an animal companion tricks.

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How is the replacement of a dead familiar, animal companion or paladin’s or cavalier's mount handled?

If you lose a companion during the course of a scenario, work with your GM for that scenario to properly note the loss on your Chronicle sheet. You should also note that you’ve gained your new companion. The new companion is ready for play in the next scenario after your previous companion died. Newly summoned animal companions begin play knowing a number of tricks equal to the bonus tricks granted based on your druid level. All other tricks require the use of Handle Animal to train the new animal companion as normal.

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How do I determine hit points for my animal companion?

Animal companions receive average hit points per hit die. For d8, the average is 4.5. Multiply 4.5 times the number of hit dice your animal companion has and round down. Recalculate hit points for your companion each time it gains additional hit dice. After its hit points are calculated, add in appropriate bonuses from its Constitution modifier, feats, and so on.

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Can I improve my companion’s Intelligence to 3 or higher and give it weapon feats?

No. An Intelligence of 3 does not grant animals sentience, the ability to use weapons or tools, speak a language (though they may understand one with a rank in Linguistics; this does not grant literacy), or activate magic devices. Also note that raising an animal companion’s Intelligence to 3 or higher does not eliminate the need to make Handle Animal checks to direct its actions; even semi-intelligent animals still act like animals unless trained not to. An animal with Intelligence of 3 or higher remains a creature of the animal type unless its type is specifically changed by another ability. An animal may learn 3 additional tricks per point of Intelligence above 2.

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As a paladin or cavalier, what mount can I have?

As a paladin, your divine bond mount must be at least one size category larger than you starting at 1st level. If you’re a Medium PC, your mount must be Large. If you’re a Small PC, your mount must be at least Medium. You may only select a mount from the listed mounts on page 63 of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook unless another source grants access to additional creature choices. As a cavalier, you may select a mount from those listed on page 33 of the Advanced Player's Guide. No additional mounts are legal in Pathfinder Society Organized Play except when granted from another legal source.

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As a ranger, what list of companions can I select my animal companion from?

As a ranger, if you choose an animal companion for your hunter’s bond, you may only select one of the animals listed on page 66 of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook. No additional companions are legal in Pathfinder Society Organized Play for Rangers except when granted from another legal source.

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Can I re-skin or re-flavor an animal companion or item?

You may choose a specific type of animal companion from any of the base forms listed on pages 53–54 of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook or a legal Additional Resource but may not use stats for one base form with the flavor of another type of animal. Thus, a small cat could be a cheetah or leopard, as suggested, as well as a lynx, bobcat, puma, or other similar animal; it could not, however, be "re-skinned" to be a giant hairless swamp rat or a differently-statted wolf. If a GM feels that a re-skinning is inappropriate or could have mechanical implications in the specific adventure being played, he may require that the creature simply be considered its generic base form for the duration of the adventure. A player may not re-skin items to be something for which there are no specific rules, and any item a character uses for which there are no stats is considered an improvised weapon (see page 144 of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook).

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Can a character have a homunculus created as a familiar?

A character must have the Improved Familiar feat to select a homunculus as a familiar. Since crafting is not allowed in Pathfinder Society, the character must hire an NPC to craft the homunculus on her behalf. Usually, an NPC can not craft a custom item for a PC but this is an exception to the rule.

Per the homunculus entry in the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary, a baseline homunculus costs 2,050 gp. If a PC wishes to purchase a homunculus with more than 2 Hit Dice, each additional Hit Dice adds 4,000 gp to the total price. Consider, however, that there is little need to advance a homunculus familiar in this manner, since the familiar's hit points and abilities are based on the character's stats rather than its own Hit Dice.

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How can alchemists craft in Pathfinder Society Organized Play?

Alchemists can use the Craft (alchemy) skill to produce items with their Alchemy ability. Follow the Craft rules on pages 91–93 of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook as well as in the alchemist’s Alchemy ability description. Any item created must be properly noted on that scenario’s Chronicle sheet. Under "Items Bought", note the amount of gold spent and the item created. Alchemists are assumed, for Pathfinder Society Organized Play, to carry the necessary items and tools with them to use available resources to create alchemical items. If they have a base of operations from which to do so, they may use an alchemy lab to gain the +2 bonus on their Craft (alchemy) check. Alchemists may never sell any of their created items nor may they trade them to another PC. However, they may allow other PCs to borrow or use items they’ve created (so long as the alchemist class ability being used allows them to do so).

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What does a deaf oracle (or other deaf PC) need to do in order to read lips?

In Pathfinder Society Organized Play, any PC may learn to read lips with a rank in Linguistics as if they had learned a new language. When reading the lips of a speaking creature within 10 feet in normal lighting conditions, the reader need not make any skill checks. In situations of dim lighting, extreme distances, or to read the lips of someone trying to hide their words from the reader, the reader must make Perception checks (DC determined by the GM based on the situation). A lip reader may only understand spoken words in a language it knows.

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Are NPC classes legal for play?

No. Standard character generation rules apply. NPC classes are for NPCs and not available to be chosen by a PC.

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Can I scribe spells from another PC's spellbook into my own? What about gaining spells via scrolls found during an adventure?

Players are welcome to exchange spells with each other during an adventure. They must still follow all the normal rules as put forth in the Core Rulebook and their class descriptions (for instance, an alchemist can scribe from a wizard, but not vice-versa) and they must not bog the session down.

Similarly, scrolls found during an adventure can be used to add spells to spellbooks and similar class features (such as a witch's familiar), using the normal rules for doing so. Scrolls used in this way during an adventure do not need to be purchased, but are still consumed as normal.

With either method, the GM should sign off on the spells gained (after witnessing successful skill checks) on affected players' chronicle sheets. All other methods of gaining new spells (such as by gaining a level or purchasing access to an NPC's spellbook) function as described in the Core Rulebook and relevant class descriptions.

In the rare instance of a wizard charging a fee for the privilege of copying spells from their spellbooks, this fee is equal to half the cost to write the spell into a spellbook (see Writing a New Spell into a Spellbook). Rare and unique spells do not change the fee in PFS.

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Pathfinder Society Events

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How do I create an Event?

1. Navigate to paizo.com/pathfindersociety and click on "My Pathfinder Society." Login and click on the "GM/Event Coordinator" tab.
2. Click "Create Your Event" under "Create New Event." Fill out the form for your event (read the instructions on the page carefully, as they will guide you through the event creation process) and save.
3. On the "GM/Event Coordinator tab" select "Download session sheets" next to event name to download session tracking sheets for your event's GMs.

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How do I report my Event and Characters?

Report Your Event

1. Next to the event that you wish to report on, click "Report" and type in event name.
2. Select the scenario of the first session you are reporting.
3. Input the date on which the scenario was played, the GM's Pathfinder Society ID #, and the GM's name (which should auto-populate from the GM's Pathfinder Society ID # if that GM is registered in our system).

Report Each Character

1. Input the first character's Pathfinder Society ID # plus appropriate dash (-1, -2, etc) for 1st, 2nd, etc character.
2. Input the number of prestige that character received (0, 1, or 2).
3. If that character died, mark them dead (this will gray out other entries for that character).
4. Repeat the steps above for each additional character that played in that session.
5. If the GM is taking credit for that session as part of his GM Rewards, then add the GM's character to the bottom of that session's report.
6. If there are more characters at the table than space available in the session report, click "Add Extra Character."

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How to I reserve a Pathfinder Society Registration Card?

If you need to reserve Pathfinder Society registration cards for a future event, you are able to reserve 10 per day on the GM/Event Coordinator Tab.

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How do I view my Sessions?

Your "Sessions" tab on your "My Pathfinder Society" page shows your sessions played under "Player Sessions" and your sessions GMed under "GM Sessions." Both Player Sessions and GM Sessions are automatically collapsed to save space—you can expand the list by clicking the right arrow next to the appropriate header.

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How do I register my Pathfinder Society Character?

Your "Player" tab has your Pathfinder Society ID # and a link to download your Pathfinder Society ID card. To register a new character, click "Register a new character."

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