New to Pathfinder, and need to remove some of my ignorance


Pathfinder Society

Scarab Sages

I'm new to PFS, and was wondering if someone could point me to a resource for explanation or breakdown the notion of Seasons, and Boons.

I saw one thread where someone wanted to play as a goblin ranger, and someone said you can't unless you have that boon.

In another thread I saw someone wanting to play so they can bring a character from the expiring season into the new one?

Any help would be appreciated.

Scarab Sages

This is for playing in PFS organized play. It only applies to Organized play. In Home Games you are free to play whatever the GM allows.

There is a change in organized play coming in the next few weeks as Season 5 "The Year of the Demon" is ending and Season 6 "The year of the Sky Key" begins. The current guide allows you to play any of the core races plus Aasimars, Tieflings, and Tengus. The new season is changing that so new characters can only play Core, Tengus, Kutsune, Nagaji, or Wayangs. In order to play an Aasimar or Tiefling, people are rushing to get a play session in those races before the cutoff date.

To play any other race in PFS you would need a boon which are normally earned at conventions.

4/5 5/55/55/5 *** Venture-Lieutenant, Minnesota—Minneapolis

You really need to differentiate between Pathfinder RPG and Pathfinder Society organized play.

The Pathfinder RPG and campaign background gives rules and a setting for playing the game. Works well for a group of friends that like to have regular gaming sessions.

Pathfinder Society organized play allows you to take a character and play it almost anywhere with a wide variety of players and game masters. That is where the rules about boons and such come in, it is a further set of rules in order to give a reasonably standardized experience and allows a group of complete strangers to pick up a game with characters that fit into a shared world.

If you are interested in Pathfinder Society organized play, start by reading the information here, especially the Guide to Organized Play which explains how to build a character for organized play. Try checking Meetup for groups that are in your area.

Now, as for your questions regarding boons and seasons....

Boons are special rewards that you can earn by completing certain activities. Some of these are only available at conventions, while others are available to anyone who runs a character through a particular scenario. They give restricted permission to do something not normally allowed in organized play.

Organized Play is split into seasons. The individual adventures have a season number and then adventure number in them, so for instance The God's Market Gamble (3-18) is set in season 3 while Assault on the Wound (5-24) is set in Season 5.

August 14th is when Season 6 starts.

At the change of seasons, factions will change and certain rules for organized play will change. As an example, Aasimar are currently allowed without use of boon. Starting August 14th, you will no longer be able to start a new character as one without a boon. On the other hand, starting that same day you will be able to start a Kitsune without a boon.

If you are interested in organized play, start with the resources above.

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