Recommended Reading for Players


Rise of the Runelords


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Hey all

I'd like to have my players to make backstories that both fit into established lore and provide hooks for me to use for side quests. I don't want to have to edit in their backstories because they don't know anything about the world, as this will be my first campaign and I'm super insecure in my GMing capabilities.

My question is; what can I request they read beside the Players Guide that will give them all the information that their characters might have access too?

Side question: The original has a bunch of traits that tie a PC to a specific NPC, but these don't appear in in the Anniversary Players Guide. In fact, they both have quite a bit of different information. Am I supposed to show them both Guide? Are these older traits still viable?

Thanks x


Yes, have them review both guides. The original was done prior to publication of much Golarion lore and information in various Inner Sea books. By the time the AE came out, much of the original RotRL player's guide content was available elsewhere so the AE player's guide did not repeat it. At least that's my supposition.

I would think the two player's guides would be sufficient. Other material such as the Inner Sea World Guide would also have much information pc's could use but the World Guide is quite large and not only covers all of the Inner Sea but might reveal information you may prefer the players discover through playing the AP.

And yes, the traits from the original are still viable.


Latrecis wrote:

Yes, have them review both guides. The original was done prior to publication of much Golarion lore and information in various Inner Sea books. By the time the AE came out, much of the original RotRL player's guide content was available elsewhere so the AE player's guide did not repeat it. At least that's my supposition.

I would think the two player's guides would be sufficient. Other material such as the Inner Sea World Guide would also have much information pc's could use but the World Guide is quite large and not only covers all of the Inner Sea but might reveal information you may prefer the players discover through playing the AP.

And yes, the traits from the original are still viable.

What about Varisia, Birthlace of Legends?

Is that for players or GMs?


Given it's labeled a "Player's Companion" I would assume so. I don't own it so I can't say. I might suppose that it contains much of the content that was in the original RotRL player guide. I would suggest you read for yourself prior to directing players that way - given it was published after RotRL it may have references to information that you would prefer the players not know at the start. Different product example: there is a Pathfinder Society scenario - King of the Storval Stairs (which might be a good add on to RotRL) which, in the background material for the Pathfinder characters assumes the events of RotRL have already occurred and several bits of information that are utterly unknown at the beginning of RotRL are discussed as common knowledge. At least among the movers and shakers of Varisia.


You have a lots of very good publications. But be carefull. Books like Varisia, birthplace of legend, of inner sea guides, or my last aquisition "Magnimar, city of monuments" all are really, really good, but may contain spoilers.
Usually its small things, it really depends on how much meta game you can tolerate. I'm a DM that doesn't mind so much because most of my players are also DM and its hard not to discuss this or that book. For exemple It's okay if they know every entry in the bestiary.

However, your players can wander on the wiki. As far as I can tell you won't find spoilers if you don't actively look for some. (http://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Sandpoint)


Pathfinder Maps Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

Varisia, Birthplace of Legends, is a good candidate for players to read. It includes stuff about native Varisians, about the Shoanti (including a general map of their tribal homelands) and a smattering of traits, class templates, magic items, schools of magic and other local flavor stuff.

If any players are going to be clerics or other divine classes, it would be good to have them read about their respective gods. IIRC most of that stuff is in the big Campaign Setting book - which IMHO is a must-have for you as the DM.

Otherwise, encourage them to read everything they can on the PRD concerning their specific class, skills, feats and so on. Nothing is more irksome to a DM than players who simply don't know what their characters can do, or how to calculate their combat (or other) skills.


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If the book is from the Players Companion line, then it won't contain spoilers; the setting information in thise books are intended for players to know. As the GM, be sure that you're OK with the character options before you okay the book.

I would let your players read the original 3.5 Runelords Players Guide, although make it clear that the character options (feats, equipment) were written for 3.5/OGL, and are not available. I think that there might have been a few changes to the campaign setting itself that have retconned info in the original Players Guide, but probably not enough to make much difference.

I would definitely put Varisia: Birthplace of Legends on the "required reading" list. IIRC, it includes Pathfinder stats for pretty much all of the items and traits that were in the original 3.5 Players Guide.

If you have a copy of Inner Sea Gods, you might want to make the individual god write-ups available to any divine characters who worship those gods.


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Just a bit of anecdotal info: my group had played homebrew stuff in 3.x for 10 years before starting RotRL - we didn't know Golarion from a hole in the ground. The original Player's guide was an extremely helpful orientation. We used traits and other things from that guide as written and haven't had any problems - which doesn't mean there aren't things in the original that could be troublesome just none my players took.

In what may be a commentary about my competence, we had been playing Pathfinder and RotRL for over a year before I even realized there was an AE version of the player's guide and one we had been using, wasn't it. When I read the AE version I was very disappointed in that it would have been WAY less helpful when we were starting out than the original was.

Given its size/page count, I suspect most of the content I found missing in the AE version is in the Varisia player's guide but given we're well into Book 6, I'm too cheap to buy it now to find out ;)


Pathfinder Maps Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
Latrecis wrote:
Given its size/page count, I suspect most of the content I found missing in the AE version is in the Varisia player's guide but given we're well into Book 6, I'm too cheap to buy it now to find out ;)

Yow! You're a real Scrooge! <g>

In fact the RotRL PLayer's Guide is free.

Although I haven't checked on an item-per-item basis, I think that between the anniversary edition Player's Guide and Varisia, Birth place of Legends, you'll find all the content from the original 3.5 Player's Guide.

Haladir, Inner Sea Gods was a good call. In fact, one of the first things I did for my players when we began RotRL 2 years ago (since it was our first trip into Golarion and Pathfinder) was prepare two summary sheets I called "the seven good gods" and "the seven evil gods". That helped situation the cosmology a bit, after years of playing in the Forgotten Realms.


There's also the Inner Sea Primer, which is the Player Companion version of the Inner Sea World Guide. Think of it as "ISWG Lite". This is a great reference for players who want to feel more connected to the world outside of Varisia.


Wheldrake wrote:
Latrecis wrote:
Given its size/page count, I suspect most of the content I found missing in the AE version is in the Varisia player's guide but given we're well into Book 6, I'm too cheap to buy it now to find out ;)

Yow! You're a real Scrooge! <g>

In fact the RotRL PLayer's Guide is free.

Although I haven't checked on an item-per-item basis, I think that between the anniversary edition Player's Guide and Varisia, Birth place of Legends, you'll find all the content from the original 3.5 Player's Guide.

Haladir, Inner Sea Gods was a good call. In fact, one of the first things I did for my players when we began RotRL 2 years ago (since it was our first trip into Golarion and Pathfinder) was prepare two summary sheets I called "the seven good gods" and "the seven evil gods". That helped situation the cosmology a bit, after years of playing in the Forgotten Realms.

Well, yes, I am pretty cheap. But just to put my miserly ways in context, I was referring to the Varisia, Birthplace of Legends Player Companion which is not free. Though the PDF is a whopping $7.99 so yea, I guess that speaks for itself :)

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