paizo.com Recent Blog Posts in Playtestpaizo.com Recent Blog Posts in Playtest2021-10-01T19:05:27Z2021-10-01T19:05:27ZStarfinder Evolutionist Playtest Wrap-Up!https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo6shts?Starfinder-Evolutionist-Playtest-WrapUp2021-10-04T19:03:00Z<article>
<h1 itemprop="headline">Starfinder Evolutionist Playtest Wrap-Up!</h1>
<p class="date" style="margin-bottom:1rem !important;">Monday, October 4, 2021</p>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<div class="blurbCenter" style="display:none;"><a href="https://paizo.com/image/content/Blog/040221_PlaytestPreview.jpg"><img src="https//paizo.com/image/content/Blog/040221_PlaytestPreview_500.jpg"></a></div>
<blockquote>
<p itemprop="description">With the close of the Starfinder evolutionist playtest, we want to thank everyone who participated whether by filling out a survey or sharing thoughts on our forum or another venue.</p>
<a href="https://cdn.paizo.com/a7d62ac8-7f03-00ef-f1f0-83fb8bf332e2/0aed0070-8928-40dd-a5dc-dde9388ea819/Evolutionist_Stage3_color.jpeg"><img width="500" src="https://cdn.paizo.com/a7d62ac8-7f03-00ef-f1f0-83fb8bf332e2/0aed0070-8928-40dd-a5dc-dde9388ea819/Evolutionist_Stage3_color.jpeg" align="left" style="padding-right: 10px; padding left: 10px;" alt="A catlike alien is rife with augmentations and has a futuristic cannon for an arm"></a><p style="font-size: 13px;"></p>
<p>We’re working on processing your input and (as appropriate for a class all about the power of change) making adjustments to help the evolutionist shine. Of note, we’re looking at the class complexity and its effectiveness in and out of combat, as well as some quality-of-life improvements (such as changing the name of its pool of points).</p>
<p>On top of that we’ll be very excited to share with you the product in which this new class will appear, so keep an eye out! For now, enjoy another glance at our iconic, illustrated by Kent Hamilton!</p>
<p>Thanks so much for your valuable feedback during this playtest and good luck on your adventures among the stars.</p>
<p style="margin-left: 20px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14px;">—The Starfinder Team<br /></p>
<br clear="all">
</blockquote>
</div>
<!— tags: Starfinder, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Playtest, Playtest, —>
</article>
<p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/starfinder">Starfinder</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/starfinderPlaytest">Starfinder Playtest</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/starfinderRoleplayingGame">Starfinder Roleplaying Game</a></p><article>
<h1 itemprop="headline">Starfinder Evolutionist Playtest Wrap-Up!</h1>
<p class="date" style="margin-bottom:1rem !important;">Monday, October 4, 2021</p>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<div class="blurbCenter" style="display:none;"><a href="https://paizo.com/image/content/Blog/040221_PlaytestPreview.jpg"><img src="https//paizo.com/image/content/Blog/040221_PlaytestPreview_500.jpg"></a></div>
<blockquote>
<p itemprop="description">With the close of the Starfinder evolutionist playtest, we want to thank everyone who participated whether by filling out a survey or sharing thoughts on our forum or another venue.</p>
<a href="https://cdn.paizo.com/a7d62ac8-7f03-00ef-f1f0-83fb8bf332e2/0aed0070-8928-40dd-a5dc-dde9388ea819/Evolutionist_Stage3_color.jpeg"><img width="500" src="https://cdn.paizo.com/a7d62ac8-7f03-00ef-f1f0-83fb8bf332e2/0aed0070-8928-40dd-a5dc-dde9388ea819/Evolutionist_Stage3_color.jpeg" align="left" style="padding-right: 10px; padding left: 10px;" alt="A catlike alien is rife with augmentations and has a futuristic cannon for an arm"></a><p style="font-size: 13px;"></p>
<p>We’re working on processing your input and (as appropriate for a class all about the power of change) making adjustments to help the evolutionist shine. Of note, we’re looking at the class complexity and its effectiveness in and out of combat, as well as some quality-of-life improvements (such as changing the name of its pool of points).</p>
<p>On top of that we’ll be very excited to share with you the product in which this new class will appear, so keep an eye out! For now, enjoy another glance at our iconic, illustrated by Kent Hamilton!</p>
<p>Thanks so much for your valuable feedback during this playtest and good luck on your adventures among the stars.</p>
<p style="margin-left: 20px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14px;">—The Starfinder Team<br /></p>
<br clear="all">
</blockquote>
</div>
<!— tags: Starfinder, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Playtest, Playtest, —>
</article>
<p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/starfinder">Starfinder</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/starfinderPlaytest">Starfinder Playtest</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/starfinderRoleplayingGame">Starfinder Roleplaying Game</a></p>2021-10-04T19:03:00ZStarfinder Evolutionist Playtest Updatehttps://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo6shst?Starfinder-Evolutionist-Playtest-Update2021-09-06T17:30:00Z<article>
<h1 itemprop="headline">Starfinder Evolutionist Playtest Update</h1>
<p class="date" style="margin-bottom:1rem !important;">Monday, September 6, 2021</p>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<div class="blurbCenter" style="display:none;"><a href="https://paizo.com/image/content/Blog/040221_PlaytestPreview.jpg"><img src="https//paizo.com/image/content/Blog/040221_PlaytestPreview_500.jpg"></a></div>
<blockquote>
<p itemprop="description">There are just a few weeks left in the open playtest period for Starfinder’s upcoming evolutionist class. If you haven't already downloaded the free <a href="https://downloads.paizo.com/Evolutionist+Playtest.pdf">playtest PDF</a> and tried out the new class, you still have time! The <a href="https://paizo.com/starfinderplaytest">playtest</a> ends September 24th, and we need your feedback to make this class the best it can be.</p>
<p>We’re especially excited to share with you a concept sketch of the evolutionist iconic, by our own Kent Hamilton! Look for more information about this new character in the future.</p>
<a href="https://cdn.paizo.com/a7d62ac8-7f03-00ef-f1f0-83fb8bf332e2/6dece8d3-00d4-4fcd-919e-00bc57e9d3ce/080621_SFPlaytest.png"><img width="300" src="https://cdn.paizo.com/a7d62ac8-7f03-00ef-f1f0-83fb8bf332e2/6dece8d3-00d4-4fcd-919e-00bc57e9d3ce/080621_SFPlaytest.png" align="left" style="padding-right: 10px; padding left: 10px;" alt="A catlike alien is rife with augmentations and has a futuristic cannon for an arm"></a><p style="font-size: 13px;">Illustration by Kent Hamilton</p>
<p>If you haven’t yet, test out an evolutionist build in a home game or in Starfinder Organized Play, then share your thoughts via our <a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SFevolutionist" target="_blank">survey</a> or playtest <A href="https://paizo.com/community/forums/starfinder/playtest/evolutionistClass">forum</a>.</p>
<p>We're already processing the feedback you've sent us so far and are discussing the ways we might improve the evolutionist class. Also, if you missed our update elsewhere, please note that the evolutionist loses all EP at the end of combat!</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your respectful and productive survey responses and forum conversations—these are invaluable sources of feedback, and we've been keeping a close eye on them. We’re especially interested in any thoughts you have about the complexity of the class.</p>
<p>For those who have already participated in the playtest, we thank you, and to those who plan to still send us feedback: we eagerly await your thoughts!</p>
<p style="margin-left: 20px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14px;">—The Starfinder Team<br /></p>
<br clear="all">
</blockquote>
</div>
<!— tags: Starfinder, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Playtest, Playtest, —>
</article>
<p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/starfinder">Starfinder</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/starfinderPlaytest">Starfinder Playtest</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/starfinderRoleplayingGame">Starfinder Roleplaying Game</a></p><article>
<h1 itemprop="headline">Starfinder Evolutionist Playtest Update</h1>
<p class="date" style="margin-bottom:1rem !important;">Monday, September 6, 2021</p>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<div class="blurbCenter" style="display:none;"><a href="https://paizo.com/image/content/Blog/040221_PlaytestPreview.jpg"><img src="https//paizo.com/image/content/Blog/040221_PlaytestPreview_500.jpg"></a></div>
<blockquote>
<p itemprop="description">There are just a few weeks left in the open playtest period for Starfinder’s upcoming evolutionist class. If you haven't already downloaded the free <a href="https://downloads.paizo.com/Evolutionist+Playtest.pdf">playtest PDF</a> and tried out the new class, you still have time! The <a href="https://paizo.com/starfinderplaytest">playtest</a> ends September 24th, and we need your feedback to make this class the best it can be.</p>
<p>We’re especially excited to share with you a concept sketch of the evolutionist iconic, by our own Kent Hamilton! Look for more information about this new character in the future.</p>
<a href="https://cdn.paizo.com/a7d62ac8-7f03-00ef-f1f0-83fb8bf332e2/6dece8d3-00d4-4fcd-919e-00bc57e9d3ce/080621_SFPlaytest.png"><img width="300" src="https://cdn.paizo.com/a7d62ac8-7f03-00ef-f1f0-83fb8bf332e2/6dece8d3-00d4-4fcd-919e-00bc57e9d3ce/080621_SFPlaytest.png" align="left" style="padding-right: 10px; padding left: 10px;" alt="A catlike alien is rife with augmentations and has a futuristic cannon for an arm"></a><p style="font-size: 13px;">Illustration by Kent Hamilton</p>
<p>If you haven’t yet, test out an evolutionist build in a home game or in Starfinder Organized Play, then share your thoughts via our <a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SFevolutionist" target="_blank">survey</a> or playtest <A href="https://paizo.com/community/forums/starfinder/playtest/evolutionistClass">forum</a>.</p>
<p>We're already processing the feedback you've sent us so far and are discussing the ways we might improve the evolutionist class. Also, if you missed our update elsewhere, please note that the evolutionist loses all EP at the end of combat!</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your respectful and productive survey responses and forum conversations—these are invaluable sources of feedback, and we've been keeping a close eye on them. We’re especially interested in any thoughts you have about the complexity of the class.</p>
<p>For those who have already participated in the playtest, we thank you, and to those who plan to still send us feedback: we eagerly await your thoughts!</p>
<p style="margin-left: 20px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14px;">—The Starfinder Team<br /></p>
<br clear="all">
</blockquote>
</div>
<!— tags: Starfinder, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Playtest, Playtest, —>
</article>
<p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/starfinder">Starfinder</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/starfinderPlaytest">Starfinder Playtest</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/starfinderRoleplayingGame">Starfinder Roleplaying Game</a></p>2021-09-06T17:30:00ZStarfinder Evolutionist Playtest Launches Today!https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo6shrg?Starfinder-Evolutionist-Playtest-Launches-Today2021-08-02T17:10:00Z<article>
<h1 itemprop="headline">Starfinder Evolutionist Playtest Launches Today!</h1>
<p class="date" style="margin-bottom:1rem !important;">Monday, August 2nd, 2021</p>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<div class="blurbCenter" style="display:none;"><a href="https://paizo.com/image/content/Blog/040221_PlaytestPreview.jpg"><img src="https//paizo.com/image/content/Blog/040221_PlaytestPreview_500.jpg"></a></div>
<blockquote>
<p itemprop="description">The evolutionist is a new class for Starfinder that brings to bear the power of transformation over time. As an evolutionist, you’ll become a fantastical extraplanar being, turn from mere mortal into machine, accept the powers and perils of undeath, or erupt with chimeric potential and vital energy. Whichever path you choose, you’ll have to balance your burgeoning capacity for change with the sometimes-dangerous effects of tapping into such potential.</p>
<div class="blurbCenter">
<a href="https://cdn.paizo.com/a7d62ac8-7f03-00ef-f1f0-83fb8bf332e2/cf42b757-df1d-4db2-9d37-1326ee6c1609/080221_Intro.png"><img src="https://cdn.paizo.com/a7d62ac8-7f03-00ef-f1f0-83fb8bf332e2/cf42b757-df1d-4db2-9d37-1326ee6c1609/080221_Intro.png" width="80%" style="padding: 10px;" alt="A bustling space station seen from space has several starships of different designs docked at its rings. Strange planets pass nearby "></a>
<p style="font-size: 13px;">Illustration by Michele Giorgi</p>
</div>
<p>This playtest is your chance to get a look at an early version of this new class and have a hand in its development before it hits shelves in an upcoming book!</p>
<h3>Playtesting the Evolutionist</h3>
<p>The evolutionist playtest launches today, <b>August 2</b>, and runs through <b>September 24</b>. So how can you help playtest this new class? First, you’ll want to download the free PDF of the playtest from <a href="https://paizo.com/starfinderplaytest">starfinderplaytest.com</a>. Then you can create a brand new evolutionist of any level using the new rules. We're most interested in feedback from actual play, so it's best if you can get some friends together and play a few sessions using your new character. If possible, make up characters at different levels to get a sense of how they work at different points in their career. </p>
<p>There's no accompanying playtest adventure—you can use the new class in existing adventures like Starfinder Society scenarios or Starfinder Adventure Paths, or even in mock combats that you create yourself using the <em>Starfinder Core Rulebook</em>’s encounter-creation rules. It might be helpful to take some notes during play, so you can remember your thoughts on the experience after the game session. To gather the most useful data for this playtest, we ask that you avoid using house rules and play these characters using only published rules from the Starfinder RPG.</p>
<h3>Playtesting in the Starfinder Society</h3>
<p>Players participating in <a href="https://paizo.com/starfindersociety">Starfinder Society Organized Play</a> can also join in the worldwide playtest to test the evolutionist class. From today until the playtest's completion, players can create custom evolutionist characters of levels 1, 4 and 8. For more information, click <a href="https://organizedplayfoundation.org/Lorespire/sfsguide._.Playtest-Rules">here</a>.</p>
<h3>Survey</h3>
<p>Our primary means of collecting feedback for the playtest is through a survey that we would like everyone participating in the playtest to complete. A link to the survey is available on the <a href="https://paizo.com/starfinderplaytest">playtest page</a>. Please make sure you've filled out your survey by <b>September 24, 2021</b>.</p>
<p>In addition to responding via the official survey, you can engage with other players and designers on the <a href="https://paizo.com/community/forums/starfinder/playtest/evolutionistClass">playtest forum</a> to discuss the evolutionist and possibilities for the future. While we want to focus on actual-play feedback, we're interested in hearing all your ideas about the class.</p>
<p>What are your thoughts about the playtest? Are you excited? Do you have any questions about the playtest process? Let us know in the comments below!</p>
<p style="margin-left: 20px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14px;">—The Starfinder Team<br /></p>
</blockquote>
</div>
<!— tags: Starfinder, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Playtest, Playtest, —>
</article>
<p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/starfinder">Starfinder</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/starfinderPlaytest">Starfinder Playtest</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/starfinderRoleplayingGame">Starfinder Roleplaying Game</a></p><article>
<h1 itemprop="headline">Starfinder Evolutionist Playtest Launches Today!</h1>
<p class="date" style="margin-bottom:1rem !important;">Monday, August 2nd, 2021</p>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<div class="blurbCenter" style="display:none;"><a href="https://paizo.com/image/content/Blog/040221_PlaytestPreview.jpg"><img src="https//paizo.com/image/content/Blog/040221_PlaytestPreview_500.jpg"></a></div>
<blockquote>
<p itemprop="description">The evolutionist is a new class for Starfinder that brings to bear the power of transformation over time. As an evolutionist, you’ll become a fantastical extraplanar being, turn from mere mortal into machine, accept the powers and perils of undeath, or erupt with chimeric potential and vital energy. Whichever path you choose, you’ll have to balance your burgeoning capacity for change with the sometimes-dangerous effects of tapping into such potential.</p>
<div class="blurbCenter">
<a href="https://cdn.paizo.com/a7d62ac8-7f03-00ef-f1f0-83fb8bf332e2/cf42b757-df1d-4db2-9d37-1326ee6c1609/080221_Intro.png"><img src="https://cdn.paizo.com/a7d62ac8-7f03-00ef-f1f0-83fb8bf332e2/cf42b757-df1d-4db2-9d37-1326ee6c1609/080221_Intro.png" width="80%" style="padding: 10px;" alt="A bustling space station seen from space has several starships of different designs docked at its rings. Strange planets pass nearby "></a>
<p style="font-size: 13px;">Illustration by Michele Giorgi</p>
</div>
<p>This playtest is your chance to get a look at an early version of this new class and have a hand in its development before it hits shelves in an upcoming book!</p>
<h3>Playtesting the Evolutionist</h3>
<p>The evolutionist playtest launches today, <b>August 2</b>, and runs through <b>September 24</b>. So how can you help playtest this new class? First, you’ll want to download the free PDF of the playtest from <a href="https://paizo.com/starfinderplaytest">starfinderplaytest.com</a>. Then you can create a brand new evolutionist of any level using the new rules. We're most interested in feedback from actual play, so it's best if you can get some friends together and play a few sessions using your new character. If possible, make up characters at different levels to get a sense of how they work at different points in their career. </p>
<p>There's no accompanying playtest adventure—you can use the new class in existing adventures like Starfinder Society scenarios or Starfinder Adventure Paths, or even in mock combats that you create yourself using the <em>Starfinder Core Rulebook</em>’s encounter-creation rules. It might be helpful to take some notes during play, so you can remember your thoughts on the experience after the game session. To gather the most useful data for this playtest, we ask that you avoid using house rules and play these characters using only published rules from the Starfinder RPG.</p>
<h3>Playtesting in the Starfinder Society</h3>
<p>Players participating in <a href="https://paizo.com/starfindersociety">Starfinder Society Organized Play</a> can also join in the worldwide playtest to test the evolutionist class. From today until the playtest's completion, players can create custom evolutionist characters of levels 1, 4 and 8. For more information, click <a href="https://organizedplayfoundation.org/Lorespire/sfsguide._.Playtest-Rules">here</a>.</p>
<h3>Survey</h3>
<p>Our primary means of collecting feedback for the playtest is through a survey that we would like everyone participating in the playtest to complete. A link to the survey is available on the <a href="https://paizo.com/starfinderplaytest">playtest page</a>. Please make sure you've filled out your survey by <b>September 24, 2021</b>.</p>
<p>In addition to responding via the official survey, you can engage with other players and designers on the <a href="https://paizo.com/community/forums/starfinder/playtest/evolutionistClass">playtest forum</a> to discuss the evolutionist and possibilities for the future. While we want to focus on actual-play feedback, we're interested in hearing all your ideas about the class.</p>
<p>What are your thoughts about the playtest? Are you excited? Do you have any questions about the playtest process? Let us know in the comments below!</p>
<p style="margin-left: 20px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14px;">—The Starfinder Team<br /></p>
</blockquote>
</div>
<!— tags: Starfinder, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Playtest, Playtest, —>
</article>
<p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/starfinder">Starfinder</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/starfinderPlaytest">Starfinder Playtest</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/starfinderRoleplayingGame">Starfinder Roleplaying Game</a></p>2021-08-02T17:10:00ZNew Starfinder Playtesthttps://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo6shqr?New-Starfinder-Playtest2021-07-19T20:30:00Z<article>
<h1 itemprop="headline">New Starfinder Playtest</h1>
<p class="date" style="margin-bottom:1rem !important;">Monday, July 19, 2021</p>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<div class="blurbCenter" style="display: none;"><a href="https://paizo.com/image/content/Blog/060221_GEMSandboxPreview2.jpg"><img src="https//paizo.com/image/content/Blog/060221_GEMSandboxPreview2_500.jpeg"></a></div>
<blockquote>
<p itemprop="description">Some say the only constant is change—and Starfinder’s newest playtest is all about it! Indeed, it’s time to shake up the galaxy with a new class that demonstrates the power and possibility of transformation.</p>
<p>From <b>August 2nd</b> to <b>September 24th</b>, we’ll be running a public playtest for the <b>evolutionist</b>, Starfinder’s future addition to the bevvy of available classes! The class will feature in an upcoming (unannounced, impossible-to-discern) Starfinder product.</p>
<p>As an evolutionist, you’ll choose a path of transformation and gain related abilities as you grow in power: become a magnificent extraplanar being, evolve from mere mortal into machine, accept the powers and perils of undeath, or erupt with chimeric potential and vital energy. Whichever path you choose, you’ll have to balance your burgeoning prowess for metamorphosis with the dangerous risks sometimes posed by your talents.</p>
<div class="blurbCenter"><a href="https://cdn.paizo.com/a7d62ac8-7f03-00ef-f1f0-83fb8bf332e2/e3d0679a-3aff-41ca-8995-5f7229dbdb93/060221_GEMSandbox.jpg"><img style="max-width:70%" src="https://cdn.paizo.com/a7d62ac8-7f03-00ef-f1f0-83fb8bf332e2/e3d0679a-3aff-41ca-8995-5f7229dbdb93/060221_GEMSandbox.jpg" alt="A packed travel hub full of different alien races of the galaxy, in the foreground is a blue skinned orc pushing a trolley full of luggage, leading the group of travelers disembarking is a skittermander and their baby" /></a><p style="font-size: 13px;">Illustration by Victor Manuel Leza Moreno</p></div>
<p>Paizo Organized Play Starfinder Evolutionist Playtest rules can be found <a href="https://organizedplayfoundation.org/Lorespire/sfsguide._.Playtest-Rules" target="_blank">here</a>. Come back on <b>August 2nd</b> to get everything you need to learn more about—and playtest—Starfinder’s newest class at <a href="http://starfinderplaytest.com/">StarfinderPlaytest.com</a>!</p>
</blockquote>
</div>
<!— tags: Starfinder, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Playtest, Starfinder Playtest, —>
</article>
<p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/starfinder">Starfinder</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/starfinderPlaytest">Starfinder Playtest</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/starfinderRoleplayingGame">Starfinder Roleplaying Game</a></p><article>
<h1 itemprop="headline">New Starfinder Playtest</h1>
<p class="date" style="margin-bottom:1rem !important;">Monday, July 19, 2021</p>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<div class="blurbCenter" style="display: none;"><a href="https://paizo.com/image/content/Blog/060221_GEMSandboxPreview2.jpg"><img src="https//paizo.com/image/content/Blog/060221_GEMSandboxPreview2_500.jpeg"></a></div>
<blockquote>
<p itemprop="description">Some say the only constant is change—and Starfinder’s newest playtest is all about it! Indeed, it’s time to shake up the galaxy with a new class that demonstrates the power and possibility of transformation.</p>
<p>From <b>August 2nd</b> to <b>September 24th</b>, we’ll be running a public playtest for the <b>evolutionist</b>, Starfinder’s future addition to the bevvy of available classes! The class will feature in an upcoming (unannounced, impossible-to-discern) Starfinder product.</p>
<p>As an evolutionist, you’ll choose a path of transformation and gain related abilities as you grow in power: become a magnificent extraplanar being, evolve from mere mortal into machine, accept the powers and perils of undeath, or erupt with chimeric potential and vital energy. Whichever path you choose, you’ll have to balance your burgeoning prowess for metamorphosis with the dangerous risks sometimes posed by your talents.</p>
<div class="blurbCenter"><a href="https://cdn.paizo.com/a7d62ac8-7f03-00ef-f1f0-83fb8bf332e2/e3d0679a-3aff-41ca-8995-5f7229dbdb93/060221_GEMSandbox.jpg"><img style="max-width:70%" src="https://cdn.paizo.com/a7d62ac8-7f03-00ef-f1f0-83fb8bf332e2/e3d0679a-3aff-41ca-8995-5f7229dbdb93/060221_GEMSandbox.jpg" alt="A packed travel hub full of different alien races of the galaxy, in the foreground is a blue skinned orc pushing a trolley full of luggage, leading the group of travelers disembarking is a skittermander and their baby" /></a><p style="font-size: 13px;">Illustration by Victor Manuel Leza Moreno</p></div>
<p>Paizo Organized Play Starfinder Evolutionist Playtest rules can be found <a href="https://organizedplayfoundation.org/Lorespire/sfsguide._.Playtest-Rules" target="_blank">here</a>. Come back on <b>August 2nd</b> to get everything you need to learn more about—and playtest—Starfinder’s newest class at <a href="http://starfinderplaytest.com/">StarfinderPlaytest.com</a>!</p>
</blockquote>
</div>
<!— tags: Starfinder, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Playtest, Starfinder Playtest, —>
</article>
<p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/starfinder">Starfinder</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/starfinderPlaytest">Starfinder Playtest</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/starfinderRoleplayingGame">Starfinder Roleplaying Game</a></p>2021-07-19T20:30:00ZStarfinder Playtest Launcheshttps://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo6shbk?Starfinder-Playtest-Launches2020-07-27T20:37:00Z<article>
<h1 itemprop="headline">Starfinder Playtest Launches</h1>
<p class="date" style="margin-bottom:1rem !important;">Monday, July 27, 2020</p>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<div class="blurbCenter" style="display:none;"><a href="https://paizo.com/image/content/Blog/072420_SFPlaytestPreview.jpg"><img src="https//paizo.com/image/content/Blog/072420_SFPlaytestPreview_500.jpeg"></a></div>
<blockquote>
<h3><center>The <a href="https://paizo.com/starfinderplaytest"><em>Starfinder Tech Revolution Playtest</a></em> begins now!<center></h3>
<div class="blurbCenter"><a href="https://cdn.paizo.com/image/content/Blog/072420_SFPlaytest.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="max-width:85%" src="https://cdn.paizo.com/image/content/Blog/072420_SFPlaytest.jpg" alt="Obozaya and Keskodai over a holographic battle map"></a><p style="font-size: 13px;">Art by Sergio Cosmai</p></div>
<p itemprop="description">This playtest presents two new options: the nanocyte class and the mech combat subsystem. The nanocyte is a cunning combatant who houses a host of nanites in their body. Using their nanite array, they can confound foes, spontaneously create equipment, and reinforce their own bodies, and specialized nanocytes can even stitch wounds, dissolve into nanite swarms, and shred foes with a cloud of microscopic assailants!</p>
<p>If bigger is better in your playtest, then strap into a mech! Mechs are specialized vehicles operated by one or more pilots, each of which contributes to the giant robot’s actions. Much like building a starship, you create your own mech (or mechs), allowing you to customize your frame, limbs, armaments, and more! Mechs operate on the familiar square grid maps, so although they’re bigger and more powerful than PCs usually are, many of the rules for using them are familiar, and many of the same foes are appropriate challenges.</p>
<p>This playtest is your chance to get a look at early versions of these new options and have a hand in their development before they hit shelves next year!</p>
<h3>Playtesting the Class and Mechs</h3>
<p>The <em>Starfinder Tech Revolution</em> Playtest launches today, <b>July 27, 2020</b>, and runs through <b>September 18, 2020</b>. So how can you help playtest this new class and new mechs? First, download the free PDF of the <em>Starfinder Tech Revolution Playtest</em> from <a href="https://paizo.com/starfinderplaytest">starfinderplaytest.com</a>. Then make up some characters or mechs using the new rules. We're most interested in feedback from actual play, so it's best if you can get some friends together and play a few sessions using these new options. If possible, make up characters at different levels and mechs at different tiers to get a sense of how they work at different points in their careers. There's no accompanying playtest adventure—you can use the new class in existing adventures like Starfinder Society scenarios or Starfinder Adventure Paths, and both the new class and mechs are a great fit for adventures or mock combats that you create yourself. It might be helpful to take some notes during play, so you can remember your thoughts on the experience after the game session. To gather the most useful data for this playtest, we ask that you avoid using house rules and play these characters using only published rules from the Starfinder RPG.
<h3>Playtesting in the Starfinder Society</h3>
<p>Players participating in <a href="https://paizo.com/starfindersociety">Starfinder Society Organized Play</a> can also join in the worldwide playtest to test the nanocyte class. From now until the playtest's completion, players can create custom nanocyte characters of levels 1, 4 and 8. These custom characters use many of the same rules as pregenerated characters, though the Organized Play team has slightly relaxed the rules in order to encourage playtesting these new classes. For more information, check out this <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo6shbj">blog</a> about using the nanocyte in Starfinder Society.</p>
<h3>Surveys</h3>
<p>Our primary means of collecting feedback for the playtest is through surveys that we would like everyone participating in the playtest to complete. There is one survey for the nanocyte class and a separate survey for mechs, so please fill out the survey for the new option you play. If you get the chance to try out both, that's great! But it's okay if you can only play one or the other—just fill out the relevant survey or surveys. Links to the surveys can be found on the <a href="https://paizo.com/starfinderplaytest">playtest page</a>. Please make sure you've filled out your surveys by <b>September 18, 2020</b>.</p>
<p>In addition to responding via the surveys, you can engage with other players and designers on the <a href="https://paizo.com/community/forums/starfinder/playtest">Playtest forums</a>, discussing the new classes and possibilities for the future. While we want to focus on actual play feedback, we're interested in hearing all of your ideas about the classes. What are your thoughts about the playtest? Do you have any questions about the playtest process? Let us know in the comments below!</p>
<p style="margin-left: 20px; font-weight: bold;">
<em>The Starfinder Team</em></p>
</blockquote>
</div>
<!— tags: Starfinder, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Playtest, Starfinder Playtests, —>
</article>
<p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/starfinder">Starfinder</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/starfinderPlaytest">Starfinder Playtest</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/starfinderPlaytests">Starfinder Playtests</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/starfinderRoleplayingGame">Starfinder Roleplaying Game</a></p><article>
<h1 itemprop="headline">Starfinder Playtest Launches</h1>
<p class="date" style="margin-bottom:1rem !important;">Monday, July 27, 2020</p>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<div class="blurbCenter" style="display:none;"><a href="https://paizo.com/image/content/Blog/072420_SFPlaytestPreview.jpg"><img src="https//paizo.com/image/content/Blog/072420_SFPlaytestPreview_500.jpeg"></a></div>
<blockquote>
<h3><center>The <a href="https://paizo.com/starfinderplaytest"><em>Starfinder Tech Revolution Playtest</a></em> begins now!<center></h3>
<div class="blurbCenter"><a href="https://cdn.paizo.com/image/content/Blog/072420_SFPlaytest.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="max-width:85%" src="https://cdn.paizo.com/image/content/Blog/072420_SFPlaytest.jpg" alt="Obozaya and Keskodai over a holographic battle map"></a><p style="font-size: 13px;">Art by Sergio Cosmai</p></div>
<p itemprop="description">This playtest presents two new options: the nanocyte class and the mech combat subsystem. The nanocyte is a cunning combatant who houses a host of nanites in their body. Using their nanite array, they can confound foes, spontaneously create equipment, and reinforce their own bodies, and specialized nanocytes can even stitch wounds, dissolve into nanite swarms, and shred foes with a cloud of microscopic assailants!</p>
<p>If bigger is better in your playtest, then strap into a mech! Mechs are specialized vehicles operated by one or more pilots, each of which contributes to the giant robot’s actions. Much like building a starship, you create your own mech (or mechs), allowing you to customize your frame, limbs, armaments, and more! Mechs operate on the familiar square grid maps, so although they’re bigger and more powerful than PCs usually are, many of the rules for using them are familiar, and many of the same foes are appropriate challenges.</p>
<p>This playtest is your chance to get a look at early versions of these new options and have a hand in their development before they hit shelves next year!</p>
<h3>Playtesting the Class and Mechs</h3>
<p>The <em>Starfinder Tech Revolution</em> Playtest launches today, <b>July 27, 2020</b>, and runs through <b>September 18, 2020</b>. So how can you help playtest this new class and new mechs? First, download the free PDF of the <em>Starfinder Tech Revolution Playtest</em> from <a href="https://paizo.com/starfinderplaytest">starfinderplaytest.com</a>. Then make up some characters or mechs using the new rules. We're most interested in feedback from actual play, so it's best if you can get some friends together and play a few sessions using these new options. If possible, make up characters at different levels and mechs at different tiers to get a sense of how they work at different points in their careers. There's no accompanying playtest adventure—you can use the new class in existing adventures like Starfinder Society scenarios or Starfinder Adventure Paths, and both the new class and mechs are a great fit for adventures or mock combats that you create yourself. It might be helpful to take some notes during play, so you can remember your thoughts on the experience after the game session. To gather the most useful data for this playtest, we ask that you avoid using house rules and play these characters using only published rules from the Starfinder RPG.
<h3>Playtesting in the Starfinder Society</h3>
<p>Players participating in <a href="https://paizo.com/starfindersociety">Starfinder Society Organized Play</a> can also join in the worldwide playtest to test the nanocyte class. From now until the playtest's completion, players can create custom nanocyte characters of levels 1, 4 and 8. These custom characters use many of the same rules as pregenerated characters, though the Organized Play team has slightly relaxed the rules in order to encourage playtesting these new classes. For more information, check out this <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo6shbj">blog</a> about using the nanocyte in Starfinder Society.</p>
<h3>Surveys</h3>
<p>Our primary means of collecting feedback for the playtest is through surveys that we would like everyone participating in the playtest to complete. There is one survey for the nanocyte class and a separate survey for mechs, so please fill out the survey for the new option you play. If you get the chance to try out both, that's great! But it's okay if you can only play one or the other—just fill out the relevant survey or surveys. Links to the surveys can be found on the <a href="https://paizo.com/starfinderplaytest">playtest page</a>. Please make sure you've filled out your surveys by <b>September 18, 2020</b>.</p>
<p>In addition to responding via the surveys, you can engage with other players and designers on the <a href="https://paizo.com/community/forums/starfinder/playtest">Playtest forums</a>, discussing the new classes and possibilities for the future. While we want to focus on actual play feedback, we're interested in hearing all of your ideas about the classes. What are your thoughts about the playtest? Do you have any questions about the playtest process? Let us know in the comments below!</p>
<p style="margin-left: 20px; font-weight: bold;">
<em>The Starfinder Team</em></p>
</blockquote>
</div>
<!— tags: Starfinder, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Playtest, Starfinder Playtests, —>
</article>
<p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/starfinder">Starfinder</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/starfinderPlaytest">Starfinder Playtest</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/starfinderPlaytests">Starfinder Playtests</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/starfinderRoleplayingGame">Starfinder Roleplaying Game</a></p>2020-07-27T20:37:00ZOccult Society Revisitedhttps://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo5lgrp?Occult-Society-Revisited2014-12-01T20:08:00Z<blockquote>
<br />
<div class="blurbCenter"><a href="https://paizo.com/pathfindersociety"><img src="https//paizo.com/image/content/Logos/PathfinderSocietyLogo_360.jpeg"></a></div>
<h1 itemprop="headline">Occult Society Revisited</h1>
<p class="date">Monday, December 1, 2014</p>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<p itemprop = "description">Almost a week has passed since <a href = "paizo/blog/v5748dyo5lgri">the <em>Occult Adventures</em> playtest closed</a>, and I've heard very positive feedback from the Design Team about the playtest contributions of <a href = "/pathfinderSociety">Pathfinder Society</a> players. Thank you for participating in the playtest and helping us tweak the classes and make <a href = "/products/btpy9a0h"><em>Occult Adventures</em></a> the best Gen Con release yet. Note that as of the playtest's conclusion, creating characters using the playtest versions of the Occult Adventures classes is no longer legal; only those who unlocked the ability to play a psychic character can continue to use that PC before the book's publication and inclusion on the <a href = "/pathfinderSociety/about/additionalResources">Additional Resources page</a>.</p>
<p>This year we put together something different for Pathfinder Society: we offered a four-part boon to incentivize playtesting and reward those who ran a lot of tests across a wide range of levels. The Chronicle sheet addressed a few concerns we have had during past RPG hardcover playtests, such as limited higher-level playtest reports and a glut of playtest characters running around the campaign between December and August using non-final versions of the classes. Mark Seifter and I worked together to build an incentive to assist the designers while also keeping the impact of the playtest to a minimum after it wrapped up. We also knew that unlocking that fourth and final boon would be difficult but that we wanted to reward anyone who was so dedicated to the playtest process.</p>
<p>I'm certain there are ways to improve the process even further, and I would like to hear your feedback on what went well and what could be better in the organized play playtest. Did this Chronicle sheet inspire you to try a class and provide feedback? Were you more inclined to test just one character to unlock as many boons as possible, or did you try out several classes? Did you or anyone you know unlock the third boon (6 play credits) or the fourth boon (9 credits)? Did the boons strike a good balance between being attractive and not being game-breaking? Did you find the Chronicle sheet easy to use and understand? These are just a few questions on my mind, and if you have related feedback about some other aspect of how we handled the playtest for <a href = "/pathfindersociety">Pathfinder Society</a>, let me know here.</p>
<p>John Compton<br />
<i>Developer</i></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<!— tags: Pathfinder Society, Playtest, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game —><p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderRoleplayingGame">Pathfinder Roleplaying Game</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderSociety">Pathfinder Society</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a></p><blockquote>
<br />
<div class="blurbCenter"><a href="https://paizo.com/pathfindersociety"><img src="https//paizo.com/image/content/Logos/PathfinderSocietyLogo_360.jpeg"></a></div>
<h1 itemprop="headline">Occult Society Revisited</h1>
<p class="date">Monday, December 1, 2014</p>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<p itemprop = "description">Almost a week has passed since <a href = "paizo/blog/v5748dyo5lgri">the <em>Occult Adventures</em> playtest closed</a>, and I've heard very positive feedback from the Design Team about the playtest contributions of <a href = "/pathfinderSociety">Pathfinder Society</a> players. Thank you for participating in the playtest and helping us tweak the classes and make <a href = "/products/btpy9a0h"><em>Occult Adventures</em></a> the best Gen Con release yet. Note that as of the playtest's conclusion, creating characters using the playtest versions of the Occult Adventures classes is no longer legal; only those who unlocked the ability to play a psychic character can continue to use that PC before the book's publication and inclusion on the <a href = "/pathfinderSociety/about/additionalResources">Additional Resources page</a>.</p>
<p>This year we put together something different for Pathfinder Society: we offered a four-part boon to incentivize playtesting and reward those who ran a lot of tests across a wide range of levels. The Chronicle sheet addressed a few concerns we have had during past RPG hardcover playtests, such as limited higher-level playtest reports and a glut of playtest characters running around the campaign between December and August using non-final versions of the classes. Mark Seifter and I worked together to build an incentive to assist the designers while also keeping the impact of the playtest to a minimum after it wrapped up. We also knew that unlocking that fourth and final boon would be difficult but that we wanted to reward anyone who was so dedicated to the playtest process.</p>
<p>I'm certain there are ways to improve the process even further, and I would like to hear your feedback on what went well and what could be better in the organized play playtest. Did this Chronicle sheet inspire you to try a class and provide feedback? Were you more inclined to test just one character to unlock as many boons as possible, or did you try out several classes? Did you or anyone you know unlock the third boon (6 play credits) or the fourth boon (9 credits)? Did the boons strike a good balance between being attractive and not being game-breaking? Did you find the Chronicle sheet easy to use and understand? These are just a few questions on my mind, and if you have related feedback about some other aspect of how we handled the playtest for <a href = "/pathfindersociety">Pathfinder Society</a>, let me know here.</p>
<p>John Compton<br />
<i>Developer</i></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<!— tags: Pathfinder Society, Playtest, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game —><p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderRoleplayingGame">Pathfinder Roleplaying Game</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderSociety">Pathfinder Society</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a></p>2014-12-01T20:08:00ZOccult Societyhttps://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo5lgpi?Occult-Society2014-11-10T20:00:00Z<blockquote>
<br />
<div class="blurbCenter"><a href="https://paizo.com/pathfindersociety"><img src="https//paizo.com/image/content/Logos/PathfinderSocietyLogo_360.jpeg"></a></div>
<h1 itemprop="headline">Occult Society</h1>
<p class="date">Monday, November 10, 2014</p>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<p itemprop = "description">As many of you know, about two weeks ago the Pathfinder Design Team <a href = "/paizo/blog/v5748dyo5lgna">began the playtest</a> for <a href = "/products/btpy9a0h"><i>Pathfinder RPG Occult Adventures</i></a>, Paizo's upcoming hardcover book due out in the summer of 2015. I know a lot of you are already busy trying out the new classes in Pathfinder Society (there's a special Chronicle sheet available for download on the playtest's blog linked above), and in my conversations with the designers, they're thrilled to receive your feedback. In case you have tried out one of these six classes and not left feedback, <a href = "/paizo/messageboards/paizoPublishing/pathfinder/pathfinderRPG/occultAdventuresPlaytest/feedback">why not do so now?</a></p>
<p>Some of the Pathfinder Society players in the Seattle area recently invited me to join in an Occult Playtest run of <a href = "/products/btpy8yqx"><i>The Emerald Spire Superdungeon</i></a>, and I'm finding the new possibilities provided by these six new classes are extraordinarily fun; it's hard to settle on just one concept when there are at least half a dozen that call out to me thanks to the new mechanics and amusing backstory possibilities. One of the leading choices is a half-orc owlbear "shaman" who is actually a medium channeling The Bear and The Owl spirits. I had better decide quickly, because the first game is tonight!</p>
<p>What about you? Have you come up with any interesting ways to weave your playtest character into the setting and the Pathfinder Society? Have you and your friends enjoyed the playtest Chronicle sheet?</p>
<p>John Compton<br />
<i>Developer</i></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<!— tags: Pathfinder Society, Playtest, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game —><p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderRoleplayingGame">Pathfinder Roleplaying Game</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderSociety">Pathfinder Society</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a></p><blockquote>
<br />
<div class="blurbCenter"><a href="https://paizo.com/pathfindersociety"><img src="https//paizo.com/image/content/Logos/PathfinderSocietyLogo_360.jpeg"></a></div>
<h1 itemprop="headline">Occult Society</h1>
<p class="date">Monday, November 10, 2014</p>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<p itemprop = "description">As many of you know, about two weeks ago the Pathfinder Design Team <a href = "/paizo/blog/v5748dyo5lgna">began the playtest</a> for <a href = "/products/btpy9a0h"><i>Pathfinder RPG Occult Adventures</i></a>, Paizo's upcoming hardcover book due out in the summer of 2015. I know a lot of you are already busy trying out the new classes in Pathfinder Society (there's a special Chronicle sheet available for download on the playtest's blog linked above), and in my conversations with the designers, they're thrilled to receive your feedback. In case you have tried out one of these six classes and not left feedback, <a href = "/paizo/messageboards/paizoPublishing/pathfinder/pathfinderRPG/occultAdventuresPlaytest/feedback">why not do so now?</a></p>
<p>Some of the Pathfinder Society players in the Seattle area recently invited me to join in an Occult Playtest run of <a href = "/products/btpy8yqx"><i>The Emerald Spire Superdungeon</i></a>, and I'm finding the new possibilities provided by these six new classes are extraordinarily fun; it's hard to settle on just one concept when there are at least half a dozen that call out to me thanks to the new mechanics and amusing backstory possibilities. One of the leading choices is a half-orc owlbear "shaman" who is actually a medium channeling The Bear and The Owl spirits. I had better decide quickly, because the first game is tonight!</p>
<p>What about you? Have you come up with any interesting ways to weave your playtest character into the setting and the Pathfinder Society? Have you and your friends enjoyed the playtest Chronicle sheet?</p>
<p>John Compton<br />
<i>Developer</i></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<!— tags: Pathfinder Society, Playtest, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game —><p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderRoleplayingGame">Pathfinder Roleplaying Game</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderSociety">Pathfinder Society</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a></p>2014-11-10T20:00:00ZUncover the Truth: Occult Adventures Playtest!https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo5lgna?Uncover-the-Truth-Occult-Adventures-Playtest2014-10-28T19:00:00Z<blockquote>
<br />
<h1 itemprop="headline">Uncover the Truth: Occult Adventures Playtest!</h1>
<p class="date">Tuesday, October 28, 2014</p>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<div class = "blurb180"><a href = "/pathfinderRPG/occultAdventuresPlaytest"><img src = "/image/product/catalog/PZO/PZO1132AE_180.jpeg"></a></div>
<p itemprop = "description">The world is full of mysteries. Truths hidden in plain sight, obscured to further secret goals and nefarious agendas. Some dare to uncover these secrets, venturing into the shadow to learn about these strange forces, and now you can be one of them.</p>
<p>Welcome to the playtest of <a href = "/products/btpy9a0h"><em>Occult Adventures</em></a>, a book filled with mysteries and secrets due out in summer 2015. This hardcover Pathfinder RPG rulebook will contain a mountain of new material for your game, from mysterious orders to strange powers, not to mention new archetypes, feats, spells, and magic items. As with our previous playtests, we want to make sure this book is the best it can be, and that's where you come in. <em>Occult Adventures</em> includes 6 new base classes to add to your game, each one focusing on one aspect of psychic magic. Similar in some ways to arcane and divine magic, psychic magic ventures into new territory, utilizing the power of the mind, body, and soul. Each of the classes in this playtest uses psychic magic in different ways, from the raw power of the kineticist to the subtle manipulations of the mesmerist.</p>
<p>You can download the <a href = "/pathfinderRPG/occultAdventuresPlaytest"><em>Occult Adventures Playtest</em></a> document now! The PDF contains a brief discussion on the nature of the occult in Pathfinder, all 6 of the new classes, and a selection of psychic spells. Give these classes a read, build a character, and most importantly, use them in your games. Once you've had a chance to give them a try, go to our messageboards and post up your thoughts and feedback. We are eager to hear what you think works with these new rules and what still needs work. This playtest will remain open until <b>November 25th</b> (although we will keep it open for an additional round of playtesting if feedback warrants any significant revisions).</p>
<p>In addition, starting next week, there will be a survey for each one of the classes, allowing us to gain some basic insight on your opinions about these classes. These will be available on Tuesday, <b>November 4th</b>, and remain open until the end of the playtest. Please share your input before then!</p>
<p>You can even play these classes in <a href = "/pathfindersociety">Pathfinder Society</a>. For this playtest, we have added <a href = "/pathfinderRPG/occultAdventuresPlaytest">a special boon</a> for those who make a character and play them during the playtest. We're excited to see how these classes work in PFS!</p>
<p>Finally, I want to take a moment to talk about the playtest process itself. Although we find all feedback useful, thoughts and comments based on actual play experience is by far the most valuable. Please try to fit these classes into your game, or even just run a few mock encounters. When posting to <a href = "/pathfinderRPG/occultAdventuresPlaytest">the playtest forums</a>, look for existing threads on your topic before starting a new one—this will help us to better absorb and respond to feedback. While discussions can become heated, remember that every game is different and every poster is trying to make the game better for everyone. Be polite and respectful of the ideas others' posts.</p>
<p>Well, that about wraps it up for now. <a href = "/pathfinderRPG/occultAdventuresPlaytest">Grab the PDF</a> and uncover the occult secrets that lie within. We will be waiting for you on the boards, looking for your feedback and ideas. Thank you for participating and helping us playtest <em>Occult Adventures</em>.</p>
<p>Jason Bulmahn<br />
<i>Lead Designer</i></p>
<p>P.S.: Our regularly scheduled <a href = "/pathfinder/adventureCardGame">Adventure Card Game</a> blog will return next week!</p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<!— tags: Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Playtest —><p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderRoleplayingGame">Pathfinder Roleplaying Game</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a></p><blockquote>
<br />
<h1 itemprop="headline">Uncover the Truth: Occult Adventures Playtest!</h1>
<p class="date">Tuesday, October 28, 2014</p>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<div class = "blurb180"><a href = "/pathfinderRPG/occultAdventuresPlaytest"><img src = "/image/product/catalog/PZO/PZO1132AE_180.jpeg"></a></div>
<p itemprop = "description">The world is full of mysteries. Truths hidden in plain sight, obscured to further secret goals and nefarious agendas. Some dare to uncover these secrets, venturing into the shadow to learn about these strange forces, and now you can be one of them.</p>
<p>Welcome to the playtest of <a href = "/products/btpy9a0h"><em>Occult Adventures</em></a>, a book filled with mysteries and secrets due out in summer 2015. This hardcover Pathfinder RPG rulebook will contain a mountain of new material for your game, from mysterious orders to strange powers, not to mention new archetypes, feats, spells, and magic items. As with our previous playtests, we want to make sure this book is the best it can be, and that's where you come in. <em>Occult Adventures</em> includes 6 new base classes to add to your game, each one focusing on one aspect of psychic magic. Similar in some ways to arcane and divine magic, psychic magic ventures into new territory, utilizing the power of the mind, body, and soul. Each of the classes in this playtest uses psychic magic in different ways, from the raw power of the kineticist to the subtle manipulations of the mesmerist.</p>
<p>You can download the <a href = "/pathfinderRPG/occultAdventuresPlaytest"><em>Occult Adventures Playtest</em></a> document now! The PDF contains a brief discussion on the nature of the occult in Pathfinder, all 6 of the new classes, and a selection of psychic spells. Give these classes a read, build a character, and most importantly, use them in your games. Once you've had a chance to give them a try, go to our messageboards and post up your thoughts and feedback. We are eager to hear what you think works with these new rules and what still needs work. This playtest will remain open until <b>November 25th</b> (although we will keep it open for an additional round of playtesting if feedback warrants any significant revisions).</p>
<p>In addition, starting next week, there will be a survey for each one of the classes, allowing us to gain some basic insight on your opinions about these classes. These will be available on Tuesday, <b>November 4th</b>, and remain open until the end of the playtest. Please share your input before then!</p>
<p>You can even play these classes in <a href = "/pathfindersociety">Pathfinder Society</a>. For this playtest, we have added <a href = "/pathfinderRPG/occultAdventuresPlaytest">a special boon</a> for those who make a character and play them during the playtest. We're excited to see how these classes work in PFS!</p>
<p>Finally, I want to take a moment to talk about the playtest process itself. Although we find all feedback useful, thoughts and comments based on actual play experience is by far the most valuable. Please try to fit these classes into your game, or even just run a few mock encounters. When posting to <a href = "/pathfinderRPG/occultAdventuresPlaytest">the playtest forums</a>, look for existing threads on your topic before starting a new one—this will help us to better absorb and respond to feedback. While discussions can become heated, remember that every game is different and every poster is trying to make the game better for everyone. Be polite and respectful of the ideas others' posts.</p>
<p>Well, that about wraps it up for now. <a href = "/pathfinderRPG/occultAdventuresPlaytest">Grab the PDF</a> and uncover the occult secrets that lie within. We will be waiting for you on the boards, looking for your feedback and ideas. Thank you for participating and helping us playtest <em>Occult Adventures</em>.</p>
<p>Jason Bulmahn<br />
<i>Lead Designer</i></p>
<p>P.S.: Our regularly scheduled <a href = "/pathfinder/adventureCardGame">Adventure Card Game</a> blog will return next week!</p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<!— tags: Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Playtest —><p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderRoleplayingGame">Pathfinder Roleplaying Game</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a></p>2014-10-28T19:00:00ZStarting to Look a Little Spooky!https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo5lgn7?Starting-to-Look-a-Little-Spooky2014-10-27T23:44:00Z<blockquote>
<br />
<div class="blurbCenter"><a href="https://paizo.com/pathfindersociety"><img src="https//paizo.com/image/content/Logos/PathfinderSocietyLogo_360.jpeg"></a></div>
<h1 itemprop="headline">Starting to Look a Little Spooky!</h1>
<p class="date">Monday, October 27, 2014</p>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<div class = "blurb180"><a href = "//static1.paizo.com/image/content/PathfinderSociety/PZOPSS0607-EfreetiLord.jpg"><img src = "//static1.paizo.com/image/content/PathfinderSociety/PZOPSS0607-EfreetiLord_180.jpeg"></a><br /><i>Illustration by Darren Ward</i></div>
<p itemprop = "description">In the United States and many other countries throughout Europe and the Americas (and likely beyond), the transition between October and November is a time for Halloween, Dia de los Muertos, and other festivals that mix spiritual significance and macabre imagery. Having grown up loving Halloween—no surprise, I suppose, given my love of playing other characters in RPGs—I like to include a spooky scenario on the schedule in October whenever possible. This year, Tom Phillips returns with his third scenario: <a href = "/products/btpy9986"><i>Pathfinder Society Scenario #6-06: Hall of the Flesh Eaters</i></a>, a Tier 1-5 scenario that takes place on one of the Gloomspires, an array of ancient towers rising from the ocean west of the Eye of Abendego. This is a new feature of Tom's invention picked up from his <a href = "/threads/rzs2noiz">2012 Top 8 RPG Superstar submission</a> (careful—there are some light spoilers in the link), and we at Paizo agreed it would be a great fit for Golarion. It's been fun giving Tom a lot of creative freedom to flesh out (har har) this location, and I know you're going to enjoy the creepy atmosphere and encounters.</p>
<p>The other scenario for the month is <a href = "/products/btpy9987"><i>Pathfinder Society Scenario #6-07: Valley of Veiled Flame</i></a> by returning author Nathan King. I really enjoy picking up old plot threads, and for years players and GMs alike have asked when they might see a use for one particular unique item that appeared on a Chronicle sheet many years ago. In this Tier 5-9 adventure, the PCs travel deep into the Zho mountains on the trail of a lost team of Pathfinders only to find an extraordinary treasure hidden among the peaks. I'd rather not spoil the plot for you, so I'll just leave you with this piece of art.</p>
<p>Also, you may have heard about the upcoming Occult Adventures hardcover book and seen <a href = "/paizo/blog/v5748dyo5lgmt&page=last?Signs-and-Portents">signs about an upcoming playtest</a>. In the past, <a href = "/pathfinderSociety">the Pathfinder Society Organized Play campaign</a> has participated in the playtest phase of other hardcover books, and we intend to continue that tradition with Occult Adventures—with a bit of a twist: We will provide a Chronicle sheet available as a free download that incentivizes testing one of the new classes and providing feedback during the playtest window based on how many times you played.</p>
<p>Finally, I've begun experimenting with a new type of boon. I'll say no more on the subject, but I'm interested to hear what people think when they start seeing it on Chronicle sheets. When that time comes, I strongly encourage you to discuss it with spoiler tags or noting the spoiler nature in the thread's subject line, for I would appreciate players having a chance to discover it through play and come to their own conclusions first.</p>
<p>John Compton<br />
<i>Developer</i></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<!— tags: Pathfinder Society, Playtest, Year of the Sky Key, Darren Ward —><p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/darrenWard">Darren Ward</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderSociety">Pathfinder Society</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/yearOfTheSkyKey">Year of the Sky Key</a></p><blockquote>
<br />
<div class="blurbCenter"><a href="https://paizo.com/pathfindersociety"><img src="https//paizo.com/image/content/Logos/PathfinderSocietyLogo_360.jpeg"></a></div>
<h1 itemprop="headline">Starting to Look a Little Spooky!</h1>
<p class="date">Monday, October 27, 2014</p>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<div class = "blurb180"><a href = "//static1.paizo.com/image/content/PathfinderSociety/PZOPSS0607-EfreetiLord.jpg"><img src = "//static1.paizo.com/image/content/PathfinderSociety/PZOPSS0607-EfreetiLord_180.jpeg"></a><br /><i>Illustration by Darren Ward</i></div>
<p itemprop = "description">In the United States and many other countries throughout Europe and the Americas (and likely beyond), the transition between October and November is a time for Halloween, Dia de los Muertos, and other festivals that mix spiritual significance and macabre imagery. Having grown up loving Halloween—no surprise, I suppose, given my love of playing other characters in RPGs—I like to include a spooky scenario on the schedule in October whenever possible. This year, Tom Phillips returns with his third scenario: <a href = "/products/btpy9986"><i>Pathfinder Society Scenario #6-06: Hall of the Flesh Eaters</i></a>, a Tier 1-5 scenario that takes place on one of the Gloomspires, an array of ancient towers rising from the ocean west of the Eye of Abendego. This is a new feature of Tom's invention picked up from his <a href = "/threads/rzs2noiz">2012 Top 8 RPG Superstar submission</a> (careful—there are some light spoilers in the link), and we at Paizo agreed it would be a great fit for Golarion. It's been fun giving Tom a lot of creative freedom to flesh out (har har) this location, and I know you're going to enjoy the creepy atmosphere and encounters.</p>
<p>The other scenario for the month is <a href = "/products/btpy9987"><i>Pathfinder Society Scenario #6-07: Valley of Veiled Flame</i></a> by returning author Nathan King. I really enjoy picking up old plot threads, and for years players and GMs alike have asked when they might see a use for one particular unique item that appeared on a Chronicle sheet many years ago. In this Tier 5-9 adventure, the PCs travel deep into the Zho mountains on the trail of a lost team of Pathfinders only to find an extraordinary treasure hidden among the peaks. I'd rather not spoil the plot for you, so I'll just leave you with this piece of art.</p>
<p>Also, you may have heard about the upcoming Occult Adventures hardcover book and seen <a href = "/paizo/blog/v5748dyo5lgmt&page=last?Signs-and-Portents">signs about an upcoming playtest</a>. In the past, <a href = "/pathfinderSociety">the Pathfinder Society Organized Play campaign</a> has participated in the playtest phase of other hardcover books, and we intend to continue that tradition with Occult Adventures—with a bit of a twist: We will provide a Chronicle sheet available as a free download that incentivizes testing one of the new classes and providing feedback during the playtest window based on how many times you played.</p>
<p>Finally, I've begun experimenting with a new type of boon. I'll say no more on the subject, but I'm interested to hear what people think when they start seeing it on Chronicle sheets. When that time comes, I strongly encourage you to discuss it with spoiler tags or noting the spoiler nature in the thread's subject line, for I would appreciate players having a chance to discover it through play and come to their own conclusions first.</p>
<p>John Compton<br />
<i>Developer</i></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<!— tags: Pathfinder Society, Playtest, Year of the Sky Key, Darren Ward —><p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/darrenWard">Darren Ward</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderSociety">Pathfinder Society</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/yearOfTheSkyKey">Year of the Sky Key</a></p>2014-10-27T23:44:00ZSigns and Portentshttps://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo5lgmt?Signs-and-Portents2014-10-23T19:00:00Z<blockquote>
<br />
<h1 itemprop="headline">Signs and Portents</h1>
<p class="date">Thursday, October 23, 2014</p>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<p span itemprop = "description">Old and forgotten.<br />
Can you hear the echoes?<br />
Can you see the signs,<br />
unearthed in ancient tomes?<br />
Lost to the ages,<br />
torn from history.</p>
<p>Portents of great power,<br />
laying in wait for<br />
all to see.<br />
Yet none do.<br />
They cannot witness,<br />
even when the<br />
signs are right<br />
there, in plain view.</p>
<p>Only you can. The truth is<br />
near. You can expose it.</p>
<p>Turn the page,<br />
uncover the truth, but<br />
expect to pay with your<br />
sanity.<br />
Darkness cannot<br />
abide the light.<br />
You must walk in twilight.</p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<!— tags: Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Playtest —><p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderRoleplayingGame">Pathfinder Roleplaying Game</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a></p><blockquote>
<br />
<h1 itemprop="headline">Signs and Portents</h1>
<p class="date">Thursday, October 23, 2014</p>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<p span itemprop = "description">Old and forgotten.<br />
Can you hear the echoes?<br />
Can you see the signs,<br />
unearthed in ancient tomes?<br />
Lost to the ages,<br />
torn from history.</p>
<p>Portents of great power,<br />
laying in wait for<br />
all to see.<br />
Yet none do.<br />
They cannot witness,<br />
even when the<br />
signs are right<br />
there, in plain view.</p>
<p>Only you can. The truth is<br />
near. You can expose it.</p>
<p>Turn the page,<br />
uncover the truth, but<br />
expect to pay with your<br />
sanity.<br />
Darkness cannot<br />
abide the light.<br />
You must walk in twilight.</p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<!— tags: Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Playtest —><p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderRoleplayingGame">Pathfinder Roleplaying Game</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a></p>2014-10-23T19:00:00ZPlaytest Closing Thoughtshttps://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo5lfn7?Playtest-Closing-Thoughts2013-12-17T18:08:00Z<blockquote>
<br />
<h1 itemprop="headline">Playtest Closing Thoughts</h1>
<p class="date">Tuesday, December 17, 2013</p>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<p><span itemprop="description">Has it really been four weeks already? The playtest of the new classes set to debut in the Advanced Class Guide is drawing to a close. Today at 5:00 PM Pacific time, the boards and surveys will be closed, marking the end of one of our more successful playtests. It's been a wild ride for us here on the design team and the classes have seen marked improvement from their initial designs. For that, we have you to thank.</span></p>
<p>Playtests of this nature are a tricky process to manage. There are disagreements, heated discussions, wildly varying design philosophies, and threads that seem to go on for countless pages. Through it all, we have endeavored to read and respond as much as our time would allow, while still putting time in on the classes themselves to improve them and clarify their abilities. We released a second version of the classes just last week, to show off some of our progress, but we are not done yet. The work will now continue in house as we dial in our final changes to make these classes a great addition to your game. It's a lot of work, but it is well worth the effort.</p>
<p>This will be our final update on this book until its release this coming August. Expect to see a number of previews, showing off some of the final designs, as we approach that date. For those of you playing these classes in Pathfinder Society games, continue to use the second playtest versions of the classes until the book is released. For the rest of you, I can honestly say that we are excited to show off our final work on these classes and I am sure that most of you will be happy with the results. As an side note, I will be posting up a thread in the Pathfinder general discussion forum for folks to give us feedback on the playtest process itself, so that we can continue to improve our playtest process. Look for that thread after the playtest has closed.</p>
<p>Finally, I want to remind all of you to update your survey results right now! The surveys come down today at 5:00 PM Pacific time as well, and we want to make sure that we get your opinions on the revised versions of the classes. You can find the surveys right <a href="https://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/advancedClassGuide/survey">here</a>.</p>
<p>So, in closing, the design team would like to off up our thanks for all of your hard work on this playtest. Although we are now mentally exhausted and ready for a nap, we greatly appreciate you putting us through our paces on these designs. I think you will find that all of the long hours reading PDFs and playtest boards will have paid off. The Advanced Class Guide is shaping up to be an awesome addition to the Pathfinder game.</p>
<p>Jason Bulmahn<br />
<i>Lead Designer</i></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<!— tags: Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Playtest —><p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderRoleplayingGame">Pathfinder Roleplaying Game</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a></p><blockquote>
<br />
<h1 itemprop="headline">Playtest Closing Thoughts</h1>
<p class="date">Tuesday, December 17, 2013</p>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<p><span itemprop="description">Has it really been four weeks already? The playtest of the new classes set to debut in the Advanced Class Guide is drawing to a close. Today at 5:00 PM Pacific time, the boards and surveys will be closed, marking the end of one of our more successful playtests. It's been a wild ride for us here on the design team and the classes have seen marked improvement from their initial designs. For that, we have you to thank.</span></p>
<p>Playtests of this nature are a tricky process to manage. There are disagreements, heated discussions, wildly varying design philosophies, and threads that seem to go on for countless pages. Through it all, we have endeavored to read and respond as much as our time would allow, while still putting time in on the classes themselves to improve them and clarify their abilities. We released a second version of the classes just last week, to show off some of our progress, but we are not done yet. The work will now continue in house as we dial in our final changes to make these classes a great addition to your game. It's a lot of work, but it is well worth the effort.</p>
<p>This will be our final update on this book until its release this coming August. Expect to see a number of previews, showing off some of the final designs, as we approach that date. For those of you playing these classes in Pathfinder Society games, continue to use the second playtest versions of the classes until the book is released. For the rest of you, I can honestly say that we are excited to show off our final work on these classes and I am sure that most of you will be happy with the results. As an side note, I will be posting up a thread in the Pathfinder general discussion forum for folks to give us feedback on the playtest process itself, so that we can continue to improve our playtest process. Look for that thread after the playtest has closed.</p>
<p>Finally, I want to remind all of you to update your survey results right now! The surveys come down today at 5:00 PM Pacific time as well, and we want to make sure that we get your opinions on the revised versions of the classes. You can find the surveys right <a href="https://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/advancedClassGuide/survey">here</a>.</p>
<p>So, in closing, the design team would like to off up our thanks for all of your hard work on this playtest. Although we are now mentally exhausted and ready for a nap, we greatly appreciate you putting us through our paces on these designs. I think you will find that all of the long hours reading PDFs and playtest boards will have paid off. The Advanced Class Guide is shaping up to be an awesome addition to the Pathfinder game.</p>
<p>Jason Bulmahn<br />
<i>Lead Designer</i></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<!— tags: Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Playtest —><p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderRoleplayingGame">Pathfinder Roleplaying Game</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a></p>2013-12-17T18:08:00ZPlaytest Thoughts, Week 3https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo5lflp?Playtest-Thoughts-Week-32013-12-10T18:00:00Z<blockquote>
<br />
<h1 itemprop="headline">Playtest Thoughts, Week 3</h1>
<p class="date">Tuesday, December 10, 2013</p>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<p><span itemprop="description">We are in the home stretch now. The playtest has been going for three weeks now and we have one week left to go. The big announcement this week is that we have released a revised version of the playtest document! Inside you will find changes and alterations to all 10 of the playtest classes, from sweeping changes to the Arcanist to smaller alterations to the Shaman.</span></p>
<p>You can find the revised version of the playtest document on your <a href="https://paizo.com/paizo/account/assets">My Downloads page</a>. If you have yet to grab the document, you can download add it to your account for free <a href="https://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/advancedClassGuide">here</a>.</p>
<p>Once you've downloaded the PDF and taken a look at our changes, head over to the messageboards. We've created 10 new threads for you to use when discussing these classes and we've locked the old threads to avoid any confusion. Give the classes a try, use them in your games, roll up a PFS character, or just pit them against foes in mock combats. We want to hear what you have to say. The design on these classes is far from over, but your chance to comment comes to an end in just one week on <b>December 17th</b>!</p>
<p>Once you've gotten a chance to go through the revisions, don't forget to update your <a href="https://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/advancedClassGuide/survey">survey</a>. We are eager to see how these revisions affect your opinion and the survey is our best tool to gauge your thoughts.</p>
<p>The playtest has been great so far. We've gotten a lot of great ideas, feedback, and comments about these classes, and we are excited to see what you have to say as the playtest draws to a close. Thanks again for all of your hard work making this our most successful playtest to date.</p>
<p>See you on the boards!</p>
<p>Jason Bulmahn<br />
<i>Lead Designer</i></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<!— tags: Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Playtest —><p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderRoleplayingGame">Pathfinder Roleplaying Game</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a></p><blockquote>
<br />
<h1 itemprop="headline">Playtest Thoughts, Week 3</h1>
<p class="date">Tuesday, December 10, 2013</p>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<p><span itemprop="description">We are in the home stretch now. The playtest has been going for three weeks now and we have one week left to go. The big announcement this week is that we have released a revised version of the playtest document! Inside you will find changes and alterations to all 10 of the playtest classes, from sweeping changes to the Arcanist to smaller alterations to the Shaman.</span></p>
<p>You can find the revised version of the playtest document on your <a href="https://paizo.com/paizo/account/assets">My Downloads page</a>. If you have yet to grab the document, you can download add it to your account for free <a href="https://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/advancedClassGuide">here</a>.</p>
<p>Once you've downloaded the PDF and taken a look at our changes, head over to the messageboards. We've created 10 new threads for you to use when discussing these classes and we've locked the old threads to avoid any confusion. Give the classes a try, use them in your games, roll up a PFS character, or just pit them against foes in mock combats. We want to hear what you have to say. The design on these classes is far from over, but your chance to comment comes to an end in just one week on <b>December 17th</b>!</p>
<p>Once you've gotten a chance to go through the revisions, don't forget to update your <a href="https://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/advancedClassGuide/survey">survey</a>. We are eager to see how these revisions affect your opinion and the survey is our best tool to gauge your thoughts.</p>
<p>The playtest has been great so far. We've gotten a lot of great ideas, feedback, and comments about these classes, and we are excited to see what you have to say as the playtest draws to a close. Thanks again for all of your hard work making this our most successful playtest to date.</p>
<p>See you on the boards!</p>
<p>Jason Bulmahn<br />
<i>Lead Designer</i></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<!— tags: Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Playtest —><p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderRoleplayingGame">Pathfinder Roleplaying Game</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a></p>2013-12-10T18:00:00ZPlaytest Thoughts: Week 2https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo5lfl5?Playtest-Thoughts-Week-22013-12-03T19:59:00Z<blockquote>
<br />
<h1 itemprop="headline">Playtest Thoughts: Week 2</h1>
<p class="date">Tuesday, December 3, 2013</p>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<p><span itemprop="description">The Advanced Class Guide Playtest continues to roll along and the design team has been getting some great feedback from the boards. It's been a busy week; we've made changes to the arcanist, launched the playtest survey, and stuffed ourselves on Thanksgiving. This week, we'll take a look at those in detail and cast an eye toward the upcoming revisions.</span></p>
<p>Late in the day on Wednesday, we released a revised version of the arcanist, swapping out the blood focus class feature for a new mechanic designed to give the class flexibility along with a clearer and better sense of role in the game. The arcanist gained an arcane reservoir that she can draw upon to fuel exploits (special class features that let her tinker with the forces of magic). She can consume her own spell slots to fill up her reservoir and can even learn to siphon such power from magic items and enemy spells. If you have not seen the update, forums right <a href="http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qel1">go to the forum post here</a>. We aren't done with this class quite yet, but it's a step in the right direction.</p>
<p>The other big news last week was the launch of the playtest surveys. Each class has its own questionnaire, allowing us the gauge their interest, power, and versatility. The great thing is that you can update the survey as the playtest continues, meaning that we can see how opinions and ideas for each class change as time goes on. This also means it is vital for you to fill out your survey now, so that when you change it later, we can get a sense of whether or not we are heading in the right direction. <a href="http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/advancedClassGuide/survey">You can find the surveys right here</a>. Of special note, please base your arcanist survey answers off the original version of the class, not the revised version on the messageboards.</p>
<p>Let's take this chance to share some feedback from the survey. We asked the same eight questions about each of the classes, and we found some interesting trends. </p>
<p>The first two questions are about comparing each class with its two parent base classes. For example, the shaman questions compare the shaman to the oracle and the witch. Most of the classes are falling relatively close to their parents, but there are some outliers. The original version of the arcanist is seen as being more powerful than its parents, but I think the revision will normalize those numbers a bit. On the other hand, people are seeing the skald as being a bit weaker than its parents. The big winner here was the shaman, which most feel is pretty close to the mark as compared to its parent classes.</p>
<p>Next up, we ask whether the theme of the class matches its mechanics. The bloodrager and slayer were the big winners here, while the hunter and the warpriest need some work.</p>
<p>Our fourth question looks at how each class is presented in terms of clarity and ease of use. The slayer once again comes out on top here, along with the investigator. Interestingly, this is the only question in which the shaman gets some poor marks—understandable considering how the spirit and wandering spirit mechanic plays out.</p>
<p>Next, we ask you two questions: one comparing the class in terms of power and balance to the other playtest classes, and another comparing it to all of the other classes in the game. The shaman and skald once again show that they need some work in this department, while the brawler, investigator, shaman, and slayer are all falling closer to the mark.</p>
<p>The seventh question asks whether the class has enough options and versatility. The head of class here is the bloodrager, investigator, and shaman. At the other end, it's clear that the skald and swashbuckler need a few more options added to their frameworks.</p>
<p>Finally, we look to gauge your interest in playing the class. Not surprisingly, the bloodrager, investigator, shaman, and swashbuckler are all pretty high on the list. The hunter, skald, and warpriest are lagging behind, which is key feedback.</p>
<p>What all does this tell us? First off, that some of the classes are getting close to where they need to be. They're not done, and they still need a lot of polish and refinement, but they probably don't need any major revisions. Others need to see some big changes to get them closer to the standard we're striving for. We aren't basing mechanical decisions solely off survey responses, but it will help us understand how our upcoming changes impact the consensus opinion.</p>
<p>And that brings me to my final point: barring any catastrophes, we are hoping to release a revised version of the playtest document sometime in the next week. Once we release that document, we will be calling on folks to update their surveys as soon as they have gotten a chance to read through them and run them out for a test drive. Remember, the surveys and playtest forums will remain open through Tuesday, December 17th.</p>
<p>Thanks again for taking part! We'll see you on the boards.</p>
<p>Jason Bulmahn<br />
<i>Lead Designer</i></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<!— tags: Playtest, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game—><p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderRoleplayingGame">Pathfinder Roleplaying Game</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a></p><blockquote>
<br />
<h1 itemprop="headline">Playtest Thoughts: Week 2</h1>
<p class="date">Tuesday, December 3, 2013</p>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<p><span itemprop="description">The Advanced Class Guide Playtest continues to roll along and the design team has been getting some great feedback from the boards. It's been a busy week; we've made changes to the arcanist, launched the playtest survey, and stuffed ourselves on Thanksgiving. This week, we'll take a look at those in detail and cast an eye toward the upcoming revisions.</span></p>
<p>Late in the day on Wednesday, we released a revised version of the arcanist, swapping out the blood focus class feature for a new mechanic designed to give the class flexibility along with a clearer and better sense of role in the game. The arcanist gained an arcane reservoir that she can draw upon to fuel exploits (special class features that let her tinker with the forces of magic). She can consume her own spell slots to fill up her reservoir and can even learn to siphon such power from magic items and enemy spells. If you have not seen the update, forums right <a href="http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qel1">go to the forum post here</a>. We aren't done with this class quite yet, but it's a step in the right direction.</p>
<p>The other big news last week was the launch of the playtest surveys. Each class has its own questionnaire, allowing us the gauge their interest, power, and versatility. The great thing is that you can update the survey as the playtest continues, meaning that we can see how opinions and ideas for each class change as time goes on. This also means it is vital for you to fill out your survey now, so that when you change it later, we can get a sense of whether or not we are heading in the right direction. <a href="http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/advancedClassGuide/survey">You can find the surveys right here</a>. Of special note, please base your arcanist survey answers off the original version of the class, not the revised version on the messageboards.</p>
<p>Let's take this chance to share some feedback from the survey. We asked the same eight questions about each of the classes, and we found some interesting trends. </p>
<p>The first two questions are about comparing each class with its two parent base classes. For example, the shaman questions compare the shaman to the oracle and the witch. Most of the classes are falling relatively close to their parents, but there are some outliers. The original version of the arcanist is seen as being more powerful than its parents, but I think the revision will normalize those numbers a bit. On the other hand, people are seeing the skald as being a bit weaker than its parents. The big winner here was the shaman, which most feel is pretty close to the mark as compared to its parent classes.</p>
<p>Next up, we ask whether the theme of the class matches its mechanics. The bloodrager and slayer were the big winners here, while the hunter and the warpriest need some work.</p>
<p>Our fourth question looks at how each class is presented in terms of clarity and ease of use. The slayer once again comes out on top here, along with the investigator. Interestingly, this is the only question in which the shaman gets some poor marks—understandable considering how the spirit and wandering spirit mechanic plays out.</p>
<p>Next, we ask you two questions: one comparing the class in terms of power and balance to the other playtest classes, and another comparing it to all of the other classes in the game. The shaman and skald once again show that they need some work in this department, while the brawler, investigator, shaman, and slayer are all falling closer to the mark.</p>
<p>The seventh question asks whether the class has enough options and versatility. The head of class here is the bloodrager, investigator, and shaman. At the other end, it's clear that the skald and swashbuckler need a few more options added to their frameworks.</p>
<p>Finally, we look to gauge your interest in playing the class. Not surprisingly, the bloodrager, investigator, shaman, and swashbuckler are all pretty high on the list. The hunter, skald, and warpriest are lagging behind, which is key feedback.</p>
<p>What all does this tell us? First off, that some of the classes are getting close to where they need to be. They're not done, and they still need a lot of polish and refinement, but they probably don't need any major revisions. Others need to see some big changes to get them closer to the standard we're striving for. We aren't basing mechanical decisions solely off survey responses, but it will help us understand how our upcoming changes impact the consensus opinion.</p>
<p>And that brings me to my final point: barring any catastrophes, we are hoping to release a revised version of the playtest document sometime in the next week. Once we release that document, we will be calling on folks to update their surveys as soon as they have gotten a chance to read through them and run them out for a test drive. Remember, the surveys and playtest forums will remain open through Tuesday, December 17th.</p>
<p>Thanks again for taking part! We'll see you on the boards.</p>
<p>Jason Bulmahn<br />
<i>Lead Designer</i></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<!— tags: Playtest, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game—><p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderRoleplayingGame">Pathfinder Roleplaying Game</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a></p>2013-12-03T19:59:00ZPlaytest Thoughts: Week 1https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo5lfkj?Playtest-Thoughts-Week-12013-11-26T18:00:00Z<blockquote>
<br />
<h1 itemprop="headline">Playtest Thoughts: Week 1</h1>
<p class="date">Tuesday, November 26, 2013</p>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<div class="blurb180"><a href="https://paizo.com/products/btpy92zi"><img src="http://static2.paizo.com/image/product/catalog/PZO/PZO1129AE_180.jpeg" border="0"></a></div>
<p><span itemprop="description">Greetings from the playtest laboratory! We are one week in to the Advanced Class Guide Playtest, and we are already getting a lot of great feedback and playtest data. Every week from now until the playtest's end on December 17th, we are going to be giving you our thoughts on the state of the playtest and give you some hints of the direction we are taking some of these classes.</span></p>
<p>This being the first week, we are only just starting to adjust some class mechanics and look at making some shifts in how things work. Most of these will take a bit longer to make it to your table, but sometime in the next few weeks we are hoping to rerelease the playtest PDFs with all of our revisions incorporated into the classes. It is our hope to get some feedback on these revisions before the playtest window comes to a close.</h2>
<p>So, without further delay, here are some of the changes we are considering or are in the process of implementing. Feel free to comment on these changes in the thread attached to this post, but any serious discussion should occur in the class thread for each individual class (located in the Class forum).</p>
<blockquote>
<h2>Arcanist</h2>
<p>As mentioned on the boards, the arcanist is going through a serious round of redesign. While the core casting mechanic of this class is going to remain pretty much as it currently stands, the blood focus ability is being replaced by an arcane reservoir that the arcanist to call upon to create magical effects and tinker with the spells and effects of others. They can refuel this pool by consuming spell slots or even other magic items and spell effects. In essence, the arcanist is becoming the "hacker" of magic, capable of pulling it apart and putting it back together to accomplish their goals. We are hoping to rerelease the arcanist in the next few days.</p>
<h2>Bloodrager</h2>
<p>We are generally happy with the direction of this class, but it needs some tweaks. We are seriously contemplating giving the class its own spell list to help it better fulfill its role in the game. In addition, we are looking at pulling some of the more direct barbarian abilities to replace them with something a bit more in tune with the class. Refinement of the various bloodlines will be much of our focus, making sure they are in tune with the overall balance of the class.</p>
<h2>Brawler</h2>
<p>The brawler is getting a few revisions and tweaks in the coming weeks. The capstone ability of the class is going to be replaced with something far more interesting than the current ability (although we are not quite ready to show that off just yet). The knockout ability will gain a number of uses per day, scaling with level. We are also going to change up the brawlers weapon list, giving it all simple weapons, plus any weapon on the "close" weapon group from the fighter. Of course, you will be able to use all those weapons with the brawler's flurry ability.</p>
<h2>Hunter</h2>
<p>We are looking at a lot of different options for the hunter, the biggest of which is giving a boost to the hunter's animal companion. We really want to see the class working in tandem with its companion in a way that we just have not done with any other class. We are looking at buffing up the hunter's ranged capabilities as well. Expect to see a number of teamwork feats in the final book that work specifically with an animal companion as well. Of course we are looking at a few other issues as well, such as the restrictions on armor and shields and increasing the duration and use of the animal focus ability.</p>
<h2>Investigator</h2>
<p>The design team is looking to move this class a little bit away from the rogue, possibly by replacing sneak attack with an ability that is more in line with the theme of the class. We are also looking into changing the poison use ability to make it something that allows the investigator to identify poisons, their effects, and neutralize them. Finally, there are going to be more talents allowing them to use more of their skills as well as some new effects we are not quite ready to talk about just yet.</p>
<h2>Shaman</h2>
<p>Overall, we are pretty happy with the direction the shaman is taking, but there are some adjustments we are investigating. The first of which is changing the class to work off the druid spell list, as this fits the theme better than the witch or cleric list. In addition, we are looking into adding a bit more the hexes for each spirit and possibly adjusting how those hexes are used.</p>
<h2>Skald</h2>
<p>The biggest change on the horizon with the skald involves how the raging song is used in play, allowing characters to drop out of participating if they want. We are also looking at making the raging song work in tandem with other rage abilities in a limited way. In addition, we are thinking about adding a number of weapon proficiencies to the class to bring it a bit closer to its theme.</p>
<h2>Slayer</h2>
<p>We are looking at ways to make favored target a bit easier to use and a bit more versatile. We are also looking at bringing the class up to 6 skill ranks per level (it currently has 4 per level). Other than that, most of our upcoming revisions involve greatly expanding the number of talents that you can choose from, allowing you to build the slayer you want to play.</p>
<h2>Swashbuckler</h2>
<p>We are investigating ways for the class to get Weapon Finesse at an appropriate level and to work with Combat Expertise. In addition, we are looking at adding some deeds and increase the swashbucklers mobility during battle, allowing them to stand up without provoking an attack and charge without having to move in a straight line. We are still working on how those play with existing deeds and what changes would need to happen to get them to fit into the advancement scheme.</p>
<h2>Warpriest</h2>
<p>Finally we get to the warpriest. We are looking at strengthening the role of this class by taking it a bit away from the cleric's position. While we want the class to be among the best at healing and casting spells on itself and we are investigating a mechanic to let it do just that (probably in place of channel energy). We are also looking into a new class feature that allows the warpriest to be an effective combatant with the favored weapon of its deity, regardless of what weapon is favored by their deity. Look for increased damage and additional effects depending on the type of weapon and its role in the game.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Well, that about wraps up the playtest review for this week. We want to thank everyone who has taken the time to give us their thoughts and playtest reports. You are helping us make these classes great and we appreciate all the time you are spending giving us your feedback. Look for the revised arcanist in a blog post later this week and expect to see a revised version of the playtest document soon. </p>
<p>Jason Bulmahn<br />
<i>Lead Designer</i></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<!— tags: Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Playtest —><p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderRoleplayingGame">Pathfinder Roleplaying Game</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a></p><blockquote>
<br />
<h1 itemprop="headline">Playtest Thoughts: Week 1</h1>
<p class="date">Tuesday, November 26, 2013</p>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<div class="blurb180"><a href="https://paizo.com/products/btpy92zi"><img src="http://static2.paizo.com/image/product/catalog/PZO/PZO1129AE_180.jpeg" border="0"></a></div>
<p><span itemprop="description">Greetings from the playtest laboratory! We are one week in to the Advanced Class Guide Playtest, and we are already getting a lot of great feedback and playtest data. Every week from now until the playtest's end on December 17th, we are going to be giving you our thoughts on the state of the playtest and give you some hints of the direction we are taking some of these classes.</span></p>
<p>This being the first week, we are only just starting to adjust some class mechanics and look at making some shifts in how things work. Most of these will take a bit longer to make it to your table, but sometime in the next few weeks we are hoping to rerelease the playtest PDFs with all of our revisions incorporated into the classes. It is our hope to get some feedback on these revisions before the playtest window comes to a close.</h2>
<p>So, without further delay, here are some of the changes we are considering or are in the process of implementing. Feel free to comment on these changes in the thread attached to this post, but any serious discussion should occur in the class thread for each individual class (located in the Class forum).</p>
<blockquote>
<h2>Arcanist</h2>
<p>As mentioned on the boards, the arcanist is going through a serious round of redesign. While the core casting mechanic of this class is going to remain pretty much as it currently stands, the blood focus ability is being replaced by an arcane reservoir that the arcanist to call upon to create magical effects and tinker with the spells and effects of others. They can refuel this pool by consuming spell slots or even other magic items and spell effects. In essence, the arcanist is becoming the "hacker" of magic, capable of pulling it apart and putting it back together to accomplish their goals. We are hoping to rerelease the arcanist in the next few days.</p>
<h2>Bloodrager</h2>
<p>We are generally happy with the direction of this class, but it needs some tweaks. We are seriously contemplating giving the class its own spell list to help it better fulfill its role in the game. In addition, we are looking at pulling some of the more direct barbarian abilities to replace them with something a bit more in tune with the class. Refinement of the various bloodlines will be much of our focus, making sure they are in tune with the overall balance of the class.</p>
<h2>Brawler</h2>
<p>The brawler is getting a few revisions and tweaks in the coming weeks. The capstone ability of the class is going to be replaced with something far more interesting than the current ability (although we are not quite ready to show that off just yet). The knockout ability will gain a number of uses per day, scaling with level. We are also going to change up the brawlers weapon list, giving it all simple weapons, plus any weapon on the "close" weapon group from the fighter. Of course, you will be able to use all those weapons with the brawler's flurry ability.</p>
<h2>Hunter</h2>
<p>We are looking at a lot of different options for the hunter, the biggest of which is giving a boost to the hunter's animal companion. We really want to see the class working in tandem with its companion in a way that we just have not done with any other class. We are looking at buffing up the hunter's ranged capabilities as well. Expect to see a number of teamwork feats in the final book that work specifically with an animal companion as well. Of course we are looking at a few other issues as well, such as the restrictions on armor and shields and increasing the duration and use of the animal focus ability.</p>
<h2>Investigator</h2>
<p>The design team is looking to move this class a little bit away from the rogue, possibly by replacing sneak attack with an ability that is more in line with the theme of the class. We are also looking into changing the poison use ability to make it something that allows the investigator to identify poisons, their effects, and neutralize them. Finally, there are going to be more talents allowing them to use more of their skills as well as some new effects we are not quite ready to talk about just yet.</p>
<h2>Shaman</h2>
<p>Overall, we are pretty happy with the direction the shaman is taking, but there are some adjustments we are investigating. The first of which is changing the class to work off the druid spell list, as this fits the theme better than the witch or cleric list. In addition, we are looking into adding a bit more the hexes for each spirit and possibly adjusting how those hexes are used.</p>
<h2>Skald</h2>
<p>The biggest change on the horizon with the skald involves how the raging song is used in play, allowing characters to drop out of participating if they want. We are also looking at making the raging song work in tandem with other rage abilities in a limited way. In addition, we are thinking about adding a number of weapon proficiencies to the class to bring it a bit closer to its theme.</p>
<h2>Slayer</h2>
<p>We are looking at ways to make favored target a bit easier to use and a bit more versatile. We are also looking at bringing the class up to 6 skill ranks per level (it currently has 4 per level). Other than that, most of our upcoming revisions involve greatly expanding the number of talents that you can choose from, allowing you to build the slayer you want to play.</p>
<h2>Swashbuckler</h2>
<p>We are investigating ways for the class to get Weapon Finesse at an appropriate level and to work with Combat Expertise. In addition, we are looking at adding some deeds and increase the swashbucklers mobility during battle, allowing them to stand up without provoking an attack and charge without having to move in a straight line. We are still working on how those play with existing deeds and what changes would need to happen to get them to fit into the advancement scheme.</p>
<h2>Warpriest</h2>
<p>Finally we get to the warpriest. We are looking at strengthening the role of this class by taking it a bit away from the cleric's position. While we want the class to be among the best at healing and casting spells on itself and we are investigating a mechanic to let it do just that (probably in place of channel energy). We are also looking into a new class feature that allows the warpriest to be an effective combatant with the favored weapon of its deity, regardless of what weapon is favored by their deity. Look for increased damage and additional effects depending on the type of weapon and its role in the game.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Well, that about wraps up the playtest review for this week. We want to thank everyone who has taken the time to give us their thoughts and playtest reports. You are helping us make these classes great and we appreciate all the time you are spending giving us your feedback. Look for the revised arcanist in a blog post later this week and expect to see a revised version of the playtest document soon. </p>
<p>Jason Bulmahn<br />
<i>Lead Designer</i></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<!— tags: Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Playtest —><p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderRoleplayingGame">Pathfinder Roleplaying Game</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a></p>2013-11-26T18:00:00ZAdvanced Class Guide Playtest is Live!https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo5lfjd?Advanced-Class-Guide-Playtest-is-Live2013-11-19T19:00:00Z<blockquote>
<br />
<h1 itemprop="headline">Advanced Class Guide Playtest is Live!</h1>
<p class="date">Tuesday, November 19, 2013</p>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<p>Greetings, and welcome to the Advanced Class Guide Playtest!</p>
<p><span itemprop="description">Next summer we will be releasing the <i>Pathfinder RPG Advanced Class Guide</i>, a meaty 256-page rulebook filled with new options for players of any class. In addition, the book also contains 10 brand new classes! In the design pit, we call these "hybrid classes" because each one takes elements from two existing base classes and blends them together to create a novel play experience. To make sure that these classes get rigorously testing and fit seamlessly into the Pathfinder experience, we're turning to you, the fans, to playtest them.</span></p>
<p>Starting today, <a href="https://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/advancedClassGuide">you can download the Advanced Class Guide Playtest PDF right here at <b>paizo.com</b></a>. The PDF contains all 10 of the new classes, ready to become a part of your game, either as a player character or NPC. Give these classes a read, build a character or two, and use them in your game. Once you've had a chance to try them out, hop on to the <a href="https://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/advancedClassGuide">playtest messageboards</a> and let us know what you think. You'll find a bunch of other playtesters there, also giving feedback on the classes. Hop into the discussion and add your thoughts. The playtest will remain open until <b>December 17th, 2013</b>.</p>
<p>In addition, there will be a survey for each of the classes, allowing us to gain some basic information on your reactions to them. These will be available on Tuesday, November 24th, and remain open until the end of the playtest. You can even change your answers as the playtest progresses, but though on December 17th we'll close those surveys. Please share your input before then!</p>
<p>Finally, I want to take a moment to talk about the playtest process itself. Although we find all feedback useful, thoughts and comments based on actual play experience is by far the most valuable. Please try to fit these classes into your game, or even just run a few mock encounters. When posting to the playtest forums, look for existing threads on your topic before starting a new one—this will help us to better absorb and respond to feedback. While discussions can become heated, remember that every game is different and every poster is trying to make the game better for everyone. Be polite and respectful of the ideas others' posts.</p>
<p>That wraps it up for now. Expect blog posts with thoughts and updates each week throughout the playtest. Thanks for participating—now grab that PDF and start reading!</p>
<p>Jason Bulmahn<br />
<i>Lead Designer</i></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<!— tags: Pathfinder Roleplaying Game —><p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderRoleplayingGame">Pathfinder Roleplaying Game</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a></p><blockquote>
<br />
<h1 itemprop="headline">Advanced Class Guide Playtest is Live!</h1>
<p class="date">Tuesday, November 19, 2013</p>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<p>Greetings, and welcome to the Advanced Class Guide Playtest!</p>
<p><span itemprop="description">Next summer we will be releasing the <i>Pathfinder RPG Advanced Class Guide</i>, a meaty 256-page rulebook filled with new options for players of any class. In addition, the book also contains 10 brand new classes! In the design pit, we call these "hybrid classes" because each one takes elements from two existing base classes and blends them together to create a novel play experience. To make sure that these classes get rigorously testing and fit seamlessly into the Pathfinder experience, we're turning to you, the fans, to playtest them.</span></p>
<p>Starting today, <a href="https://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/advancedClassGuide">you can download the Advanced Class Guide Playtest PDF right here at <b>paizo.com</b></a>. The PDF contains all 10 of the new classes, ready to become a part of your game, either as a player character or NPC. Give these classes a read, build a character or two, and use them in your game. Once you've had a chance to try them out, hop on to the <a href="https://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/advancedClassGuide">playtest messageboards</a> and let us know what you think. You'll find a bunch of other playtesters there, also giving feedback on the classes. Hop into the discussion and add your thoughts. The playtest will remain open until <b>December 17th, 2013</b>.</p>
<p>In addition, there will be a survey for each of the classes, allowing us to gain some basic information on your reactions to them. These will be available on Tuesday, November 24th, and remain open until the end of the playtest. You can even change your answers as the playtest progresses, but though on December 17th we'll close those surveys. Please share your input before then!</p>
<p>Finally, I want to take a moment to talk about the playtest process itself. Although we find all feedback useful, thoughts and comments based on actual play experience is by far the most valuable. Please try to fit these classes into your game, or even just run a few mock encounters. When posting to the playtest forums, look for existing threads on your topic before starting a new one—this will help us to better absorb and respond to feedback. While discussions can become heated, remember that every game is different and every poster is trying to make the game better for everyone. Be polite and respectful of the ideas others' posts.</p>
<p>That wraps it up for now. Expect blog posts with thoughts and updates each week throughout the playtest. Thanks for participating—now grab that PDF and start reading!</p>
<p>Jason Bulmahn<br />
<i>Lead Designer</i></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<!— tags: Pathfinder Roleplaying Game —><p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderRoleplayingGame">Pathfinder Roleplaying Game</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a></p>2013-11-19T19:00:00ZMythic Adventures Playtesthttps://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo5le2a?Mythic-Adventures-Playtest2012-11-14T19:00:00Z<blockquote>
<br />
<h1 itemprop="headline">Mythic Adventures Playtest</h1>
<p class="date">Wednesday, November 14, 2012</p>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<div class="blurb180"><a href="https://paizo.com/image/content/PathfinderRPG/PZO1126-ValerosSketch.jpg"><img src="https//paizo.com/image/content/PathfinderRPG/PZO1126-ValerosSketch_180.jpeg" border="0"></a><br />
<a href="https://paizo.com/image/content/PathfinderRPG/PZO1126-KyraSketch.jpg"><img src="https//paizo.com/image/content/PathfinderRPG/PZO1126-KyraSketch_180.jpeg" border="0"></a></div>
<p><span itemprop="description">Welcome to the long-awaited <a href="https://paizo.com/products/btpy8voq">playtest of <i>Mythic Adventures</i></a>. This exciting book, due out in August 2013, gives you the chance to play a hero that is a cut above the ordinary sellsword, more powerful than your average hedge wizard, and able to take on challenges far beyond those of his ordinary contemporaries. Like Hercules and Achilles, these heroes inspire legends with their every deed, facing horrible foes and taking on dangerous quests that most would consider impossible. This playtest is a sample of the rules, giving you all the tools you need to run a mythic game or two right now, as well as the chance to tell us what works and what needs work.</span></p>
<p><i>Mythic Adventures</i> is more than an ordinary sourcebook. It offers players and GMs a new way to play the Pathfinder RPG, from the humble beginnings of 1st level, to the lofty realms of power of 20th. You can use these rules to run a campaign where the players are mythic from the first session just as easily as you can use them to run a campaign where they are only mythic for a single game. The mythic rules can be used how you want, at any point in the campaign.</p>
<p>Put simply, the mythic rules allow characters (and monsters) to break some of the fundamental rules of the game. They allow a character to cheat death, to change the outcome of die rolls, and even to act twice in one turn. While mythic characters do get some statistical bonuses to denote their raw potential, much of their power comes from what they can do that others cannot, at least without having quite a few more levels. How many levels is the big question. This is where you come in.</p>
<p>The playtest of these rules is important to help us balance the overall system. These powers and abilities add a lot to the capabilities of characters and monsters, and it’s important to see how much this addition affects the overall power balance of the game. We need you to use these rules in your game, even if for just one or two sessions, and to give us your impression as to how the rules affect the game. While your initial impression from just reading the rules is valuable, actual play experience is by far more useful to our process. When playtesting the rules, please keep the following points in mind.</p>
<ul><li>All playtest feedback should be posted to the following <i>Mythic Adventures</i> Playtest forums: <a href="https://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/paizoPublishing/pathfinder/pathfinderRPG/mythicAdventuresPlaytest/general">General Discussion</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/paizoPublishing/pathfinder/pathfinderRPG/mythicAdventuresPlaytest/playerFeedback">Player Feedback</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/paizoPublishing/pathfinder/pathfinderRPG/mythicAdventuresPlaytest/gmFeedback">GM Feedback</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/paizoPublishing/pathfinder/pathfinderRPG/mythicAdventuresPlaytest/adventureFeedback">Adventure Feedback</a>.</li>
<li>Please check the forum for any similar topics before posting, and add to an existing thread whenever possible.</li>
<li>Please try to read the entire document before posting. You may find that your question is answered in a later section of the rules.</li>
<li>Remember, we would prefer actual playtest feedback. Use the rules, don’t just imagine how they might work.</li>
<li>Be civil! Remember that everyone on the forum is here for the same goal, to make a better game. Remember that the experience of others may be different from your own and starting an argument over a differing viewpoint does no service to the playtest. Posters who violate these guidelines will find themselves given a timeout and have offending threads locked.</li>
<li>Have fun. These rules are designed to add an extra edge of excitement to your game, allowing you to throw over-the-top situations at your characters. Share your stories with us and your fellow playtesters.</li></ul>
<p>Now get out there, <a href="https://paizo.com/products/btpy8voq">grab the document</a>, give it a read, and play! I am looking forward to reading your thoughts, comments, and criticisms about these rules. The playtest will run from now until noon (PST) on Monday, January 14th. See you on the boards.</p>
<p>Jason Bulmahn<br />
<i>Lead Designer</i></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<!— tags: Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Playtest —><p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderRoleplayingGame">Pathfinder Roleplaying Game</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a></p><blockquote>
<br />
<h1 itemprop="headline">Mythic Adventures Playtest</h1>
<p class="date">Wednesday, November 14, 2012</p>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<div class="blurb180"><a href="https://paizo.com/image/content/PathfinderRPG/PZO1126-ValerosSketch.jpg"><img src="https//paizo.com/image/content/PathfinderRPG/PZO1126-ValerosSketch_180.jpeg" border="0"></a><br />
<a href="https://paizo.com/image/content/PathfinderRPG/PZO1126-KyraSketch.jpg"><img src="https//paizo.com/image/content/PathfinderRPG/PZO1126-KyraSketch_180.jpeg" border="0"></a></div>
<p><span itemprop="description">Welcome to the long-awaited <a href="https://paizo.com/products/btpy8voq">playtest of <i>Mythic Adventures</i></a>. This exciting book, due out in August 2013, gives you the chance to play a hero that is a cut above the ordinary sellsword, more powerful than your average hedge wizard, and able to take on challenges far beyond those of his ordinary contemporaries. Like Hercules and Achilles, these heroes inspire legends with their every deed, facing horrible foes and taking on dangerous quests that most would consider impossible. This playtest is a sample of the rules, giving you all the tools you need to run a mythic game or two right now, as well as the chance to tell us what works and what needs work.</span></p>
<p><i>Mythic Adventures</i> is more than an ordinary sourcebook. It offers players and GMs a new way to play the Pathfinder RPG, from the humble beginnings of 1st level, to the lofty realms of power of 20th. You can use these rules to run a campaign where the players are mythic from the first session just as easily as you can use them to run a campaign where they are only mythic for a single game. The mythic rules can be used how you want, at any point in the campaign.</p>
<p>Put simply, the mythic rules allow characters (and monsters) to break some of the fundamental rules of the game. They allow a character to cheat death, to change the outcome of die rolls, and even to act twice in one turn. While mythic characters do get some statistical bonuses to denote their raw potential, much of their power comes from what they can do that others cannot, at least without having quite a few more levels. How many levels is the big question. This is where you come in.</p>
<p>The playtest of these rules is important to help us balance the overall system. These powers and abilities add a lot to the capabilities of characters and monsters, and it’s important to see how much this addition affects the overall power balance of the game. We need you to use these rules in your game, even if for just one or two sessions, and to give us your impression as to how the rules affect the game. While your initial impression from just reading the rules is valuable, actual play experience is by far more useful to our process. When playtesting the rules, please keep the following points in mind.</p>
<ul><li>All playtest feedback should be posted to the following <i>Mythic Adventures</i> Playtest forums: <a href="https://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/paizoPublishing/pathfinder/pathfinderRPG/mythicAdventuresPlaytest/general">General Discussion</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/paizoPublishing/pathfinder/pathfinderRPG/mythicAdventuresPlaytest/playerFeedback">Player Feedback</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/paizoPublishing/pathfinder/pathfinderRPG/mythicAdventuresPlaytest/gmFeedback">GM Feedback</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/paizoPublishing/pathfinder/pathfinderRPG/mythicAdventuresPlaytest/adventureFeedback">Adventure Feedback</a>.</li>
<li>Please check the forum for any similar topics before posting, and add to an existing thread whenever possible.</li>
<li>Please try to read the entire document before posting. You may find that your question is answered in a later section of the rules.</li>
<li>Remember, we would prefer actual playtest feedback. Use the rules, don’t just imagine how they might work.</li>
<li>Be civil! Remember that everyone on the forum is here for the same goal, to make a better game. Remember that the experience of others may be different from your own and starting an argument over a differing viewpoint does no service to the playtest. Posters who violate these guidelines will find themselves given a timeout and have offending threads locked.</li>
<li>Have fun. These rules are designed to add an extra edge of excitement to your game, allowing you to throw over-the-top situations at your characters. Share your stories with us and your fellow playtesters.</li></ul>
<p>Now get out there, <a href="https://paizo.com/products/btpy8voq">grab the document</a>, give it a read, and play! I am looking forward to reading your thoughts, comments, and criticisms about these rules. The playtest will run from now until noon (PST) on Monday, January 14th. See you on the boards.</p>
<p>Jason Bulmahn<br />
<i>Lead Designer</i></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<!— tags: Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Playtest —><p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderRoleplayingGame">Pathfinder Roleplaying Game</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a></p>2012-11-14T19:00:00ZMike Selinker on the Pathfinder Adventure Card Gamehttps://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo5le0n?Mike-Selinker-on-the-Pathfinder-Adventure2012-10-30T17:23:00Z<blockquote>
<br />
<h1 itemprop="headline">Mike Selinker on the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game</h1>
<p class="date">Tuesday, October 30, 2012</p>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<p><span itemprop="description">So, there is an <a href="https://paizo.com/paizo/blog/v5748dyo5ldz2">announcement</a> on the Paizo blog about the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game going into semi-open playtests. The "collaborative deck-building game" (which is neither completely collaborative nor completely deck-building, but work with me) is probably the best game system I've ever designed, and I'd like to tell you a little bit about it.</span></p>
<p>The basic concept is this: It's a cooperative game for one to six players. Each player has a unique character composed of a deck of cards and a set of stats. Roleplayers will find the stats very familiar—characters have roles and numbers that define their abilities and skills. As you go through adventures, you'll improve your deck by acquiring new items, allies, weapons, and other cool things as you explore and overcome challenges; over time, you'll be customizing your deck to suit your own individual vision of your character. All adventures are composed of infinitely usable cards and decks. There's no Game Master, no recordkeeping, no expository dialogue. It's everything I want to do in a roleplaying game without the workload. It plays in an hour to an hour and a half.</p>
<div class="blurbCenter"><a href="https://paizo.com/image/content/Blog/20121030-Ezren.jpg"><img src="https//paizo.com/image/content/Blog/20121030-Ezren_120.jpeg" border="0" hspace="2"></a><a href="https://paizo.com/image/content/Blog/20121030-ThemOgres.jpg"><img src="https//paizo.com/image/content/Blog/20121030-ThemOgres_120.jpeg" border="0" hspace="2"></a><a href="https://paizo.com/image/content/Blog/20121030-RustyDragon.jpg"><img src="https//paizo.com/image/content/Blog/20121030-RustyDragon_120.jpeg" border="0" hspace="2"></a><a href="https://paizo.com/image/content/Blog/20121030-Gogmurt.jpg"><img src="https//paizo.com/image/content/Blog/20121030-Gogmurt_120.jpeg" border="0" hspace="2"></a><br>
These playtest cards were designed for single-sided, black-and-white printing. In the finished game, card borders will have colors instead of just shades of grey, and the charts that currently overlap the images on "Them Ogres Ain't Right" and "The Rusty Dragon" will move to the back of the card.</div>
<h2>How We Got Here</h2>
<p>About a year ago, Rian Sand came to me with a theoretical idea of a design space that hadn't yet been explored much: a card game that mimicked many of the behaviors of a traditional RPG, but without a lot of the time and administrative burden. I had also been thinking about some mechanics for a system like that, and Rian's enthusiasm and support made me invest serious design time into it. There were a lot of problems that had to be solved—persistence, goal development, game speed, and so on—and I'm pretty sure we solved them all.</p>
<p>The original game was for a new intellectual property that I'm not prepared to talk about yet. Suffice it to say that it's really cool, and Mike Vaillancourt and Matt Forbeck had a lot to do with making it cool, and you'll see it someday soon. Not sure when, not sure how, but soon.</p>
<p>But as we were doing this, we were thinking about what our first licensed game had to be. Various ideas were tossed around, but for Rian and me, there was only one choice. Rian was a major fan of the Pathfinder RPG, and I... well, I was a major fan of Paizo. Owners Vic Wertz and Lisa Stevens have shown considerable benevolence and respect my way over the past years, leading to such awesome projects as the Harrow Deck, the Kill Doctor Lucky color edition, Yetisburg, and the American version of Key Largo. Lone Shark has done more games for Paizo than for any other company, and if they were interested in following us down this garden path, they were going to get to do so.</p>
<p>It turns out that after a discussion with Paizo's Publisher Erik Mona and Chief Operating Officer Jeff Alvarez at the GAMA Trade Show, they were very interested. Pathfinder Lead Designer Jason Bulmahn saw a version of the system at the first unveiling at Gamestorm, and brought back much appreciated words of praise. I showed it to the Paizo team back in Redmond, including James Jacobs, Sarah Robinson, and Wes Schneider, and we were underway within a few weeks. And over those weeks, we were bombarded with very heavy books and offers to help from everyone on the Paizo staff. It became a project all of Paizo could participate in.</p>
<p>The game continued to grow and change under the Paizo stewardship. My talented developers Chad Brown, Paul Peterson, and Gaby Weidling quickly came to understand the magnitude of the challenge ahead of us. Pathfinder is huge. Paizo had given us the now-classic Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path as a template for our games, which meant we had to adapt an incredibly deep and involving series of stories into the few words and concepts that fit on cards. It was not so easy, but it made us examine and reexamine every aspect of my system to make it work. It's now much tighter and much more fun.</p>
<p>Under the codename "Project Swallowtail," we showed off a very raw version of it at PaizoCon, and a more robust version at Gen Con. And now we're going into a massive playtest with the Pathfinder Society to get the game exactly right. It's got a ways to get there, but it seems pretty good now. Time will tell.</p>
<h2>How the Game Plays</h2>
<p>You start by creating a party of adventurers. Each of you gets a character card such as Valeros, Seoni, or Merisiel. That card tells you what cards your deck consists of. A wizard might have more spells than weapons, and a fighter will likely have more weapons than spells.</p>
<p>You'll select an Adventure Path, which consists of several adventures, which consist of several scenarios. A typical scenario tells you what villains and henchmen you'll face (if any), and the locations in which you'll face them. Each location has a deck of cards, drawn at random from appropriate stacks, and then shuffled in with a villain or henchman. You won't know where the villain is until you find him.</p>
<p>Throughout the game, you'll explore locations, encounter monsters, and find new weapons, items, spells, and the like. But you're racing a clock. The adventure deck is a stack of cards that you'll flip one card off of every turn. If the adventure deck runs out of cards before you find and defeat the villain, you lose. If your character deck runs out of cards, you die.</p>
<p>But if you don't die, then you'll advance your character. You'll get to put new cards in your deck, expand your powers and abilities, and rebuild your deck for new adventures. If you defeat all the scenarios in the game, you'll be a mighty adventurer indeed.</p>
<p>Thanks for reading, and I hope you like the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game. I can't wait to see what you think.</p>
<p>Mike Selinker<br />
<i>Pathfinder Adventure Card Game Designer</i></p>
</blockquote>
<!— tags: Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, Playtest, Rise of the Runelords —><p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderAdventureCardGame">Pathfinder Adventure Card Game</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderAdventurePath/riseOfTheRunelords">Rise of the Runelords</a></p><blockquote>
<br />
<h1 itemprop="headline">Mike Selinker on the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game</h1>
<p class="date">Tuesday, October 30, 2012</p>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<p><span itemprop="description">So, there is an <a href="https://paizo.com/paizo/blog/v5748dyo5ldz2">announcement</a> on the Paizo blog about the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game going into semi-open playtests. The "collaborative deck-building game" (which is neither completely collaborative nor completely deck-building, but work with me) is probably the best game system I've ever designed, and I'd like to tell you a little bit about it.</span></p>
<p>The basic concept is this: It's a cooperative game for one to six players. Each player has a unique character composed of a deck of cards and a set of stats. Roleplayers will find the stats very familiar—characters have roles and numbers that define their abilities and skills. As you go through adventures, you'll improve your deck by acquiring new items, allies, weapons, and other cool things as you explore and overcome challenges; over time, you'll be customizing your deck to suit your own individual vision of your character. All adventures are composed of infinitely usable cards and decks. There's no Game Master, no recordkeeping, no expository dialogue. It's everything I want to do in a roleplaying game without the workload. It plays in an hour to an hour and a half.</p>
<div class="blurbCenter"><a href="https://paizo.com/image/content/Blog/20121030-Ezren.jpg"><img src="https//paizo.com/image/content/Blog/20121030-Ezren_120.jpeg" border="0" hspace="2"></a><a href="https://paizo.com/image/content/Blog/20121030-ThemOgres.jpg"><img src="https//paizo.com/image/content/Blog/20121030-ThemOgres_120.jpeg" border="0" hspace="2"></a><a href="https://paizo.com/image/content/Blog/20121030-RustyDragon.jpg"><img src="https//paizo.com/image/content/Blog/20121030-RustyDragon_120.jpeg" border="0" hspace="2"></a><a href="https://paizo.com/image/content/Blog/20121030-Gogmurt.jpg"><img src="https//paizo.com/image/content/Blog/20121030-Gogmurt_120.jpeg" border="0" hspace="2"></a><br>
These playtest cards were designed for single-sided, black-and-white printing. In the finished game, card borders will have colors instead of just shades of grey, and the charts that currently overlap the images on "Them Ogres Ain't Right" and "The Rusty Dragon" will move to the back of the card.</div>
<h2>How We Got Here</h2>
<p>About a year ago, Rian Sand came to me with a theoretical idea of a design space that hadn't yet been explored much: a card game that mimicked many of the behaviors of a traditional RPG, but without a lot of the time and administrative burden. I had also been thinking about some mechanics for a system like that, and Rian's enthusiasm and support made me invest serious design time into it. There were a lot of problems that had to be solved—persistence, goal development, game speed, and so on—and I'm pretty sure we solved them all.</p>
<p>The original game was for a new intellectual property that I'm not prepared to talk about yet. Suffice it to say that it's really cool, and Mike Vaillancourt and Matt Forbeck had a lot to do with making it cool, and you'll see it someday soon. Not sure when, not sure how, but soon.</p>
<p>But as we were doing this, we were thinking about what our first licensed game had to be. Various ideas were tossed around, but for Rian and me, there was only one choice. Rian was a major fan of the Pathfinder RPG, and I... well, I was a major fan of Paizo. Owners Vic Wertz and Lisa Stevens have shown considerable benevolence and respect my way over the past years, leading to such awesome projects as the Harrow Deck, the Kill Doctor Lucky color edition, Yetisburg, and the American version of Key Largo. Lone Shark has done more games for Paizo than for any other company, and if they were interested in following us down this garden path, they were going to get to do so.</p>
<p>It turns out that after a discussion with Paizo's Publisher Erik Mona and Chief Operating Officer Jeff Alvarez at the GAMA Trade Show, they were very interested. Pathfinder Lead Designer Jason Bulmahn saw a version of the system at the first unveiling at Gamestorm, and brought back much appreciated words of praise. I showed it to the Paizo team back in Redmond, including James Jacobs, Sarah Robinson, and Wes Schneider, and we were underway within a few weeks. And over those weeks, we were bombarded with very heavy books and offers to help from everyone on the Paizo staff. It became a project all of Paizo could participate in.</p>
<p>The game continued to grow and change under the Paizo stewardship. My talented developers Chad Brown, Paul Peterson, and Gaby Weidling quickly came to understand the magnitude of the challenge ahead of us. Pathfinder is huge. Paizo had given us the now-classic Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path as a template for our games, which meant we had to adapt an incredibly deep and involving series of stories into the few words and concepts that fit on cards. It was not so easy, but it made us examine and reexamine every aspect of my system to make it work. It's now much tighter and much more fun.</p>
<p>Under the codename "Project Swallowtail," we showed off a very raw version of it at PaizoCon, and a more robust version at Gen Con. And now we're going into a massive playtest with the Pathfinder Society to get the game exactly right. It's got a ways to get there, but it seems pretty good now. Time will tell.</p>
<h2>How the Game Plays</h2>
<p>You start by creating a party of adventurers. Each of you gets a character card such as Valeros, Seoni, or Merisiel. That card tells you what cards your deck consists of. A wizard might have more spells than weapons, and a fighter will likely have more weapons than spells.</p>
<p>You'll select an Adventure Path, which consists of several adventures, which consist of several scenarios. A typical scenario tells you what villains and henchmen you'll face (if any), and the locations in which you'll face them. Each location has a deck of cards, drawn at random from appropriate stacks, and then shuffled in with a villain or henchman. You won't know where the villain is until you find him.</p>
<p>Throughout the game, you'll explore locations, encounter monsters, and find new weapons, items, spells, and the like. But you're racing a clock. The adventure deck is a stack of cards that you'll flip one card off of every turn. If the adventure deck runs out of cards before you find and defeat the villain, you lose. If your character deck runs out of cards, you die.</p>
<p>But if you don't die, then you'll advance your character. You'll get to put new cards in your deck, expand your powers and abilities, and rebuild your deck for new adventures. If you defeat all the scenarios in the game, you'll be a mighty adventurer indeed.</p>
<p>Thanks for reading, and I hope you like the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game. I can't wait to see what you think.</p>
<p>Mike Selinker<br />
<i>Pathfinder Adventure Card Game Designer</i></p>
</blockquote>
<!— tags: Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, Playtest, Rise of the Runelords —><p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderAdventureCardGame">Pathfinder Adventure Card Game</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderAdventurePath/riseOfTheRunelords">Rise of the Runelords</a></p>2012-10-30T17:23:00ZPlaytest the Pathfinder Adventure Card Gamehttps://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo5ldz2?Playtest-the-Pathfinder-Adventure-Card-Game2012-10-12T17:30:00Z<blockquote>
<br />
<h1 itemprop="headline">Playtest the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game</h1>
<p class="date">Friday, October 12, 2012</p>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<p><span itemprop="description">Paizo is pleased to report that in just a few short weeks, we're expecting to begin the playtest for next year's Pathfinder Adventure Card Game (known to some of you by the code name "Project Swallowtail"). Because playtesting a card game isn't quite as simple as letting everybody download a PDF, it's not going to be quite as open as our RPG playtests have been, but if you'd like to get involved, read on to find out how that might be possible!</span></p>
<p><b>First, let me tell you a bit about the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game.</b></p>
<p>The Pathfinder Adventure Card Game is a cooperative game for 1 to 6 players designed by Mike Selinker and his team at Lone Shark Games, which Paizo intends to release at Gen Con 2013 (if not PaizoCon 2013).</p>
<p>Each player has a unique character comprised of a deck of cards and a set of stats. Roleplayers will find the stats very familiar—characters have classes such as fighter, wizard, and rogue; they have numbers that define their Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, etc.; they have skills and proficiencies.</p>
<p>As your player adventures, you'll improve your deck by acquiring new items, allies, spells, and weapons as you explore and overcome challenges; over time, you'll be customizing your deck to suit your own individual vision of your character.</p>
<div class="blurb120"><a href="https://paizo.com/products/btpy8tc0"><img src="https//paizo.com/image/product/catalog/PZO/PZO1002_120.jpeg" border="0"></a></div>
<p>The Pathfinder Adventure Card Game product offerings will begin with the Rise of the Runelords Base Set, a big box containing more than 400 cards including the "Burnt Offerings" Adventure Deck. Your party will explore locations such as the Sandpoint Cathedral, the Rusty Dragon, and the Glassworks; you'll meet helpful NPCs like Ameiko Kaijitsu or friendly Aldern Foxglove; you'll visit the Swallowtail Festival, delve into the Catacombs of Wrath, and invade Thistletop. You'll fight goblins, sinspawn, Warchief Ripnugget, and maybe even face the Sandpoint devil, and eventually, become the heroes of Sandpoint! The Base Set supports 1 to 4 players; a 110-card add-on deck will expand the number of players to 5 or 6, as well as adding more character options for any number of players.</p>
<p>We'll follow the Base Set with bimonthly 110-card Adventure Decks presenting the subsequent five chapters of Rise of the Runelords and, if all goes well, we'll adapt other Adventure Paths after that!</p>
<p>The Pathfinder Adventure Game plays in an hour to an hour-and-a-half; it's easy to learn, yet offers a lot of variety in play. Mike Selinker and his team did a stunning job capturing the feel of the Pathfinder Roleplaying game, the Pathfinder campaign setting, and the Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path in a fun card game.</p>
<p>But to make this game is as fun and exciting as possible we're going to need playtesters—lots of playtesters. If you're interested in being one of them, <a href="https://paizo.com/forums/dmtz6nal">find out how on our messageboards</a>!</p>
<p>Vic Wertz<br />
<i>Chief Technical Officer</i></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<!— tags: Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, Rise of the Runelords, Playtest —><p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderAdventureCardGame">Pathfinder Adventure Card Game</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderAdventurePath/riseOfTheRunelords">Rise of the Runelords</a></p><blockquote>
<br />
<h1 itemprop="headline">Playtest the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game</h1>
<p class="date">Friday, October 12, 2012</p>
<div itemprop="articleBody">
<p><span itemprop="description">Paizo is pleased to report that in just a few short weeks, we're expecting to begin the playtest for next year's Pathfinder Adventure Card Game (known to some of you by the code name "Project Swallowtail"). Because playtesting a card game isn't quite as simple as letting everybody download a PDF, it's not going to be quite as open as our RPG playtests have been, but if you'd like to get involved, read on to find out how that might be possible!</span></p>
<p><b>First, let me tell you a bit about the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game.</b></p>
<p>The Pathfinder Adventure Card Game is a cooperative game for 1 to 6 players designed by Mike Selinker and his team at Lone Shark Games, which Paizo intends to release at Gen Con 2013 (if not PaizoCon 2013).</p>
<p>Each player has a unique character comprised of a deck of cards and a set of stats. Roleplayers will find the stats very familiar—characters have classes such as fighter, wizard, and rogue; they have numbers that define their Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, etc.; they have skills and proficiencies.</p>
<p>As your player adventures, you'll improve your deck by acquiring new items, allies, spells, and weapons as you explore and overcome challenges; over time, you'll be customizing your deck to suit your own individual vision of your character.</p>
<div class="blurb120"><a href="https://paizo.com/products/btpy8tc0"><img src="https//paizo.com/image/product/catalog/PZO/PZO1002_120.jpeg" border="0"></a></div>
<p>The Pathfinder Adventure Card Game product offerings will begin with the Rise of the Runelords Base Set, a big box containing more than 400 cards including the "Burnt Offerings" Adventure Deck. Your party will explore locations such as the Sandpoint Cathedral, the Rusty Dragon, and the Glassworks; you'll meet helpful NPCs like Ameiko Kaijitsu or friendly Aldern Foxglove; you'll visit the Swallowtail Festival, delve into the Catacombs of Wrath, and invade Thistletop. You'll fight goblins, sinspawn, Warchief Ripnugget, and maybe even face the Sandpoint devil, and eventually, become the heroes of Sandpoint! The Base Set supports 1 to 4 players; a 110-card add-on deck will expand the number of players to 5 or 6, as well as adding more character options for any number of players.</p>
<p>We'll follow the Base Set with bimonthly 110-card Adventure Decks presenting the subsequent five chapters of Rise of the Runelords and, if all goes well, we'll adapt other Adventure Paths after that!</p>
<p>The Pathfinder Adventure Game plays in an hour to an hour-and-a-half; it's easy to learn, yet offers a lot of variety in play. Mike Selinker and his team did a stunning job capturing the feel of the Pathfinder Roleplaying game, the Pathfinder campaign setting, and the Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path in a fun card game.</p>
<p>But to make this game is as fun and exciting as possible we're going to need playtesters—lots of playtesters. If you're interested in being one of them, <a href="https://paizo.com/forums/dmtz6nal">find out how on our messageboards</a>!</p>
<p>Vic Wertz<br />
<i>Chief Technical Officer</i></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<!— tags: Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, Rise of the Runelords, Playtest —><p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderAdventureCardGame">Pathfinder Adventure Card Game</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderAdventurePath/riseOfTheRunelords">Rise of the Runelords</a></p>2012-10-12T17:30:00ZAdvanced Race Guide Playtest Wrap-Uphttps://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo5lcra?Advanced-Race-Guide-Playtest-WrapUp2011-10-18T17:00:00Z<blockquote>
<br>
<h1>Advanced Race Guide Playtest Wrap-Up</h1>
<p class="date">Tuesday, October 18, 2011</p>
<div class="blurb360"><a href="https://paizo.com/image/content/PathfinderRPG/PZO1121-Ratfolk.jpg"><img src="https//paizo.com/image/content/PathfinderRPG/PZO1121-Ratfolk_360.jpeg" border="0"></a><br>
Illustration by Scott Purdy</div>
<p>Today is the final day of the <a href="https://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/v5748btpy8ld1"><i>Advanced Race Guide</i></a> playtest. If you haven’t posted your comments on the playtest document, get them on the <a href="https://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/paizoPublishing/pathfinder/pathfinderRPG/advancedRaceGuidePlaytest">playtest messageboard</a> today.</p>
<p>I want to thank everyone who participated in the playtest and commented on the first iteration of the race builder. Your feedback is going to help us improve the system so that we can make a truly excellent tool for GMs to build races for any Pathfinder game.</p>
<p>So what did we learn from the playtest? A lot of things! Here are some of the highlights.</p>
<p>First off, as we suspected, some of our initial pricing was off. While costing all of the core races at 10 points in the system helped us create a rough baseline for standard races, it also created some problems with individual racial ability and trait costing. Some abilities were too cheap and others were too expensive. Those abilities are being reexamined and the values will be more balanced and intuitive in the final race builder.</p>
<p>Second, we learned that we needed to open up some of the prerequisites and expand the options presented the final race builder. Many people pointed out that the Tiny size option being limited to the fey type was far too restrictive. A number of playtesters had some really interesting ideas that required Tiny creatures of types other than fey. My personal favorite was the idea that many of you had to create a race of toy solider constructs. On a related note, we learned that may of you were very eager to make dragon-type races, not just dragon-themed races using the humanoid or monstrous human type. You can expect to see the ability to create dragon-type races in the final document.</p>
<p>Some of the best feedback from the playtest came in the form of the actual races that the participants built and the suggestions of racial abilities that folks came up with. Reading through those fun and exciting race builds, comments on those builds from other playtesters, and the very long wish list of racial abilities that people wanted to see gave us lot of ideas for expanding the system. We are looking forward to seeing any additions you post today.</p>
<p>Stephen Radney-MacFarland<br>
<i>Designer</i></p>
</blockquote>
<!— tags: Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Playtest, Scott Purdy —><p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderRoleplayingGame">Pathfinder Roleplaying Game</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/people/artists/scottPurdy">Scott Purdy</a></p><blockquote>
<br>
<h1>Advanced Race Guide Playtest Wrap-Up</h1>
<p class="date">Tuesday, October 18, 2011</p>
<div class="blurb360"><a href="https://paizo.com/image/content/PathfinderRPG/PZO1121-Ratfolk.jpg"><img src="https//paizo.com/image/content/PathfinderRPG/PZO1121-Ratfolk_360.jpeg" border="0"></a><br>
Illustration by Scott Purdy</div>
<p>Today is the final day of the <a href="https://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/v5748btpy8ld1"><i>Advanced Race Guide</i></a> playtest. If you haven’t posted your comments on the playtest document, get them on the <a href="https://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/paizoPublishing/pathfinder/pathfinderRPG/advancedRaceGuidePlaytest">playtest messageboard</a> today.</p>
<p>I want to thank everyone who participated in the playtest and commented on the first iteration of the race builder. Your feedback is going to help us improve the system so that we can make a truly excellent tool for GMs to build races for any Pathfinder game.</p>
<p>So what did we learn from the playtest? A lot of things! Here are some of the highlights.</p>
<p>First off, as we suspected, some of our initial pricing was off. While costing all of the core races at 10 points in the system helped us create a rough baseline for standard races, it also created some problems with individual racial ability and trait costing. Some abilities were too cheap and others were too expensive. Those abilities are being reexamined and the values will be more balanced and intuitive in the final race builder.</p>
<p>Second, we learned that we needed to open up some of the prerequisites and expand the options presented the final race builder. Many people pointed out that the Tiny size option being limited to the fey type was far too restrictive. A number of playtesters had some really interesting ideas that required Tiny creatures of types other than fey. My personal favorite was the idea that many of you had to create a race of toy solider constructs. On a related note, we learned that may of you were very eager to make dragon-type races, not just dragon-themed races using the humanoid or monstrous human type. You can expect to see the ability to create dragon-type races in the final document.</p>
<p>Some of the best feedback from the playtest came in the form of the actual races that the participants built and the suggestions of racial abilities that folks came up with. Reading through those fun and exciting race builds, comments on those builds from other playtesters, and the very long wish list of racial abilities that people wanted to see gave us lot of ideas for expanding the system. We are looking forward to seeing any additions you post today.</p>
<p>Stephen Radney-MacFarland<br>
<i>Designer</i></p>
</blockquote>
<!— tags: Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Playtest, Scott Purdy —><p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderRoleplayingGame">Pathfinder Roleplaying Game</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/people/artists/scottPurdy">Scott Purdy</a></p>2011-10-18T17:00:00ZAdvanced Race Guide Playtesthttps://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo5lcp6?Advanced-Race-Guide-Playtest2011-10-04T17:00:00Z<blockquote>
<br>
<h1>Advanced Race Guide Playtest</h1>
<p class="date">Tuesday, October 4, 2011</p>
<div class="blurb180"><a href="https://paizo.com/image/content/PathfinderRPG/PZO1120-Vanara.jpg"><img src="https//paizo.com/image/content/PathfinderRPG/PZO1120-Vanara_180.jpeg" border="0"></a><br>
Illustration by Francesco Graziani</div>
<p>For over two years now, we've released a plethora of new classes, feats, spells, and other options for your character, but the one area we've never really explored too deeply is races. The <a href="https://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/v5748btpy8osf">Advanced Race Guide</a> is going to change all that with a bunch of new races explored in detail and new options and tools based specifically on your character's race.</p>
<p>Included in this mighty tome is a system for building your own race, using a simple point-based mechanic. While this won't be legal for Pathfinder Society Organized Play, this system will allow players and GMs to add new and innovative races to their game, as well as to add some of the more monstrous options to the party roster. Building a system like this is not easy, and balancing it is even trickier, which is why we want you to playtest this system early and give us your thoughts, opinions, and suggestions for making it better.</p>
<p>This system is available now. Go grab the document right <a href="https://paizo.com/store/downloads/v5748btpy8osf">here</a> and read through it. Build a race or two and introduce them to your game. Post your ideas and feedback to the <a href="https://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/paizoPublishing/pathfinder/pathfinderRPG/advancedRaceGuidePlaytest">Advanced Race Guide Playtest Board</a>. Make sure to add your custom races to the New Races thread. This playtest will be open for the next two weeks. We look forward to seeing what you come up with.</p>
<p>Jason Bulmahn<br>
<i>Lead Designer</i></p>
</blockquote>
<!— tags: Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Playtest, Francesco Graziani —><p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/people/artists/francescoGraziani">Francesco Graziani</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderRoleplayingGame">Pathfinder Roleplaying Game</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a></p><blockquote>
<br>
<h1>Advanced Race Guide Playtest</h1>
<p class="date">Tuesday, October 4, 2011</p>
<div class="blurb180"><a href="https://paizo.com/image/content/PathfinderRPG/PZO1120-Vanara.jpg"><img src="https//paizo.com/image/content/PathfinderRPG/PZO1120-Vanara_180.jpeg" border="0"></a><br>
Illustration by Francesco Graziani</div>
<p>For over two years now, we've released a plethora of new classes, feats, spells, and other options for your character, but the one area we've never really explored too deeply is races. The <a href="https://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/v5748btpy8osf">Advanced Race Guide</a> is going to change all that with a bunch of new races explored in detail and new options and tools based specifically on your character's race.</p>
<p>Included in this mighty tome is a system for building your own race, using a simple point-based mechanic. While this won't be legal for Pathfinder Society Organized Play, this system will allow players and GMs to add new and innovative races to their game, as well as to add some of the more monstrous options to the party roster. Building a system like this is not easy, and balancing it is even trickier, which is why we want you to playtest this system early and give us your thoughts, opinions, and suggestions for making it better.</p>
<p>This system is available now. Go grab the document right <a href="https://paizo.com/store/downloads/v5748btpy8osf">here</a> and read through it. Build a race or two and introduce them to your game. Post your ideas and feedback to the <a href="https://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/paizoPublishing/pathfinder/pathfinderRPG/advancedRaceGuidePlaytest">Advanced Race Guide Playtest Board</a>. Make sure to add your custom races to the New Races thread. This playtest will be open for the next two weeks. We look forward to seeing what you come up with.</p>
<p>Jason Bulmahn<br>
<i>Lead Designer</i></p>
</blockquote>
<!— tags: Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Playtest, Francesco Graziani —><p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/people/artists/francescoGraziani">Francesco Graziani</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderRoleplayingGame">Pathfinder Roleplaying Game</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a></p>2011-10-04T17:00:00ZStealth Playtest, Round Two--Stealthhttps://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo5lcml?Stealth-Playtest-Round-TwoStealth2011-09-20T17:00:00Z<blockquote>
<br>
<h1>Stealth Playtest, Round Two</h1>
<p class="date">Tuesday, September 20, 2011</p>
<div class="blurb360"><a href="https://paizo.com/image/content/Blog/StealthBlog091311.jpg"><img src="https//paizo.com/image/content/Blog/StealthBlog091311_360.jpeg" border="0"></a><br>Illustration by Christian Pearce</div>
<p>In case you missed it, a few weeks ago the Pathfinder design team previewed some changes we were considering making to the Stealth skill. Like any design endeavor, game design benefits from iteration. After letting all of you playtest the rules and let us know what you thought of the first draft, we went back to the drawing board and made some changes based on that fantastic feedback.<br>
In this round of playtesting, you'll find that we've cleared up some action issues. We have opened up the possibilities for using standard actions with the Stealth skill, as long as those standard actions do not attack creatures. In this way, the Stealth skill mirrors the rules found in the <i>invisibility</i> spell; at least as far as what actions you can attempt while you are hidden without automatically ending that condition.</p>
<p>Speaking of hidden, while we have kept the invisible condition, and have even strengthened the wording on that condition a bit, we have also created a lesser, connected condition called hidden. You gain the hidden condition when you benefit from Stealth, and you gain the invisible condition when you use a spell or effect that makes you visually undetectable, like the <i>invisibility</i> spell. Hidden is the base condition, and invisible is an upgrade of that condition.</p>
<p>Lastly, we have added some small language changes to explain how the hidden condition interacts with some universal monster rules dealing with senses—specifically blindsense, blindsight, scent, and tremorsense.<br>
Just like the last round of playtesting, keep in mind that these changes are not yet official. While you are free to use them in your home game—and we would like you to do so—these changes are not yet ready for Pathfinder Society play. This time around we are going to give you two weeks to playtest and comment on these proposed changes, so tell us what you think sometime before October 3rd. We'll announce the final version in the Design Tuesday blog sometime after the playtest is completed, and make changes to the rules using the Pathfinder RPG FAQ system.</p>
<h2>Stealth</h2>
<p><b>(Dex; Armor Check Penalty)</b> You are skilled at avoiding detection, allowing you to slip past foes or strike from an unseen position. This skill covers hiding and moving silently.</p>
<p><b>Check:</b> Your Stealth check is opposed by the Perception check of anyone who might notice you. Usually a Stealth check is made at the start of an action when you have some kind of cover (except for soft cover) or concealment. You cannot spend a free action to initiate Stealth, but if you spend a free action while under the effects of Stealth, you must make a new Stealth check to continue its effects. You can always spend a swift action to stay immobile and make a Stealth check. You can move up to half your speed and use Stealth at no penalty. When moving at a speed greater than half your speed and up to your normal speed, you take a –5 penalty on the Stealth check. It's usually impossible to use Stealth while taking an immediate action, a full-round action, or any action to make an attack, unless you are subject to <i>greater invisibility</i> or a similar effect, or you are sniping (see below). When you make your Stealth check, those creatures that didn't succeed at the opposed roll treat you as hidden until the start of your next action or until the end of your turn if you do not end your turn with cover or concealment. You are not hidden from creatures that are observing you (creatures that you didn't have cover or concealment from) or that succeed at the opposed check.<br>
A creature larger or smaller than Medium takes a size bonus or penalty on Stealth checks depending on its size category: Fine +16, Diminutive +12, Tiny +8, Small +4, Large –4, Huge –8, Gargantuan –12, Colossal –16.</p>
<p><b>Attacking while Hidden:</b> Usually, making an attack against a creature ends the hidden condition. For purposes of Stealth, an attack includes any spell targeting a foe or whose area or effect includes a foe. Actions directed at an unattended object do not end Stealth. Causing harm indirectly is not an attack. If during your last action you were hidden to a creature, you are still considered hidden when you make the first attack of that new action.</p>
<p><b>Other Perception Checks:</b> If a creature makes a Perception check as a move action to notice a hidden creature, the DC of the Perception check is the hidden creature's last Stealth check. This is also the case if a creature makes a Perception check to notice a hidden creature because the perceiving creature is entering an area where it could possibly notice a hidden creature.</p>
<p><b>Sniping:</b> If you already are hidden to a target and you are at least 10 feet away from that target, as a standard action, you can make one ranged attack against that target and immediately make an opposed Stealth check to stay hidden. You take a –20 penalty on your Stealth check when attempting to snipe.</p>
<p><b>Creating a Diversion to Hide:</b> You can use Bluff to allow you to use Stealth. If you do not have cover or concealment, as a swift action, you can attempt a Bluff check opposed by the Sense Motive of opponents that can see you. If you are successful, you are considered to have concealment from those creatures (but you do not gain the percent miss chance from concealment) until the end of your next action, you make an attack (as defined in the Attacking while Hidden section, above), or the end of your turn, whichever happens first.</p>
<p><b>Action:</b> Usually making a Stealth check is not an action. Using Stealth is part of the action you are taking.</p>
<p><b>Special:</b> If you are subject to the <i>invisibility</i> or <i>greater invisibility</i> spells or a similar effect, you gain a +40 bonus on Stealth checks while you are immobile, or a +20 bonus on Stealth checks while you're moving. If you have the Stealthy feat, you get a bonus on Stealth checks (see Chapter 5).</p>
<h2>Conditions</h2>
<p><b>Hidden:</b> You are difficult to detect but you not invisible. A hidden creature gains a +2 bonus on attack rolls against sighted opponents, and ignores its opponents' Dexterity bonus to AC (if any). You do not have line of sight to a creature or object that is hidden from you.</p>
<p><b>Invisible:</b> Invisible creatures are visually undetectable. An invisible creature or object gains the benefits of the hidden condition. An invisible object or creature gains total concealment.</p>
<h2>Universal Monster Rules</h2>
<p><b>Blindsense (Ex)</b> Using nonvisual senses, such as acute smell or hearing, a creature with blindsense notices things it cannot see. The creature usually does not need to make Perception checks notice hidden creatures or to pinpoint the location of an invisible creature within range of its blindsense ability, provided that it has line of effect to that creature. Any opponent the creature cannot see still has total concealment from the creature with blindsense, and the creature still has the normal miss chance when attacking foes that have concealment. Visibility still affects the movement of a creature with blindsense. A creature with blindsense is still denied its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class against attacks from creatures it cannot see.<br>
<i>Format:</i> blindsense 60 ft.; <i>Location:</i> Senses.</p>
<p><b>Blindsight (Ex)</b> This ability is similar to blindsense, but is far more discerning. Using nonvisual senses, such as sensitivity to vibrations, keen smell, acute hearing, or echolocation, a creature with blindsight maneuvers and fights as well as a sighted creature. <i>invisibility</i>, darkness, and most kinds of concealment are irrelevant, as is the hidden condition, though the creature must have line of effect to a creature or object to discern that creature or object. The ability's range is specified in the creature's descriptive text. The creature usually does not need to make Perception checks to notice creatures within this range. Unless noted otherwise, blindsight is continuous, and the creature need do nothing to use it. Some forms of blindsight, however, must be triggered as a free action. If so, this is noted in the creature's description. If a creature must trigger its blindsight ability, the creature gains the benefits of blindsight only during its turn.<br>
<i>Format:</i> blindsight 60 ft.; <i>Location:</i> Senses.</p>
<p><b>Scent (Ex)</b> This special quality allows a creature to detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell. Creatures with the scent ability can identify familiar odors just as humans do familiar sights.<br>
The creature can detect opponents within 30 feet by sense of smell. If the opponent is upwind, the range increases to 60 feet; if downwind, it drops to 15 feet. Strong scents, such as smoke or rotting garbage, can be detected at twice the ranges noted above. Overpowering scents, such as skunk musk or troglodyte stench, can be detected at triple normal range.<br>
When a creature detects a scent, the exact location of the source is not revealed—only its presence somewhere within range. The creature can take a move action to note the direction of the scent. When it is within 5 feet of the source, the creature pinpoints the source's location or notices a hidden creature.<br>
A creature with the scent ability can follow tracks by smell, making a Wisdom (or Survival) check to find or follow a track. The typical DC for a fresh trail is 10 (no matter what kind of surface holds the scent). This DC increases or decreases depending on how strong the quarry's odor is, the number of creatures, and the age of the trail. For each hour that the trail is cold, the DC increases by 2. The ability otherwise follows the rules for the Survival skill. Creatures tracking by scent ignore the effects of surface conditions and poor visibility.<br>
<i>Format:</i> scent; <i>Location:</i> Senses.</p>
<p><b>Tremorsense (Ex)</b> A creature with tremorsense is sensitive to vibrations in the ground and can automatically notice hidden creatures and objects as well as pinpoint invisible creatures and objects in contact with the ground. Aquatic creatures with tremorsense can also sense the location of creatures moving through water. The ability's range is specified in the creature's descriptive text.<br>
<i>Format:</i> tremorsense 60 ft.; <i>Location:</i> Senses.</p>
<p>Stephen Radney-MacFarland<br>
<i>Designer</i></p>
</blockquote>
<!— tags: Christian Pearce, Design Tuesdays, Playtest, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Stealth —><p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/people/artists/christianPearce">Christian Pearce</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/designTuesdays">Design Tuesdays</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderRoleplayingGame">Pathfinder Roleplaying Game</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/stealth">Stealth</a></p><blockquote>
<br>
<h1>Stealth Playtest, Round Two</h1>
<p class="date">Tuesday, September 20, 2011</p>
<div class="blurb360"><a href="https://paizo.com/image/content/Blog/StealthBlog091311.jpg"><img src="https//paizo.com/image/content/Blog/StealthBlog091311_360.jpeg" border="0"></a><br>Illustration by Christian Pearce</div>
<p>In case you missed it, a few weeks ago the Pathfinder design team previewed some changes we were considering making to the Stealth skill. Like any design endeavor, game design benefits from iteration. After letting all of you playtest the rules and let us know what you thought of the first draft, we went back to the drawing board and made some changes based on that fantastic feedback.<br>
In this round of playtesting, you'll find that we've cleared up some action issues. We have opened up the possibilities for using standard actions with the Stealth skill, as long as those standard actions do not attack creatures. In this way, the Stealth skill mirrors the rules found in the <i>invisibility</i> spell; at least as far as what actions you can attempt while you are hidden without automatically ending that condition.</p>
<p>Speaking of hidden, while we have kept the invisible condition, and have even strengthened the wording on that condition a bit, we have also created a lesser, connected condition called hidden. You gain the hidden condition when you benefit from Stealth, and you gain the invisible condition when you use a spell or effect that makes you visually undetectable, like the <i>invisibility</i> spell. Hidden is the base condition, and invisible is an upgrade of that condition.</p>
<p>Lastly, we have added some small language changes to explain how the hidden condition interacts with some universal monster rules dealing with senses—specifically blindsense, blindsight, scent, and tremorsense.<br>
Just like the last round of playtesting, keep in mind that these changes are not yet official. While you are free to use them in your home game—and we would like you to do so—these changes are not yet ready for Pathfinder Society play. This time around we are going to give you two weeks to playtest and comment on these proposed changes, so tell us what you think sometime before October 3rd. We'll announce the final version in the Design Tuesday blog sometime after the playtest is completed, and make changes to the rules using the Pathfinder RPG FAQ system.</p>
<h2>Stealth</h2>
<p><b>(Dex; Armor Check Penalty)</b> You are skilled at avoiding detection, allowing you to slip past foes or strike from an unseen position. This skill covers hiding and moving silently.</p>
<p><b>Check:</b> Your Stealth check is opposed by the Perception check of anyone who might notice you. Usually a Stealth check is made at the start of an action when you have some kind of cover (except for soft cover) or concealment. You cannot spend a free action to initiate Stealth, but if you spend a free action while under the effects of Stealth, you must make a new Stealth check to continue its effects. You can always spend a swift action to stay immobile and make a Stealth check. You can move up to half your speed and use Stealth at no penalty. When moving at a speed greater than half your speed and up to your normal speed, you take a –5 penalty on the Stealth check. It's usually impossible to use Stealth while taking an immediate action, a full-round action, or any action to make an attack, unless you are subject to <i>greater invisibility</i> or a similar effect, or you are sniping (see below). When you make your Stealth check, those creatures that didn't succeed at the opposed roll treat you as hidden until the start of your next action or until the end of your turn if you do not end your turn with cover or concealment. You are not hidden from creatures that are observing you (creatures that you didn't have cover or concealment from) or that succeed at the opposed check.<br>
A creature larger or smaller than Medium takes a size bonus or penalty on Stealth checks depending on its size category: Fine +16, Diminutive +12, Tiny +8, Small +4, Large –4, Huge –8, Gargantuan –12, Colossal –16.</p>
<p><b>Attacking while Hidden:</b> Usually, making an attack against a creature ends the hidden condition. For purposes of Stealth, an attack includes any spell targeting a foe or whose area or effect includes a foe. Actions directed at an unattended object do not end Stealth. Causing harm indirectly is not an attack. If during your last action you were hidden to a creature, you are still considered hidden when you make the first attack of that new action.</p>
<p><b>Other Perception Checks:</b> If a creature makes a Perception check as a move action to notice a hidden creature, the DC of the Perception check is the hidden creature's last Stealth check. This is also the case if a creature makes a Perception check to notice a hidden creature because the perceiving creature is entering an area where it could possibly notice a hidden creature.</p>
<p><b>Sniping:</b> If you already are hidden to a target and you are at least 10 feet away from that target, as a standard action, you can make one ranged attack against that target and immediately make an opposed Stealth check to stay hidden. You take a –20 penalty on your Stealth check when attempting to snipe.</p>
<p><b>Creating a Diversion to Hide:</b> You can use Bluff to allow you to use Stealth. If you do not have cover or concealment, as a swift action, you can attempt a Bluff check opposed by the Sense Motive of opponents that can see you. If you are successful, you are considered to have concealment from those creatures (but you do not gain the percent miss chance from concealment) until the end of your next action, you make an attack (as defined in the Attacking while Hidden section, above), or the end of your turn, whichever happens first.</p>
<p><b>Action:</b> Usually making a Stealth check is not an action. Using Stealth is part of the action you are taking.</p>
<p><b>Special:</b> If you are subject to the <i>invisibility</i> or <i>greater invisibility</i> spells or a similar effect, you gain a +40 bonus on Stealth checks while you are immobile, or a +20 bonus on Stealth checks while you're moving. If you have the Stealthy feat, you get a bonus on Stealth checks (see Chapter 5).</p>
<h2>Conditions</h2>
<p><b>Hidden:</b> You are difficult to detect but you not invisible. A hidden creature gains a +2 bonus on attack rolls against sighted opponents, and ignores its opponents' Dexterity bonus to AC (if any). You do not have line of sight to a creature or object that is hidden from you.</p>
<p><b>Invisible:</b> Invisible creatures are visually undetectable. An invisible creature or object gains the benefits of the hidden condition. An invisible object or creature gains total concealment.</p>
<h2>Universal Monster Rules</h2>
<p><b>Blindsense (Ex)</b> Using nonvisual senses, such as acute smell or hearing, a creature with blindsense notices things it cannot see. The creature usually does not need to make Perception checks notice hidden creatures or to pinpoint the location of an invisible creature within range of its blindsense ability, provided that it has line of effect to that creature. Any opponent the creature cannot see still has total concealment from the creature with blindsense, and the creature still has the normal miss chance when attacking foes that have concealment. Visibility still affects the movement of a creature with blindsense. A creature with blindsense is still denied its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class against attacks from creatures it cannot see.<br>
<i>Format:</i> blindsense 60 ft.; <i>Location:</i> Senses.</p>
<p><b>Blindsight (Ex)</b> This ability is similar to blindsense, but is far more discerning. Using nonvisual senses, such as sensitivity to vibrations, keen smell, acute hearing, or echolocation, a creature with blindsight maneuvers and fights as well as a sighted creature. <i>invisibility</i>, darkness, and most kinds of concealment are irrelevant, as is the hidden condition, though the creature must have line of effect to a creature or object to discern that creature or object. The ability's range is specified in the creature's descriptive text. The creature usually does not need to make Perception checks to notice creatures within this range. Unless noted otherwise, blindsight is continuous, and the creature need do nothing to use it. Some forms of blindsight, however, must be triggered as a free action. If so, this is noted in the creature's description. If a creature must trigger its blindsight ability, the creature gains the benefits of blindsight only during its turn.<br>
<i>Format:</i> blindsight 60 ft.; <i>Location:</i> Senses.</p>
<p><b>Scent (Ex)</b> This special quality allows a creature to detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell. Creatures with the scent ability can identify familiar odors just as humans do familiar sights.<br>
The creature can detect opponents within 30 feet by sense of smell. If the opponent is upwind, the range increases to 60 feet; if downwind, it drops to 15 feet. Strong scents, such as smoke or rotting garbage, can be detected at twice the ranges noted above. Overpowering scents, such as skunk musk or troglodyte stench, can be detected at triple normal range.<br>
When a creature detects a scent, the exact location of the source is not revealed—only its presence somewhere within range. The creature can take a move action to note the direction of the scent. When it is within 5 feet of the source, the creature pinpoints the source's location or notices a hidden creature.<br>
A creature with the scent ability can follow tracks by smell, making a Wisdom (or Survival) check to find or follow a track. The typical DC for a fresh trail is 10 (no matter what kind of surface holds the scent). This DC increases or decreases depending on how strong the quarry's odor is, the number of creatures, and the age of the trail. For each hour that the trail is cold, the DC increases by 2. The ability otherwise follows the rules for the Survival skill. Creatures tracking by scent ignore the effects of surface conditions and poor visibility.<br>
<i>Format:</i> scent; <i>Location:</i> Senses.</p>
<p><b>Tremorsense (Ex)</b> A creature with tremorsense is sensitive to vibrations in the ground and can automatically notice hidden creatures and objects as well as pinpoint invisible creatures and objects in contact with the ground. Aquatic creatures with tremorsense can also sense the location of creatures moving through water. The ability's range is specified in the creature's descriptive text.<br>
<i>Format:</i> tremorsense 60 ft.; <i>Location:</i> Senses.</p>
<p>Stephen Radney-MacFarland<br>
<i>Designer</i></p>
</blockquote>
<!— tags: Christian Pearce, Design Tuesdays, Playtest, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Stealth —><p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/people/artists/christianPearce">Christian Pearce</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/designTuesdays">Design Tuesdays</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderRoleplayingGame">Pathfinder Roleplaying Game</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/stealth">Stealth</a></p>2011-09-20T17:00:00ZStealth Playtest--Stealthhttps://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo5lckz?Stealth-PlaytestStealth2011-08-23T17:00:00Z<blockquote>
<br>
<h1>Stealth Playtest</h1>
<p class="date">Tuesday, August 23, 2011</p>
<div class="blurb360"><a href="https://paizo.com/image/content/PathfinderModules/PZO9532-Larvae.jpg"><img src="https//paizo.com/image/content/PathfinderModules/PZO9532-Larvae_360.jpeg" border="0"></a><br>Illustration by Yngvar Apslund</div>
<p>Here at Paizo, the design team has a host of challenges. Some of the greatest challenges come when dealing with the rules of our game that don't work as well as we would like. For a number of weeks we have been talking about the issues concerning the Stealth skill. Over the course of those conversations we have come up with many ideas to improve this skill and make its use both clearer and more playable.</p>
<p>So, here is our crazy idea: We are thinking about just rewriting the skill. This is our first stab at a rewrite, but before we make any definitive change, we want to unleash our crazy ideas to you—the Pathfinder players—to poke holes in, give us input on, and playtest. The following changes to the Stealth rules are by no means final, nowhere near official, and definitely not usable in Pathfinder Society. They're here for you to read, think on, playtest, and then for you to give us feedback. We will be listening for the next week. Have fun!</p>
<h2>Stealth</h2>
<p><b>(Dex; Armor Check Penalty)</b><br>
You are skilled at avoiding detection, allowing you to slip past foes or strike from an unseen position. This skill covers hiding and moving silently.</p>
<p><b>Check:</b> Your Stealth check is opposed by the Perception check of anyone who might notice you. Usually a Stealth check is made at the start of a free, move, or swift action when you start that action with either some kind of cover (except for soft cover) or concealment. You can always spend a swift action to stay immobile and make a Stealth check. You cannot spend a free action to initiate a Stealth check, but if you spend a free action while under the effects of Stealth, you must make a new Stealth check in order to continue the effects of Stealth. You can move up to half your normal speed and use Stealth at no penalty. When moving at a speed greater than half and up to your normal speed, you take a –5 penalty. It's usually impossible to use Stealth while taking an immediate action, standard action, or a full-round action, unless you are subject to <i>greater invisibility</i> or a similar effect, you are sniping (see below), or you are using a standard action to ready an action. When you make your Stealth check, those creatures that didn't succeed at the opposed roll treat you as invisible until the start of your next action or until the end of your turn if you do not end your turn with cover or concealment. When you use Stealth, creatures that are observing you (creatures that you didn't have cover or concealment from) or that succeed at the opposed check do not treat you as invisible.</p>
<p>A creature larger or smaller than Medium takes a size bonus or penalty on Stealth checks depending on its size category: Fine +16, Diminutive +12, Tiny +8, Small +4, Large –4, Huge –8, Gargantuan –12, Colossal –16.</p>
<p><b>Attacking from Invisibility:</b> Usually making an attack against a creature ends the invisible condition. If during your last action were invisible to a creature, you are still considered invisible when you make the first attack of that new action.</p>
<p><b>Other Perception Checks:</b> If a creature makes a Perception check as a move action to notice an invisible creature, the DC of the Perception check is the invisible creature's last Stealth check. This is also the case if a creature makes a Perception check to notice an invisible creature because the perceiving creature is entering an area where it could possibly notice an invisible creature.</p>
<p><b>Sniping:</b> If you already are invisible to a target and you are 10 feet from that target, as a standard action, you can make one ranged attack against that target and immediately make an opposed Stealth check to stay invisible. You take a –20 penalty on your Stealth check when attempting to snipe.</p>
<p><b>Creating a Diversion to Hide:</b> If you do not have cover or concealment, as a standard action, you can attempt a Bluff check opposed by the Perception of opponents that can see you. On a success, you become invisible to those creatures and can move up to half your speed. When you do this, you take a –10 penalty on the Bluff check.</p>
<p><b>Action:</b> Usually making a Stealth check is not an action. Using Stealth is part of the action are taking.</p>
<p><b>Special:</b> If you are subject to the <i>invisibility</i> or <i>greater invisibility</i> spells or a similar effect, you gain a +40 bonus on Stealth checks while you are immobile, or a +20 bonus on Stealth checks while you're moving.
If you have the Stealthy feat, you get a bonus on Stealth checks (see Chapter 5).</p>
<p>Stephen Radney-MacFarland<br>
<i>Designer</i></p>
</blockquote>
<!— tags: Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Design Tuesdays, Stealth, Playtest, Yngvar Apslund —><p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/designTuesdays">Design Tuesdays</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderRoleplayingGame">Pathfinder Roleplaying Game</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/stealth">Stealth</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/people/artists/yngvarApslund">Yngvar Apslund</a></p><blockquote>
<br>
<h1>Stealth Playtest</h1>
<p class="date">Tuesday, August 23, 2011</p>
<div class="blurb360"><a href="https://paizo.com/image/content/PathfinderModules/PZO9532-Larvae.jpg"><img src="https//paizo.com/image/content/PathfinderModules/PZO9532-Larvae_360.jpeg" border="0"></a><br>Illustration by Yngvar Apslund</div>
<p>Here at Paizo, the design team has a host of challenges. Some of the greatest challenges come when dealing with the rules of our game that don't work as well as we would like. For a number of weeks we have been talking about the issues concerning the Stealth skill. Over the course of those conversations we have come up with many ideas to improve this skill and make its use both clearer and more playable.</p>
<p>So, here is our crazy idea: We are thinking about just rewriting the skill. This is our first stab at a rewrite, but before we make any definitive change, we want to unleash our crazy ideas to you—the Pathfinder players—to poke holes in, give us input on, and playtest. The following changes to the Stealth rules are by no means final, nowhere near official, and definitely not usable in Pathfinder Society. They're here for you to read, think on, playtest, and then for you to give us feedback. We will be listening for the next week. Have fun!</p>
<h2>Stealth</h2>
<p><b>(Dex; Armor Check Penalty)</b><br>
You are skilled at avoiding detection, allowing you to slip past foes or strike from an unseen position. This skill covers hiding and moving silently.</p>
<p><b>Check:</b> Your Stealth check is opposed by the Perception check of anyone who might notice you. Usually a Stealth check is made at the start of a free, move, or swift action when you start that action with either some kind of cover (except for soft cover) or concealment. You can always spend a swift action to stay immobile and make a Stealth check. You cannot spend a free action to initiate a Stealth check, but if you spend a free action while under the effects of Stealth, you must make a new Stealth check in order to continue the effects of Stealth. You can move up to half your normal speed and use Stealth at no penalty. When moving at a speed greater than half and up to your normal speed, you take a –5 penalty. It's usually impossible to use Stealth while taking an immediate action, standard action, or a full-round action, unless you are subject to <i>greater invisibility</i> or a similar effect, you are sniping (see below), or you are using a standard action to ready an action. When you make your Stealth check, those creatures that didn't succeed at the opposed roll treat you as invisible until the start of your next action or until the end of your turn if you do not end your turn with cover or concealment. When you use Stealth, creatures that are observing you (creatures that you didn't have cover or concealment from) or that succeed at the opposed check do not treat you as invisible.</p>
<p>A creature larger or smaller than Medium takes a size bonus or penalty on Stealth checks depending on its size category: Fine +16, Diminutive +12, Tiny +8, Small +4, Large –4, Huge –8, Gargantuan –12, Colossal –16.</p>
<p><b>Attacking from Invisibility:</b> Usually making an attack against a creature ends the invisible condition. If during your last action were invisible to a creature, you are still considered invisible when you make the first attack of that new action.</p>
<p><b>Other Perception Checks:</b> If a creature makes a Perception check as a move action to notice an invisible creature, the DC of the Perception check is the invisible creature's last Stealth check. This is also the case if a creature makes a Perception check to notice an invisible creature because the perceiving creature is entering an area where it could possibly notice an invisible creature.</p>
<p><b>Sniping:</b> If you already are invisible to a target and you are 10 feet from that target, as a standard action, you can make one ranged attack against that target and immediately make an opposed Stealth check to stay invisible. You take a –20 penalty on your Stealth check when attempting to snipe.</p>
<p><b>Creating a Diversion to Hide:</b> If you do not have cover or concealment, as a standard action, you can attempt a Bluff check opposed by the Perception of opponents that can see you. On a success, you become invisible to those creatures and can move up to half your speed. When you do this, you take a –10 penalty on the Bluff check.</p>
<p><b>Action:</b> Usually making a Stealth check is not an action. Using Stealth is part of the action are taking.</p>
<p><b>Special:</b> If you are subject to the <i>invisibility</i> or <i>greater invisibility</i> spells or a similar effect, you gain a +40 bonus on Stealth checks while you are immobile, or a +20 bonus on Stealth checks while you're moving.
If you have the Stealthy feat, you get a bonus on Stealth checks (see Chapter 5).</p>
<p>Stephen Radney-MacFarland<br>
<i>Designer</i></p>
</blockquote>
<!— tags: Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Design Tuesdays, Stealth, Playtest, Yngvar Apslund —><p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/designTuesdays">Design Tuesdays</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderRoleplayingGame">Pathfinder Roleplaying Game</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/stealth">Stealth</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/people/artists/yngvarApslund">Yngvar Apslund</a></p>2011-08-23T17:00:00ZGunslinger Reloadedhttps://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo5lbyu?Gunslinger-Reloaded2011-03-07T17:30:00Z<a href="https://paizo.com/store/v5748btpy8j5e"><img src="https//paizo.com/image/product/catalog/PZOP/PZOPZO1118A2E_180.jpeg" border=0 align=right hspace=9></a><blockquote>
<h1>Gunslinger Reloaded</h1>
<p class=date>Monday, March 7, 2011</p>
<p>Are you ready for some more fun with fantasy firearms? Well, ready or not, we are unleashing the second round of the <a href="https://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/v5748btpy8ies"><i>Ultimate Combat</i></a> playtest! In <a href="https://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/v5748btpy8j5e">this round</a>, we're bringing you the updated version of the gunslinger—a full 1–20 class in its own right, unhinged from the fighter class.<p>
<p>This <a href="https://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/v5748btpy8j5e">new version</a> of the gunslinger has more deeds, many of the older deeds have been reshuffled and repriced, and we are providing you with more guns to play with—including advanced firearms for those of you who want to go whole hog into the era where guns dominate the battlefield.<p>
<p>Not only will you get the updated crunchy bits you crave for playtesting, we also have a sidebar to help GMs determine what role (if any) firearms have in their campaign. This sidebar also talks about how firearm and gunslinger rules change with the level of firearms you have in your campaign.<p>
<p> So photocopy some character sheets, grab your dice, load up that pepperbox with alchemical cartridges, and playtest away. We will be listening to your observations and results on the <a href="https://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/paizoPublishing/pathfinder/pathfinderRPG/ultimateCombatPlaytest/">messageboards</a>. Oh, and just in case you are wondering, the new version of the class is Pathfinder Society legal, so if you haven't done so already, find you local group, and start playing!<p>
<p style="clear:both;">Stephen Radney-MacFarland
<br>Pathfinder RPG Designer</p>
</blockquote>
<!— tags: Gunslingers, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Pathfinder Society, Playtest, Ultimate Combat —>
<p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/classes/gunslingers">Gunslingers</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderRoleplayingGame">Pathfinder Roleplaying Game</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a></p><a href="https://paizo.com/store/v5748btpy8j5e"><img src="https//paizo.com/image/product/catalog/PZOP/PZOPZO1118A2E_180.jpeg" border=0 align=right hspace=9></a><blockquote>
<h1>Gunslinger Reloaded</h1>
<p class=date>Monday, March 7, 2011</p>
<p>Are you ready for some more fun with fantasy firearms? Well, ready or not, we are unleashing the second round of the <a href="https://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/v5748btpy8ies"><i>Ultimate Combat</i></a> playtest! In <a href="https://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/v5748btpy8j5e">this round</a>, we're bringing you the updated version of the gunslinger—a full 1–20 class in its own right, unhinged from the fighter class.<p>
<p>This <a href="https://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/v5748btpy8j5e">new version</a> of the gunslinger has more deeds, many of the older deeds have been reshuffled and repriced, and we are providing you with more guns to play with—including advanced firearms for those of you who want to go whole hog into the era where guns dominate the battlefield.<p>
<p>Not only will you get the updated crunchy bits you crave for playtesting, we also have a sidebar to help GMs determine what role (if any) firearms have in their campaign. This sidebar also talks about how firearm and gunslinger rules change with the level of firearms you have in your campaign.<p>
<p> So photocopy some character sheets, grab your dice, load up that pepperbox with alchemical cartridges, and playtest away. We will be listening to your observations and results on the <a href="https://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/paizoPublishing/pathfinder/pathfinderRPG/ultimateCombatPlaytest/">messageboards</a>. Oh, and just in case you are wondering, the new version of the class is Pathfinder Society legal, so if you haven't done so already, find you local group, and start playing!<p>
<p style="clear:both;">Stephen Radney-MacFarland
<br>Pathfinder RPG Designer</p>
</blockquote>
<!— tags: Gunslingers, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Pathfinder Society, Playtest, Ultimate Combat —>
<p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/classes/gunslingers">Gunslingers</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderRoleplayingGame">Pathfinder Roleplaying Game</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a></p>2011-03-07T17:30:00ZUltimate Combat Playtest Away!https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo5lbsx?Ultimate-Combat-Playtest-Away2011-01-25T00:00:00Z<a href="https://paizo.com/store/v5748btpy8igw"><img src="https//paizo.com/image/product/catalog/PZO/PZO1118A1E_180.jpeg" border=0 align=right hspace=9></a><blockquote>
<h1>Ultimate Combat Playtest Away!</h1>
<p class=date>Monday, January 24, 2011</p>
<p>Surprise! It's playtest time again.</p>
<p>Today we are unleashing the playtest for <a href="https://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/v5748btpy8ies"><i>Ultimate Combat</i></a>, a new sourcebook for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, due to be released later this year.<p>
<p> In this playtest you'll get a first shot at playing the gunslinger, ninja, and samurai alternative classes.</p>
<p> Each alternative class gives you 20 full levels of blazing barrels, silent death, or relentless resolve, depending on the class. You can find these classes as <a href="https://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/v5748btpy8igw">a free PDF</a>. Once you have downloaded the classes and used them in your game, wander over to <a href="https://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/paizoPublishing/pathfinder/pathfinderRPG/ultimateCombatPlaytest">the messageboards</a>, where you'll find places to discuss the classes and post your playtest results. We look forward to hearing what you have to say about these three new classes.<p>
<p> This playtest lasts three weeks, until Monday February 14th. <p>
<p> Tune in next week for Part 3 of the Intelligent Magic Item design blog. We figured you wouldn't mind the delay if you got three new classes to chew on.<p>
<p style="clear:both;">Stephen Radney-MacFarland
<br>Pathfinder RPG Designer</p>
</blockquote>
<!— tags: Gunslingers, Ninja, Pathfinder RPG, Samurai, Playtest, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game —>
<p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/classes/gunslingers">Gunslingers</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/classes/ninja">Ninja</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderRoleplayingGame">Pathfinder Roleplaying Game</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/classes/samurai">Samurai</a></p><a href="https://paizo.com/store/v5748btpy8igw"><img src="https//paizo.com/image/product/catalog/PZO/PZO1118A1E_180.jpeg" border=0 align=right hspace=9></a><blockquote>
<h1>Ultimate Combat Playtest Away!</h1>
<p class=date>Monday, January 24, 2011</p>
<p>Surprise! It's playtest time again.</p>
<p>Today we are unleashing the playtest for <a href="https://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/v5748btpy8ies"><i>Ultimate Combat</i></a>, a new sourcebook for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, due to be released later this year.<p>
<p> In this playtest you'll get a first shot at playing the gunslinger, ninja, and samurai alternative classes.</p>
<p> Each alternative class gives you 20 full levels of blazing barrels, silent death, or relentless resolve, depending on the class. You can find these classes as <a href="https://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/v5748btpy8igw">a free PDF</a>. Once you have downloaded the classes and used them in your game, wander over to <a href="https://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/paizoPublishing/pathfinder/pathfinderRPG/ultimateCombatPlaytest">the messageboards</a>, where you'll find places to discuss the classes and post your playtest results. We look forward to hearing what you have to say about these three new classes.<p>
<p> This playtest lasts three weeks, until Monday February 14th. <p>
<p> Tune in next week for Part 3 of the Intelligent Magic Item design blog. We figured you wouldn't mind the delay if you got three new classes to chew on.<p>
<p style="clear:both;">Stephen Radney-MacFarland
<br>Pathfinder RPG Designer</p>
</blockquote>
<!— tags: Gunslingers, Ninja, Pathfinder RPG, Samurai, Playtest, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game —>
<p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/classes/gunslingers">Gunslingers</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/classes/ninja">Ninja</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderRoleplayingGame">Pathfinder Roleplaying Game</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/classes/samurai">Samurai</a></p>2011-01-25T00:00:00ZUltimate Magus Feedbackhttps://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo5lbpb?Ultimate-Magus-Feedback2010-12-14T08:00:00Z<div align="center"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><a href="https://paizo.com/image/content/PathfinderRPG/PZO1117-Cover.jpg" target="_blank" ><img src="https//paizo.com/image/content/PathfinderRPG/PZO1117-Cover_360.jpeg" border="0" /></a></td></tr><tr><td align="center" class="tiny">Illustration by Wayne Reynolds</td></tr></table></div>
<blockquote>
<h1><br>Ultimate Magus Feedback</h1>
<p class=date>Tuesday, December 14, 2010</p>
<p> As you can imagine, life around here is all about <i>Ultimate Magic</i>. So being the new "entity, " I get to write a bit in the blog about the project. I know; it's a rough life. </p>
<p>You rules junkies will already know all about this, but one of the great parts of the book is the new base class—the magus.<p>
<p> If you're anything like me, some days you wake up and ask yourself: How do I kill my enemies today, with steel or spell? Now I don't have to choose. The magus is a slayer dilettante extreme, using both to beat down the bad guys.<p>
<p> I know, I know, you've seen your share of multiclass spell-swords. You're not easily wooed, but the magus is worth checking out, if you haven't already. While it has a respectable spell list that is very wiz-bang and a little bufferish, the key to the class is the arcane pool. While some arcane magic comes from ancient bloodlines or the rigor of magical formulae, magi are among the creatures blessed with a well of arcane energy that they can learn to focus with flair of a swashbuckler, using a spell as dirk. This pool allows the magus to enchant weapons with a touch, mimic the abilities of other arcane classes' spells (like calling a familiar, or using metamagic feats), and even recreate entire spells. It's arcane power mixed with weapon mastery at its most fluid.<p>
<p> With just a little more time left to go, we are working on the finishing touches for the class, and one of the things we have to do is finish the archetypes. We have a good list right now, but we're interesting in hearing what you have to say. What is your dream archetype for the magus? What interesting flavor of magus character are you looking to play?<p>
<p> Talk at me <a href="https://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/paizoPublishing/pathfinder/pathfinderRPG/ultimateMagicPlaytest/round3Discussion/magusArchetypeFeedback&page=1">here</a>. And if you are playtesting the magus, and you haven't posted your feedback on this class yet, make sure you post to the <a href="https://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/paizoPublishing/pathfinder/pathfinderRPG/ultimateMagicPlaytest/round3Playtest">Round 3 – Revised Magus: Playtest</a>. You have until December 20th.<p>
<p>Stephen Radney-MacFarland
<br>Pathfinder RPG Designer</p>
</blockquote>
<!— tags: Archetypes, Magi, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Playtest —>
<p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/classes/archetypes">Archetypes</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/classes/magi">Magi</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderRoleplayingGame">Pathfinder Roleplaying Game</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a></p><div align="center"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><a href="https://paizo.com/image/content/PathfinderRPG/PZO1117-Cover.jpg" target="_blank" ><img src="https//paizo.com/image/content/PathfinderRPG/PZO1117-Cover_360.jpeg" border="0" /></a></td></tr><tr><td align="center" class="tiny">Illustration by Wayne Reynolds</td></tr></table></div>
<blockquote>
<h1><br>Ultimate Magus Feedback</h1>
<p class=date>Tuesday, December 14, 2010</p>
<p> As you can imagine, life around here is all about <i>Ultimate Magic</i>. So being the new "entity, " I get to write a bit in the blog about the project. I know; it's a rough life. </p>
<p>You rules junkies will already know all about this, but one of the great parts of the book is the new base class—the magus.<p>
<p> If you're anything like me, some days you wake up and ask yourself: How do I kill my enemies today, with steel or spell? Now I don't have to choose. The magus is a slayer dilettante extreme, using both to beat down the bad guys.<p>
<p> I know, I know, you've seen your share of multiclass spell-swords. You're not easily wooed, but the magus is worth checking out, if you haven't already. While it has a respectable spell list that is very wiz-bang and a little bufferish, the key to the class is the arcane pool. While some arcane magic comes from ancient bloodlines or the rigor of magical formulae, magi are among the creatures blessed with a well of arcane energy that they can learn to focus with flair of a swashbuckler, using a spell as dirk. This pool allows the magus to enchant weapons with a touch, mimic the abilities of other arcane classes' spells (like calling a familiar, or using metamagic feats), and even recreate entire spells. It's arcane power mixed with weapon mastery at its most fluid.<p>
<p> With just a little more time left to go, we are working on the finishing touches for the class, and one of the things we have to do is finish the archetypes. We have a good list right now, but we're interesting in hearing what you have to say. What is your dream archetype for the magus? What interesting flavor of magus character are you looking to play?<p>
<p> Talk at me <a href="https://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/paizoPublishing/pathfinder/pathfinderRPG/ultimateMagicPlaytest/round3Discussion/magusArchetypeFeedback&page=1">here</a>. And if you are playtesting the magus, and you haven't posted your feedback on this class yet, make sure you post to the <a href="https://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/paizoPublishing/pathfinder/pathfinderRPG/ultimateMagicPlaytest/round3Playtest">Round 3 – Revised Magus: Playtest</a>. You have until December 20th.<p>
<p>Stephen Radney-MacFarland
<br>Pathfinder RPG Designer</p>
</blockquote>
<!— tags: Archetypes, Magi, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Playtest —>
<p><a href="https://paizo.comcommunity/blog/tags">Tags</a>: <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/classes/archetypes">Archetypes</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/classes/magi">Magi</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/pathfinderRoleplayingGame">Pathfinder Roleplaying Game</a>, <a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/tags/playtest">Playtest</a></p>2010-12-14T08:00:00Z