Pathfinder Advanced Player's Guide Preview Banquet Recap

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

With PaizoCon 2010 officially in the books, it's time to start looking forward to the Advanced Player's Guide, which releases in early August at Gen Con. On Saturday night, during the banquet, I gave a nice long preview of the book, and wanted to make sure that everyone who was not able to attend also had a chance to hear about some of the exciting new rules and features in this mighty tome.

First off, we took a look at the races chapter, which includes a two-page spread of information on each of the seven core races. Each one includes new alternate racial class features for you to choose from and new favored class options. The latter gives you another thing to choose from when you take a level in a class favored by your race. For example, dwarven barbarians can choose to gain 1 additional round of rage per day instead of an additional hit point or skill rank.

Next comes the classes chapter, which starts off with the six new base classes and then continues on with new rules and material for the 11 core classes from the Core Rulebook. The base classes have received a host of updates since the playtest, but still primarily function much in the same way as they did before. For the core classes, we added scores of new rules. Most of the classes contain numerous archetypes, or different takes on the class, which includes a number of alternate abilities that you can take as a package. For example, rogues can select the sniper archetype which grants them increased range with their sneak attack and reduces their penalties for making attacks at long range.

Illustrations by Eric Belisle

Although this chapter has a little something for everyone, one of the things I was most excited to reveal was the antipaladin class. This alternate paladin is sure to keep your players up at night. His smite good attack deals double damage to paladins and good-aligned clerics on the first successful attack. His touch of corruption deals damage and can inflict terrible cruelties on hapless PCs. He can be a carrier of disease and can radiate an aura of sin. He is a tough, tough customer. But my favorite part of putting together the entire book was writing his code of conduct. Here is an excerpt:

Under exceptional circumstances, an antipaladin can ally with good associates, but only to defeat them from within and bring ruin to their ranks.

After classes is a meaty feats chapter, containing 163 feats that range from metamagic feats, combat feats, and even a host of racial feats. This chapter even includes a number of high-level feats that duplicate a number of powers of the old 3.5 archmage prestige class. One feat of note is Shadow Strike, which allows a character to deal precision damage, even if the target has concealment, allowing rogues to finally be able to sneak attack a foe in a dark alley.

After feats comes equipment, which contains new tools, useable by nearly any PC, and a lengthy chapter full of spells. There are spells in this book for every spellcasting character, including new spell lists for elementalist wizards. All told, 57 pages of spells with new choices at every level of play. After spells comes the prestige class chapter, which includes 8 new classes. I previewed the Stalwart Defender during the banquet, which is an update of the 3.5 Dwarven Defender. The name change stems from the fact that you no longer need to be a dwarf to take levels in this class. The class also grants many new abilities that the defender can choose from as he gains levels.

The book is rounded out with a large magic items chapter, including new items from virtually every category. It starts with armor and weapons and wraps up with cursed items and artifacts. That chapter is followed up with the new rules chapter, which includes info on four new combat maneuvers (dirty trick, drag, reposition, and steal), an optional hero point system, and the entire traits system used by the Pathfinder Adventure Paths.

All of that, crammed into 336 pages between two beautiful covers. A detailed preview of the Advanced Player's Guide will start very soon. Keep your eyes here on the Paizo blog for more information on this exciting book.

Jason Bulmahn
Lead Designer

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Tags: Anti-Paladins Dwarves Eric Belisle Iconics PaizoCon Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Prestige Classes
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Dark Archive

Quote:

What you'll need to keep an eye on is Ultimate Magic due out in spring - this will be a huge tome of spells with a new optional magic system.

I hope they bring the casting time segment option back, i liked the old style of casting at a certain time with an end at a certain time during the initiative. It gives mobs a chance to break a spell and also gives players the chance to use the concentration skills more.


Any love for the bard?
New performances?


CunningMongoose wrote:

Any love for the bard?

New performances?

I'm hoping for more ki powers for the monk as well. :D

Shadow Lodge

I would assume with 60 something new rage powers the other classes got some new options as well :D

Dark Archive

CunningMongoose wrote:

Any love for the bard?

New performances?

Yes... Chelaxian dwarven bards finally get 'Naked Beard Dance'!


Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber
Asgetrion wrote:
CunningMongoose wrote:

Any love for the bard?

New performances?
Yes... Chelaxian dwarven bards finally get 'Naked Beard Dance'!

GAAAHH!!! My eyes! My EYYEES!!! It's some new kind of Chelaxian torture, I tell you!


Face shield FTW.

Liberty's Edge

Was there any talk of additional ranger combat styles? If so, were any details given?

Thanks!

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