Shortly after the first whispers of a new edition of Pathfinder first started circulating, we knew that organized play would play a major role in playtesting. While our team's quite experienced at designing adventures, we swiftly realized there was one thing we stood no chance at creating in 2018: fair rewards for a game whose final form could change dramatically and unpredictably based on playtest results (to say nothing of our wanting tons of Chronicle sheet feedback, so we couldn't even create long-term character records).
Yet we also wanted to reward players and GMs alike—ideally in a way that was fun, yet didn't grant an insurmountable benefit to playtesters over those who joined the campaign later. From this came Playtest Points (PTP), a currency to spend on fun benefits in 2019 once the Second Edition rules were finalized—rules with which the organized play team could create new boons once the new campaign was ready to launch. As we get ever closer to releasing the new Pathfinder Society Guide to Play, scenarios, and more, it's now time to give a preview of what's coming for Playtest Points.
There are 14 rewards to look forward to, many of them inspired by the playtest adventures. We're expecting the store to go live the week before Gen Con, at which point you'll be able to redeem PTP for boons. One of these rewards you can only buy once, whereas the rest you can purchase multiple times if you're so inspired. Just be aware that 11 of these have scaling costs, with the first copy of the boon being fairly inexpensive and duplicates being available at a higher price.
Let's take a look at some of these rewards!
❑ Experienced Adventurer (Limited-Use, Slotless): Whether you joined the Pathfinder Society after several independent adventures or you quickly surpassed your peers during training to become a Pathfinder agent, you're a capable explorer by the time you set out on your first official assignment. You can check the box that precedes this boon when creating a new character to begin that character at 2nd level with 12 XP, 12 Fame, 12 Reputation distributed between one or more factions, and 30 gp. Include this boon with the new character.
Initiate's Wayfinder (Slotless Boon): As part of your confirmation as a Pathfinder field agent, you received a wayfinder (Pathfinder Core Rulebook 617) to carry as both a badge of office and as a useful tool. This wayfinder has an effective price of 0 gp for the purpose of resale.
Emergency Draught (Item, Limited-Use): You almost always have a healing potion hidden away for an emergency. You gain the following action.
[two-actions] (manipulate) Frequency Once per adventure; Uses 3 ❑ ❑ ❑; Effect You search your gear and draw a minor healing potion in one hand. If you are at least 3rd level, you can instead draw a lesser healing potion. If you are at least 6th level, you can instead draw a moderate healing potion. If you are at least 12th level, you can instead draw a greater healing potion. If you are at least 18th level, you can instead draw a major healing potion. This potion lasts until the end of the adventure, after which it loses its potency. The potion's effective price if sold is 0 gp.Red Flag Espionage (Social): You have experience with delicate social situations where a false move could antagonize a possible ally or accidentally endanger a comrade. When using Diplomacy to Make an Impression or Request, you critically fail the check if you fail the check DC by 12 or more (rather than failing by 10 or more). In addition, you gain the following reaction.
[reaction] (fortune) Uses 1 ❑; Trigger You critically fail a Diplomacy check; Effect You reroll the triggering check and must use the second result.Being able to start a higher-level character—one who could still enjoy all of our Tier 1–4 scenarios—was one of the givens when we started planning Playtest Point rewards, and even if you'd rather start your first character at 1st level, the Experienced Adventurer boon above can give your second or third character a jumpstart. Meanwhile, the Initiate's Wayfinder is a great opportunity to pick up an otherwise pricey (at least for a 1st-level character) piece of equipment that's central to a Pathfinder agent's identity. Also, we'll be providing a similar option for wayfinders through other rewards, so playtesters aren't the only folks to enjoy this opportunity.
The Emergency Draught provides an extra edge in survivability when the going gets tough, and like many of these rewards, it's a Limited-Use boon that grants a playtester a temporary boost without giving a long-term advantage over newer players. Inspired by the Doomsday Dawn adventure “Red Flags”, the Red Flags Espionage boon shows how some of our boons grant a constant benefit while slotted while also giving a limited-use boost in an emergency.
And there are more rewards besides that you'll see in the coming weeks. When redemption goes live, you will find them all on a new tab on your “My Organized Play” page at paizo.com. There you can choose what rewards to purchase and which character to assign them to, plus a downloadable pdf certificate you can print or save to a digital device.
We're looking forward to all of the exciting characters you design come the launch of the new campaign on August 1st, and it'll be great to see these Playtest Point rewards in action!
John Compton
Organized Play Lead Developer
Pathfinder Society Preview: Redeeming Playtest Points
Wednesday, July 10, 2019
