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Welcome to the Advanced Player’s Guide Playtest!

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Welcome to the Pathfinder Advanced Player’s Guide playtest! In the document below, you’ll find four new classes set to be introduced in the Advanced Player’s Guide in July 2020, but before we can add them to the game, we need your help to ensure they are the best they can be! To do that, we need you to create characters using these classes and give them a try. We’re hoping that each of these new characters offers you a style of play that’s enjoyable, effective, and distinct from the currently available classes, allowing you to tell even richer stories with diverse experiences in all modes of play.

Curious about what these classes are all about? Here is a brief synopsis of each to get your character ideas flowing.

  • The investigator is a savvy, street-smart character who takes cases to uncover clues and solve mysteries. This class ties to parts of the game that aren’t covered in depth in the Core Rulebook, so the playtest will see if their approach to solving mysteries is satisfying, while keeping the rules for the game as a whole flexible.
  • The oracle commands divine powers by drawing from universal concepts, casting powerful revelation spells that take a toll on their body and manifest as a double-edged curse. We want to make sure the curse effects are fun and engaging without disrupting the balance of the class compared to other characters. For the playtest, we’ve selected only a subset of mysteries, but there will be more in the final version.
  • The swashbuckler is the flamboyant daredevil of the battlefield, tumbling through foes and entering a heightened state to deliver devastating finishing blows. We’ll be testing a system that encourages them to gain panache, a state of bombastic flair that lets them use more powerful abilities. The playtest version emphasizes new rules specific to the class so that we can playtest those thoroughly, but the final version might pick up some of the fighter’s weapon feats suited to dueling.
  • The witch serves a mysterious patron entity, casting spells and hexes learned through a powerful familiar. This is the most flexible spellcasting class we’ve introduced, since it allows you to build your own path by selecting not only feats, but also lessons from your patron. We want to make sure those options work well both narratively and mechanically across all three of the spellcasting traditions the witch can gain access to.
A sketch of the Investigator, a bald man of African decent with a cane in one hand and perhaps a magnifying glass in the other, for the the Pathfinder Second Edition Advanced Players Guide Playtest. A sketch of the oracle, an anthropomorphic bird with a staff in one claw-like hand and magic surrounding the other, for the the Pathfinder Second Edition Advanced Players Guide Playtest. A sketch of the witch, a lithe woman of Asian decent with long hair, a wooden staff in one long finger-nailed hand and magic in the other, for the the Pathfinder Second Edition Advanced Players Guide Playtest.

Left to right: the Investigator, Oracle, Swashbuckler, and Witch.

How to Playtest

The playtest will run until December 2nd, 2019. We’re looking for your feedback, comments, and criticisms regarding these classes, but we’re focusing our attention on feedback from play. Make new characters, use them as PCs or adversaries, and run a few game sessions or encounters incorporating them!

What the Playtest Is, and What it Isn’t

When playtesting these classes, remember that almost anything can change based on the results of the playtest! These are early iterations of the new classes; some abilities might be a bit extreme or stretch some assumptions of the game, and the best way to find out if we’ve gone too far (or in the wrong direction) is for us to deliver these classes into your hands. If you’re new and used to open betas on a video game where there’s mostly only small refinements, this will be a different experience. If you’re a veteran of the Pathfinder Playtest for the new edition of the game, you should note that because the playtest window is relatively short this time, we don’t expect to release any changes to these classes during the playtest itself, but your thoughts and feedback will still be vital in shaping the final versions of the classes.

How Can You Help

We’d like you to play these classes in a variety of levels and situations. If you’re looking for a published adventure to get some standardized feedback, we recommend trying out Fall of Plaguestone, which offers a stand-alone experience at some of the most commonly played levels of the game with some particularly challenging series of combats that can help put the classes through their paces.

Once you’ve had a chance to try the classes, you can submit your feedback in the following ways. If you only have time for one form of feedback, we’d ask you to please take the survey. It makes it easier for us to hear and apply your feedback, since it’s more structured and puts your responses directly at our fingertips.

You can find the downloads right here. We’d like to thank you for participating in the Advanced Player’s Guide playtest, and we’re looking forward to seeing what you think and using your feedback to make these classes the best they can be!

Mark Seifter
Designer

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Tags: Advanced Player's Guide Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Pathfinder Second Edition
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Designer
38 people marked this as a favorite.

Welcome everyone! I'm excited to see what you discover.
Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

Huzzah!
Silver Crusade
14 people marked this as a favorite.

Birb.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

HUZZAH!!!!!
Paizo Employee Developer
9 people marked this as a favorite.

Tengoracle!
4 people marked this as a favorite.

Looks great!
18 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Maps, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

So now we have a tengu iconic? I really didn't see that one coming.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber

Awesome! Cannot wait to dig in!
17 people marked this as a favorite.

Is it me or is the Tengu oracle probably the same Tengu featured in the cover of the Advanced Race Guide?
PR Manager
15 people marked this as a favorite.
Voltron64 wrote:
Is it me or is the Tengu oracle probably the same Tengu featured in the cover of the Advanced Race Guide?

Well done!

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Aaron Shanks wrote:
Voltron64 wrote:
Is it me or is the Tengu oracle probably the same Tengu featured in the cover of the Advanced Race Guide?
Well done!

Good to see we're going to get a name and backstory for him then.

22 people marked this as a favorite.

Having somehow completely forgotten about Quinn, I spent an embarrassing amount of time trying to figure out if the iconic investigator was named "Pzozios" or whether it just said "PZO2102" or something in the corner of the picture.

I guess I'm playtesting an investigator named Pzozios.
1 person marked this as a favorite.

very flavorful classes, nicely done. not sure how effective yet, but very flavorful, nice.
4 people marked this as a favorite.

Curses upon you all! Now I won't get any work done today.
11 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber
Gisher wrote:
Curses upon you all! Now I won't get any work done today.

No, curses are just for the Oracles.

Paizo Employee Franchise Manager
26 people marked this as a favorite.

I love that Daji evolved into his ninetales form
1 person marked this as a favorite.

Cool! I’m guessing since it wasn’t mentioned, that these are too “playtest-y” for Society play?
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook Subscriber; Pathfinder Battles Case Subscriber

So excited for these 4 and the playtest! Thank you!
Paizo Employee Organized Play Line Developer

Oooh! Awesome!
2 people marked this as a favorite.

Looks really good. So far I was looking forward to the witch most and my first impression is very positive. Very excited to build some witches!

Yay!
Liberty's Edge
4 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

Woot! My tengu spirit rejoices.
Paizo Employee Creative Director
22 people marked this as a favorite.
Voltron64 wrote:
Aaron Shanks wrote:
Voltron64 wrote:
Is it me or is the Tengu oracle probably the same Tengu featured in the cover of the Advanced Race Guide?
Well done!
Good to see we're going to get a name and backstory for him then.

Yup; although the more I think on it, the more I want the tengu to be a her and not a him. (And before folks ask... no, the tengu oracle doesn't yet have a name or a history or even an official mystery picked out yet. I'm waiting until the entire class is set in stone to move forward there.)

10 people marked this as a favorite.
Rysky wrote:
Birb.

I have never been so happy.

Silver Crusade

Nice ^^ I have been looking forward to this one ^^
Wayfinders
5 people marked this as a favorite.

As a very early first impression, these are great.

Shame there's no multiclass archetypes for these, though.
Silver Crusade
8 people marked this as a favorite.
James Jacobs wrote:
Voltron64 wrote:
Aaron Shanks wrote:
Voltron64 wrote:
Is it me or is the Tengu oracle probably the same Tengu featured in the cover of the Advanced Race Guide?
Well done!
Good to see we're going to get a name and backstory for him then.
Yup; although the more I think on it, the more I want the tengu to be a her and not a him. (And before folks ask... no, the tengu oracle doesn't yet have a name or a history or even an official mystery picked out yet. I'm waiting until the entire class is set in stone to move forward there.)

Momma birb! Collects shinies for all her wonderful children (the other Iconics).

Silver Crusade
1 person marked this as a favorite.
Mark Moreland wrote:
I love that Daji evolved into his ninetales form

I like the designs (particularly that Jireelle did not get a huge redesign) but that evolution is really damn awesome, almost approaching the level of Gom-Gom ^^

Customer Service Representative
18 people marked this as a favorite.

Witches and pirates, h*ck yeah! (ノ^o^)ノ
2 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

I have a quick question on the Witch and I may just be misinterpreting this,but can the Witch pick spells from the Arcane, Occult and Primal traditions if they take 3 lessons that grant that tradition?

Or are they limited to just one tradition?
Dark Archive
6 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

HOLY CRAP WHAT THE HECK THE NEW ORACLE IS TENGU? WOOHOO FOR TENGU REPRESENTATION I LOVE THIS BUT WHY HOW I DON*T EVEN DOESN*T MATTER ITS AWESOME YAAAAY
Liberty's Edge
5 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber

Will they be sanctioned for testing in Organized Play?
3 people marked this as a favorite.

Where is the sword cane since Investigators are proficient?
3 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Maps, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
Prince Setehrael wrote:

I have a quick question on the Witch and I may just be misinterpreting this,but can the Witch pick spells from the Arcane, Occult and Primal traditions if they take 3 lessons that grant that tradition?

Or are they limited to just one tradition?

"Your first lesson also determines the tradition of your witch spellcasting, listed in parenthesis following the lesson name."

Subsequent lessons just add specific hexes and spells and increase your number of focus points.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
David knott 242 wrote:
Prince Setehrael wrote:

I have a quick question on the Witch and I may just be misinterpreting this,but can the Witch pick spells from the Arcane, Occult and Primal traditions if they take 3 lessons that grant that tradition?

Or are they limited to just one tradition?

"Your first lesson also determines the tradition of your witch spellcasting, listed in parenthesis following the lesson name."

Subsequent lessons just add specific hexes and spells and increase your number of focus points.

Ok I just kept confusing myself as I read it. I'll just chalk it up to being so excited that I was Stupefied.

Grand Lodge

Looks really promising!
17 people marked this as a favorite.
James Jacobs wrote:
Voltron64 wrote:
Aaron Shanks wrote:
Voltron64 wrote:
Is it me or is the Tengu oracle probably the same Tengu featured in the cover of the Advanced Race Guide?
Well done!
Good to see we're going to get a name and backstory for him then.
Yup; although the more I think on it, the more I want the tengu to be a her and not a him. (And before folks ask... no, the tengu oracle doesn't yet have a name or a history or even an official mystery picked out yet. I'm waiting until the entire class is set in stone to move forward there.)

Cool.

Although... Why not a them?
We don't have to stick with binary genders, do we?...

Regardless, I'm sure the iconic will be awesome anyways! ^^

Carry on,

--C.

Hell yeah.
Sczarni
Pathfinder Lost Omens Subscriber

No Cavalier? That is one of my favorite classes to play in 1E. It would have been the primary reason to pick up an Advanced Player Guide.
19 people marked this as a favorite.

*Sees Investigator feat called Just One More Thing*

Welp, now I need to go make Columbo. Please excuse me.
7 people marked this as a favorite.

What happened to Alahazra as iconic oracle?
Grand Lodge
12 people marked this as a favorite.

Interesting. So curses are only tied to specific mysteries? I loved being able to mix and match my curses in PF1. It made for greater variety!
Grand Archive
1 person marked this as a favorite.

Society legal?
2 people marked this as a favorite.

casual look at the new witch class looks amazing and LOVING the 9-tailed familiar!
Dark Archive
20 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
orphicblue wrote:
What happened to Alahazra as iconic oracle?

My guess? She became a kalistocrat, retired to Druma and made lots of money.

How else you explain her final appearance being in Druma campaign setting book cover? :D
Pathfinder LO Special Edition, Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, PF Special Edition Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Starfinder Superscriber

These are some good looking classes, at least at first glance. I think I want to play an investigator.

Will the APG include multiclass archetypes for these four new classes?
Designer
15 people marked this as a favorite.
Ed Reppert wrote:

These are some good looking classes, at least at first glance. I think I want to play an investigator.

Will the APG include multiclass archetypes for these four new classes?

100% yes.

28 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
Hmm wrote:
Interesting. So curses are only tied to specific mysteries? I loved being able to mix and match my curses in PF1. It made for greater variety!

Paradoxically, I suspect this change will lead to more variety in curses at the table. In my experience, players would often pick the easiest curse to work around, or the curse that would have the least impact on their character. By tying a curse to a mystery, Paizo is forcing players to take the good with the bad at character creation, as well as letting the flavor of the curse tie into the associated mystery.

Additionally, and this is just my observation, by moving away from design elements like "lame" and "clouded vision" as curses, the game can steer clear of those aspects of ableism. I don't have an opinion on that, but perhaps others do.
3 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Welp, I think one of my players is going to be very happy to see the Swashbuckler, and this may be the tipping point that allows me to shift my game over to 2E.
Sovereign Court
6 people marked this as a favorite.

It feels like there's a dash of the kineticist's Burn in how the Curse can overwhelm you.
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