Unveiling the Pathfinder Second Edition Gamemastery Guide!
As the Game Master of a Pathfinder campaign, you’re the architect of your players’ adventures—a rewarding but sometimes challenging responsibility. With this book, your job just got a whole lot easier! Whether you’re building your own monsters and adventures, looking for new subsystems to play out cinematic chases or tense infiltrations, or simply want to speed up your game with scores of NPCs ready for action, the Gamemastery Guide has you covered!
The focus of every Pathfinder game is the players—their characters are the stars of the show and appear in every scene that plays out in game. But what about those scenes? What stories are being told? What old legends are being discovered, and what new ones are being forged? Who are the villains, the allies, the traitors, the lovers, the monsters, and the gods? Who runs the world? When you’re the Game Master, that’s all up to you!
Chapter 1: Gamemastery Basics
The role of a GM can be complex, challenging, and sometimes difficult, but ultimately rewarding. Luckily, you’re not on your own! Not only will the other players at your game table help you tell collaborative stories, but you can use the advice here to make your games run more smoothly and feel more exciting.
Inside you’ll find guidance on Running Encounters, Running Exploration, Running Downtime, Adjudicating Rules, Resolving Problems, Narrative Collaboration, Special Circumstances, Rarity in Your Game, Campaign Structure, Adventure Design, Encounter Design, and Drawing Maps.
Chapter 2: Tools
While the Core Rulebook provides all the tools you need to be a Game Master, you may want resources to create original game content, whether it be new items, unique creatures, or a sprawling new world for adventurers to explore.
Inside you’ll find tools for Building Creatures, Building Hazards, Building Items, Item Quirks, Intelligent Items, Cursed Items, Relics, Artifacts, Gems and Art Objects, Afflictions, Building Worlds, Nations, Settlements, and Planes.
Chapter 3: Subsystems
When your game goes into uncharted territory or you want to emphasize an element of gameplay that usually gets overlooked or condensed into a single check, you can use a subsystem. As the name implies, subsystems are extensions of the main rules system that allow you to explore a particular topic or style of play at your table.
You’ll find subsystems for Victory Points, Influence, Research, Chases, Infiltration, Reputation, Duels, Leadership, Hexploration, and Vehicles
Chapter 4: Variant Rules
While the rules presented in the Core Rulebook are designed to give you and your group a baseline experience that’s easy to learn and fun to play, sometimes you’re looking for more customizable options. That’s where variant rules come in: options to alter the game’s rules to fit your needs. This chapter adds a collection of variant rules to your toolbox, often with additional options for how to use them.
You’ll find variant rules on Ability Score Variants, Alignment Variants, Deep Backgrounds, Feats and Features, Level 0 Characters, Magic Item Variants, Proficiency without Level Skill Points, and Stamina.
Chapter 5: NPC Gallery
Monsters and PCs aren’t the only inhabitants of your world. Though they might not be heroes, NPCs can play various roles in your game, such as calling PCs to adventure, serving as obstacles in social encounters, or opposing PCs in battle. This chapter presents almost a hundred NPCs for your game, plus rules to modify them to fit any particular niche.
You’ll find a gallery of Courtiers, Criminals, Devotees, Downtrodden, Explorers, Foresters, Healers, Laborers, Magistrates, Mercenaries, Mystics, Officers, Performers, Publicans, Scholars, Seafarers, Tradespeople, and Villains.
To learn more, don’t miss these episodes of Pathfinder Friday!
Our next Pathfinder rulebook will be the Bestiary 2. We release an average of three new Pathfinder Roleplaying Game products annually. With your ongoing Pathfinder Rulebook Ongoing Subscription, we'll send you each new installment and charge your payment method automatically as we ship each product. You only need to sign up once, and never need to worry about renewal notice or missed products.
Lastly, don’t miss the live interview with Managing Designer and Gamemastery Guide co-author Mark Seifter tonight on Know Direction on Twitch!
Adventures Ahead!
Aaron Shanks,
Marketing and Media Manager
Make Your Game Your Own
Wednesday, February 26, 2020