May 2022 Organized Play Monthly Update

Thursday, May 5, 2022

OPC Musings

We are just under a month until PaizoCon! That’s not an incredibly stressful thought at all! I’m looking forward to seeing the community at PaizoCon in Seattle, as well as at PaizoCon Online. We’ll be premiering a brand new season of Starfinder Society, our first levels 9-12 Pathfinder Society adventure, and a new Starfinder interactive special. We’ll also be announcing the title and theme of Pathfinder Society Year 4 during our Organized Play panel. I hope you’re ready for all the new content!

Digital Releases

Here are this month’s digital releases, available June 1, 2022:

Pathfinder

Pathfinder Society Scenario #3-15: Cavern of the Sundered Song*
Pathfinder Bounty #19: Grim Tidings

Starfinder

Starfinder Society Intro: Year of Redemption's Rise*
Starfinder Society Scenario #5-02: Road to Reconciliation*
Starfinder Society Scenario #5-03: Combatant's Concerto: Fugue of the Traitor*

*part of a subscription

Sanctioning

Even in the height of convention season, sanctioning continues apace! Last week we posted sanctioning for Book of the Dead, including character options and the included adventure, “March of the Dead.” We also had a blog that talked about our sanctioning process regarding Book of the Dead.

Coming up soon, we have Knights of Lastwall for PFS2 and Drift Crisis for SFS. Both release at the end of May, and we’re hoping to have sanctioning ready for both on their street date. The Horizons of the Vast Adventure Path documents are in their final stages, and we hope to have those out to you soon as well. After all that, we’ll start to get weird with Dark Archive!

Boon Updates

After a discussion with some of our volunteers, we’re making a minor change to the boons which unlock versatile heritages. Each boon will have one or more languages added; characters with that heritage also have access to the language(s), as listed, though they still must take them when they would take any other language. If you previously had a character with these heritages and would like to swap one of their languages for a newly-accessible language, you may do so for free at this time. The languages added are:

Aphorite: Utopian

Aasimar: Celestial

Changeling: Aklo

Dhampir: Necril

Duskwalker: Requian

Ganzi: Protean

Ifrit: Ignan

Oread: Terran

Suli: choose one of Ignan, Terran, Auran or Aquan; Suli with the Dualborn feat may choose two of these

Sylph: Auran

Tiefling: choose one of Abyssal, Daemonic, or Infernal

Undine: Aquan

Guide Updates

In advance of the new seasons, we have some updates to the PFS and SFS Guides to Organized Play! Here are some highlights:

In PFS2, having access to a character option (such as an item) does not make that option common in any way. This had a strange interaction with things like crafting DCs, so we’re clarifying that point to bring the rules in line with the default from the Gamemastery Guide. Having access means you can take/purchase that option, but that’s it.

Relatedly, having access to a scroll does not inherently grant access to the spell on that scroll, but spellcasters can still purchase that scroll and then Learn a Spell to learn it.

Also in PFS2, the rules about how to handle errata have been updated to bring them in line with the rules from SFS. If a feat’s prerequisites change, or it’s removed from the campaign, you may freely swap out the feat and any subsequent feats that depend on it. There were a couple of feats that changed with the recent APG errata, and this should cover the free swaps for affected players.

For both programs, we have updated the requirements for 5-rank GMs regarding who can conduct evaluations. To better serve those GMs who live in remote areas or otherwise find it difficult to get evaluators at their tables, RVCs can now appoint qualified individuals to conduct evaluations.

Finally, PVP combat is not permitted in Paizo Organized Play. Previously, engaging in PVP combat would earn Infamy, but Infamy is not meant to be a consequence for out-of-game behavior. You may not fight other players’ characters unless the scenario calls for it for some extremely specific reason.

Full details on all these changes, as well as some other minor changes, can be found in the relevant changelogs.

GM Recognition

We don’t have any new 5-rank GMs this month, so I wanted to take a moment to talk about the Campaign Service Coins! These awards are given to exceptional volunteers who go above and beyond the call of duty in service to the program. The award is a physical metal coin, stamped with the user’s brand-new three-digit Organized Play ID. If someone at your table has an Organized Play ID in the 700s or 800s, they’ve received one of these coins.

Nominations for this award are accepted anytime. If you wish to nominate an individual, please email organizedplay@paizo.com with the recipient’s name and the ways they have gone above and beyond. As we return to physical events, I’m hoping to be able to travel more and hand some of these out, so knowing what events the nominee is traveling to helps as well. Anybody can make a nomination, and recipients are not limited to Venture Officers.

Until next time—Explore! Report! Cooperate! And we’ll see you at PaizoCon!

Alex Speidel
Organized Play Coordinator