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More FAQs
Organized Play Frequently Asked QuestionsLast updated: March 21, 2018.
Organized Play Events
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| Level | Wealth (GP) | Max Value (GP) |
|---|---|---|
| [1-2 total XP] | ||
| 1 scenario | 500 | 250 |
| 2 scenarios | 750 | 375 |
| [Level 2+] | ||
| 2 | 1,000 | 500 |
| 3 | 3,000 | 1,500 |
| 4 | 6,000 | 3,000 |
| 5 | 10,500 | 5,250 |
| 6 | 16,000 | 8,000 |
| 7 | 23,500 | 11,750 |
| 8 | 33,000 | 16,500 |
| 9 | 46,000 | 23,000 |
| 10 | 62,000 | 31,000 |
| 11 | 82,000 | 41,000 |
| 12 | 108,000 | 54,000 |
- You need to convert your Prestige. Total Prestige Award (TPA) is now called Fame, and Prestige Award (PA) is now called Prestige Points. To represent increased opportunities to earn prestige in later adventures, make the following adjustments to your character's Fame and Prestige.
Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild Prestige Award Conversion Table
| Level Range | Prestige Adjustment |
|---|---|
| 1-4 | Add +1 to your Fame and Prestige |
| 5-6 | Add +2 to your Fame and Prestige |
| 7-8 | Add +4 to your Fame and Prestige |
| 9-10 | Add +6 to your Fame and Prestige |
The Chronicle sheet I just received for a quest lists different gold, XP, and Prestige Point rewards based on the number of quests I've played. Is that a cumulative reward? Would playing five quests get me 5 XP, 9 Prestige Points, and the sum of the listed gold piece values?
This is not a cumulative reward. You earn the rewards that are listed in the same line as the number of quests you have played. For example, if you have played all of the parts of a quest pack, you earn 1 XP, 2 PP, and the listed amount of gold (approximately 500 gp for most quests).
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Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild: Character Questions
Normally, characters who rebuild their faction lose Prestige Points. Do characters who can freely rebuild because they have not yet been played at second level have to pay this cost?
No.
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Are NPC classes legal for play?
No. PCs may not select NPC classes.
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Some racial options assume that characters have certain abilities or physical features. Does my character need to have those abilities or features to select those options?
Yes. For example, a character who does not have a tail does not qualify for abilities that are dependent upon having a tail. A gnome who trades out gnome magic for an alternate racial trait does not qualify for abilities that augment or modify gnome magic.
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Some character options, such as the Racial Heritage feat from the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Advanced Player's Guide, allow characters to count as members of a different race. Can I use these options to count as a member of any race, or only races that are on the list of "always available" races in the Roleplaying Guild Guide?
Typically, you may only use these options to count as a member of a race in the "always available" list. However, if you have a boon that allows you to play as a member of another race, you may apply that boon to a character to unlock the ability to take that race's features with options like the Racial Heritage feat. For example, you could apply a ratfolk boon to a human character to allow that character to select ratfolk-restricted racial options with the Racial Heritage feat, as long as they do not depend up ratfolk-specific physical features. Refer to this FAQ regarding Additional Resources for more information.
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Can I reskin or reflavor an animal companion or item?
You may choose a specific type of animal companion from any of the base forms listed on pages 53-54 of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook or a legal Additional Resource but may not use stats for one base form with the flavor of another type of animal. Thus, a small cat could be a cheetah or leopard, as suggested, as well as a lynx, bobcat, puma, or other similar animal; it could not, however, be "re-skinned" to be a giant hairless swamp rat or a differently-statted wolf. If a GM feels that a re-skinning is inappropriate or could have mechanical implications in the specific adventure being played, she may require that the creature simply be considered its generic base form for the duration of the adventure. A player may not re-skin items to be something for which there are no specific rules, and any item a character uses for which there are no stats is considered an improvised weapon (see page 144 of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook).
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I took an archetype or other ability or feature that gives me access to features that are not legal as per Additional Resources. What happens?
If the non-legal options are an automatic part of the archetype, such as a feat that all characters with that archetype gain, the Additional Resources page often provides a substitution. If it does not, that option is legal for your character. However, if the non-legal options are part of a menu of choices, such as a list of feats that includes one feat that is not legal, the option does not become legal for your character.
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Does casting evil spells cause an alignment infraction?
Casting an evil spell is not an alignment infraction in and of itself, though it may violate a character's code or tenets of faith. Commiting an evil act outside of casting a spell, such as using an evil spell to torment an innocent NPC, is an alignment infraction.
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Several books, such as Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Inner Sea Gods, provide deity-specific variant spellcasting options. Are these available for any classes other than the ones specifically called out in the rules text?
Levels in classes from the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Advanced Class Guide count as levels in their parent classes for the purposes of qualifying for variant spellcasting.
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Can my prepared spellcaster learn spells from another PC? What about gaining spells via scrolls found during an adventure?
Players are welcome to exchange spells with each other during an adventure. They must still follow all the normal rules as put forth in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook and their class descriptions (for instance, an alchemist can scribe from a wizard, but not vice-versa) and they must not bog the session down.
Similarly, scrolls found during an adventure can be used to add spells to spellbooks and similar class features (such as a witch's familiar), using the normal rules for doing so. Scrolls used in this way during an adventure do not need to be purchased, but are still consumed as normal.
With either method, the GM should sign off on the spells gained (after witnessing successful skill checks) on affected players' Chronicle sheets. All other methods of gaining new spells (such as by gaining a level or purchasing access to an NPC's spellbook) function as described in the Core Rulebook and relevant class descriptions. Between adventures, PCs can always find an NPC to teach them any spells that are legal for their character to learn.
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How much does it cost for my prepared spellcaster to learn a spell from an NPC?
NPCs charge a fee for learning spells from them. This fee is always equal to half the cost to write the spell into a spellbook (see Writing a New Spell into a Spellbook on page 219 of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook).
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When I purchase spellcasting services to remove a condition and the spell fails to remove the condition, do I receive additional castings of the spell for free until it works?
No.
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Can I purchase spellcasting services at higher than the minimum caster level?
You may purchase spellcasting services at higher than minimum caster level if the spell appears on the prestige award list in the Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild Guide. Spellcasting services for all other spells can only be purchased at minimum caster level. Spells purchased with Prestige Points are always at minimum caster level.
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How does "Master of Trade" prestige award from Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Pathfinder Society Field Guide actually work?
The wording of the vanity indicates that the discount only applies towards purchases, which would not include upgrading items. As an example, if you buy a +2 mithral breastplate in a single purchase you get the disount on the full cost of the item. If you buy a non-magical mithral breastplate with the discount, you must pay the full 1000 gp difference to upgrade it to a +1 mithral breastplate.
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How do alchemists and investigators craft in the Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild?
Alchemists and investigators can use the Craft (alchemy) skill to produce items with their Alchemy ability. Follow the Craft rules on pages 91-93 of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook as well as in the alchemist's Alchemy ability description. Any item created must be properly noted on that scenario's Chronicle sheet. Alchemists and investigators are assumed to carry the necessary items and tools with them to use available resources to create alchemical items. If they have a base of operations from which to do so, they may use an alchemy lab to gain the +2 bonus on their Craft (alchemy) check. Alchemists and investigators may never sell any of their created items nor may they trade them to another PC. However, they may allow other PCs to borrow or use items they've created (so long as the class ability being used allows them to do so). Alchemists and investigators may use Craft (alchemy) to craft items that they gain access to on Chronicle sheets as long as the Chronicle sheet does not limit to the number of times they may purchase those items.
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Can a crossblooded sorcerer from Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Ultimate Magic take the dragon disciple prestige class?
Yes, as long as one of the bloodlines she selects is the draconic bloodline. Similiarly, a dragon disciple can later take levels in crossblooded sorcerer, so long as she selects draconic as one of her bloodlines.
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Can I combine the wildblooded and crossblooded sorcerer archetypes?
No. For more information on stacking archetypes, refer to this Advanced Player's Guide FAQ entry.
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I'm not a wizard, but one of my character options references using a spellbook. Can I acquire my own spellbook?
Yes. If any of your character's abilities reference using a spellbook, you may purchase a spellbook and scribe spells in to it as per the standard rules in the Magic chapter of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook for adding new spells to a spellbook. For example, an oracle with the Lore mystery and the arcane archivist revelation could purchase and fill her own spellbooks (Advanced Player's Guide 49).
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What does a deaf oracle (or other deaf PC) need to do in order to read lips?
In the Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild, any PC who spends a rank in Linguistics may learn to read lips in all languages she knows instead of learning a new language. She cannot use lip reading to decipher words in languages she does not know. When reading the lips of a speaking creature within 10 feet in normal lightning conditions, the reader does not need to make any skill checks. In more difficult situations, the lip reader must make Perception checks, with a DC determined by the GM.
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How much benefit does the deathwatch spell give you?
Deathwatch only analyzes creatures that you're aware of. You have to be able to see the creature to instantly know whether it is dead, fragile (alive and wounded, with 3 or fewer hit points left), fighting off death (alive with 4 or more hit points), healthy, undead, or neither alive nor dead (such as a construct). The spell doesn't give you any information at all about creatures that you do not notice.
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Can I use the massive damage optional rule from the Core Rulebook in the Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild?
No, this rule is not legal for play.
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Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild: Wealth and Treasure
How do poisons work in the Roleplaying Guild?
Any character with the Poison Use ability—or another ability that makes it so he cannot accidentally poison himself while applying poison to a weapon—can purchase and use poisons. No other class may purchase poisons unless they appear on a Chronicle sheet. The following poisons from the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook are available for purchase: black adder venom, bloodroot, giant wasp poison, greenblood oil, large scorpion venom, malyass root paste, Medium spider venom, nitharit, shadow essence, small centipede poison, terinav root. Refer to the Additional Resources page for other poisons that are legal if you have the appropriate source.
Paladins, per their code of conduct, may not use poisons, but they don't necessarily view the use of poisons as an evil to be opposed—it's simply something their code prohibits them from doing themselves. Paladins whose race grants them natural poison are not exempt from this rule.
Characters who can purchase and use poisons may also use Craft (alchemy) to produce poisons that are legal for them to purchase. Use the rules listed in "How can alchemists and investigators craft in the Roleplaying Guild?" in the Character and Class section of the FAQ.
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What are the rules for upgrading weapons, armor, and wondrous items?
You may upgrade one weapon, armor, or wondrous item to another as long as the new item occupies the same slot, is made of the same material, has the same general shape, and has all of the abilities of the original item. For example, you can upgrade a +1 longsword into a +1 frost longsword or a cloak of resistance +1 into a cloak of resistance +2. You may also upgrade a magic weapon or armor into one of the named weapons or armors, such as upgrading a +1 banded mail into a banded mail of luck. As another example, you can upgrade a belt of incredible dexterity +2 into a belt of the weasel from Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Equipment , which grants a +2 enhancement bonus to Dexterity as well as other benefits.
To upgrade a magic item, pay the difference in price between the new item and the original item.
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What are the rules regarding intelligent items in the Roleplaying Guild?
A PC may own and use more than one intelligent magic item at a time.
A PC can use the Use Magic Device skill to emulate another alignment to avoid incurring a negative level when using an intelligent magic item. A PC must attempt this check at the beginning of the adventure. Whether the PC succeeds or fails, the result applies for the duration of the entire adventure. Furthermore, any intelligent items of that alignment function normally for that PC, barring the PC performing some action that grossly violates the item's alignment or goals.
When wielding an intelligent item with an item with an incompatible alignment—natural or emulated—the item and the PC have a personality conflict (Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook 535). If the PC succeeds at the Will save, the item functions normally for 24 hours. If the PC fails, the item compels him or her to store it away for 24 hours.
Intelligent items found in Tier 1-5 adventures (and similar adventures like Tier 1-2 and Tier 1 quest series) typically waive the negative level a PC would otherwise earn upon picking up an incompatible item. Not only does this prevent a 1st-level PC from dying for touching an intelligent item, but it also allows the PCs to enjoy the item during the adventure and make the choice of whether to purchase it (along with its alignment consequences) later.
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Some Chronicle sheets list magical ammunition of a specific type, such as +1 frost bolts. Can I purchase alternative ammunition with the same enchantments?
Yes. The Chronicle sheet grants access to purchase any kind of ammunition that could receive that enchantment. Use the price listed on the Chronicle sheet, unless the base price of one unit of the ammunition is 1 gp or more—in that case, add the ammunition's base price to the price listed on the Chronicle sheet.
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Do items like staves carry charges over between adventures?
Yes. Note that if you have the ability to charge a staff with your own spellcasting, the indeterminate number of days between adventures generally means that you begin each adventure with the staff fully charged.
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Do the effects of poisons and weapon blanches carry over between adventures?
Yes. These items persist until expended. Note that the item has already been applied on the adventure's Chronicle sheet.
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If a magic item creates something like an additional item or currency, can I keep it?
Yes.
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Do weapon cords prevent reloading?
No.
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Can I buy a magic item or spellcasting services with a metamagic feat applied, such as a scroll of maximized fireball, a wand of empowered shocking grasp, or employ the services of a wizard to cast extended mass bull's strength?
Generally, no. You may not apply metamagic feats when purchasing magic items or spellcasting services. The only exception is when the item or service is specifically listed as a reward on a Chronicle sheet.
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Can I upgrade an arcane bonded item?
A character with the arcane bond class feature may create a bond with any item he owns, either magical or mundane, as long as the item falls within the categories permitted by the arcane bond ability (the cost for bonding with a new item still applies). If a caster later wishes to upgrade an existing bonded item, he may do so for the cost (not price) of the final item as listed in the item's statblock.
For items which can be enhanced incrementally (such as weapons or a ring of protection), the caster must meet all prerequisites for the item as outlined in the item crafting rules. For example, a caster can enchant a nonmagical bonded dagger to a +1 dagger for 1,000 gp instead of the normal 2,000 gp, but he must be at least 5th level (a prerequisite for the Craft Magic Arms and Armor feat). To upgrade the item further to a +2 dagger, the caster must have a caster level of 6 or higher (three times the item's enhancement bonus).
A bonded item that is enhanced must still conform to all the campaign rules for access to and upgrading of magical items. Use the final and total price of the item (not the cost) on the Fame chart to determine whether a caster can apply such an enhancement to a bonded item.
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Can I form an arcane bond with a special item presented on a Chronicle sheet, such as an intelligent item?
A character with the arcane bond class feature may create a bond with an intelligent item. She cannot craft intelligent items, so she must pay the item's full purchase price.
Some items on Chronicle sheets are presented at discounted prices. The caster may either purchase these items for the listed discount and form an arcane bond with them, or she may craft them at the item's standard crafting cost (not applying the discount).
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According to the Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild Guide, there is no distinction between arcane, divine, and psychic scrolls. Is there an arcane spell failure chance for using scrolls?
No. In the Roleplaying Guild, scrolls never impose an arcane spell failure chance.
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Casting a spell from a scroll using the Use Magic Device skill requires "a minimum score (10 +spell level) in the appropriate ability." How do I determine the appropriate ability score?
The Roleplaying Guild Guide describes how to determine which class's spell list to use when pricing a scroll. In the organized play campaign, we assume that a character of that class created the scroll. The appropriate ability for the scroll is the typical spellcasting ability score of that class. If more than one class could have created the scroll following the rules in the Guide, you may choose the class. For example, endure elements is a 1st-level spell on the cleric, druid, and sorcerer/wizard lists. You may choose to purchase a scroll crafted by a cleric or druid to use Wisdom, a scroll crafted by a sorcerer to use Charisma, or a scroll crafted by a wizard to use Intelligence.
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Can I purchase scrolls with multiple spells on them?
Yes. You may purchase a single scroll with up to 6 spells on it. Because a scroll is one foot long for each spell it contains, scrolls past this length become unwieldy. You may use Prestige Points to purchase a scroll with multiple spells on it as long as all it contains multiple copies of a single spell. For example, you could purchase a scroll with 5 copies of scorching ray for 2 Prestige Points instead of spending 750 gp to buy it.
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Can I sell a spellbook back for half price?
You may sell a spellbook back for half of the total value of the spells you scribed and paid for, not counting any spells you gained for free through boons, gaining a level, or any other means of gaining a spell for free.
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How does purchasing/crafting special material alchemical cartridges work in the Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild?
Determine the price of special material ammunition the normal way (or look it up on the table on page 141 of Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Ultimate Equipment). If you have the Gunsmithing feat, you can craft non-alchemical cartridge ammunition for 10% of the price. If you have at least 1 rank in Craft (alchemy), you can craft alchemical cartridges for half the price of the cartridge.
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Can a spell-storing item, such as a ring of counterspells or a spell-storing weapon, carry a stored spell from one adventure to another?
Yes. A PC with the ability to cast spells may cast a spell into a spell-storing item that he owns. A PC may also pay an NPC spellcaster to cast a spell into one of his spell-storing items. If he does not use the spell by the end of the adventure, it carries over into the next adventure. The GM should make a note on the adventure's Chronicle sheet that the spell-storing item contains a spell. When the PC casts the spell, cross this note off the Chronicle sheet.
PCs may temporarily fill each other's spell-storing items, but such spells do not carry into the next adventure.
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Can a ring of spell knowledge grant the user access to divine spells, such as those found on the witch's patron list?
No. While there is usually no distinction between arcane, divine, and psychic spells in Organized Play, a ring of spell knowledge only grants access to spells that appear on an arcane spellcaster's spell list. When determining a spell's level, use the rules from the Roleplaying Guild Guide for determining a spell's level for wand, scroll, and potion purchases, ignoring divine and psychic spellcasters.
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The Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild Guide says that I can only transfer the effects of one copy of the masterwork transformation spell from one adventure to another. What happens if I enchant an item under the effects of masterwork transformation?
The enchanted item no longer counts as being under the effects of masterwork transformation, so it does not count against the limit of one copy of the spell.
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There are several expensive items in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook, such as the tome of clear thought, that grant inherent bonuses to ability scores. How do these items function in the Roleplaying Guild?
If you find one of these items during an adventure, its bonuses last until the end of the adventure. However, if you purchase and use the item, its bonuses are permanent. Record these bonuses on your Chronicle sheet.
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Some Harrow-themed rules options require me to own a Harrow Deck. How do these options work in online play?
You must still own a Harrow Deck to use these options. However, you can use dice instead of cards to determine your results, making them easier to share with your GM. Every time you would flip a card, instead roll 1d10 to determine its alignment (1 = LG, 2 = LN, 3 = LE, 4 = NG, 5 = N, 6 = NE, 7 = CG, 8 = CN, 9 = CE) and 1d6 to determine the cards associated ability score (1 = Strength, 2 = Dexterity, 3 = Constitution, 4 = Intelligence, 5 = Wisdom, 6 = Charisma).
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How does the fitting armor enhancement work in Pathfinder Society?
Fitting armor may change its combination of shape and size to any combination of equal or lesser value. For example, fitting armor bought for a Huge biped (x4 cost) could also fit a biped or quadruped of any smaller size, whereas fitting armor for a Huge quadruped (x8 cost) could fit a Gargantuan humanoid (x8 cost) or any Huge or smaller creature. Note that when shrunk to size Tiny or smaller, the armor bonus that fitting armor grants is halved, as usual for armor of this size.
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Can I buy armor and weapons of size Tiny and smaller?
Yes. In organized play, such armor and weapons have the same price as Small armor and weapons of their type, including the cost for special materials.
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Does my character's money encumber her? What about the treasure found during the course of an adventure?
In organized play, we assume that characters carry their wealth in the form of gems, letters of credit, or other forms that are essentially weightless.
While the weight of treasure items may be relevant during the course of an adventure—for example, a party of low-strength characters may not be able to easily haul their findings between encounters—characters are generally assumed to be able to take all items they found back to the Pathfinder Society at the end of the adventure. Unless stated in the scenario, item weight has no bearing on the rewards that players receive on their Chronicle sheets.
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Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild: Character Companions
How many animals and companion creatures can I have at any given time?
At the beginning of each adventure, you may select one companion creature to be your active pet. This creature may be a class-granted creature, such as an animal companion, familiar, eidolon, or phantom, or it may be a creature that you purchase, such as a combat-trained bison. This creature may participate fully in combat, skill checks, and other challenges in the scenario. In addition to the active pet, you may bring up to two additional creatures. The first is a mount or beast of burden, such as a horse or mule, which may only take move actions. The second is a familiar or mundane pet that does not participate in combat or other challenges. Such familiars grant their basic special ability, such as a bat's +3 bonus on Fly checks, the Alertness feat, and access a witch's spells. They do not grant other bonuses, such as a wysp's resonance ability (Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Bestiary 5 282).
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Do purchased animals come fully trained or do I have to train them myself?
The entry for Handle Animal on pages 97-98 of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook details which animals come trained—namely, some riding horses and riding dogs have training, but they only come trained to bear a rider into combat. All other animals are subject to Handle Animal to learn additional tricks. See the "Mounts and Related Gear" table on page 159 of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook for additional details.
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Can I retrain an animal companion, mount, familar, eidolon, or other companion creature?
You may retrain the feats and skill points of your companion creatures using the retraining rules from Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Ultimate Campaign, paying the same cost in gold and Prestige Points as you would if you were retraining those abilities for your character. You may retrain an animal companion or mount's tricks using Handle Animal, as if you were teaching the creature a new trick.
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How can I teach tricks to an animal using Handle Animal?
You can teach any animal a trick so long as you follow the rules for Handle Animal on pages 97-98 of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook. A GM must observe your Handle Animal check, and must initial what tricks the animal gained on the scenario's Chronicle sheet. The first time a character with levels in druid, ranger, or any other class that grants an animal companion gains an animal companion, the animal enters play knowing its maximum number of tricks as dictated by the animal companion's Intelligence and the character's effective druid level. If the character replaces the animal companion for any reason, the new animal starts with no tricks known, save for bonus tricks granted based on the PC's effective druid level. Once per scenario, you may attempt to train the animal companion a number of times equal to the number of ranks you have in the Handle Animal skill. Each success allows you to teach the animal a single trick; a failed attempt counts against the total number of training attempts allowed per scenario, and you may not attempt to teach the same trick until the next scenario. Alternatively, you may train one animal for a single purpose as long as you have enough ranks in Handle Animal to train the animal in each trick learned as part of that purpose. You may take 10 on Handle Animal checks to teach an animal companion tricks.
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Can I create new tricks and teach them to my animal companion?
No. New tricks require the GM to create new mechanics on the fly, so they are not appropriate for the Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild. If a trick appears in the rules somewhere, even if it is not listed under the Handle Animal skill on page 97 of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook, you can teach it to an animal. For example, the air walk spell specifies that you can teach an animal companion a trick to use the spell's granted ability to walk on air.
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Should I assume that animal companions know how to use their feats?
Yes.
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How do I determine hit points for my animal companion, eidolon or other companion creature with a listed number of Hit Dice?
Companion creatures receive the average result on each Hit Dice. For example, animal companions have d8 Hit Dice, which has an average of 4.5. Multiply 4.5 by the number of Hit Dice your animal companion has and round down to determine how many hit points it receives from its Hit Dice. Next, add in appropriate bonuses from its Constitution modifier, feats, and so on.
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Can I improve my companion's Intelligence to 3 or higher and give it weapon or shield feats?
No. An Intelligence of 3 does not grant animals sentience; the ability to use weapons, shield, or tools; speak a language (although they may understand a language with a rank in Linguistics, this does does not grant literacy); or activate magic devices. Also note that raising an animal companion's Intelligence to 3 or higher does not eliminate the need to make Handle Animal checks to direct its actions; even semi-intelligent animals still act like animals unless trained not to. An animal with Intelligence of 3 or higher remains a creature of the animal type unless its type is specifically changed by another ability. An animal may learn 3 additional tricks per point of Intelligence above 2.
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Some familiars, such as the homunculus and clockwork familiar, have a listed crafting cost in their statistics. How can I create these familars in the Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild?
When selecting one of these familiars, you may assume that you or an NPC crafts the familiar without paying the cost listed in the creature's entry. You need only pay the price of any augmentations that you add to your construct familiar, such as additional Hit Dice for your homunculus. You cannot upgrade your homunculus to have more Hit Dice than your character level.
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Can my animal companion, plant companion, or vermin companion wield weapons? Can it wear or use armor or magic items? Can it wear or use saddles or horseshoes?
The table below lists all item slots that companions possess. If a creature has an item slot, it can wear nonmagical items of that type. Regardless of body shape, class-granted mounts can always wear saddles. Saddles for creatures that could not normally wear them—such as the serpent companion of a First Mother's Fang cavalier—may take the form of a set of harnesses or straps that serves the same function and has the same price as an exotic saddle. Magical versions of these alternate saddles have the same price and function as typical magic saddles.
An animal companion can wear magic items in its armor and neck slots, as long as its body shape is eligible for these slots. If a magic item specifically calls out that it is made for a type of creature, then that creature can wear that item. Creatures with the Saddle and Horseshoe slots can always wear magical versions of these items. Plant, animal, and vermin companions can unlock the ability to wear magic items in additional slots from the table below that they possess by taking the Extra Item slot feat, which appears in the Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild Guide. Companion creatures may also carry slotless magic items, and companions with an Intelligence score of 3 or higher can activate ioun stones.
Companions in categories marked with an asterisk (*) are able to grasp and carry one object at a time in their paws, claws, or hands, including weapons, rods, wands, and staves, as long as their carrying capacity is sufficient. Animal, plant, or vermin companions cannot wield weapons or activate magic items, with two exception. First, the imp granted by the diabolist prestige class uses the rules for an imp familiar (See the FAQ entry “Can my familiar wield weapons? Can it wear or use armor or magic items?") Second, the homunculus companion granted by the promethean alchemist archetype gains weapon proficiency as described in the archetype. When it gains the ability to speak, it can also use spell trigger and spell completion magic items, including wands and scrolls, as well as magic items with a command word. For more information on these magic item categories, see page 456 of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook.
Please review Additional Resources before selecting a companion. Some of the listed companions are only legal choices if your character has a Chronicle sheet boon or an archetype that grants access to them. Entries followed by a 1 denote discrepancies between this table and the one published in Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Wilderness. These changes are for organized play purposes only, to reduce needed alterations to existing characters.
Avian* (armor, belt, eyes, head, headband, neck, ring, saddle, wrist): Archaeopteryx, axe beak, blackwisp egret, bustard, dimorphodon, dire bat, drake, eagle, enchanter heron, giant owl, giant raven, giant vulture, hawk, impaler shrike, moa, ornithomimosaur, owl, pteranodon, quetzalcoatlus, roc, trumpeter swan, whisperfall vulture, yolubilis heron
Biped [claws]* (armor, belt, chest, eyes, head, headband, neck, ring, shoulders, wrist): Allosaurus, ceratosaurus, chalicotherium, deinonychus, gigantosaurus, iguanodon, kangaroo, pachycephalosaurus, parasaurolophus, spinosaurus, theriznosaurus, troodon, tyrannosaurus, velociraptor
Biped [hands]* (all item slots): Ape, baboon, chimpanzee, devil monkey, homunculus (promethean alchemist archetype), megaprimatus
Piscine (belt, eyes, saddle): Anglerfish, armorfish, blue whale, dolphin, dunkleosteus, gar, giant seahorse, hammerhead shark, hippocampus, manta ray, narwhal, orca, plesiosaurus, shark, stingray, tylosaurus, walrus
Quadruped [claws] (armor, chest, eyes, head, headband, neck, saddle, shoulders, wrist): Badger, bear, capybara, cheetah, dallo, digmaul, dire polar bear, dire rat, dog, faerie mount, gallerok, giant mole, giant skunk, giant weasel, goblin dog, griffon, grizzly bear, hippogriff, hyena, hobbe hound, leopard, lion, marsupial devil, marsupial lion, mome rath, owlbear, panda, polar bear, riding rat, saber-toothed cat, switchback jackal, thylacine, tiger, wolf, wolfdog, wolverine, worg
Quadruped [hooves] (armor, chest, eyes, head, headband, horseshoes, neck, saddle, shoulders): Antelope, aurochs, bison, boar, bristle boar, brontotherium, buffalo, cattle, elk, giraffe, horse, llama, megaloceros, mindspin ram, moose, pony, ram, reindeer, ringhorn, shissah, skittergoat, stag, styracosaurus,yak, yzobu, zebra
Quadruped [short legs] (armor, eyes, head, headband, neck, saddle1, shoulders): Alligator, archelon, crocodile, dimetrodon, elasmosaurus, frog father, giant chameleon, giant frilled lizard, giant frog, giant gecko, giant salamander, giant snapping turtle, glyptodon, goliath frog, kaprosuchus, megalania, monitor lizard, prionosuchus, tortoise
Quadruped [other] (armor, chest, eyes, head, headband, neck, saddle, shoulders): Amargasaurus, ankylosaurus, arsinotherium, baluchitherium, brachiosaurus, camel, deinotherium, diplodocus, elasmotherium, embolotherium, elephant, eohippus, hippopotamus, kentrosaurus, mammoth, mastodon, megatherium, mokele-mbembe, pygmy hippopotamus, rhinoceros, stegosaurus, triceratops, uintatherium, wolliped
Serpentine (belt, eyes, headband): Basilosaurus, constrictor snake, electric eel, giant leech, giant moray eel, giant slug, reef snake, spitting cobra, titanoboa, viper
Unusual (belt, eyes): Cameroceras, carnivorous flower, corpse-eater fungus, crawling vine, creeping puffball, eurypterid, giant ant, giant assassin bug, giant beetle, giant caterpillar, giant centipede, giant cockroach, giant crab, giant dragonfly, giant locus, giant mantis, giant mantis shrimp, giant mosquito, giant scorpion, giant solifugid, giant spider, giant squid, giant termite, giant wasp, giant whiptail centipede, gulper plant, hunting cactus, octopus, puffball, rash creeper, sapling treant, sea crawler, lithering sundew, sniper cactus, squid, web tyrant spider.posted | back to top
Can my familiar wield weapons? Can it wear or use armor or magic items?
The table below lists all item slots that familiars possess. If a familiar has an item slot, it can wear nonmagical items of that type. Celestial, entropic, fiendish, and resolute familiars use the same slots as typical animals of their kind.
A familiar can wear magic items in its armor and neck slots, as long as its body shape is eligible for these slots. If a magic item specifically calls out that it is made for a type of creature, then that creature can wear that item. Familiars with the Saddle or Horseshoe slot can always wear magic versions of these items. Familiars can unlock the ability to wear magic items in additional slots that they possess from the table below by taking the Extra Item slot feat, which appears in the Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild Guide.
When you gain a familiar, you may exchange one of its non-bonus feats for Extra Item Slot (bonus feats are marked with a superscript B after the feat's name). You may retrain any other non-bonus feats that your familiar may gain into Extra Item Slot using the standard rules for feat retraining. Familiars may also carry slotless magic items.
Some Tiny familiars have the Weapon Finesse feat listed as one of their feats, even though they gain the benefits of Weapon Finesse for free from their size. Swapping out this feat does not deprive Tiny familiars of the ability to use its Dexterity to hit on any of their attacks, including touch attacks made to deliver spells.
All familiars can activate the abilities of their use-activated magic items, so long as these abilities do not require a command word. The following familiars can use spell trigger and spell completion magic items, including wands and scrolls, as well as magic items with a command word: arbiter, brownie, cassisian (in small humanoid form), calligraphy wyrm, faerie dragon, homunculus (if it can speak), imp, leshy (any), liminal sprite, lyrakien, mephit (any type), nosoi, nuglub, pooka, pyrausta, quasit, shikigami, soulbound doll, sprite, and zhyen. For more information on these magic item categories, see page 456 of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook.
Familiars in categories marked with an asterisk (*) are able to grasp and carry one object at a time in their paws, claws, or hands, including weapons, rods, wands, and staves, as long as their carrying capacity is sufficient. Calligraphy wyrms, which are marked specifically with an asterisk below, can also carry these items. Most familiars cannot wield weapons in combat. The following familiars can wield weapons: arbiter, brownie, cassisian (in small humanoid form), coral capuchin, imp, leshy (any), liminal sprite, lyrakien, mephit (any), nuglub, pooka, quasit, shikigami, soulbound doll, sprite, xiao, and zhyen.
Some familiars have natural shapeshifting ability. One of the most striking cases is the cassisian familiar, which is listed below in both its humanoid form and its helmet form. Whenever a familiar changes from a form that has access to a magic item slot into a form that does not, the item melds into its body. A melded item provides no benefits. For familiars that can take the shapes of animals, use the standard item categories for that animal listed below.
Please review Additional Resources before selecting a familiar. Some of the listed familiars are only legal choices if your character has a Chronicle sheet boon or an archetype that grants access to them. Entries followed by a 1 denote discrepancies between this table and the one published in Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Wilderness. These changes are for organized play purposes only, to reduce needed alterations to existing characters.
Arbiter* (eyes, hand, headband, wrist): Arbiter
Auger (eyes, headband): Auger
Avian* (armor, belt, eyes, headband, neck, ring, saddle, wrist): Archaeopteryx, arctic tern, bat, chicken, clockwork familiar, dodo, dove, flying fox1, hawk, kakapo, mockingfey, nosoi, osprey, owl, parrot, peafowl, penguin, pseudowyvern, ptarmigan, puffin, raven, rhamphorhynchus, snail kite, snark, snowy owl, thrush, toucan
Biped [claws]* (armor, belt, chest, eyes, head, headband, neck, ring, shoulders): Compsognathus, wallaby
Biped [hands]* (all item slots): Brownie, cassisan (Small humanoid form), coral capuchin, faerie dragon, homunculus, imp, leshy (any), liminal sprite, lyrakien, mephit (any type), monkey, nuglub, pooka, pyrausta, quasit, shikigami, soulbound doll, sprite, tarsier, xiao, zhyen
Cassisian (headband): Cassisian (helmet form)
Floating Head (eyes, head, headband): Doru, spirit oni
None (no item slots): Eyeball, harbinger, paracletus, wysp
Piscine (belt, eyes, saddle): Lamprey, popoto dolphin, pufferfish, seal, tullimonstrum
Quadruped [claws] (armor, chest, eyes, head, headband, neck, saddle, shoulders): Almiraj, arctic fox, arctic hare, armadillo, brain mole, calligraphy wyrm*, cat, cat sith, caypup, chuspiki, dire rat, donkey rat, ermine, flying squirrel, fox, hedgehog, jerboa, koala, lemming, margay, meerkat, mole, mongoose, otter, platypus, pseudodragon, pseudosphinx, rabbit, raccoon, rat, red panda, rock tuatara, silvanshee, skunk, sloth, squirrel, weasel
Quadruped [hooves] (armor, chest, eyes, head, headband, horseshoes, neck, saddle, shoulders): Goat, pig
Quadruped [short legs] (armor, eyes, head, headband, neck, saddle1, shoulders): Dwarf caiman, fire salamander, horned lizard, lizard, marine iguana, snapping turtle, toad, tuatara, turtle
Serpentine (belt, eyes, headband): cacodaemon, leopard slug, mamiwa, nehushtan, nycar, pipefox, raktavarna, sea krait, viper, voidworm
Unusual (belt, eyes): Blue-ringed octopus, butterfly, clockwork spy, cockroach, creeper ivy, dweomer cap, elemental (any type), flowering lattice, giant flea, giant isopod, giant tardigrade, greensting scorpion, house centipede, ioun wyrd, katroome, king crab, leopard slug, moth, octopus (young template), petrifern, ravenous tumbleweed, razor fern, sawleg locust, scarlet spider, shimmerwing dragonfly, spiny starfish, stirge, suture vine, trilobite, typhilipede, vampire squidposted | back to top
What happens when an animal companion, mount, familiar, eidolon, or other companion creature would gain a boon?
A PC can acquire a boon (negative or otherwise) through the actions of his companion creature. If the effect would have an in-game effect that triggers before the end of the adventure, the creature that triggered it still experiences that effect until the end of the scenario, at which point the PC gains the boon, and the companion is no longer affected.
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How is the replacement of a dead familar, animal companion, or other companion creature handled?
If you lose a companion during the course of an adventure, note the loss on your Chronicle sheet. To replace the companion, pay any required costs. Your new companion will be ready for play at the beginning of the next adventure. Newly summoned animal companions begin play knowing a number of tricks equal to the bonus tricks gained based on druid level. All other tricks require the use of Handle Animal to train the new animal companion, as per the previous FAQ entry.
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As a paladin or cavalier, which mounts can I select?
Your mount must be at least one size category larger than you. If you're a Medium PC, your mount must be Large. If you're a Small PC, your mount must be at least Medium. You may only select a mount from the listed mounts on page 63 of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook unless another source grants access to additional creature choices. As a cavalier, you may select a mount from those listed on page 33 of the Advanced Player's Guide. No additional mounts are available in the Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild except when granted from another legal source.
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Which animal companions are available for rangers?
As a ranger, if you choose an animal companion for your hunter's bond, you may only select one of the animals listed on page 66 of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook. No additional animal companions are available for rangers in the Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild except when granted from another legal source.
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In organized play, what is the difference between a saddle and an exotic saddle? Do magical exotic saddles cost extra?
For organized play purposes, creatures listed in the equipment section of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook (dogs, mules, donkeys, ponies, and horses) can wear standard saddles. All other creatures use exotic saddles. Magical saddles have the same price whether they are standard saddles or exotic saddles.
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My animal companion grew in size, and now it no longer fits into the armor I bought for it. Do I have to sell off its armor and buy it a new set?
No. You can have armor refit to your larger companion by paying the difference in price. If there is no price difference (such as when a Small creature grows to Medium), you can have the armor refit between adventures at no cost.
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If I want my animal, plant, or vermin companion to drink a potion, do I need to succeed at a Handle Animal check to push it?
No. If you are holding a potion and are adjacent to your companion, your companion can drink the potion as a standard action on its turn. Animal companions with the biped (hands) shape can draw potions on their own.
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Starfinder Society Roleplaying Guild
Does an android's armor slot (page 42) include someplace to store a battery, or do they limit themselves to armor mods that don't use charges?
Armor upgrades contain the batteries, so androids can use armor upgrades that require batteries.
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A shirren's blindsense (page 50) says "a shirren ignores the Stealth bonuses from any form of visual camouflage, invisibility, and the like when attempting a Perception check opposed by a creature's Stealth check." Does this only apply when within the range of blindsense?
Yes.
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For the solarian's stellar rush revelation (page 104), does the fire damage only occur if you bull rush? Can the solarian charge and still cause the fire damage to occur?
You must attempt the bull rush to get the fire damage. You cause the fire damage even if the bull rush fails.
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When calculating bulk for a loaded ranged weapon, does the ammo bulk count towards the total? For example, if a weapon is 3 bulk and its ammo is 1 bulk (such as a tactical missile), when the weapon is loaded is it counted as bulk 3 or bulk 4?
Most weapons are sold fully loaded, and their listed bulk includes the bulk of their ammunition. For weapons that are sold without ammunition (such as grenade launchers and missile launchers), the bulk listed with the weapon is still the bulk of a fully loaded weapon.
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If I'm using a needler pistol (ammo 6, pg. 189) am I required to purchase six doses of a poison I plan to use for the injection or does one dose suffice for all 6 darts?
You need to buy one dose for each shot. You can fire a needler pistol or needler rifle without loading a shot with poison, in which case it does the listed amount of piercing damage.
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The description of "Significant Enemies" on page 242 implies that an envoy can use her inspiring boost ability multiple times to regain Stamina Points, while the inspiring boost description (page 62) indicates that this can only be used on an ally once before that ally takes a rest. Which is correct?
Ignore the implication in "Significant Enemies" that inspiring boost can be used multiple times. It cannot, as per the ability description.
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How long does it take to deactivate your thrusters in preparation for Drift travel? Page 291 says "A starship also needs to deactivate its thrusters to use its Drift engine (see below)—this requires no time." but page 298 says "For a starship to engage its Drift engines to either enter or exit the Drift, it must remain stationary with its conventional thrusters turned off for 1 minute."
The first passage means it takes no time to turn off a starship's conventional thrusters. You have to wait a minute after they are turned off before you can activate your Drift engines.
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