Selecting Options: Rarity, Access, and Availability

Be sure to check limitations when selecting character options.Some items, such as ancestry rewards, must be the first chronicle applied to a character or applied during rebuilding a character of less than 12 XP. 

Rarity

Pathfinder Society uses the Rarity system (Common, Uncommon, Rare, Unique) as described in the Pathfinder Core Rulebook page 13.

Access

Characters can gain access in a variety of ways. They can gain access by virtue of their origin, religion, or their membership in certain organizations. Selecting certain common character options can give you access to other, rarer ones; for instance, a gnome who takes the Gnome Weapon Familiarity ancestry feat gains access to uncommon gnome weapons. Specific boons—such as from the Achievement Points system or Chronicle Sheets—can also grant access to these options. For more information, consult the Character Creation Appendix in the Guide to Organized Play: Pathfinder Society.

Availability

Character options for Pathfinder Society play have one of three levels of availability: standard, limited, or restricted.

Standard: These options follow the standard rules as printed in their respective sourcebooks. If a character wants to take this option, they must meet all its prerequisites as usual. If the option is uncommon or rarer, they must also have access to the option. 

Limited: A limited option is rarer in Society play, but not unheard of. A limited option can be selected only if specifically allowed by a boon—whether from the Achievement Points system, a Chronicle Sheet, or another other option from a Pathfinder Society source—even if the option is common or if the character meets the normal prerequisites or access requirements printed in the option’s source.

Restricted: A restricted option is one that is not generally appropriate for all tables or conducive to the Pathfinder Society's shared campaign setting, such as a one-of-a-kind weapon, a horrific spell used by only the most evil magic-users, or player options that require high degrees of GM adjudication. Such options will generally be made available for Society Play in only a very few special cases, such as via boons given out as part of charity events, if at all.

Using Options: Resource Ownership

Last Update: March 5, 2025 (NPC Core & Rival Academies)

Options Listing By Book

Sanctioning: Pathfinder Rulebooks (Remastered)

Sanctioning: Pathfinder Lost Omens (Remastered)

Sanctioning: Pathfinder Rulebooks (Legacy)

Sanctioning: Pathfinder Lost Omens (Legacy)

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