Disclaimer: I don't have all the answers, but I have seen a lot of questions about this and I will try to make the best sense out of them. I welcome anyone who is able to give more insight as to whether my interpretations are wrong/correct.
Background: In the past there has been a "Campaign Mode" which was described in PFS Guide 1.0 as: "Campaign Mode, which does not use Pathfinder Society rules, allows the GM to freely modify the encounters and story, and still awards a Chronicle sheet afterward." This was in addition to any rules/restrictions placed by sanctioning document. With PFS2 Guide 3.0 it seems "Campaign Mode" has been replaced with "Adventure Mode"
1. What is Adventure Mode?
Adventure Mode in PFS Guide 3.0 is described as
Guide 3.0 wrote:
Adventure Mode is used for adventures not published for society play, and allows the GM more freedom to adapt those adventures, including running the adventure in Pathfinder using GM house rules, and the ability to alter encounters and statistics found in the adventure.
Contrast this to what is called Society Mode
Guide 3.0 wrote:
Society Mode is used for PFS Scenarios and Quests, and adheres to all the rules published in this guide. Society mode is governed by the Run as Written provisions in Game Master Basics.
So it seems Adventure Mode is similar to Campaign mode of old, but it now has the added requirement of running the game in Pathfinder. It also appears that you're able to modify encounters and statistics but not the story. Compared to Society Mode, Adventure mode lacks the "Run as Written" provision. Again just reinforcing that the GM can make modifications so long as it is still recognizably the same story. I am assuming that removing the 'story' modifications from the campaign mode text to adventure mode text was significant
----
Bounties: PFS characters in Adventure Mode
Okay, so we've got Adventure Mode covered. There is also a new table in PFS Gudie 3.0 under the "Additional Adventures" section of the guide. The Table indicates the type of ruleset that is used and the type of characters that need to be used. And as of PFS Guide 3.0, Bounties are now listed as "Adventure Mode" with "PFS Characters Only"
PFS characters from the same section reads:
Guide 3.0 wrote:
Pathfinder Society Characters must be built using the rules in the Character Creation Appendix, starting at level 1, and played from there. (Some boons allow characters to start at higher levels.) Any adventure that can be played with a PFS character can also be played with a PFS Sanctioned Pregen.
So now we have this interaction where PFS characters are being brought into adventure mode where GM's can make adjustments for better or worse. This brings more questions.
2. Can PFS characters die while playing Bounties in Adventure Mode?
In Short-- No. This is because Bounties are "Sanctioned Adventures" and for sanctioned adventures "Chronicles for Sanctioned Adventures are assigned at the completion of the adventure." So just like any Adventure Path or playing Fall of Plaguestone, if your character dies in that adventure it does not kill the underlying PFS character getting credit. At worst, you could just apply the credit to a different character # you've never played.
3. What happens to consumables if they are used when playing Bounties in Adventure Mode?
This I'm less sure on. But following the general idea of Adventure Mode, I think that they would not be used.
4. Speaking of Consumables, do players get School Consumables when playing Bounties in Adventure Mode?
No, you do not get PFS School consumables while playing bounties. Those are specific to when playing "In a Pathfinder Society Scenario" where a Scenario is clearly defined and Bounties are not scenarios. Bounties are Adventures. Though, GM's would be welcome to make their own house rule that effectively was players getting their school consumables.
5. Do players who have GM glyphs get to hand out extra hero points when playing Bounties in Adventure Mode?
No. You don't get to use your GM glyph rewards in sanctioned adventures, though a GM could make a house rule that effectively was the same thing.
----
Personal Opinion: On one hand, this feels weird--playing a PFS character but they can't die. On the other hand, I've heard and experienced horror stories of GM's who didn't know how to work the XP Budget and are just used to other TTRPG's where an APL+4 creature might not be all that bad. It makes sense for the players to have some protection against what could happen to their PFS characters during Adventure Mode. It feels like this is a good change since the the bounties are now running in Adventure Mode. With Adventure Mode the GM's can adjust the difficulty and make it either harder or easier. I love that as a GM I can now scale the difficulty up or down for my groups.
Overall, I think this is a great opportunity to make bounties more enjoyable for our groups.
