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Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook (OGL)

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Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook (OGL)

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Enter a fantastic world of adventure!

The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game puts you in the role of a brave adventurer fighting to survive in a world beset by magic and evil. Will you cut your way through monster-filled ruins and cities rife with political intrigue to emerge as a famous hero laden with fabulous treasure, or will you fall victim to treacherous traps and fiendish monsters in a forgotten dungeon? Your fate is yours to decide with this giant Core Rulebook that provides everything a player needs to set out on a life of adventure and excitement!

This imaginative tabletop game builds upon more than 10 years of system development and an open playtest involving more than 50,000 gamers to create a cutting-edge RPG experience that brings the all-time best-selling set of fantasy rules into the new millennium.

The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook includes:

  • All player and Game Master rules in a single volume
  • Complete rules for fantastic player races like elves, dwarves, gnomes, halflings, and half-orcs
  • Exciting new options for character classes like fighters, wizards, rogues, clerics, and more
  • Streamlined and updated rules for feats and skills that increase options for your hero
  • A simple combat system with easy rules for grapples, bull rushes, and other special attacks
  • Spellcaster options for magic domains, familiars, bonded items, specialty schools, and more
  • Hundreds of revised, new, and updated spells and magical treasures
  • Quick-generation guidelines for nonplayer characters
  • Expanded rules for curses, diseases, and poisons
  • A completely overhauled experience system with options for slow, medium, and fast advancement
  • ... and much, much more!

Available Formats

The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook is also available as:

Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-60125-150-3

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Last Updated - 5/30/2013

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What a Pathfinder truly needs...

5/5 —

If there is any one book to have, it is this one. It is the only Pathfinder book you will ever need to start playing, but if you're like me you'll eventually want more.

When I first learned of tabletop RPGs my attention turned to D&D even though I knew next to nothing about it, nor did I know of anyone who played it. I only knew it because it was the name everyone knew when someone said "tabletop RPG" and the answer wasn't "what is that?" I wanted to play it but I didn't know where to start. I was lost, forlorn, and alone.

Then, one fateful day, I met someone online who told me about Pathfinder. I took one look at the Core Rulebook and I never looked back, and to this day I don't regret the decision one bit. The Core Rulebook is a solid start to any aspiring tabletop gamer's adventure and is a must own not only for the abundance of useful information it provides but also for the clean presentation and the magnificent art provided by Wayne Reynolds.

In short, if you want to play Pathfinder and haven't already, pick this book up immediately. It is well worth it.

Legendary

5/5 —

Legendary. It’s hard to know where to begin to review this book, but that one word encapsulates it well. There’s a reason Pathfinder is thriving a decade into its existence, and it all starts here. If you don’t know anything about Pathfinder, you can think of it as a revised and improved version of a specific edition of D&D (the “3.5” edition). Its strength is the nearly infinite capacity for customization, and its weakness is that enormous customization introduces complexity. In other words, this is a “crunch heavy” instead of a “rules light” game. Trust me, it’s worth it though. This is going to be a long review because I’ve got fifteen chapters to cover in this massive, 575-page book! If you don’t have the patience to read through the whole review, the conclusion makes it clear: buy this book. With this and the Bestiary, you have years of adventure at your fingertips.

Chapter 1 is “Getting Started” (12 pages). This chapter contains a brief introduction to the game, an overview of each chapter, a glossary of common terms, an example of play (very useful if this is your first RPG ever), and the rules for generating ability scores for a character (how physically and mentally capable they are).

Chapter 2 is “Races” (11 pages). The “Core” races presented here are: Dwarves, Elves, Gnomes, Half-Elves, Half-Orcs, Halflings, and Humans. As you would imagine, there are advantages and disadvantages to each race. The chapter spends a page on each race, and beyond the rules ramifications it takes care to talk about what members of that race typically look like, what their culture is like, why they often become adventurers, and how they relate to other races. It’s not an overwhelming amount of information (which is good for new players). For the most part, these races stick to fairly standard fantasy expectations.

Chapter 3 is “Classes” (57 pages). There are eleven “core classes” presented in this book: Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Monk, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, and Wizard. The spread of classes does an excellent job covering different play-styles and roles within a group. The power level of these classes has been significantly bumped up from D&D 3.5, and there are a lot more choices to be made within each class. This makes the classes more complex, but also more satisfying to see advance up through each level. If you’re brand-new to Pathfinder, it might be good to stay away from spell-casters like the Druid, Cleric, Sorcerer, and Wizard until you get more experience, as the sheer number of choices to be made can be overwhelming at first.

Chapter 4 is “Skills” (27 pages). Skills are something that every character has and they determine the likelihood of success in doing certain things. Want to leap from one rooftop to another? Roll an Acrobatics check. Want to figure out what spell that evil wizard just cast at you? Roll a Spellcraft check. Different classes get bonuses to using particular skills, but every character, regardless of class, can become good at something if they invest their “skill points” in a particular skill. Pathfinder has condensed the number of skills slightly from D&D 3.5, though it still has more than newer RPGs tend to have. I like the diversity and ability to specialize in discrete areas, but some think there should have been further consolidation. Each skill is described with great detail on specifically what it allows you to do and not do, which is quite helpful in avoiding rules arguments.

Chapter 5 is “Feats” (29 pages). Feats are special abilities. Every character gets to choose one feat at every odd level, and some classes and races get “bonus” feats. A feat might be something that lets you fight better in darkness (“Blindfighting”) or it might be something that makes certain spells you cast more effective (“Spell Focus”). There are several dozen feats to choose from, so this can be one of the parts of character creation that takes the longest to do. Their value, again, is that they allow for enormous customization of a character. Just because there are two Fighters in the party doesn’t mean they’ll be identical, because feats allow them to operate in very different ways!

Chapter 6 is “Equipment” (16 pages). Your character will need a weapon, maybe some armor, and some other gear like a backpack or a coil of rope. But in addition, you might wonder how expensive a night’s stay at an inn is, or how much it’ll cost to persuade a local wizard to cast a spell for you. All of the answers are in this chapter. I really appreciate that every item and service isn’t just listed on a table with a price, but in addition most receive a description, a picture, and (sometimes) additional rules to explain how it works in actual gameplay.

Chapter 7 is “Additional Rules” (13 pages). The title of this chapter isn’t particularly helpful, as the entire book consists of rules. Really, it’s a miscellany of various things about your character. First up is Alignment, which is whether your character is good, evil, or somewhere in between. A lot of other RPGs dispense with such questions, but it is “hard-coded” into Pathfinder in the sense that it’s not just a role-playing choice: many spells, magic items, and other effects change depending on a character’s alignment. Next, there’s a few pages on “Vital Statistics” like determining a character’s age, height and weight, and (most importantly) carrying capacity (also known as “encumbrance”). If your character has a low Strength score, don’t expect him or her to be able to carry a lot of gear. Then, there’s a discussion of movement speeds in various contexts (in the course of a combat encounter, for example, or for travelling great distances overland). Last, a bunch of little things are covered under the title “Exploration”: how far characters can see in different levels of light, how to determine if an object can be intentionally broken, etc. It’s a chapter that’s easy to overlook but provides answers to a lot of “little things” that might come up during a session.

Chapter 8 is “Combat” (29 pages). Combat is a major part of Pathfinder, and there’s admittedly a lot to digest in a short number of pages here. The way the chapter is laid out isn’t necessarily intuitive, and later Paizo products (like the Strategy Guide) do a much better job making combat clearer. You’ll find everything you need in this chapter, but you’ll be flipping back and forth for a while. I’ve been playing for years and I still refer to it occasionally.

Chapter 9 is “Magic” (19 pages). This chapter discusses different categories of spells, how characters learn them, and how to read a spell entry in the next chapter. It’s a chapter that’s easy to skip over at first, but is actually pretty important once a campaign gets serious.

Chapter 10 is “Spells” (156 pages). You read that right: about a quarter of the book consists of an alphabetical list and description of several hundred different spells! The spells have been cleaned up and improved from D&D 3.5 for better gameplay, but what hasn’t changed is that magic still rules. If pure power is what you want, play a true spell-caster and you’ll find it.

Chapter 11 is “Prestige Classes” (23 pages). Prestige Classes are special classes that characters can eventually take, well into their adventuring careers, if they meet certain prerequisites. This book has ten of them: Arcane Archer, Arcane Trickster, Assassin, Dragon Disciple, Duelist, Eldritch Knight, Loremaster, Mystic Theurge, Pathfinder Chronicler, and Shadowdancer. For the most part, and until very recent, Pathfinder hasn’t been a game where prestige classes thrive. Apart from some specific flavour reasons, a character would usually be better off simply continuing in their base class rather than taking levels in a prestige class.

Chapter 12 is “Gamemastering” (15 pages). As its title indicates, this chapter helps the person running a game (the “Gamemaster” or “GM”) prepare an adventure, referee the rules, deal with common problems at the table, etc. It’s okay for what it is, but I’ve seen better resources to help new GMs figure out what they’re doing.

Chapter 13 is “Environment” (39 pages). This chapter contains a lot of little things to help make the setting interesting. It contains rules on weather, travelling through the wilderness, dealing with traps, and so forth. It’s primarily for the GM too and shouldn’t be a priority to master until more fundamental rules are digested.

Chapter 14 is “Creating NPCs” (11 pages). This chapter gives rules for creating background (non-player) characters by using “NPC classes” like a Commoner. I have to admit I never use this chapter, as I just rely on NPC stat blocks already generated in other Pathfinder products.

Chapter 15 is “Magic Items” (101 pages). Your adventurer is going to want some cool magic gear, and this chapter explains what it does, how much it costs, and how it’s made. It’s pretty extensive and detailed.

Last up, there are appendices summarizing “Special Abilities”, “Conditions” (status effects a character might be under), “Inspiring Reading”, and “Game Aids” (other products you can purchase).
The Core Rulebook is a hefty tome for an RPG book. For players coming from D&D 3.5, it’s basically a combination of the Player’s Handbook and the Dungeon Master’s Guide in a single volume, but refined and improved. The book is, with the single exception of the deities, completely “setting neutral” (that is, it’s suitable for play in any campaign world or a homemade setting). There’s some excellent artwork taken from other Paizo products mixed in with some artwork that’s more pedestrian. Still, the production quality overall is fantastic. I would normally go into more detail, but there are hard word counts on these reviews. So I’ll sum up by saying: this is the one book you won’t leave home without, and it’s worth every penny.

Special Note: The Core Rulebook was recently released in a smaller softcover. The interior is exactly the same as the sixth printing of the hardcover, but it’s lighter and easier to carry. I’ve been using it for a few months now, and I’m quite happy with the font size, reduced price, durability, and ease of use.

Pathfinder's Heart

5/5 —

This book is at the heart of all Pathfinder games. It is great and can be picked up regularly cheap with sales all over. (Humble Bundle 1$) I myself have a PDF but plan to pickup a hardcopy one day. Either one will do the trick and is always good to keep handy. I like the PDF because you can do keyword searches. Even if you don't ever use it. The cover art is pretty awesome.

A Fresh Start

5/5 —

After years of seeing the Pathfinder rule books on the shelves of my FLGS, I took the plunge in December of 2012. I bought the Core Rulebook and began skimming it immediately. My first discovery was the character creation rules. They were fun! Characters were cool in a way that I hadn't seen in previous editions of the world's oldest role-playing game. Within three months, I was up and running my first Pathfinder adventure. That was three years ago and I have no regrets getting involved with the Pathfinder system.

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Dark Archive
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

I am sure the reason the left it out was space. I wouldn't be surprised if something like that isn't in the GM book as that is more of a GM need.
The Exchange

ok i see that the book release was 8/19 but when i confermed my order earlier today the bookstore that i put the order in said that they have 15 orders for the book and they did not recieve any copys. why the delay? can anyone tell me?
Dark Archive
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
Del-Kahn wrote:
ok i see that the book release was 8/19 but when i confermed my order earlier today the bookstore that i put the order in said that they have 15 orders for the book and they did not recieve any copys. why the delay? can anyone tell me?

Has to do with the book trade industry. Paizo has said in this thread or another that normally they release books on Wednesdays and the book came out on a thrusday so they would not release it till the following week.

Crazy I know, I don't get it either but apparently it is true.
Liberty's Edge
Del-Kahn wrote:
ok i see that the book release was 8/19 but when i confermed my order earlier today the bookstore that i put the order in said that they have 15 orders for the book and they did not recieve any copys. why the delay? can anyone tell me?

I know my local game store in Alaska got three copies today. Plus another one of the stores had information on it but not sure if they had books or not.

So they are out there.

Another reason is perhaps your bookstore didn't get the order in on time. As they are potentially sold out until November. Although I did see that they had a good two hundred copies to 1000 copies on hand at Gencon they were taking home on Sunday. At any rate it was a still fair amount. Not nearly what they started out at. If I were to guesstimate I'd say they had two to three thousand to start out with. It was a HUGE stack of books.

Friday there was a LONG line that most people in that line had three to five copies of the books. It was sweet. One bonus of the line is that there were going up and down the line signing the books. Lisa was of course offering anyone the book at $60 and they just give here cash and they could leave the line. It was fun!

This leads me to believe that the production run was 50,000 + way above a 10,000 predictions I have seen. Which 50,000 would be a conservative run in my eyes if they had that number "playtest" the game. If it was an ambitious run as said by Pazio staff I am sure it is approaching 100,000.

Plus I missed (forgot) the RPG Q & A where they were going to announce the four new classes. Can anyone mention it here?
Sean
Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
thenorthman wrote:


Plus I missed (forgot) the RPG Q & A where they were going to announce the four new classes. Can anyone mention it here?
Sean

Read today's blog, and you will be enlightened.

I thought the book was amazing... of course, there has to be one gripe... The 1/2 Orc. He got boned. It now appears very similar to a 1/2 elf. I wholeheartedly disagree with the changes to the 1/2 orc and will be house-ruling it... keeping it from the Beta. Otherwise, you can have a halforc that is just as strong or charismatic as a half elf... no difference other than color. Where's the toughness and wisdom of the half-orc from the Beta?

Sorry, but... Nosir... I didn't like it.

Other than that, I LOVE Pathfinder!!!!!
Liberty's Edge

Okay, a couple more comments... probably already added by others but here goes.
Again, nice job on the PDF, but it's only really half way there to being perfect.

TOC: How about linking the Table of contents like the index is?
Bookmarks: Please have them collapsed as a default, and at that base level, far fewer of them, like maybe just the chapters? (in fact that would solve my TOC issue) Right now, it's WAY too many to be useful.
Tables: Can you index all the tables as well? Heck, if Wizards can do it, I know you can. I've noticed some tables aren't even listed in the bookmarks. That would be a big help.

Keep up the good work, loose the shoddy parts.

Hi. I was just cruisin' the MBs and decided I HAD to log in. First, let me just say "HAHA! HAHAHAHA! HA! HA! HAHA! I GOT ONE!!!!" It's really very cool. I don't mean to rub it in or anything, but darn it! The thing costs fifty bucks, there won't be anymore till Novemeber and... Darn it I got one!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! ahem. That having been said. Love it. I figure I am going to find things not to like about it, but heck, we all do. And I have been wrong before, so maybe I'll just keep on lovin' it. I tried to get the PDF before I got the book, but I couldn't even get the site to load. I still need LB2 for my campaign, but I am happy. I honestly enjoy the little chapter intro story thingies. A nice touch me thinks. I am so glad that the thing is sold out. Make mine Paizo! Can't wait for the next installment. I also want to give thanks to Jason and the rest of the crew that put this together. Also, the playtesters deserve everyone's thanks. There were some major mechanics happening, and the pklaytesters really did a great job. I am not embarrased to say that I am a gamer anymore. What a day for us all huh? Any how, like they told me at the store "Keep playing!"
Shadow Lodge
Del-Kahn wrote:

Does anyone know when the hardcover core rulebook hits the bookstores

I was not able to enjoy the festivities at gen-con (no money to go)
I would really like to know the offical release of the hardcover book to the general public

Hmmm... your local gaming store should have had it on the 13th ... big chain bookstores I believe are holding it till the 19th ...

Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer
Gully13 wrote:
Hmmm... your local gaming store should have had it on the 13th ... big chain bookstores I believe are holding it till the 19th ...

...which was yesterday. So if they don't have it now, I'd begin to suspect that they might not be getting it, or that it has already come and gone.

Grand Lodge

Still waiting on mine to ship. :( At least my Pathfinders shipped, so I have PDF goodness to tide me over until my core book does too. I know I can pretty much read all the changes at the PRD, but the book has all that pretty art and stuffs.
Liberty's Edge
Steven Vincent wrote:

Okay, a couple more comments... probably already added by others but here goes.

Again, nice job on the PDF, but it's only really half way there to being perfect.

TOC: How about linking the Table of contents like the index is?
Bookmarks: Please have them collapsed as a default, and at that base level, far fewer of them, like maybe just the chapters? (in fact that would solve my TOC issue) Right now, it's WAY too many to be useful.
Tables: Can you index all the tables as well? Heck, if Wizards can do it, I know you can. I've noticed some tables aren't even listed in the bookmarks. That would be a big help.

Keep up the good work, loose the shoddy parts.

I would have to agree about the pdf needing some work on the bookmarks... it almost seems that they were never updated from the beta!?! Some tables aren't listed and (at least on my copy) some links didn't even take you to the right place. They'll get you close, but...

Just wish I wasn't so strapped for cash that I could out and pick up my own hardcopy because I'm jealous of some of the guys in my group who have gotten theirs and are rubbing it about that "new book" smell...and listening to the binding open for the first time...

Heck, I cannot get my PDF to properly extract.
Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer

TriOmegaZero, I'll have customer service check out your order.

CorzatTheGray (and others), we'll be rolling out a new version of the PDF with better bookmarks soon.

RobertMiller55, I'd suggest trying a different unzipping utility.
TriOmegaZero wrote:
Still waiting on mine to ship. :( At least my Pathfinders shipped, so I have PDF goodness to tide me over until my core book does too. I know I can pretty much read all the changes at the PRD, but the book has all that pretty art and stuffs.

I just checked with the warehouse. Your order should ship today.

Grand Lodge

And it did while I slept! Thank you Alison, I know I've been whining at you for the last week. Now for the joy of download errors.

Too bad Half Orcs had a stat change

Question for ya:
In the druid section, it is mentioned to look inside the bestiary for the animal feats "Improved Natural Armor and Improved Natural Attack". I know the bestiary comes out next month, does the Preview or Bonus Bestiary contain these feats? Our druid would appreciate those feats to get her companion up to date.

Also:
Where do campaign/ character traits fit in with the new rules? Do we still take the recommended 2 from the campaign or web enhancement?
Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber
Bobbodagreen wrote:
In the druid section, it is mentioned to look inside the bestiary for the animal feats "Improved Natural Armor and Improved Natural Attack". I know the bestiary comes out next month, does the Preview or Bonus Bestiary contain these feats? Our druid would appreciate those feats to get her companion up to date.

I just looked at the preview bestiary and the bonus bestiary and don't see either feat. I can only assume that means they will be in the full bestiary when it is released. For your convenience, the rules and monsters from both books are available on my (fan-made/maintained) site http://www.d20pfsrd.com. I am keeping a copy of the Pathfinder PRD on my site, sort of the new d20srd.org if I may be so bold. Anyway, check it out if you like.

Yeah, I don't see why they would changes those feats from their 3.5 counterparts.

INAttack gives a +1 to attack for ONE natural attack (bite OR claw Or etc)
INArmor gives a +1 to Natural Armor, or if it has none it is at +1
Liberty's Edge

Thanks for fixing the PDF, Paizo. How you managed to make the bookmarks usable (but still no clickable spells from the bookmarks menu?) as well as reduce the file size by 12mb to make it run faster is beyond me, but I'm impressed all the same.

It is because you listen to your customers and address the issues accordingly that I feel you will enjoy a long and profitable existence.

Just hold off a good decade on PF 2.0, mm'kay?
Sovereign Court Owner - Enchanted Grounds, President/Owner - Enchanted Grounds

Somewhere in this post (it's too huge to search through in an effort to quote it), either Vic, Lisa or Erik mentioned that there would be a pile of books being released into the hobby chain ASAP. These books were leftovers from GenCon and/or saved for a possible misshipment for use at GenCon. Regardless, I was under the impression that it would be relatively quickly done. I have players chomping at the bit to get their hands on these books (some of whom even preordered from me). Is there any chance that this is actually happening? Or was it a myth? I've pestered my distributor almost daily about this, and they say they have no information beyond, "No." This, of course, makes me sad.

I figure this site would probably have better information. (Yes, I'm looking at you, Paizo people). Any news?
Liberty's Edge
Pathfinder Battles Case Subscriber; Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber
Drogon wrote:
really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, wanting the PFRPG

Drogon, you can still order the book directly from Pazio.

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 32
Dragnmoon wrote:
Drogon wrote:
really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, wanting the PFRPG
Drogon, you can still order the book directly from Pazio.

If I recall correctly from earlier posts, Drogon is a game store owner, and the copies he's trying to get are ones he preordered with his distributor for his store :) So while he could order 'em here, he'd take a bath on costs.

Liberty's Edge
Pathfinder Battles Case Subscriber; Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber
Gamer Girrl wrote:
Dragnmoon wrote:
Drogon wrote:
really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, wanting the PFRPG
Drogon, you can still order the book directly from Pazio.
If I recall correctly from earlier posts, Drogon is a game store owner, and the copies he's trying to get are ones he preordered with his distributor for his store :) So while he could order 'em here, he'd take a bath on costs.

Never Mind then.....

Thanks for the tidbit on the Improved Natural feats.

Been thumbing through the new feats. The entry for Spellbreaker on page 134 looks off-

Benefit: Enemies in your threatened area that fail
their checks to cast spells defensively provoke attacks of
opportunity from you.
Normal: Enemies that fail to cast spells defensively do
not provoke attacks of opportunity.

Spells still provoke, thats the point of casting defensively...

Is this entry supposed to read as follows?

Benefit: Enemies in your threatened area that pass
their checks to cast spells defensively provoke attacks of
opportunity from you.
Normal: Enemies that succeed to cast spells defensively do
not provoke attacks of opportunity.

otherwise, this feat seems moot.
The Exchange

Hey! It's an awesome day today! Just got my hardcover from Amazon today. The book is great. Much nicer in person than PDF.
Paizo Employee Creative Director

RE the Spellbreaker feat: When someone casts a spell defensively, the only peril associated is the loss of the spell if you fail the concentration check. There's no way for someone to AoO a spellcaster if he casts a spell defensively UNLESS he takes the Spellbreaker feat, in which case he can make an AoO when someone fails a concentrate check on a defensive casting attempt.

Casting defensively automatically negates AoOs, in other words, no mattter if the attempt to cast is successful or not. And if a spellcaster makes his concentration check to cast defensively, he does not provoke an AoO at all, even against those who have the Spellbreaker feat.
Scarab Sages

I just got mine from Amazon too... Wow!!!! What an incredible tome. Just awesome. And I will make this one observation. The art is WORLDS better than the 4E books. Tons better.
Dark Archive
Bibliomane74 wrote:
I just got mine from Amazon too... Wow!!!! What an incredible tome. Just awesome. And I will make this one observation. The art is WORLDS better than the 4E books. Tons better.

It's tons better than in any D&D book so far; likewise the layout and art direction in general. The two-page art pieces at the beginning of every chapter was a GREAT idea, and I even like the short pieces of fiction there -- it'd be very easy to err on the side of pathetic with such vignettes, but I think these ones capture the mood and atmosphere of the game very well! :)

Paizo Employee Creative Director
Asgetrion wrote:
Bibliomane74 wrote:
I just got mine from Amazon too... Wow!!!! What an incredible tome. Just awesome. And I will make this one observation. The art is WORLDS better than the 4E books. Tons better.
It's tons better than in any D&D book so far; likewise the layout and art direction in general. The two-page art pieces at the beginning of every chapter was a GREAT idea, and I even like the short pieces of fiction there -- it'd be very easy to err on the side of pathetic with such vignettes, but I think these ones capture the mood and atmosphere of the game very well! :)

Since I wrote half of those little vignettes (and Wes wrote the other half), I certainly hope they avoid being pathetic!

They are anything but pathetic. Now when will you complete the teasers you wrote into full fledged stories?
James Jacobs wrote:
Asgetrion wrote:
Bibliomane74 wrote:
I just got mine from Amazon too... Wow!!!! What an incredible tome. Just awesome. And I will make this one observation. The art is WORLDS better than the 4E books. Tons better.
It's tons better than in any D&D book so far; likewise the layout and art direction in general. The two-page art pieces at the beginning of every chapter was a GREAT idea, and I even like the short pieces of fiction there -- it'd be very easy to err on the side of pathetic with such vignettes, but I think these ones capture the mood and atmosphere of the game very well! :)
Since I wrote half of those little vignettes (and Wes wrote the other half), I certainly hope they avoid being pathetic!

Ooo. Who wrote which?

James Jacobs wrote:

RE the Spellbreaker feat: When someone casts a spell defensively, the only peril associated is the loss of the spell if you fail the concentration check. There's no way for someone to AoO a spellcaster if he casts a spell defensively UNLESS he takes the Spellbreaker feat, in which case he can make an AoO when someone fails a concentrate check on a defensive casting attempt.

Casting defensively automatically negates AoOs, in other words, no mattter if the attempt to cast is successful or not. And if a spellcaster makes his concentration check to cast defensively, he does not provoke an AoO at all, even against those who have the Spellbreaker feat.

Thanks for the clarification. I'll reread the casting defensively entry. We were thinking that since casting a spell will provoke an AoO, failing the check for casting defensively leaves the spell caster open to attack.

Paizo Employee Creative Director
vagrant-poet wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Asgetrion wrote:
Bibliomane74 wrote:
I just got mine from Amazon too... Wow!!!! What an incredible tome. Just awesome. And I will make this one observation. The art is WORLDS better than the 4E books. Tons better.
It's tons better than in any D&D book so far; likewise the layout and art direction in general. The two-page art pieces at the beginning of every chapter was a GREAT idea, and I even like the short pieces of fiction there -- it'd be very easy to err on the side of pathetic with such vignettes, but I think these ones capture the mood and atmosphere of the game very well! :)
Since I wrote half of those little vignettes (and Wes wrote the other half), I certainly hope they avoid being pathetic!
Ooo. Who wrote which?

If I remember correctly... I wrote the odd-numbered chapter openers and Wes wrote the even-numbered chapter openers.

Paizo Employee Creative Director
Bobbodagreen wrote:
Thanks for the clarification. I'll reread the casting defensively entry. We were thinking that since casting a spell will provoke an AoO, failing the check for casting defensively leaves the spell caster open to attack.

Nope; that's basically the difference between casting defensively and not.

Casting Defensively: This is safer, and prevents an AoO, but might screw up your spell. With this option, you're gambling that your Concentration check will work. Also, since you know going in what the DC of the check is (15 + double spell level), this option lets you run the odds more accurately.

Not Casting Defensively: This provokes an AoO, but if the AoO misses, you're fine. If it hits, you make a concentration check to keep casting through the damage. With this option, you're gambling that your AC will protect you, with an additional safety net of being able to salvage the spell by making a concentration check. Since with this method, the DC of the concentration check is 10 + damage dealt by attack + spell level, you're gambling that the damage dealt is small, and can't really predict accurately if you'll even have a chance to make the check. Although the base DC is lower, the fact that the damage dealt figures into the calculation usually makes this a much harder check to make than Casting Defensively. But then, if the AoO misses, you get a free ride.
RPG Superstar 2011 Top 32
silverhair2008 wrote:
They are anything but pathetic. Now when will you complete the teasers you wrote into full fledged stories?

Many of the teasers are hinged around APs, as is the gorgeous art ::chuckle:: I love how my group was looking through and the three GMs were glancing at the art saying "That's not from my game" and then looking over where I was grinning evilly and adding several expletives as they realized they'd be seeing those ahead in Crimson Throne :)~

Those who ordered from Paizo -- have the books been arriving in great condition? I ordered from Amazon and while the book arrived in one piece I'm not happy about the condition. I'd send it back but chances are a) they'd not have another to send or b) they do and it'd still arrive in crap condition.

So, tempted to double dip and order another. Besides, I love throwing my money at Paizo! Does Paizo still have some in stock to ship? I'd really like a great condition first printing (and don't want to end up getting a second printing).

Also very tempted to just subscribe to the RPG subscription (and the other two) as well but concerned that some things that I don't want (mainly the map folios and other stuff like the Harrow deck) are included. At least with the Adventure Path subscription I know every month I get 96 pages of awesomeness with nary a product I'm not too keen on. =)
Liberty's Edge
BigWeather wrote:

Those who ordered from Paizo -- have the books been arriving in great condition? I ordered from Amazon and while the book arrived in one piece I'm not happy about the condition. I'd send it back but chances are a) they'd not have another to send or b) they do and it'd still arrive in crap condition.

So, tempted to double dip and order another. Besides, I love throwing my money at Paizo! Does Paizo still have some in stock to ship? I'd really like a great condition first printing (and don't want to end up getting a second printing).

Also very tempted to just subscribe to the RPG subscription (and the other two) as well but concerned that some things that I don't want (mainly the map folios and other stuff like the Harrow deck) are included. At least with the Adventure Path subscription I know every month I get 96 pages of awesomeness with nary a product I'm not too keen on. =)

The subscriptions start from when you start them. So since the Harrow deck has long been released you wouldn't get it in a subscription now. If your concerned that something like that will come out again you can cancel the subscription then restart it. THey have it listed way out what products are coming.

Another option is sell on a secondary market the product you do not want. That what I have finally decided to do with the map subscription. While I plan to use the flip mats I am not completely sold on the map packs. Yet they never reprint them either once they are sold out so in a way it is also an investment, you'll have a copy if you never use it in "new" condition that you can resell.

At any rate the subscriptions are awesome and highly recommend them. Plus at least from what I can tell they recently made it when you order something you can have it added to your subscription order to save on shipping. (Does not work for back orders though.).

So my opinion is get the subscription.

As to the condition. I also received a bad copy of the campaign setting from Amazon. I have yet to receive a damaged copy from Pazio direct.

Sean
Dark Archive
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

Mine looking like new from paizo and when in a box they always do. They ship with with corner cards and lots of peanuts. As for the RPG subscription that is only for the RPG books. the core book, beastiry, GM book, GM screen, Advance players book.

You can look at the stuff in the store and see what all is part of the subscription.

Thank you very much for your responses! As you can see you two were quite persuasive (*points to the new title above*). I'll either return the Amazon copy and get a refund or save it for a "everyday use" copy (as my kids will be playing as well and will need to thumb through it a lot -- and they are rough). It'll also be a great to have an extra copy to loan out to friends (and hopefully future converts).
James Jacobs wrote:
If I remember correctly... I wrote the odd-numbered chapter openers and Wes wrote the even-numbered chapter openers.

Awesome! Thanks James! *flicks through book, mentally assigning credit where credit is due*

I ordered mine from Amazon whose price is for some reason much lower then on this site?!?!

It is on its way here now (to Europe) :)

Oh my God Becky!!! It's over an inch thick and weighs the same as a small work out weight. I just want Paizo to know that I will be sending the hospital bill on my back in the mail. I just hope it stays together for at least a year with such a thick spine. I have to say it's one of the most beutiful gaming books I've ever seen. I've always liked black and white (old D&D, white wolf) but this book has made me change my mind.

Can somebody point me to a link that gives a summary of the changes between D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder? I remember when WoTC changed from 3.0 to 3.5 there were bunches of files and articles delineating the changes. Does something like that exist?

The search function told me it was broken and there are just too many posts for me to go through one by one.

If it's posted some place really obvious and I'm just an idiot, please be kind as you hit me with a clue by four and point me in the correct direction.

Thanks.
Paizo Employee Director of Brand Strategy
Rob Hillard wrote:
Can somebody point me to a link that gives a summary of the changes between D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder?

You might find the 3.5 Conversion document to be of help.

Thank you Paizo. Maybe WotC will realize 4.0 is the "New Coke" of RPG.
Paizo Employee Chief Creative Officer, Publisher
Drogon wrote:

Somewhere in this post (it's too huge to search through in an effort to quote it), either Vic, Lisa or Erik mentioned that there would be a pile of books being released into the hobby chain ASAP. These books were leftovers from GenCon and/or saved for a possible misshipment for use at GenCon. Regardless, I was under the impression that it would be relatively quickly done. I have players chomping at the bit to get their hands on these books (some of whom even preordered from me). Is there any chance that this is actually happening? Or was it a myth? I've pestered my distributor almost daily about this, and they say they have no information beyond, "No." This, of course, makes me sad.

I figure this site would probably have better information. (Yes, I'm looking at you, Paizo people). Any news?

This is still on track. We expect this short wave of books to hit retail stores about the middle of September. Which is to say really soon.

Liberty's Edge
-Archangel- wrote:

I ordered mine from Amazon whose price is for some reason much lower then on this site?!?!

It is on its way here now (to Europe) :)

That is how amazon works ALL of their stuff is much lower than retail. All the 4e stuff was at least 34% less than retail. They make their money by selling bulk.

I was going that route but then decided to get the PDF and the actual items to go the subscription. Plus it supports Pazio directly rather than a multi million dollar franchise.

Do not get me wrong I still order a lot of stuff from Amazon but yea. That is why it is much cheaper.

Sean

Just picked up my copy at the local games store last night. As an old 2nd Edition player, I can hardly put into words how happy I am with the Pathfinder Core Rules. When a group of friends and I decided to start up an online campaign earlier this year, we all assumed that 4th Edition would be as good a rule set as any to go with. Boy were we wrong. If we wanted it to feel as though we were playing a computer game, we would have saved some time and met up in the World of Warcraft :P

This book's presentation is spectacular, the rules are sensibly organized (there's even an index) and there's a real sense that they've been written with actual players in mind. Pathfinder is a breath of fresh air -- I once again feel I have the freedom to tailor rules to meet the needs of my players and campaign. In short: thanks Paizo!

I'm sure I'll be chiming in on a number of other threads here on the site. I've got a lot of questions about the various Pathfinder products...
Paizo Employee Director of Narrative

Welcome! I hope you enjoy your stay here.
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