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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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So, does this mean now that if I buy the Core Rulebooke direct from Paizo, I'll be getting the newest edition?
Boyfriend and I were thinking of replacing ours (it's pretty old)
Paizo Employee CEO
In_digo wrote:

So, does this mean now that if I buy the Core Rulebooke direct from Paizo, I'll be getting the newest edition?

Boyfriend and I were thinking of replacing ours (it's pretty old)

Yep, that is what we are shipping from paizo.com orders right now.

-Lisa
Liberty's Edge

What *is* the most recent edition of the Core book, by the way?

Thank!!!!
Webstore Gninja Minion

The most recent printing of the Core Rulebook is the 6th (which is what the PDF and PRD have been updated to, and what we're shipping).
Liberty's Edge

6th printing - got it!

Thanks!!!!

About time to update my core book I guess!

FYI to the PDF version editor: For the 6th printing PDF, the bookmark for the spell 'Gust of Wind' appears under 'Spells-H'. HTH

Hi, greeting to everyone.
Our game table wants to change from 3.5 to Pathfinder.
We already bought the PDF version of the CORE rules and we love it.

I want to give a book to each of my players, but i want to save some money also.
I see that in "add to shopping cart" a NON-MINT condition book option with a good saving its offered.
I need 7 books.

I just want to know a little bit more accurate what kind of damages or scratches i can found in the offer.

Thanks a lot.
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber

Thanks for clearing up how the Duelist's "Canny Defense" feature works. I'm going to be taking levels of it soon and wasn't sure how to mark that down on my digital character sheet. :)
Grand Lodge

Ha, I find a 6th printing here in Ohio and get it home to find a watermark all over the Law Domain section of the cleric. :/ Not unusable I guess, but unexpected.
Silver Crusade
Lisa Stevens wrote:
In_digo wrote:

So, does this mean now that if I buy the Core Rulebooke direct from Paizo, I'll be getting the newest edition?

Boyfriend and I were thinking of replacing ours (it's pretty old)

Yep, that is what we are shipping from paizo.com orders right now.

-Lisa

It might help if you put the printing your sending out on the store page (or more clearly, if I missed it). I had the same question, and in a month it will be hard to find on the message board.

I'd say have a relaxing weekend, but with that PaizoCon thingamajiggy, I'll say instead have a fun weekend!
Shadow Lodge

As I understanding it, Paizo sells out of a printing before they offer up the next one. So if you buy directly from Paizo, you should always be getting the most up-to-date printing.
Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer

Kthulhu is correct (with the exception of items sold as non-mint; those may be *any* printing).
Dark Archive

Earlier this year, an FAQ was added about the Duelist. It states that the Duelist uses his Int instead of dex and that it doesn't apply to his CMD. And then the new errata changed the ability so that the Duelist is granted a dodge bonus for Int instead. Perhaps the FAQ that refers to the old wording could be removed to eliminate confusion?
Liberty's Edge

I don't see any more appropriate place for this; my apologies if I'm in the wrong place.

Is there any way to make all of the hyperlinks/boxes in the core rulebook pdf go away? It's quite distracting to try reading with all of the game terms in boxes.
Designer, RPG Superstar Judge
1 person marked this as a favorite.

YuenglingDragon, I've updated that FAQ to incorporate that change. Thanks!

Giles, I've pointed out your question to the tech team.
Digital Products Assistant
Giles of Splitstone wrote:

I don't see any more appropriate place for this; my apologies if I'm in the wrong place.

Is there any way to make all of the hyperlinks/boxes in the core rulebook pdf go away? It's quite distracting to try reading with all of the game terms in boxes.

Because of the security options used on our PDFs, modifying them to get rid of the hyperlinks is not possible. The visual appearance of the hyperlinks can vary depending on the PDF reader.

Liberty's Edge
Chris Lambertz wrote:
Because of the security options used on our PDFs, modifying them to get rid of the hyperlinks is not possible. The visual appearance of the hyperlinks can vary depending on the PDF reader.

Wow, thank you both for the incredibly quick replies. I'll switch to a different pdf viewer for the time being. Does Paizo have any plans to make available non-hyperlinked pdfs?

The Exchange

I bought a PDF, as I understand, it's of the 6th printing. Where in the book can I confirm/deny this at?
Designer, RPG Superstar Judge

The Credits page (page 2) should have the printing version and printing date on the next-to-last line.
Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer

Whenever we update the PDF, purchasers automatically gain access to the latest version on their My Downloads page. So if you don't have the 6th printing, download it again, and you will!

My eight-year-old son, who has read the PFRPG Core Rulebook quite thoroughly and is now better versed in it than I am, wanted me to point this out. He saw Ezren described on page 205 as "the elderly
wizard", and he said to me "But Ezren isn't elderly! He's only middle-aged!"

So, for any devs paying attention, in both the standard and lite versions of the 6th printing of the Core Rulebook, the "Prayer" spell in the bookmarks is given as "Player".
Digital Products Assistant
Ashram wrote:
So, for any devs paying attention, in both the standard and lite versions of the 6th printing of the Core Rulebook, the "Prayer" spell in the bookmarks is given as "Player".

I'll make a note to have this fixed the next time the files get updated. Once there is an update, an email will be sent automatically alerting you to the change :)

1 person marked this as a favorite.

I really wish I could tell if Amazon's was 6th printing... they are offering free shipping to NZ at the moment (slightly better than the $50 shipping option from Paizo!)

So if anyone knows if it is 6th or anyway to find out, I would be grateful. :D

Cheeky question, but free shipping to NZ WOW!
Webstore Gninja Minion
mach1.9pants wrote:

I really wish I could tell if Amazon's was 6th printing... they are offering free shipping to NZ at the moment (slightly better than the $50 shipping option from Paizo!)

So if anyone knows if it is 6th or anyway to find out, I would be grateful. :D

Cheeky question, but free shipping to NZ WOW!

The only way to guarantee that you're getting the latest printing is by ordering directly from us—and even then, there are cases where that does not occur.

Thought that was the case Liz, but $50 shipping is just too much for a book I already have. Thanks though

I took the plunge in late January and ordered from Amazon (free shipping YAY) and I have in my hands a shiny new sixth printing Core Book. Very happy :D

Once again, my eight-year-old son asked me to point out something he noticed. On page 453, Halflings get +2 to Dex and Int. He said "Halflings get +2 to Dex and Cha, not Int!"
Aaron Bitman wrote:

Once again, my eight-year-old son asked me to point out something he noticed. On page 453, Halflings get +2 to Dex and Int. He said "Halflings get +2 to Dex and Cha, not Int!"

What printing is that? PDF's of 4th and 6th have that page correct...though very cool that you have your 8 year old interested enough to catch a discrepancy like that.

That's funny. I saw it on the PDF of the 5th printing. I just downloaded the 6th, and I see that it's correct there. It seems odd that I didn't see the correction in the errata, though.

Thanks.

Maybe the hivemind can answer this for me? The Wall of Stone spell description says that each 5 foot by 5 foot section has 15 hp per inch of thickness. All the walls in the environment section are based on 10 foot by 10 foot sections. What is the best way to reconcile these?

A 10x10 foot section of (magical made by spell) stone wall has 60 HP 4 x 5 x 5 sections @ 15 HP each.
The Exchange

FYI- The spell polymorph appears to have had "stealth" errata applied.

The wording in the 1st and 2nd printing had this sentence: "If you use this spell to cause the target to take on the form of an animal or magical beast"

Whereas the 6th printing removes the "or magical beast" part. I do not have a copy of the previous printings other than the 2nd. I've checked all errata documents to see where we (d20pfsrd.com editors) missed this but can find no record of the change yet the PRD and the 6th printing have this new wording.

Is the Sixth printing March 2013 the newest ?

try to check erratas if i remeber correct all the errata read this

Updates
• Page 11—In the Common Terms section, in the Check
definition, in the second sentence, change “skill
checks, and saving throws” to “skill checks, ability
checks, and saving throws”.

in my book in the second sentece i got

The most common types are attack rolls,skill check, ability checks and saving throws[/u]
Grand Lodge

I didn't know this until just right now, but apparently the Purple Worm poison DC is incorrect, and has been since early 3.5 DMG. The DC is 24, as printed in the core and the DMG. However, instead of just a standard errata for the one small thing, they instead later errata'd it to be DC 25 in the Complete Adventurer.
1 person marked this as a favorite.

Hi,

Question about the Grapple/Pin condition.

My player have a Monk 11th expert grappler with +17 CMB and 34 CMD. He grapple everything I put on the table and ties them up as little puppies. All I see that could oppose him is a team of ninja monk grappler that would grapple the grappler! Anyway I found it very easy and near impossible to escape the grapple... wort when he pin, he tie-up. In other words my Super Genius Evil Wiz 15 is ties up in 2 rounds and can't do nothing. Is there something wrong there? What is possible to do?

First round: Grapple +17 vs CMD 19... grappled
2nd round: maintain grapple +22 vs CMD 19, maintain and put Pin condition as a move action (with the great grapple feat)
Tie-up as a standard action.
3rd round: you're screwed Super Genius Evil Wiz 15!

Even a Super Mighty Fighter 15 wouldn't stand a chance... Its like the monk is superpowerful and unstoppable. :(

a DM bored.
Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

Well, to be honest, when a wizard gets grabbed by a monk who specializes in grappling, he's gonna have a bad day. That's working as intended though, the wizard has a wide variety of defensive spells to help prevent that, but if the monk gets through it, he's supposed to win that grapple. But if you're worried about coming up with things to avoid that, keep in mind, an individual cannot initiate a grapple with something more than 2 size categories larger than him. Throw some huge things at the monk.
Grand Lodge RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
Panics wrote:

Hi,

Question about the Grapple/Pin condition.

My player have a Monk 11th expert grappler with +17 CMB and 34 CMD. He grapple everything I put on the table and ties them up as little puppies. All I see that could oppose him is a team of ninja monk grappler that would grapple the grappler! Anyway I found it very easy and near impossible to escape the grapple... wort when he pin, he tie-up. In other words my Super Genius Evil Wiz 15 is ties up in 2 rounds and can't do nothing. Is there something wrong there? What is possible to do?

First round: Grapple +17 vs CMD 19... grappled
2nd round: maintain grapple +22 vs CMD 19, maintain and put Pin condition as a move action (with the great grapple feat)
Tie-up as a standard action.
3rd round: you're screwed Super Genius Evil Wiz 15!

Even a Super Mighty Fighter 15 wouldn't stand a chance... Its like the monk is superpowerful and unstoppable. :(

a DM bored.

Hi! Your question would probably be better posed in the Advice forum, but here's some thoughts.

First, remember that a combat maneuver check is a type of attack roll. This means that if your 15th-level wizard has, say, displacement running, then that first grapple attempt has a 50% miss chance just like any other attack would. Similarly, a 15th-level wizard could easily have already cast overland flight (and would probably do so at breakfast even if not expecting trouble, since it lasts all day anyway). So the monk is going to need to reach him. And so on, and so forth.

A monk should absolutely be able to easily grapple a wizard, if he can get the situation to come down to a simple d20 roll. The wizard's job is to keep it from being that simple: miss chances, mobility, trickery and misdirection tactics, etc.

Also, remember that being grappled is a little bit less severe for casters than it used to be: he just needs to make a concentration check. He's not restricted to Still spells or whatever. He can reach his pouch and everything just fine.

As for a 15th-level fighter enemy, he could easily have a CMD in the 30s (10 + 15BAB is 25, plus STR and DEX, plus anything like rings of protection or whatever that add non-armor, non-shield, non-natural-armor bonuses to AC will also add to CMD). Frankly, your monk player's CMB is actually a little low, if he's spent resources on being a good grappler.

So my overall advice could be summed up as this: make sure you're applying your NPCs' defenses properly. Make sure that all applicable AC bonuses are being applied to CMD (dodge, deflection, etc). Make sure your casters are using non-CMD defenses properly: miss chances, being in the air, invisibility, etc.

Hope that helps!
President, Jon Brazer Enterprises
Panics wrote:
What is possible to do?

  • Swarms,
  • incorporeals,
  • huge or larger monsters (since you can only grapple a creature 1 size larger than yourself),
  • Have a grapple monster grapple him for a change,

As GM I overlooked flying monsters for the longest time. I was bored all to heck then one day I pulled out a flying monster with a ranged attack and my group was literally useless. We discovered that less than half the group even had a ranged weapon.

Just a few suggestions.
Grand Lodge RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
1 person marked this as a favorite.

Oh, also, stop using single-monster encounters. Neutralizing an enemy via grapple is a lot less overwhelming when there's 3-4 more enemies to deal with at the same time. (Especially considering the grapple-guy is typically standing still with reduced AC for a couple rounds.)
President, Jon Brazer Enterprises
Jiggy wrote:
Oh, also, stop using single-monster encounters. Neutralizing an enemy via grapple is a lot less overwhelming when there's 3-4 more enemies to deal with at the same time. (Especially considering the grapple-guy is typically standing still with reduced AC for a couple rounds.)

Oh good one. Yea, if he has the wizard grappled, the fighter can stab him while he is grappling much easier. If he goes after the fighter, the wizard can compel him to let go and join their side.

Freedom of Movement

Do you have any idea what a wizard could do when is tied-up? Because my Monk tie-up in 1 round (grapple and pin (move action); tie-up (standard action); game over).

My dogs utterly destroyed my Core Rulebook. Now I've got to scratch up cash to buy a new one. Rotten mutts.
President, Jon Brazer Enterprises

You know, if memory serves, dimension door is a verbal only spell and and can be cast when grappled with no penalties or checks.
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Dale McCoy Jr wrote:
You know, if memory serves, dimension door is a verbal only spell and and can be cast when grappled with no penalties or checks.

Unless I am mistaken, you still need to make a concentration check. There is no provision which frees you from that by having the spell being verbal component only.

Liberty's Edge

Magnuskn is correct - CMB + Spell Level + 10, most certainly a non-trivial check assuming the grappler is specced for, well, grappling.

In addition to the other ideas presented, there's always a potion of Gaseous Form or similar spell.

Alternately, if he's a Wizard, you can have him be Teleport subschool, which provides a swift-action supernatural short-range dimension door.
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