Whether you are a new Game Master or experienced storyteller, you can always find new ways to hone your craft. This 256-page Pathfinder Second Edition rulebook contains a wealth of new information, tools, and rules systems to add to your game. Inside you will find handy advice for building your own adventures, designing towns, and creating vibrant characters alongside rules systems for dramatic chases, thrilling tournaments, and deadly duels. This book also includes more 40 pages of sample nonplayer characters, from the simple town guard to the vile cultist, presented to make your job as GM that much easier!
The Pathfinder Gamemastery Guide includes:
Rules, advice, and guidelines to build adventures, campaigns, and the denizens and treasures that lurk within, from settlements to nations to infinite planes!
Creative variant rules to customize the rules to make the game your own, including variant bonus, feat, and magic item progressions, characters gaining the power of multiple classes at once, and more!
All sorts of new and variant magic items including intelligent items, cursed items, artifacts, quirks you can add to items, and a brand new type of item called a relic that scales with your character!
A catalog of subsystems to handle unique situations, from thrilling chases to researching mysteries to vehicle combat to elaborate duels to sandbox-style "hexploration" and more! Plus, a universal victory point system to help you design your own subsystems!
More than 60 new NPCs to use in your game, designed for maximum usefulness to all Pathfinder campaigns!
ISBN: 978-1-64078-198-6
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When I first saw the pre-publication description I was skeptical about this book. Chase sub-systems? NPC gallery for not so interesting NPCs? Bah. I know how to run a chase.
First read improved my view but I was still pretty lukewarm. However, upon reflection, and a few sessions where I found myself referencing hazards, influence and chase, even some of the NPCs, my opinion of this book has grown to where I find it quite useful.
Things I've used and quite enjoy:
- The formal influence and chase rules are well considered. I've prepared several influence sessions (yet to run but look forward to it) and ran a fun underground chase, with the party pursued by a goblin warband to a dwarven city. I look forward to using the research and reputation systems too.
- NPCs: with my roll20 compendium, it's handy for pulling over many NPCs like guards, merchants, rogues, etc.
- Some of the lower level hazards, including complex ones, have made for some fun encounters and some of the higher level ones look insidious, plus the guidance on creating your own is well thought out
- Variants such as the racial paragon have proved to be a nice way to boost a small party. The multi-class variant could also be nice for the right group
- A like the relic rules and am using them already (although the players don't realize it yet)
Things I expect to use more of but haven't used yet:
- We don't tend to use a lot of vehicles but the rules should be helpful if and when we do
- The charts on saves, attacks, skills, etc. by level are very useful, not use for creating my own hazards and other encounters
- Notes on designing items and intelligent items look promising
Overall, this exceeded my initial expectations and I'm quite glad to have it in the library. Some things like the sub-systems would be useful for any game system
It's a great book. A lot of the most important stuff is in the Core Rulebook already, but if you're serious about creating your own creatures or treasure, this is essential. Especially because the math on PF2 is so much tighter, you can't go wrong doing it right.
I really can't complain about anything that is in the book, but about stuff that is missing: FUN! I was browsing the game mastery guide of first edition not too long ago, and that book makes you laugh, be inspired, and just want to jump to the drawing board and create an adventure. Random name generators, npc personality traits, tavern menus, it's all there to inspire you. While this book, meh. It's about teaching you more rules.
Useful, yes, but ultimately not very heartwarming.
So I'm a rather fledling GM, both within the Pathfinder sphere and the broader world of tabletop, and I'm not one to run prewritten APs or modules, and I'm always eager for more books (or sections of books) that cover how to run games - and from that perspective, the 2e Gamemastery Guide is fantastic.
Going section by section:
- Don't let the names of the Introduction and especially the Gamemastery Basics sections fool you - while they mostly cover theory, the way the information is presented is very helpful, and talks about issues that legitimately crop up in a lot of GMing discussions online - the notion of session zero, the idea of safety tools, problems with GMPCs, metagaming, adjudicating rules, structuring campaigns/adventures/encounters (the adventure recipes especially are brilliant!), even drawing maps is covered.
To some, it might seem like "well, duh" - and even to me these concepts weren't alien going in, but it's extremely great to see those tackled in a hardcover mainline rulebook for a major RPG and not merely on places like Reddit.
Also, the fact that Paizo waited a little bit after the release of PF2 meant that it gave them more time to address certain issues people were having while running the game, which was a good idea in hindsight.
- Tools is the next section, and it's a fun one for sure, one that a lot of people out there will benefit from - featuring an extensive coverage of creating monsters, hazards and NPCs (with the caveat that it's still more of an art than a science, even in a crunchy game like Pathfinder), various kinds of magic items (intelligent, cursed, relics, artifacts) with guidance on how to make your own, and a solid section on worldbuilding, for those who wish to run Pathfiner in a setting of their own.
- Following Tools is the Subsystems chapter, which might be one of the best parts of the book - starting off with a breakdown of how most subsystems operate and how to make one of your own, followed by several sample ones, from Influence for more robust social encounters to "Hexploration" (couldn't it just have been called Hexcrawl though?) to Afflictions (which seem to be handled with a decent amount of tact, given the kind of subject matter it is) to Vehicles! Certainly a lot of fun stuff here - my head is already buzzing with how to utilize a lot of these, or even make some myself!
- Next up on the list we have the Variant Rules, which allow you to tweak the game under the hood to tune it for different sorts of tones and genres - want less reliance on magic items? Boom. Want a grittier game that resembles 5th edition more, without the level bonus to proficiency? Got you covered. Want gestalt PCs with multiple classes? That's in there.
- Last but not least is the NPC gallery, which sounds like what'd you expect - essentially a bestiary of NPC stat blocks, divided into various categories like Criminals and Explorers, with plenty of advice on how to utilize and modify them, nicely complementing the Monster/NPC creation chapter as well as the Bestiary. Also the art is very nice and decently diverse.
Overall, I'm very pleased with this book, and certainly see myself getting a solid amount of mileage out of it. Kudos to Paizo for this one!
As an experienced GM who only runs Adventure Paths, I felt that a good half of the content in this book wasn't targeted towards me. Much like the PF1 GMG, the PF2 GMG isn't a compulsory buy unless you are a new GM or plan on running custom campaigns.
However, the content in the other half has proven useful in running Adventure Paths:
- The subsystems provided give substance to aspects of the game that any other TTRPG would delegate to GM fiat. Victory points allow you to create your own subsystems on the fly. Adventure Paths can't cover every possibility, after all!
- The variant rules are knobs and dials that enable GMs to deliver a specific game experience (including those experiences popularized by the Pathfinder fanbase and even other TTRPGs). These will provide Adventure Paths with even more of replay value.
- The NPCs are easily modified/upgraded and allow GMs to stat out minor NPCs that don't typically get stats in Adventure Paths. Finally!
Normally I'm a huge Paizo and Pathfinder fan. I've been playing and running Pathfinder since first edition and was keen when second edition was released.
This is a beautiful book. Sturdy, well lsid out, clear fonts, easy to read and no visible spelling errors that i've noticed. All the usual high Paizo production values that we've come to know and love.
For me the creature and NPC design rules (effectively the same thing in 2nd ed) are critical to run games.The rules are clear and seem well thought out.
However much of the rest of the book seems to be written simply to pad this section out into a viable publication. The gamemastery advice isn't revultionary or groundbreaking, the nation and settlement sections provide nothing mechanical and simply encourage GMs to lay out their information in the same format as Paizo.
On the whole I can't shake the feeling tha much of this book was written purely as padding for the sections surrounding creature, hazard and NPC creation and as a means to justify the $49.99 price tag.
This is the first time I've been left feeling disappointed by a Paizo release.
A Pathfinder n00b here, but isn't gamemastery content coming to playtest? I'd love to get to testing vehicles and such already :D
The playtest that was just released is for the four new classes in the Advanced Player's Guide, due out for Gen Con 2020. It is way too late to be playtesting anything in the Gamemastery Guide.
And as the preview on Paizo's Facebook indicates, there will be rules for gestalt PCs in this book.
Waste of space, if you ask me...
Although, I'd never use it, I don't begrudge fans that like the concept getting it.
However, it should really live in a book like PF Unchained!, IMO. Player options tend to take up lots of page count and anything that takes away tools from one of the likely rare GM-focused books will disappoint. In other words, I don't want chases, hexploration, or any of the subsystems given short shrift and reduced page count so gestalt could make it in.
However, guidance/rules on how to handle/use gestalt characters (& how they'd affect the baseline assumptions of the game) would be very useful to those GMs who run groups much smaller than the assumed 4-player band (like 1 or 2 players). As such, I think gestalt characters have their place in the GM guide (although I'd agree that the usual plethora options for players using gestalt characters probably shouldn't be in the book...).
Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
I wonder, will this book feature more elements of GM-friendly books that weren’t in the original GMG, but came later in PF1’s lifespan, like Ultimate Intrigue, Wilderness, or Occult Adventures? Those books have some really great rules and advice content, and it’d make running a campaign a lot easier off the bat if I had a lot of that stuff in one book already by the time I begin.
The Pathfinder Classic Gamemastery Guide had [redacted], who faced the PCs at the end of [redacted] on the cover, so it makes sense the second edition Guide would have [redacted], who the PCs face off against at the end of [redacted] on the cover.
Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
captain yesterday wrote:
The Pathfinder Classic Gamemastery Guide had [redacted], who faced the PCs at the end of [redacted] on the cover, so it makes sense the second edition Guide would have [redacted], who the PCs face off against at the end of [redacted] on the cover.
This is just previewing their hardcover compilation of the [redacted] and [redacted] Adventure Paths converted to Second Edition. Or maybe [redacted], [redacted], and [redacted]?
Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
We're in the right month! Yee, I'm most looking forward to the settlement guidance, the relics, and the advice about modifying the alignment system myself.
Additionally it's listed on the CS forum for February subscription fulfillment.
This page (the one we are on now) hasn't been updated, but we do have other sources (such as the February 2020 subscriptions thread) that give us that date.
Any idea why Paizo is offering less material? This is about 4/5ths the size of the 1st Edition Gamemastery Guide, and we're not getting a price break. I'm noticing a trend in Paizo where they are offering less product for more price.
Why? Because Paizo is finally raising the prices of their books to a reasonable level. Writing is criminally underpriced in the industry due to everybody trying to offer the books at the price point nerds want and expect, which is: the same as 10 years ago. I'm not even talking about inflation and costs rising for one reason or another.
Since you can't really save on art (if you would offer lesser rates, artists would just ignore you and work for industries that pay reasonable money, that being CCGs, board games and of course video games), insofar the idea was to skimp on writers (since they can't really go anywhere if they want to do what they love to do).
That's slowly changing, but that means that prices will rise and you'll finally be paying more for your funny books about pretending to be an elf than you did in 2009, good riddance, while the people working at/for Paizo will hopefully be able to pay the rent in Seattle and not die trying.
Based on what I've bought of Paizo so far, all 2nd Edition products to date, I'm wondering if it's worth it, because the value doesn't seem to fit the price. Player options, specifically, seem poorly balanced. Flavorful, in some cases, but utterly useless in practice. Does it make me "entitled" to expect to actually get something worth what I am paying?
No, of course not.
My experience, on the other hand, has been mostly different (of course, I avoid "player options" like the plague). In my opinion:
* The core PDFs remain a strong value at $15
* The GM screen is solid (and landscape!)
* The new Bestiary Box is an unparalleled value
* The Fall of Plaguestone was serviceable (if unremarkable)
* The maps line continues to be great (despite some inscrutable flip-tile releases which don't play to the strength of the product design at all)
* The 2E condition cards show some real innovation in the form of tracking duration/severity
* I may even have come around to the Combat Pad (which I've tried it before, but this time it may stick)
...which come to think of it, means I'm in well past $150 for a game system I don't even particularly like. *sigh*
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Val'bryn2 wrote:
Any idea why Paizo is offering less material? This is about 4/5ths the size of the 1st Edition Gamemastery Guide, and we're not getting a price break. I'm noticing a trend in Paizo where they are offering less product for more price.
Well, going by something like this inflation calculator, prices have risen by 17% since the time the 1st Edition Gamemastery Guide was published. So Paizo had two options for the 2nd Edition Gamemastery Guide:
1. Keep the new book the same size, and raise the cost by about 20%.
2. Keep the price the same, and lower the page count by about 20%.
Based on what I've bought of Paizo so far, all 2nd Edition products to date, I'm wondering if it's worth it, because the value doesn't seem to fit the price. Player options, specifically, seem poorly balanced. Flavorful, in some cases, but utterly useless in practice. Does it make me "entitled" to expect to actually get something worth what I am paying?
No, of course not.
My experience, on the other hand, has been mostly different (of course, I avoid "player options" like the plague). In my opinion:
* The core PDFs remain a strong value at $15
* The GM screen is solid (and landscape!)
* The new Bestiary Box is an unparalleled value
* The Fall of Plaguestone was serviceable (if unremarkable)
* The maps line continues to be great (despite some inscrutable flip-tile releases which don't play to the strength of the product design at all)
* The 2E condition cards show some real innovation in the form of tracking duration/severity
* I may even have come around to the Combat Pad (which I've tried it before, but this time it may stick)
...which come to think of it, means I'm in well past $150 for a game system I don't even particularly like. *sigh*
Why spend any money on a system you don't like? Out of support for Paizo? Then why complain about it? I'm confused, because I wouldn't spend money on any 2E products unless I genuinely liked them. I just couldn't afford it anymore, because my expenses have radically gone up since 1E came out, and yet my salary is still pretty much the same it was 9-10 years ago.
They are actually lowering page count by roughly 20 percent and raising price by the same. Original Gamemastery Guide had an MSRP of 39.99, vs the new 49.99, with a page count in the 320s vs 256 for the new edition. We are charged more for less. And we already know roughly 30 of those pages are NPC statblocks,
Now how about you hold off on the personal attacks on someone who just likes to actually get value for his dollar.
They are actually lowering page count by roughly 20 percent and raising price by the same. Original Gamemastery Guide had an MSRP of 39.99, vs the new 49.99, with a page count in the 320s vs 256 for the new edition. We are charged more for less. And we already know roughly 30 of those pages are NPC statblocks,
Now how about you hold off on the personal attacks on someone who just likes to actually get value for his dollar.
It's 2020, not 2010. The value of your dollar and the economy did change and so did the industry.
Yes, as has been established, inflation rate is 17%, however the book has increased in price by 25%, while offering 20% less. I'd be okay with the 25% increase if 2 things happened: 1) the amount of information stayed the same, and 2) I knew it was top quality. We know issue 1 is confirmed to not be happening, and issue 2 is suspect.