As you can probably guess, I'm not playing PFS yet, but I would like to. I've seen discussion of boons on both the boards and in the PFS player handbooks. Its seems that there are some boons that deal with allowing you to choose different races. I may be wrong but I think there are also boons that do other things. That's really about all I know.
Is there some sort of section in the Player's Handbook that describes them (rather than merely referencing them), that I am missing?
Thanks advance!
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Boon as a larger term is any special mechanical benefit you're granted on a chronicle sheet. Some come after completing a scenario or a series of scenarios. Some are given out at larger events(i.e. cons) as prizes. Some of those allow you to play as races you wouldn't normally be able to otherwise. Those, as far as I'm aware, can generally only be gained by GMing at a large gameday/con.
Hope that helps!
(Oh, there are some "boons" in other books tied to organizations, gods, and stuff, but PFS doesn't use those)
Slightly confused. So the race boons can only be gained by GMing? Or all boons?
Are their boons that exist other than racial boons? If there are, are these non-racial boons something like traits or what?
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For an example of a non-race boon, look at the Additional Resources on the right under Pathfinder Tales. The links for each of the Pathfinder Tales are chronicle sheets that include boons for owning the various Pathfinder Tales novels.
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Boons come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, and most of them are given out as part of playing OR GMing a scenario. So for example, I'll make one up.
Say you play a scenario that deals with a lot of fights against orcs. At the end of the scenario, you might get an Orcslayer boon, that gives you a +1 to attacks and melee damage against orcs. That's a super-simple example, but that's the basic gist.
Other boons are special for conventions or other special events; race boons fall under that category. Unless you're playing at a con, don't worry about those for right now.
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Boons that allow you to play a non-standard race are usually given out or awarded to players & GMs at special events. The special item or trait boons give you just that; a special item or some special ability. Some allow you to learn a language for free, be specialized in a certain skill, receive a treasure map where you forgo your day job roll and gain access to a large sum of gold after the third time, allow a free re-roll during a scenario, just to name a few. If you dig through past articles in the "Weekly Blog" section, you may be able to find some to download for free. But, they are usually time sensitive, i.e. you can only apply them to a PC within a few weeks afyer they were posted.
Oh, and welcome to PFS, Snow-Tiger!
Thanks N'wah and roll4initiative! That was what I was looking for I think. So when I start playing and there I some random boon in "weekly blog", I can apply it the next time I play ( and hope that I play within a few weeks), or can I apply it instantly?
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Some of them (especially the race boons) need to be applied when you first create your character, others can be applied at any time. And others you have to meet certain criteria. Like, if you are a class that has access to a mount or animal companion, then you can use that boon. I have a boon I'm never gonna use that I can send you, but, lemme make sure I can give it away first.
Hey! Does anyone know if I can give away my 2013 GM reward boon to Snow-Tiger, or does he have had to GM then to get it?
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So when I start playing and there I some random boon in "weekly blog", I can apply it the next time I play ( and hope that I play within a few weeks), or can I apply it instantly?
I'm assuming you mean one of the "holiday" boons, which are tied to certain holidays on Golarion. Those are the Blog boons I'm familiar with. For those, the Blog entry will tell you when it's applicable (usually a few weeks to a month). As long as you get a GM to sign it within that time, it's yours for your character to use any time. You'll notice most of those are a single-use thing, so you announce you'll use that boon at the beginning of a scenario, and it applies for that scenario only (or if it's like a re-roll or a one-shot bonus, you announce you're using it when you do that action or encounter, and it applies for that action or encounter). After that, you cross it off, and keep the sheet with your other sheets.
Like pretend Golarion had a Guy Fawkes' Day. They might have a boon that is offered from October 26th to November 8th, and provides a +2 to damage rolls when using thrown grenade-like weapons and gunpowder for one scenario. You download that boon sheet, print it out, and have one of your PFS GMs sign it, and you fill out that top part as applying to one of your characters.
Six months later, you're playing 7-35: Assault on Blowed-Up Keep, Part II: Blow Uppier, and you remember you've got that boon. So you tell the GM of that scenario you're applying the boon, and get your +2 to damage with explody things, then cross the boon off. You technically keep that boon sheet in the folder with all your other boons, though obviously everything on it has been spent.
If you've got a boon that's time-sensitive for application (which really only applies to Blog boons), you might want to get in contact with a local PFS GM and see if they can sign it for you if you can't make it to a session before the boon can't be applied. Any decent GM will either work out a time to meet and sign off on it, or write a note that you asked and politely back-date their sign-off since you did get ahold of them in time.
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Side note: despite having been doing this whole PFS thing for a few years and going to every PaizoCon since it became official, this year will be my first time getting Con boons, and I'll be getting TWO of 'em (one for a local mini-Con where I'm doing the whole Eyes of the Ten retirement arc, one for PaizoCon where I'm running some slots). I'm kinda stupid-excited about it. :P
Kinda a side question, but does anyone know the best Pathfinder Tales boon? And can if I buy a book can I only use the boon once on one character or can I do it to every character I make.
Kinda a side question, but does anyone know the best Pathfinder Tales boon? And can if I buy a book can I only use the boon once on one character or can I do it to every character I make.You can only apply one boon to one PC. Prince of Thieves has a cool boon.
So if I wanted to add a boon to a new character but I already used it on another one, I would have to buy the book again?
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Snow Tiger: I tend to divide Boons into 4 categories.
A) Boons you get from a chronicle sheet: These can have varied worth. Sometimes that are continual (ie they are always 'on': They might give a +1 to a check when dealing with basketweavers you meet). As stated above they are not always a positive thing for the character but generally there are more good boons than 'bad' boons
B) Boons released via the Paizo blog/ Novels. Occasionally (and it seems to normally tie around an American Holiday), Paizo will have a short piece in their blog about a festival or event that occurs in Golarion. These boons might say they have to be applied to a character between 2 dates (to play a scenario in) The Pathfinder Tales novels (of which I recommend some more than others), also have 'chronicle sheets' with boons on them. They vary in power (and are never a 'bad' boon). A lot of the time they can be expended after use and you cross them off.
C) Boons that players receive during a convention. These boons are basically a Chronicle sheet where the only thing listed is a boon. When a Convention is organised the organiser will receive X number of boons from Paizo. These can be varied (and I wont go into detail on them specifically). Generally they might be handed out one per table run to a randomly rolled person or via another method. These type of boons again are never 'bad' but include the race boons, character modification boons and so on. Generally boons (but not always) are targeted so that the person will make a new character and assign the boon to them.
D) Boons that GM's receive for running games at conventions. You might notice from time to time that in the forums in particular you can see waves of posts concerning gm recruitment for conventions all over America and around the world. To aid in recruitment of gms, the convention Organiser will again receive boons to give to such gms. This is all based on the premise that while it is relatively easy to get players to the convention, its generally more difficult to get gms because A) if they are dming they cannot play at the same time and B) they will have to lug around more product and will have other duties to attend to.
Depending on convention too, some cons will print out everything the gm needs to cons where the gm basically has to bring everything they will need.
In regard to D) above, you will also see that some of the very large conventions offer more incentives to gms. Paizocon for instance has free rooms for gms who run a certain number of table. Ive no idea how many boons as well these gms pick up but they certainly would.
Just keep in mind, boons generally arnt game breaking. They are about equal in power to some of the traits that your PFS character will receive. Some (such as the race boons) obviously are more desired than others and I too feel a twinge of jealousy when some players parade around their Ifrit Sorcerer concept.