How widely has PF Unchained been adopted?


Pathfinder First Edition General Discussion


I've been away for a while and only recently gotten my hands on a copy of Pathfinder Unchained. It is indeed a remarkable achievement, and props are in order for the design staff and playtesters.

Since a collaborative game amounts to very little without a community of players, I think it would be good if the community shared what they think about PF Unchained: whether they use it at their table; which elements they already use or plan to use the most; which elements–if any–that they won't use; which elements they agree with in concept but simply never come up in play, etc.

Also helpful is whether one's view is coming from a player perspective or DM perspective.


There's a thread on this one already, though it's been dead for a week or so now so what the hell!.

As a GM:
-Unchained Monk, Rogue, Barbarian if you want 'em. Old Rogues/Barbarians can pick new Talents/Powers if they like (and vice versa). I have a player using the Unchained Monk and loving it
-Unchained Summoner if you want to play a Summoner.
-Combat Stamina, tweaked to be more front-loaded. Full BAB characters get 10+1/2 level+Con stamina, 3/4ths BAB get 5+1/2 level+Con, half BAB get 1/2 level+Con. Everybody gets a stamina pool.
-Variant Multiclass. Originally as an option, then a couple of my players talked me into handing it out to everybody.
-Scaling magic items. The ones in the book are all fine, and players can write new ones if they want, but I moved a step further and made the Big Six items scalar.
-Monster creation. The CRs need some work but I like the system. Just have to be careful what you build.
-Other stuff is available if the players ask. There are a few things I know I'm not working with, like the new Profession rules, and pretty much all of the Magic chapter besides scaling items. But the rest I'm at least open to consider; I just don't have anyone crafting mundane items or using poisons so I haven't had cause to look at those closely.

As a player:
-Combat stamina, through a feat or to full BAB classes. I have it planned for my character.
-Variant Multiclass; my GM is a player in my game and followed my lead in handing 'em out for free. That said, the more I looked the more I realized that pretty much all of the options for my specific character were one of A. nonfunctional (typically due to something like the wrong stats), B. didn't hit the flavor, or C. obnoxiously broken for her. So we talked and he gave me more feats instead. The other players have the same option; I'm not sure what they'll go for.
-GM briefly considered Dynamic Magic Item Creation but wound up moving against it. The problem we ran into in discussion was that it's not really a good idea to use it for every item, because of the bookkeeping involved in making something silly like a Bag of Holding that should be straightforward (and then keeping up with how two players' Bags are distinct from each other and why that matters, then doing it with every other item...). However, allowing a choice between it and standard crafting simply makes magic crafting stronger by allowing the party to use whichever is more advantageous to them.
-As with me, other stuff is probably available if we ask about it, we just haven't asked. We do have a Barbarian, so he might want to switch to Unchained's version or use some of those rage powers, but I don't know that (as he hasn't been present for a couple sessions. D:)


TN, try this thread.


Thelemic_Noun wrote:

I've been away for a while and only recently gotten my hands on a copy of Pathfinder Unchained. It is indeed a remarkable achievement, and props are in order for the design staff and playtesters.

Since a collaborative game amounts to very little without a community of players, I think it would be good if the community shared what they think about PF Unchained: whether they use it at their table; which elements they already use or plan to use the most; which elements–if any–that they won't use; which elements they agree with in concept but simply never come up in play, etc.

Also helpful is whether one's view is coming from a player perspective or DM perspective.

I like/use about half the things in it for a game I plan to run. I am still waiting on my gm to read her copy and see what, if anything, she is adding to her game.

In her defense she is holding down 2 jobs while raising a family and searching for a new house so she has been very busy since before the book came out.


Pathfinder Maps Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

My players are new to Pathfinder, so mostly no, won't be using it. But...

If any player wants to do a rogue, I'm sure he won't refuse the rogue perks. Same for a monk.

I'm thinking about introducing skill unlocks on the sly, but it'll have to wait for our new season in September (summer hiatus and all).

Many of the new rules seem needlessly complex for my relatively novice players. Until or unless Unchained comes out in a French version. <g>


my gm recently allowed the idea of magic weapons with enchantments without the +1


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I adopted the two extra background point skills for the online game I'm running the second I got my hands on the book. In fact, I'd basically written them into the archetype I created for my paladin of Shelyn before I even knew they were in Unchained.

Other than that, I can see the more "quest-y" item creation being way cool to play around with - we're probably going to try it in my online game once someone gets high enough level to have an item creation feat. I don't know that I'd do it for every single item, though, maybe just for more unique or special items. I like the idea of the scaling items, too.

I can definitely see the value of everything they put in there, and how everything would be useful to someone. I'm not ready to put every single thing in there into my games just yet, but it's a lot of really nice tools.


As a DM/GM (whichever you prefer to use) I'm using the magic scaling & skill unlocks. Looking into a few other things like the wild magic & I'm thinking about using it in games to try it out.

As a player, I'll never play the Unchained Monk. I'm all for having as many abilities as possible that are always in effect. If the Unchained Monks abilities that are now Ki point usage to activate instead of constantly active bypassed any creatures abilities even if that creatures ability allowed it to bypass the normal Monks immunities then I would actually consider the class but since it doesn't there's no way I'll play it. The Unchained Rogue I do like though along with the grouping of skills.


Oh. Right. Skill Unlocks.

Both in the game I'm running and the one I'm playing, we're giving out those for free. 4 of 'em. Unchained Rogues will wind up with 8.


I'm using the new action system, skill unlocks, automatic advance, dinamic magic craft, and plenty other. I also allowed a few more, like the unchained rogue and monk, but nobody made one. I took the unchained barbarian rage and I'm using it for the bloodrager, and it's great (temp hp instead of increased hp, so you don't die when you go unconscious and you "heal" a bit of damage each time you rage, because you get a "shield" of hp).

I'm really happy with it, even if some things need a bit of modification (like some swift actions and the new action paradigm)


I doubt my players will play one (as they're pretty set on the characters they have now), but I will allow the Unchained classes. I'm also going to use the new Disease and Poison rules, the new Action Economy rules, and the Skill Unlock rules.


I haven't bought a copy. I'm really waffling over how much Pathfinder I play, though. It's a cool enough book on its own. I don't agree with what Paizo has done with PFS and the summoner. If I want something from it, I'll probably hit up d20pfsrd. That's the limit of my foreseeable adoption.


I'm trying to get unchained rogue and skill unlocks on my table...if only to save my Halfling Rogue from uselessness. It's not working well.


Pathfinder Maps, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber

Al classes from UC are available as alternate classes, core rogue has become an "NPC" class rogue (like the warrior compared to a fighter).

Players can still play an APG summoner, yet if someone has a summoner as a cohort, it must be an UC summoner.

The scaling magic items has always been something I used, so nothing new there except there is now items listed in print that can be purchased rather than me having to make up everything on the fly.


My group has used several of the alternatives- which I would consider what the rules should have been in the first place.

Basically, we'd try out something for a few sessions, and if after that time, everyone universally agreed we wanted it, we would use it.

The only alternative we initially intended on using, but after three sessions, had a single player veto, was the alternative action economy. He didn't like when we had to stop when confronted with a particular conversion, and decide how it would fit. But I see that as being too set in the original, rather than anything wrong with the new.

Worth noting, he was playing a martial character- which the consensus is having the most to gain by the new AE.

I think Unchained has something for everyone.


I'm not running or playing anything currently (unfortunately), but I do plan to use...

automatic bonus progression
limited magic+active casting+wild casting (which should be fun)
possibly the staggered advancement
definitely the fractional bonuses
background skills
all the classes
the disease and poison rules.

I also have a homebrew system (taken from someone I don't remember the name of) that applies the gritty Wound Thresholds to the wounds in the Wounds and Vigor system.


All of the player options that work alongside the existing rules is allowed at my table, both by me and by the other player who GMs.

That would be the alternate classes, VMC, skill unlocks and stamina(last two via a feat).

The only use of it I have seen so far has been by one of my players who is using the unchained monk with the combat stamina feat. I haven't exactly been impressed with the PC so far, but considering that when that player made up an NPC monk they wailed on my feebleminded sorcerer for several rounds before giving up and leaving, I guess that kind of weak is a big step up?

The Sacred Huntmaster still does more than him in every single combat. Lets not get into the druid or the witch, who have both wrecked encounters more than once (side note:zombies+open space+entangle=encounter, what encounter?).


Albatoonoe wrote:

limited magic+active casting+wild casting (which should be fun)

I hope you post an update when you do run that. Sounds very interesting! :)


Still reading, so far I've definitely adopted background skills, likely to adopt the magic creation system, and intend to play with monster creation.


None of my gameing groups are ready for change at the pace paizo puts out books so nothing have happend so far.

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