Ongoing PDF download issue


Website Feedback


Hi Paizo

Not sure what the state of play with this bug is (I see a bunch of PDF download threads, but they seem to more be a problem of not having everything available).

The problem I have is that when I try to download a PDF I get the old "There was a problem handling your request" page - including a thing about the webmaster being notified, so now I think about it this message is kinda redundant.

Anyhow, that's still happening for me. I tried downloading on day one of the rollout and it failed. I just tried to download the Pact Worlds book and it failed again. (I'm using Firefox and it just updated, so presumably the most recent version).


Steve, I've been getting the same thing for months. Try this:

1. Go to the product page.

2. Click on the Downloads tab.

3. Sign in, if prompted.

4. Click on the product you want to download.

5. Get the error screen.

6. Back-arrow.

7. Click on "Problems downloading this file? Click here."

8. Success?


Hmm. Seems to be a big issue.

At step 4 I'm on the downloads tab but there's nothing listed. When I click the "click here to see the downloads you have for this product" I'm not taken anywhere.

*sniff* Can't even get to the error screen. :(


I tried going through my digital content to try the "back space and try again" strategy, but it just put me into a 'personalizing' loop.


Steve Geddes wrote:
At step 4 I'm on the downloads tab but there's nothing listed.

I've seen that a time or two since the site redesign. I think I just kept checking back and eventually the downloads showed up in the tab.

Steve Geddes wrote:
I tried going through my digital content to try the "back space and try again" strategy, but it just put me into a 'personalizing' loop.

Yeah, I haven't trusted My Downloads to work properly for a long time. It seems to be more reliable to force my way through the error screen in the Downloads tab.


Hmm, no luck so far. Can I ask how many times it takes?

I tried ten times or so but it just seemed to keep dropping me to the "click here again in a minute to download" stage.

It doesn't really matter, but I was curious to look at the Pact Worlds book just to see what they did mapwise.


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

I recall reading elsewhere that the PDF of the Pact Worlds book is even bigger than the Starfinder Core Rulebook, and I recall having a lot of difficulty completing the download of that book. And I had the problem long enough that I don't think it was all because of the server overload from so many people trying to download it at once.


Steve Geddes wrote:
Hmm, no luck so far. Can I ask how many times it takes?

I don't really remember. I just went back at random times and tried to click through again, and eventually I got a populated downloads tab. But I wasn't trying to download a new product. As David knott 242 says, it may have something to do with the actual file for Pact Worlds.

Paizo Employee Software Test Engineer

Hey everyone!

I'm currently investigating this but haven't been able to reliable trigger it myself (yet), we're currently in the middle of some pretty heavy QA on another upcoming release within the next week so I can't devote too much time currently, but as soon as that's by I'll see if I can't double down on this and find a champion for it.


I didn't want to start a new thread, but here's something else new and mildly irritating for PDF downloads:

After I purchased Starfinder: Pact Worlds, I tried to download it from Downloads tab of that product page. Links for the two PDF files appear briefly and then the dark grey site footer slides up hiding the links completely. The "Last Downloaded", "Last Updated", and "Date Added" column headers still appear, but everything below is covered by the footer. It's not a big problem; I can still get the file from my master Downloads page, but this method is usually quicker for me. (Using Firefox 59.0.1 and 59.0.2)


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I'm having a similar issue with the footer (coincidentally Pact Worlds as well), and in addition to that, when I try going through My Downloads, the file size shows as 143 bytes, no matter how many times I tried clicking the "having problems?" link. Same thing on Chrome, Firefox, and Safari, so I don't think it's a problem on my end.


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

I am seeing a similar problem with the 3rd party product The Book of Many Things Volume 2. For this product, the file size shows as 173 bytes.

Web Product Manager

For the PDF issues, these should now be resolved. You may have to click the "Problems downloading this file? Click here." link to force the page to reprocess the download.

For the footer issue, this has been reported and updates will be available in our latest site update thread.


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

The Book of Many Things Volume 2: Shattered Worlds is still only 173 bytes in size.

And the recently updated original Book of Many Things is only 187 bytes in size.

Web Product Manager

Hey David, I can replicate what you're seeing now. I've passed it back to our devs to investigate.


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

Same problem observed with 101 Forest Spells by Rite Publishing. File size is 143 bytes.


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

Any news on 101 Forest Spells? That one still seems to be broken. I forgot about it for a while because I have an up to date PDF of that one downloaded since before this problem occurred.


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

In addition to the issues with "101 Forest Spells" and "Convergent Paths: Clerics of the Cloth (PFRPG) PDF" by Rite Publishing, I also found that I was unable to download "New Paths 9: The Priest (PFRPG) PDF". It simply vanishes whenever I click on it to download it.

Update: I was able to download "New Paths 9: The Priest (PFRPG) PDF" from its product page. Kudos for that -- that is the first time in years that I successfully downloaded anything from the product page.

I doubt that this fixes the problems with the two Rite Publishing PDFs though.

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