Maximum item cost

[mjmeans]

From RGG "A character’s Fame score determines the maximum gp value of any items she can purchase from the Pathfinder Society or her faction, as detailed in the table on page 20. The character must still actually spend the gold to receive the desired item."

I don't see any rule that says a character can ONLY purchase items from the society or a faction.

So item availability during a scenario would follow the regular settlement size and item availability rules since all of CR is legal. Also purchasing items specifically available during play of a scenario or module would also be available. But in either of these cases would not be limited by the fame max item cost, since NPCs in settlements in a scenario or module typically have no knowledge of the PC's fame score. At least that's how it reads.

I just played a scenario that had an auction in it and some items could be won in the auction for far less than the book value. It seems that if the PC bids on the items with their own money, and wins the auction, then they have actually bought it at a reduced price in the scenario because it was not purchased "from the Pathfinder Society or her faction". If that's not the intent, then someone should fix that.

[BigNorseWolf]

mjmeans wrote:

I don't see any rule that says a character can ONLY purchase items from the society or a faction.

You can only purchase items from the society/your faction. Someone tries this argument every few years, it's a non starter. No. That rule wouldn't be there at all if you could just go around it simply by being in abasolom, in a campaign who's titular organization is in absolom.

[Gary Bush]

The rule is implied in the the Guide. A charaacter's fame restricts the total GP value that can be purchased. This is true even if a character upgrades something that was originally purchased with prestige points like a darkwood composite bow.

Trying to manipulate the system to get more value than a character should have at their level is against the spirit of the campaign.

While a character could purchase the item at auction in your example, they could not keep it at the end of the adventure and would still be out the gold.