Venture-Lieutenant, Finland—Turku
|
Hi and welcome!
The pathfinder society guide to play is something you should check out, but the way it's organized isn't the most intuitive one so don't be afraid to ask questions! Link here: http://www.organizedplayfoundation.org/encyclopedia/pfs2guide/
I'll assume you have created a character as detailed in the core rulebook (and the guide). In addition to the basic character creation, characters in the pathfinder society have access to a couple more things to aid them in their adventure. One of these are Boon Slots. At the start of the scenario, after you've been given your briefing, you get to decide which of the boons you want to slot. As you play more games, you'll eventually have more boons than you have slots, but for the first couple of games, you probably don't so you'll just slot all the boons you have.
Boons are divided into different types. You have a total of five slots. One of them can be an Advanced boon OR a regular boon. Advanced boons are just like other boons except they have the keyword "advanced" on it. Until you gain an advanced boon, you'll be slotting just a regular boon in that slot, so no need to worry about it.
In addition, you have three "regular" slots, which can hold regular boons.
And then you have one Faction slot. This may actually be a bit misleading because the faction boon you slot just determines which of the various factions of the pathfinder society you are representing for that particular adventure. You can find the factions here:
http://www.organizedplayfoundation.org/encyclopedia/pathfinder-2-0-factions /
You get to choose one faction for free when you create your character. You can also unlock other factions but those cost fame. Which faction "boon" you have slotted in your faction slot determines which faction you gain reputation for during the adventure.
To put it simply, you pick one faction, and then you slot four boons.
Boons are small rewards you've gained for your adventures. Many of them have limited uses, denoted by the boxes next to the boon name. To gain benefit of a boon, you need to have slotted it - that is, chosen it at the start of the adventure.
For example, the boon you named says that it works in certain area, during certain time (after the adventure), allowing you a certain benefit for that time. You can use it three times (so during three adventures in that area).
In practice, you won't slot that boon if the adventure you are participating in doesn't happen in that area - you can ask about it during the briefing if you aren't sure.
Most of the boons are much more generally useful, like stuff that says "when you would fail a swim check, check a box from this boon to reroll that swim check." or "Check a box as a reaction when you are targeted by an attack that deals negative energy damage. You gain +2 AC vs that attack."
|
Venture-Lieutenant, Finland—Turku
|
Consumables: Another additional thing that pathfinder society characters gain on top of the normal character creation, is pathfinder training:
http://www.organizedplayfoundation.org/encyclopedia/pfs2edplayer-basics/#pa thfinder-training
In short, you get to put three points into three different schools. For some characters, splitting your points may be beneficial, but for most, you should put all three points into the same school.
There are four lists of consumables that your character may gain access to. All characters gain access to the "all schools" items.
In addition, characters who put at least one point in swords, spells, or scrolls, gain access to that schools consumables list. After the briefing of a scenario, you get to pick one consumable from any list you have access to, and you gain one of that consumable for free for the duration of that adventure.
However, if you put two points into a school, you also get a free lore skill, and at level 5, you gain a bonus feat. And if you put all three points into the same school, you gain 2 items. Generally speaking, getting 2 items for free (like minor healing potions) is generally more useful than having a bigger selection for the free items, and that's why it's recommended to put 3 points into the same school.
Technically speaking, you also have the option of Not taking any of those schools and instead being a Field Commissioned Agent. That gives you extra downtime so you might earn a bit more gold between your adventures, but at level 1 and 2 you'll earn an extra 0,2gp on a success or 0,3gp on a critical success, so it's not really useful when you could have had an extra 4gp consumable for free for that adventure instead. (field commissioned agent might be a useful pick if you decide to get into crafting, but that's a whole different topic)
|
Venture-Lieutenant, Finland—Turku
|
Buying consumables and other items:
All items have an Item Level. You can only buy items that are level 0, 1, or 2, for now. When your character gains more levels, they gain access to more items - specifically, at level 3 you gain access to level 3 items, and from there onwards, you can purchase items that have a level no greater than your level.
In addition, you may have found items during your adventure - these are listed on your chronicle sheet (or you may have written them down during the adventure) - your character doesn't actually get to keep these. After the adventure, your character turns in all the items and gold and loot they've found, an gets paid by the pathfinder society a standard fare depending on how well your group did.
The items listed on your chronicle sheet are something you found, though, and you can buy them for the listed price, as long as their level is at most TWO higher than your own level.
So, to purchase an item, it's level must be less than 2 OR at most the same as your level OR at most your level +2 if the item is found on a chronicle sheet you gained.
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I also wanted to ask: You talk about having 5 "slots". Where are these slots? Are they on a form you are supposed to fill out before the adventure? Are they on the chronicle sheet? Where are they?
Some people playing at an actual table use a baseball card sheet to hold and display proxies of the Boons they're using for that adventure (because over time you might be able to slot more than 5). If you're playing virtually, then you can use a spreadsheet of your own design to list the ones you've collected.
|
You talk about having 5 "slots". Where are these slots?
From the Organized Play Document:
Each character has a Faction boon slot, an Advanced boon slot, and three generic boon slots (for a total of 5 slots). To gain the benefit of a boon, the character must “activate” it by “slotting” it into one of these slots. The GM will tell the players when to slot boons. Usually this will happen after the GM has given the players their initial briefing or introduction.
The Faction Boon slots can only hold boons that have the faction trait. Boons with the faction trait cannot go anywhere other than the Faction Boon Slot.
Your Faction boon indicates which faction you are representing on this mission, which can impact the Fame you gain and possibly other elements of the scenario.
The Advanced Boon slot can hold boons with the Advanced trait or any boon that does not have the faction trait.
Advanced boons are rare and powerful, and are typically gained through participation in a special event or scenario (such as a game with unique, hidden conditions, “special” scenarios or a special promotional event, like a playtest).
The remaining three slots are generic slots and can slot any boon that does not have the faction or advanced trait.
http://www.organizedplayfoundation.org/encyclopedia/pfs2edplayer-basics/
|
Venture-Lieutenant, Finland—Turku
|
After using all the (usually three or two) uses of the boon, it doesn't disappear anywhere - it's still on your chronicle sheet, and you need to keep those because those are the record of the games you've played. It simply has no more uses. Some scenarios might specifically ask you to slot them (like the one you gained from Revolution on the Riverside) to gain specific benefits on a further adventure, or a further adventure might give you benefits for simply having gained that boon, regardless of if it has uses left or not, or if you've slotted it or not. The GM will inform you about this at the briefing, usually.
As for purchases - a minor typo in my earlier post, item's level must be EQUAL TO or less than two.
So, to purchase an item, it's level must be equal to or less than 2, OR at most the same as your level OR at most your level +2 if the item is found on a chronicle sheet you gained.
Higher level items? You can purchase them as soon as your level is at least the same as the items level, OR your level+2 at least equals the level of the item IF it is on your sheet. (The item also needs to be common. If it is uncommon, you need to have access to it somehow, like finding it on a chronicle sheet, or having a feat, region, or boon that grants you access)
That oil of potency? It's item level 2, so you can Always buy it if you want to, provided that you have the gold. Oil of potency was not listed on your chronicle sheet because generally speaking, you always had an access to it anyway. You can buy it at the beginning of a scenario, for example, or even during a scenario if it takes place in a city.
Okay, so access: You always have access to common items of level 2 or below, of your level, or of your level +2 if they are on a chronicle sheet. Basically, if the item is on the chronicle sheet, you can purchase it two levels earlier than normal, if you have the coin.
Uncommon items are just that - uncommon. You can't purchase uncommon (or rarer) items unless you have access to them.
Let's take a look at a specific example: The Polytool is basically a swiss-army-knife - it's a sword, but it can also do lots of other things and you can switch it to deal piercing or bludgeoning damage instead of slashing damage. Because it's uncommon, pathfinder society characters don't have access to it.
However, in some parts of the world (specifically, Numeria) - it's more common. Thus, characters from numeria have access to it, and can purchase it, even though it's uncommon. Alternatively, we might later get an adventure where we find one of these! If we do, it's probably included in the chronicle sheet, in which case you have gained access to it, despite it not being a common weapon, and despite you not being from Numeria.
Further, if your character was a human, you could pick the Common Human feat "Unconventional weaponry" and choose polytool for it:
You’ve familiarized yourself with a particular weapon, potentially from another ancestry or culture. Choose an uncommon simple or martial weapon with a trait corresponding to an ancestry (such as dwarf, goblin, or orc) or that is common in another culture. You gain access to that weapon, and for the purpose of determining your proficiency, that weapon is a simple weapon.
Now you've used a common feat to gain access to an uncommon option, in this case the polytool.
This is also true for some feats and character options- often times you'll have to take a specific common option, to gain access to an uncommon option. For example, all focus spells are uncommon. However, this is just a mechanical way of saying that "you can't just learn these at will" - nearly all of them is accessible through a common option you can choose during a level up or character creation.Example would be: Sorcerer bloodline spells. For example, Dragons Claws is an Uncommon Focus Spell. Off the bat, this might seem like it's something you can't get, since it's uncommon.
However, the Draconic bloodline gives it to you automatically - so you CAN get access to it by picking the draconic bloodline.
However, if you went for a different bloodline, let's say Angelic, you'll probably never gain access to the dragon claws focus spell. (instead, you gained access to the Angelic halo)
Like Nefreet explained, "slots" is just a term used to explain how many boons (and of which types) you may have equipped for your character.
