Second Edition Core Rulebook Logan Bonner, Jason Bulmahn, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, and Mark Seifter CORE RULEBOOK Table of Contents GAME DESIGNERS Logan Bonner, Jason Bulmahn, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, and Mark Seifter ADDITIONAL WRITING James Jacobs DEVELOPERS Adam Daigle, Lyz Liddell, and Erik Mona EDITORS Amirali Attar Olyaee, Judy Bauer, Christopher Paul Carey, James Case, Jaym Gates, Leo Glass, Jason Keeley, Avi Kool, Lyz Liddell, Luis Loza, Erik Mona, Adrian Ng, Lacy Pellazar, Elsa Sjunneson-Henry, and Jason Tondro COVER ARTIST Wayne Reynolds INTERIOR ARTISTS Giorgio Baroni, Rogier van de Beek, Yanis Cardin, Sergio Cosmai, Biagio D’Alessandro, Michele Esposito, Giorgio Falconi, Taylor Fischer, Mariusz Gandzel, Igor Grechanyi, Hai Hoang, Roman Roland Kuteynikov, Setiawan Lie, Valeria Lutfullina, Damien Mammoliti, Rob McCaleb, Andrea Tentori Montalto, Stefano Moroni, Federico Musetti, Alexander Nanitchkov, 2 3 Mirco Paganessi, Mary Jane Pajaron, Jose Parodi, Angelo Peluso, Roberto Pitturru, Konstantin Porubov, Wayne Reynolds, Kiki Moch Rizky, Riccardo Rullo, Bryan Sola, Matteo Spirito, Matias Tapia, Ben Wootten, and Sam Yang 1 Introduction 4 ART DIRECTION AND GRAPHIC DESIGN Sarah E. Robinson and Sonja Morris Learn the basics of roleplaying games, get an overview of the rules, and see an example of play. This section also covers how to build a character, as well as how to level up your CREATIVE DIRECTOR James Jacobs character after adventuring. PUBLISHER 2 Ancestries & Backgrounds 32 Erik Mona Choose the people your character belongs to—whether they’re dwarves, elves, gnomes, SPECIAL THANKS goblins, halflings, or humans—then pick a background that fleshes out what your character Dave Arneson, Monte Cook, Ron Edwards, did before becoming an adventurer. Details on languages also appear in this chapter. Gary Gygax, Daniel Solis, John Stavropoulos, Jonathan Tweet, Skip Williams, and all the 3 Classes 66 participants in the Pathfinder Playtest Bold fighters, devout clerics, scholarly wizards, and inventive alchemists are just a few of the 12 character classes you can select from. This chapter also details animal companions, familiars, and multiclass archetypes that expand your character’s abilities. 4 Skills 232 Execute acrobatic maneuvers, trick your enemies, tend to an ally’s wounds, or learn all about strange creatures and magic using your training in skills. 5 Feats 254 Expand your capabilities by selecting general feats that improve your statistics or give you new actions. This chapter includes skill feats, which are tied directly to your skills. 6 Equipment 270 Gear up for adventure with this vast arsenal of armor, weapons, and gear. Paizo Inc. 7120 185th Ave NE, Ste 120 7 Spells 296 Redmond, WA 98052-0577 Learn to kindle magic in the palm of your hand. This section includes the rules for spellcasting, paizo.com hundreds of spell descriptions, focus spells used by certain classes, and rituals. CORE RULEBOOK 5 7 11 8 The Age of Lost Omens 416 Discover the world of Golarion. In the Age of Lost Omens, you can delve into the secrets of ancient empires and claim your own heroic destiny. 9 Playing the Game 442 Read up on comprehensive rules for playing the game, using actions, and calculating your statistics. This includes rules on encounters, exploration, and downtime, as well as everything you need for combat. 10 Game Mastering 482 Prepare and run your games with the advice in this section. Rules for setting Difficulty Classes, granting rewards, environments, and hazards can also be found here. 11 Crafting & Treasure 530 Award treasure, from magic weapons to alchemical compounds and transforming statues. The rules for activating and wearing alchemical and magical items are found here as well. Conditions Appendix 618 Read up on conditions, from dying to slowed to frightened. These rules cover common benefits and drawbacks that typically come from spells or special actions. Character Sheet 624 Glossary and Index 628 Quickly find the rules you need in a combined rules glossary and book index. Core Rulebook 4 1 Introduction Introduction Ancestries & Backgrounds Classes Skills Feats Equipment Spells The Age of Lost OMENS Playing the Game Game mastering Crafting & Treasure Appendix 5 Core Rulebook With a haunting moan, shambling bodies rose up from the forgotten battlefield. Given foul unlife by the necromancy of the Whispering Tyrant, the corpses still wore the tattered raiment of their former lives. These crusaders had been the first to stand against the lich when he returned, and they were the first to fall in his rebirth. “Aroden is dead!” Valeros spat out the dead god’s name like a curse as he drew his sword and readied his battered shield. “He’s not coming back to save us this time.” Kyra and Merisiel shared his sentiment. The Whispering Tyrant was back, and it was up to them to return the lich to his grave. As Kyra strode up beside Valeros, blade in hand, she called out a prayer to her goddess. Sarenrae’s light would guide and fortify her against the coming darkness, but there would be no direct divine intervention in this war. Victory would be bought with the sweat and blood of mortals, and both the brave and the innocent would give their lives. Merisiel nodded to the others, a look of determination upon her face. Quickly scanning the horde, she found her first target and let fly a small blade. It sank to the hilt in the rotting eye socket of one of the dead crusaders, but while the foul creature staggered back, it did not fall. Unfazed, she drew another dagger and prepared to throw again. Provoked by the attack, the undead advanced as one, a wave of rotting flesh and clattering bone that descended on the heroes… 6 1 Introduction Chapter 1: Introduction Introduction Pathfinder is a fantasy tabletop roleplaying game (RPG) where you and a group of friends gather to tell a tale of brave heroes and cunning villains in a world filled with terrifying Ancestries & Backgrounds monsters and amazing treasures. More importantly, Pathfinder is a game where your character’s choices determine how the story unfolds. Classes Skills Pathfinder adventures take place in the Age of Lost Omens, a perilous fantasy world THE FIRST RULE rife with ancient empires; sprawling city-states; and countless tombs, dungeons, and The first rule of Pathfinder is Feats monster lairs packed with plunder. A Pathfinder character’s adventures might take them that this game is yours. Use to forsaken underwater ruins, haunted gothic crypts, or magical universities in jungle it to tell the stories you want Equipment cities. A world of endless adventure awaits! to tell, be the character you want to be, and share exciting What Is a Roleplaying Game? Spells adventures with friends. If A roleplaying game is an interactive story where one player, the Game Master (GM), sets any other rule gets in the way The Age of the scene and presents challenges, while other players take the roles of player characters of your fun, as long as your Lost OMENS (PCs) and attempt to overcome those challenges. Danger comes in the form of monsters, group agrees, you can alter or devious traps, and the machinations of adversarial agents, but Pathfinder also provides ignore it to fit your story. The political schemes, puzzles, interpersonal drama, and much, much more. true goal of Pathfinder is for Playing the The game is typically played in a group of four to seven players, with one of those everyone to enjoy themselves. Game players serving as the group’s Game Master. The GM prepares, presents, and presides over the game’s world and story, posing challenges and playing adversaries, allies, and DICE Game bystanders alike. As each scene leads into the next, each player contributes to the story, Pathfinder requires a set mastering responding to situations according to the personality and abilities of their character. of polyhedral dice. Each Dice rolls, combined with preassigned statistics, add an element of chance and determine die has a different number Crafting whether characters succeed or fail at actions they attempt. of sides—four, six, eight, or & Treasure more. When these dice are The Flow of the Game mentioned in the text, they’re Appendix Pathfinder is played in sessions, during which players gather in person or online for a few indicated by a “d” followed by hours to play the game. A complete Pathfinder story can be as short as a single session, the number of sides on the commonly referred to as a “one-shot,” or it can stretch on for multiple sessions, forming die. Pathfinder uses 4-sided a campaign that might last for months or even years. If the Game Master enjoys telling dice (or d4), 6-sided dice (d6), the story and the players are entertained, the game can go as long as you like. 8-sided dice (d8), 10-sided dice A session can be mostly action, with battles with vile beasts, escapes from fiendish (d10), 12-sided dice (d12), and traps, and the completion of heroic quests. Alternatively, it could include negotiating with 20-sided dice (d20). If you a baron for rights to a fort, infiltrating an army of lumbering frost giants, or bargaining need to roll multiple dice, a with an angel for a strand of hair required for an elixir to revive a slain friend. Ultimately number before the “d” tells you it’s up to you and your group to determine what kind of game you are playing, from how many. For example, “4d6” dungeon exploration to a nuanced political drama, or anything in between. means you should roll four dice, all 6-sided. If a rule asks The Players for d%, you generate a number Everyone involved in a Pathfinder game is a player, including the Game Master, but for from 1 to 100 by rolling two the sake of simplicity, “player” usually refers to participants other than the GM. Before 10-sided dice, treating one as the game begins, players invent a history and personality for their characters, using the tens place and the other as the rules to determine their characters’ statistics, abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. the ones place. The GM might limit the options available during character creation, but the limits are discussed ahead of time so everyone can create interesting heroes. In general, the only limits to character concepts are the players’ imaginations and the GM’s guidelines. During the game, players describe the actions their characters take and roll dice, using their characters’ abilities. The GM resolves the outcome of these actions. Some players enjoy acting out (or roleplaying) what they do as if they were their characters, while others describe their characters’ actions as if narrating a story. Do whatever feels best! If this is your first experience with a roleplaying game, it is recommended that you take on the role of a player to familiarize yourself with the rules and the world. 7 Core Rulebook The Game Master Adventure: Every table needs an adventure to play, While the other players create and control their characters, whether it’s designed by the GM or found in a published the Game Master (or GM) is in charge of the story resource. You can find a variety of exciting adventures and world. The GM describes all the situations player and even entire Adventure Path campaigns at paizo.com. characters experience in an adventure, considers how the Bestiary: From terrifying dragons to mischievous actions of player characters affect the story, and interprets gremlins, monsters are a common threat that the PCs the rules along the way. might face, and each type has its own statistics and The GM can create a new adventure—crafting a narrative, abilities. These can be found in the Pathfinder Bestiary, an selecting monsters, and assigning treasure on their own— absolutely invaluable book for GMs. Monster statistics or they can instead rely on a published adventure, using can also be found online for free at paizo.com/prd. it as a basis for the session and modifying it as needed to Maps and Miniatures: The chaos of combat can be accommodate their individual players and the group’s style difficult to imagine, so many groups use maps to represent of play. Some even run games that combine original and the battlefield. These maps are marked with a 1-inch grid, published content, mixed together to form a new narrative. and each square represents 5 feet in the game. Miniatures Being the GM is a challenge, requiring you to adjudicate and illustrated tokens called pawns are used to represent the rules, narrate the story, and juggle other responsibilities. the characters and the adversaries they face. But it can also be very rewarding and worth all the work Additional Accessories: There are a number of required to run a good game. If it is your first time running additional accessories you can add to your game to a game, remember that the only thing that matters is that enhance the experience, including tools that help you everyone has a good time, and that includes you. Everything track turns in combat, decks of cards for referencing else will come naturally with practice and patience. common rules, digital character-creation tools, and even background music and sound-effect sets. Gaming Is for All Whether you are the GM or a player, participating in a Basics of Play tabletop roleplaying game includes a social contract: everyone has gathered together to have fun telling a story. Before creating your first character or adventure, you For many, roleplaying is a way to escape the troubles of should understand a number of basic concepts used in everyday life. Be mindful of everyone at the table and what the game. New concepts are presented in bold to make they want out of the game, so that everyone can have fun. them easy to find, but this chapter is only an introduction When a group gathers for the first time, they should talk to the basics of play. The complete game rules are defined about what they hope to experience at the table, as well as in later chapters, and the Glossary and Index in the back any topics they want to avoid. Everyone should understand of this book will help you find specific rules you need. that elements might come up that make some players feel Defining Characters uncomfortable or even unwelcome, and everyone should agree to respect those boundaries during play. That way, In Pathfinder, the players take on the role of player everyone can enjoy the game together. characters (PCs), while the Game Master portrays Pathfinder is a game for everyone, regardless of their age, nonplayer characters (NPCs) and monsters. While PCs gender, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or any and NPCs are both important to the story, they serve very other identities and life experiences. It is the responsibility different purposes in the game. PCs are the protagonists— of all of the players, not just the GM, to make sure the the narrative is about them—while NPCs and monsters table is fun and welcoming to all. are allies, contacts, adversaries, and villains. That said, PCs, NPCs, and monsters share several characteristics. Tools of Play Level is one of the most important statistics of the game, In addition to this book, there are a few things you will as it conveys the approximate power and capabilities of need to play Pathfinder. These supplies can be found at every individual creature. PCs range in level from 1st, at your local hobby shop or online at paizo.com. the start of the character’s adventuring career, to 20th, Character Sheet: Each player will need a character sheet the very height of power. As the characters overcome to create their character and to record what happens to challenges, defeat foes, and complete adventures, they that character during play. You can find a character sheet accumulate Experience Points (XP). Every time a character in the back of this book and online as a free pdf. amasses 1,000 XP, they go up a level, gaining new abilities Dice: The players and GM will need at least one set of so they can take on even greater challenges. A 1st-level PC polyhedral dice, although most participants bring their might face off against a giant rat or a group of bandits, but own. Six-sided dice are quite common, but all the dice in at 20th level, that same character might be able to bring the set can be found at hobby game stores or online. See ruin to an entire city with a single spell. the Dice sidebar on page 7 for more on the different kinds In addition to level, characters are defined by ability of dice and how they are discussed in the text. scores, which measure a character’s raw potential and are 8 1 Introduction THE WORLD AS A used to calculate most of their other statistics. There are six ability scores in the game. Introduction PARTICIPANT Strength represents a character’s physical might, while Dexterity represents agility Aside from characters and and the ability to avoid danger. Constitution indicates a character’s overall health and monsters, the world of Ancestries & well-being. Intelligence represents raw knowledge and problem-solving ability, while Pathfinder itself can be a Backgrounds Wisdom measures a character’s insight and the ability to evaluate a situation. Finally, force at the table and in Charisma indicates charm, persuasiveness, and force of personality. Ability scores for the narrative. While the Classes ordinary folk range from as low as 3 to as high as 18, with 10 representing average presence of the larger world human capabilities. High-level characters can have ability scores that range much can sometimes be an obvious higher than 18. hazard, such as when a Skills An ability score that’s above the average increases your chance of success at tasks powerful storm lashes the countryside, the world can related to the ability score, while those below the average decrease your chance. This Feats also act in subtle, small ways. adjustment is called an ability modifier. Traps and treasures are just Your player character is also defined by some key choices you make. The first choice Equipment as important in many tales is a PC’s ancestry, representing the character’s parents and heritage, such as human, as cunning beasts. To help elf, or goblin. Next up is the PC’s background, which describes their upbringing, from you understand these game Spells lowly street urchin to wealthy noble. Finally, and most importantly, a PC’s class defines elements, many of them use the majority of their aptitudes and abilities, like a wizard’s command of powerful the same characteristics as The Age of arcane spells or a druid’s power to transform into a fearsome beast! characters and monsters. For In addition to these key choices, player characters also have a number of feats— example, most environmental Lost OMENS hazards have a level, which individual abilities selected during character creation and as the character increases in level. Every feat has a type to denote where its explanation can be found (for indicates how dangerous they Playing the are, and the level of a magic example, elf feats can be found in the elf ancestry) and its theme (wizard feats, for Game item gives you a sense of its example, grant abilities that deal with spells). Finally, characters have skills that overall power and impact on measure their ability to hide, swim, bargain, and perform other common tasks. a story. Game mastering Creating a Narrative Characters and their choices create the story of Pathfinder, but how they interact Crafting with each other and the world around them is governed by rules. So, while you might & Treasure decide that your character undertakes an epic journey to overcome terrifying foes and make the world a safer place, your character’s chance of success is determined Appendix by their abilities, the choices you make, and the roll of the dice. The GM determines the premise and background of most adventures, although character histories and personalities certainly play a part. Once a game session begins, the players take turns describing what their characters attempt to do, while the GM determines the outcome, with the table working together toward a specific goal. The GM also describes the environment, other characters’ actions, and events. For example, the GM might announce that the characters’ hometown is under attack by marauding trolls. The characters might track the trolls to a nearby swamp—only to discover that the trolls were driven from their swamp by a fearsome dragon! The PCs then have the choice of taking on an entire tribe of trolls, the dragon, or both. Whatever they decide, their success depends on their choices and the die rolls they make during play. A single narrative—including the setup, plot, and conclusion—is called an adventure. A series of adventures creates an even larger narrative, called a campaign. An adventure might take several sessions to complete, whereas a campaign might take months or even years! 9