Using This book

This book is divided into 15 chapters, along with a host of appendices. Chapters 1 through 11 cover all of the rules needed by players to create characters and play the game. Chapters 12 through 15 contain information intended to help a Game Master run the game and adjudicate the world. Generally speaking, if you are a player, you do not need to know the information in these later chapters, but you might be asked to reference them occasionally. The following synopses are presented to give you a broad overview of the rules encompassed within this book.

Chapter 1 (Getting Started)

: This chapter covers the basics of the Pathfinder RPG, including information on how to reference the rest of the book, rules for generating player characters (PCs), and rules for determining a character’s ability scores. Ability scores are the most basic attributes possessed by a character, describing his raw potential and ability.

Chapter 2 (Races): The Pathfinder RPG contains seven core races that represent the most common races in the game world. They are dwarves, elves, gnomes, half-elves, half-orcs, halflings, and humans. This chapter covers all of the rules needed to play a member of one of these races. When creating a PC, you should choose one of the races from this chapter.

Chapter 3 (Classes): There are 11 core classes in the Pathfinder RPG. Classes represent a character’s basic profession, and each one grants a host of special abilities. A character’s class also determines a wide variety of other statistics used by the character, including hit points, saving throw bonuses, weapon and armor proficiencies, and skill ranks. This chapter also covers the rules for advancing your character as he grows in power (gaining levels). Gaining additional levels in a class grants additional abilities and increases other statistics. When creating a PC, you should choose one class from this chapter and put one level into that class (for example, if you choose your starting class to be wizard, you would be a 1st-level wizard).

Chapter 4 (Skills): This chapter covers skills and how to use them during the game. Skills represent a wide variety of simple tasks that a character can perform, from climbing a wall to sneaking past a guard. Each character receives a number of skill ranks, which can be used to make the character better at using some skills. As a character gains levels, he receives additional skill ranks, which can be used to improve existing skills possessed by the character or to become proficient in the use of new skills. A character’s class determines how many skill ranks a character can spend.

Chapter 5 (Feats): Each character possesses a number of feats, which allow the character to perform some special action or grant some other capability that would otherwise not be allowed. Each character begins play with at least one feat, and new feat choices are awarded as a character advances in level.

Chapter 6 (Equipment): This chapter covers the basic gear and equipment that can be purchased, from armor and weapons to torches and backpacks. Here you will also find listed the cost for common services, such as staying in an inn or booking passage on a boat. Starting characters receive an amount of gold based on their respective classes which they can spend on equipment at 1st level.

Chapter 7 (Additional Rules): The rules in this chapter cover several miscellaneous rules that are important to playing the Pathfinder RPG, including alignment, encumbrance, movement, and visibility. Alignment tells you whether your character is an irredeemable villain, a virtuous hero, or anywhere in between. Encumbrance deals with how much weight your character can carry without being hindered. Movement describes the distance your character can travel in a minute, hour, or day, depending upon his race and the environment. Visibility deals with how far your character can see, based on race and the prevailing light conditions.

Chapter 8 (Combat): All characters eventually end up in life-or-death struggles against fearsome monsters and dangerous villains. This chapter covers how to deal with combat in the Pathfinder RPG. During combat, each character acts in turn (determined by initiative), with the order repeating itself until one side has perished or is otherwise defeated. In this chapter, you will find rules for taking a turn in combat, covering all of the various actions that you can perform. This chapter also includes rules for adjudicating special combat maneuvers (such as attempting to trip your enemy or trying to disarm his weapon) and character injury and death.

Chapter 9 (Magic): A number of classes (and some monsters) can cast spells, which can do nearly anything, from bringing the dead back to life to roasting your enemies with a ball of fire. This chapter deals with the rules for casting spells and learning new spells to cast. If your character can cast spells, you should become familiar with these rules.

Chapter 10 (Spells): Whereas the magic chapter describes how to cast a spell, this chapter deals with the individual spells themselves, starting with the lists of which spells are available to characters based on their classes. This is followed up by an extensive listing of every spell in the game, including its effects, range, duration, and other important variables. A character that can cast spells should read up on all the spells that are available to him.

Chapter 11 (Prestige Classes): Although the core classes in Chapter 3 allow for a wide variety of character types, prestige classes allow a character to become a master of one select theme. These advanced classes grant a specialized list of abilities that make a character very powerful in one area. A character must meet specific prerequisites before deciding to take levels in a prestige class. These prerequisites vary depending upon the prestige class. If you plan on taking levels in a prestige class, you should familiarize yourself with the prerequisites to ensure that your character can eventually meet them.

Chapter 12 (Gamemastering): This chapter covers the basics of running the Pathfinder RPG. It includes guidelines for creating a game, using a published adventure, adjudicating matters at the table, and awarding experience points and treasure. If you are the GM, you should become familiar with the concepts presented in this chapter.

Chapter 13 (Environment): Aside from fighting against monsters, a host of other dangers and challenges await the PCs as they play the Pathfinder RPG. This chapter covers the rules for adjudicating the environment, from cunning traps to bubbling lava, and is broken down by environment type, including dungeons, deserts, mountains, forests, swamps, aquatic, urban, and other dimensions and planes beyond reality. Finally, this chapter also includes information on weather and its effects on the game.

Chapter 14 (Creating NPCs): In addition to characters and monsters, the world is populated by countless nonplayer characters (NPCs). These characters are created and controlled by the GM and represent every other person that exists in the game world, from the local shopkeep to the greedy king. This chapter includes simple classes used by most NPCs (although some can possess levels in the core classes and prestige classes) and a system for generating an NPC’s statistics quickly.

Chapter 15 (Magic Items): As a character goes on adventures, he often finds magic items to help him in his struggles. This chapter covers these magic items in detail, including weapons, armor, potions, rings, rods, scrolls, staves, and wondrous items (a generic category that covers everything else). In addition, you will find cursed items (which hinder those who wield them), intelligent items, artifacts (items of incredible power), and the rules for creating new magic items in this chapter.

Appendices: The appendices at the back of the book gather a number of individual rules concerning special abilities and conditions. This section also includes a list of recommended reading and a discussion of other tools and products that you can use for a more enjoyable Pathfinder RPG experience.