%% date:: [[2022-09-28]], [[2023-01-09]], [[2023-01-12]], [[2023-01-13]] %% # [[Pathfinder]] [site](https://paizo.com/pathfinder) Pathfinder is a [[Tabletop Roleplaying Games|TTRPG]] system that started as a spinoff from [[Dungeons & Dragons|D&D]] 3.5e. It is now on its second edition, and compared to D&D 5e, it is a crunchier RPG with lower GM agency and higher tactical potential for players. Pathfinder was creatd by [[Paizo]] in response to license hijinks that [[Wizards of the Coast]] pulled with them back when Paizo was publishing stuff for [[Dungeons & Dragons|D&D]]. Faced with an uncertain future, Paizo decided to create Pathfinder, and have been moving away from the [[OGL]] that [[Wizards of the Coast]] created ever since. ## System Summary Setting:: High fantasy Classes:: Yes - D&D classes plus alchemist, gunslinger, investigator, oracle, magus, witch, psychic, and many more! Races:: Yes, "ancestries" as well as "heritage" Tests:: d20 + modfiier vs. GM-set difficulty Degree of success:: Yes, four: critical success, success, fail, critical failure Attributes:: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma Player agency:: High - hero points are part of the system PC hardiness:: High - four stages of death PC power level:: High ## Distinguishing features ### Feats customise your character The best thing about Pathfinder is the feats. Characters have access to several types of feats: - Class - Ancestral Paragon (race) - Skill - General - Archetype (multiclass and other specialisations) At each level, you get one or more of these feats, and you have hundreds to choose from! Other than the class feats, the feats are mostly not too powerful, but they add a lot of flavour and really help characters feel unique. This is in stark contrast to game systems like [[Dungeons & Dragons|D&D 5e]], where there are levels where characters just get a bump in HP and not much of anything else. ### Hero points In Pathfinder, players get a hero point at the start of every session. They can use this to reroll a check or automatically stabilise themselves when they're dying. An alternative option I've been playing with is to let characters use hero points to change the story narratively ("I came here yesterday to scout out the place and left a shovel here just in case.") ### 10-minute reset Pathfinder is based on a 10-minute short rest cycle during which most of characters' resources reset. In 10 minutes, characters can get their wounds treated, recover focus points, and some class features. This is equivalent to D&D 5e's short rest, but faster. ### Three-action turns Pathfinder has a simplified three-action system. Instead of D&D's action/bonus action/move, combat turns in Pathfinder always consist of three actions. - Striding (moving) is one action - A basic attack is one action - Some spells are two actions - Some special features (such as *Manifest Eidolon*) are three actions Players can choose any combination of the three to do on any given turn. This simplifies a lot of the decisions while still providing enough choice angst to be interesting. ### Spells and focus spells Pathfinder has spells that are cast by mage classes like wizards, druids, clerics, etc., but there is also a new mechanic called focus. Focus means different things depending on the class, but it always represents another type of resource that a character has. For example, a bard's focus is spent on songs that buff allies. A summoner's focus spells buff their eidolon. A gunslinger's focus spells give them extra abilities when attacking with guns. There are focus cantrips that can be spammed and focus spells that are powered by focus points. Focus points are renewed during a short rest. ### Multiple attack penalty (MAP) Pathfinder imposes a MAP on characters that attack twice or more using their three actions. - First attack: -0 (no penalty) - Second attack: -5 (-4 for *agile* attacks) - Third attack: -10 (-8 for *agile* attacks) This penalty restricts both spellcasters and martial characters while still allowing for the possibility of a high-damage turn. ## My impressions of Pathfinder 2e I love playing Pathfinder 2e because of the character options and the quick combat. It's a crunchy system, crunchier than D&D 5e, but that does lend itself well to longer campaigns. ### What I like - [[Paizo]], the company that create Pathfinder, are very modern in their treatment of digital vs. physical books (physical books come with digital codes). They also have a subscription-based service for those wanting to get everything official. - The character feats are more fun than in any other system I've tried, and there are so many options that you can mix and match! - Paizo has a lot of adventure paths and supplementary material for this system. - Combat is highly tactical, but faster somehow. - Monsters are generally more interesting, mainly due to Pathfinder's many common actions (for trippling, grappling, etc.) that monsters can do as well. ### What I don't like - So many conditions! I think Pathfinder wins the "most conditions in a game" prize. - The four stages of dying are a little unwieldy. - Many common things are special actions in Pathfinder, so sometimes when you want to do something, it takes a while to find something that fits what you want to do. It makes play a little less impromptu ("you can't do that mechanically"). ## My games of Pathfinder - [[ttrpgs/The Undead Unkillers/World|The Undead Unkillers]] (player) - [[ttrpgs/Light of Memoria/World|Light of Memoria]] (GM) ## Resources - [Pathbuilder 2e](https://pathbuilder2e.com/): Online character builder - [Pathfinder EasyTool](http://www.pf2.easytool.es/) faster database search than [Archives of Nethys](https://www.aonprd.com/) - [Tarondor's Guide to Pathfinder Adventure Paths](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WDZBFJtiCc3CiFUwaed-A4kqiTi2JCHmb0jf65rH3oY/edit#heading=h.b3juihixprzp) - [Mimic Fight Club](https://mimic-fight-club.github.io/): character builder - [Pathfinder Dashboard](https://pathfinderdashboard.com/): Initiative tracker, monster statblocks - [Scribe](https://scribe.pf2.tools/): Converts Markdown to a nice, Pathfinder-like PDF - [Monster Pathfinder Tools](https://monster.pf2.tools/): Lets you create a Pathfinder 2e monster statblock that looks just like Paizo's