Pathfinder 2E Pathfinder To Get New Core Rulebooks Soon

It's not just D&D that's getting a 'revised' set of core books--Pathfinder is also getting 'remastered' books! The core rulebooks are being replaced by a new set of books, with new names, but like D&D it is being reiterated that this is not a new edition--"With the exception of a few minor variations in terminology and a slightly different mix of monsters, spells, and magic items, the rules remain largely unchanged."

The existing Pathfinder Core Rulebook, Gamemastery Guide, Bestiary, and Advanced Player’s Guide are being replaced with Pathfinder Player Core, Pathfinder GM Core, Pathfinder Monster Core, and Pathfinder Player Core 2.

These books appear to focus on re-organization and consolidation of existing material rather than substantive changes. They also represent Paizo's move away from the Open Gaming License and towards the new Open RPG Creative (ORC) license. Paizo says "This transition will result in a few minor modifications to the Pathfinder Second Edition system, notably the removal of alignment and a small number of nostalgic creatures, spells, and magic items exclusive to the OGL. These elements remain a part of the corpus of Pathfinder Second Edition rules for those who still want them, and are fully compatible with the new remastered rules, but will not appear in future Pathfinder releases."

Pathfinder 2E - Paizo Reveals Wayne Reynolds' Pathfinder Remastered Cover Sketches

While the final colour pieces won't arrive for a few weeks, Paizo's Erik Mona revealed the cover sketches of the upcoming Pathfinder Remastered core rulebooks while at the GAMA industry trade show yesterday. In an unsual move, you will actually be able to buy special 'sketch' editions of the...

www.enworld.org

 

[Scribe]

This transition will result in a few minor modifications to the Pathfinder Second Edition system, notably the removal of alignment and a small number of nostalgic creatures, spells, and magic items exclusive to the OGL.

 

[TRDG]

Its wordage changed to finally be free of OGL for good and along the way some tweeks from the 4 years of experience.

A bit worried and excited at the same time myself, way less than the revised 5th Ed upcoming....

Tom

 

[mewzard]

I'm looking forward to seeing all the changes in action, especially the new class improvements for the Witch, Alchemist, Champion and Oracle.

As for Alignment, yeah, the 3x3 Alignment Grid is gone, but the concept of character morality is not. They did talk about it on the streams.

Instead of Alignment, there is Edicts and Anathema.

You could run PF2 with the Core Rulebook and Bestiary. Now you need GM Core, Monster Core, and 2 Player Books (potentially, depending on your class). The Gamemastery Guide and APG were optional.

There are classes from the Core Rulebook being put in Players 2 (I saw Barbarian for sure) as well as APG classes going in Player 1 (I saw Witch for sure).
I've been reading about it a bit, so I don't remember the exact source, but I recall it was reputable. Maybe on the Paizo blog.

I mean, if you don't get the APG, you don't get Versatile Heritages or Archetypes, both fairly major losses for character choice, I'd say (to say the least of the four new classes).

To me, those four books were absolutely the core of 2e.

 

[Lojaan]

Nice! I may finally be able to get myself a copy of a rulebook when these come out!

 

[Retreater]

I mean, if you don't get the APG, you don't get Versatile Heritages or Archetypes, both fairly major losses for character choice, I'd say (to say the least of the four new classes).

To me, those four books were absolutely the core of 2e.

I have the APG, and I don't think I've ever used any of those. And the four new classes, with their complex subsystems and messy implementations I'd happily leave on the cutting room floor.
Gamemastery Guide was interesting for a page through, but hardly something I'd reference regularly.

 

[mewzard]

I have the APG, and I don't think I've ever used any of those. And the four new classes, with their complex subsystems and messy implementations I'd happily leave on the cutting room floor.
Gamemastery Guide was interesting for a page through, but hardly something I'd reference regularly.

Arguably one of the best optional rules of the Gamemastery Guide is the Free Archetype rules, to give players more options without sacrificing from their class.

And Versatile Heritages is something I've wanted for as long as I've played Pathfinder 1st Edition. It just gives you a lot more interesting options.

As for the classes, I had a lot of fun playing an Investigator. I was good at putting my knowledge and attention to detail to work for the group. My Free Archetype was Medic, it was beneficial to say the least.

 

[Nilbog]

I'm excited and curious. Which is good.

Paizo has always said that the CRB, Bestiary, APG and GMG are the core 4 books of PF2E, so replacing them with the 4 new books for me isn't a biggie, and will help as my players are reluctant to buy the CRB just for the player stuff, so if they now just need the Player Core 1 or 2 (both eventually I imagine) that's no bad thing.

The rules will still be available online, so all good.

A good time to streamline, tweak and reorganise and if it future proofs them from the debacle that was the OGL, even better.

 

[grankless]

Excited for the class revisions. Glad for the death of alignment, which is a stupid rule that only exists with mechanical ramifications because of DnD. People have been expecting Rogue and Wizard to lose their arbitrary weapon proficiencies for a long while now, so that was wholly expected.

Retreater, OneD&D/5e Two is altering core mechanics of the game and its resolution system, so of course it's going to be likened to an edition change. The core rules of 2e are not changing and you can run the game identically with the original CRB. Did you think that PF1e's "Unchained" book was an edition change?

 

[Peter BOSCO'S]

I read it.
And I claim that One D&D is a new edition (as do many PF2 players). Ergo, this is a new edition.
Different spells, monsters, magic items. No alignment. PF2 isn't exactly a "rules lite" game. You can't just go changing stuff and expect it won't have an impact, especially when they claim this is how the game will operate "going forward."
Rebalancing classes, putting previously optional rules in the core books. It's a big deal.

Yes, many people would likely agree that going from 5.0 to 5.5 can count as a new edition of D&D. Fewer would likely agree that going from 2.0 to 2.01, or even 2.1, if the changes end up being bigger than they sound, counts as a new edition of PF. YMMV.

 

[QuentinGeorge]

Lol remastered. No one wants to say “new edition”, do they?