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

 

[Retreater]

Umm, you do realize they are right?

Yeah. Sorry the joke didn't translate through the post.

Honestly, I don't really buy many books and I use more PDFs (and AoN) than anything. And really, AoN (as well as the Foundry VTT system) are better organized and linked than any book or PDF could ever be.

When I've tried running PF2 in person using only my print books, it was a chore. I started my first campaign (Age of Ashes) and struggled through the first book in person before we transitioned to Roll20 for online play due to COVID. Even if Roll20's implementation wasn't as good as I later discovered Foundry's to be, it was an improvement over the books (and status cards, and ugly/messy character sheets, etc.) Even last summer as I was trying to run Pathfinder Society at my local store, I couldn't keep up with the rules, track conditions, or generally find what I needed in the books.

I think my ultimate realization is that I won't purchase physical products from Paizo in the future. Not because I'm actually angry (because - trust me - I'm used to the new edition rotation cycle from Games Workshop.) It's just that these PF books sit on my shelf; my only engagement with this game is on Foundry (and maybe the occasional adventure PDF). [Wait, is this what WotC hopes from the D&D VTT?]

I have to wonder: Does Paizo even want us to buy books anymore? I don't know if the system is even playable without using a VTT and AoN. It's legitimately the most complex system I have ever ran (not the most complicated - that is different.)

In the end, every physical book I've purchased from Paizo is like a charitable donation I'm making to that company (and my local game store). I keep the books on my book case like a picture of a sponsored dog on my fridge - and I smile, knowing that Sarah McLachlan and I made a difference in one game company's life.

 

[Thomas Shey]

Being able to do "anything" is not the same thing as doing "everything".

There are opportunity costs.

Choosing to know one spell that does single-target heavy damage, or a weapon grade cantrip, means less space for spells that do other kinds of effects.

It is reasonably easy for a designer to ensure a balanced character.

If it's so easy, show an example. Especially an example anywhere in the D&D-sphere. I certainly haven't seen one ever in the latter, and in most of the systems where that's true, magic is immensely weaker than it is in any D&D-style game.

 

[Thomas Shey]

I have to wonder: Does Paizo even want us to buy books anymore? I don't know if the system is even playable without using a VTT and AoN. It's legitimately the most complex system I have ever ran (not the most complicated - that is different.)

Come on man, you don't need to get into the hyperbole competition with Ysaarel.

More seriously, there's nothing I see in PF2e I couldn't handle manually. The only thing I even think would be some work is keeping track of conditions.

 

[Weiley31]

Also:
View attachment 283109
STRICTLY because of this image, I love the Proteans and want to play as this dapper fellow or something like this!

Ganzi/Lizardfolk would also work too!

 

[Retreater]

Come on man, you don't need to get into the hyperbole competition with Ysaarel.

More seriously, there's nothing I see in PF2e I couldn't handle manually. The only thing I even think would be some work is keeping track of conditions.

I don't know. Maybe reliance on the online tools have weakened my GMimg skills? Or perhaps it's that I've got too many systems rattling in my brain currently? It could be, perhaps my shoes are too tight. But I think that the most likely reason of all. May be that my heart is two sizes too small.

 

[Weiley31]

My problem is with the lack of transparency and the misleading statements made by this company during January. There was no indication during the sales spike that the rulebooks being purchased were, let's be honest here, being replaced. Using an old rulebook and needing to reference the errata or bringing up AoN when you play is not the way most of those purchasers envisioned their future with PF2E. It's even more sickening this statement acknowledges the profits from those sales were at least part of the impetus behind making them outdated so quickly. Paizo needs to offer an official apology, preferably on an industry-leading platform such as EN World, to the RPG community for the withholding of information they used to take advantage of buyers.

That's more on WoTC for being stupid and pretty much handing those sales to Paizo on a silver platter. Plus, If WoTC didn't do the crap they tried to do with the OGL, the Remastered Core set wouldn't be in existence right now.

 

[Andvari]

I have to wonder: Does Paizo even want us to buy books anymore? I don't know if the system is even playable without using a VTT and AoN. It's legitimately the most complex system I have ever ran (not the most complicated - that is different.)

I only run it in-person. I agree it has a steep learning curve. I just handwave a lot on the spot and look up the rules for the next session if I expect it to come up again, and outsource most of the class-specific rules to my players. I've added a few simple house rules for things the book doesn't cover.

I think it does what it intends to quite well for the most part, often in an elegant way other systems could learn from, but after having run 30 sessions with it, I can say I prefer a less rules-intensive game. I would probably have felt more at home with Castles & Crusades.

Though I will probably run another campaign with the system after my current one anyway, as it's the one my group is used to now, and I'm interested in seeing how it holds up at higher levels for myself.

 

[The-Magic-Sword]

My "glee" is for teaching purposes.

To communicate how asinine it is when Fighter players assume they have some kind of right to be the center of the story, and take for granted that all the other players need to play "side kicks" or "buff bots" to pamper the ego of the Fighter player even more, while the spotlight shines on the Fighter sword battling the big bad.

Sorry, but it doesnt need to be a Fighter there. It can be Wizard wand battling the big bad. Or a Cleric, or Rogue, or Bard, or Monk, or Sorcerer, or any class that each player prefers to play.

All classes need options to be the main character of a combat story. Any class should be able to function in the King Arthur role, in any of the guises of the archetypal hero.

It boils down to this: the mechanical option to choose heavy single-target damage.

And when players choose feats and options for their characters, the feats that a Wizard character qualifies for should be just as good as the feats that a Fighter character qualifies for − it is the same design space − but this balance between class options fails in Pathfinder 2.

Boy, have I got the guide for you!

 

[Retreater]

I only run it in-person. I agree it has a steep learning curve. I just handwave a lot on the spot and look up the rules for the next session if I expect it to come up again, and outsource most of the class-specific rules to my players. I've added a few simple house rules for things the book doesn't cover.

I'm jealous. There are things that come up every session (crafting rules, for example) that I can't remember no matter how many times I look them up. A cheat sheet of things I have to stop and look up during a typical game would be about 15 pages long.
I'm not even close to system mastery with it. I barely consider myself a serviceable GM. (If I'm being honest, I wouldn't want to be a player with me as a GM. Luckily, my players are more forgiving.)
As I've said before, PF2 is the most difficult system to run that I would consider running. I don't think I could even walk a new player through character creation - or do it myself - without Pathbuilder.
If those tools were to go away, I'd just have to shrug and declare "I guess we can't ever play PF2 again" (like I did after the 4E tools were taken offline.)

 

[Andvari]

I'm jealous. There are things that come up every session (crafting rules, for example) that I can't remember no matter how many times I look them up. A cheat sheet of things I have to stop and look up during a typical game would be about 15 pages long.
I'm not even close to system mastery with it. I barely consider myself a serviceable GM. (If I'm being honest, I wouldn't want to be a player with me as a GM. Luckily, my players are more forgiving.)
As I've said before, PF2 is the most difficult system to run that I would consider running. I don't think I could even walk a new player through character creation - or do it myself - without Pathbuilder.
If those tools were to go away, I'd just have to shrug and declare "I guess we can't ever play PF2 again" (like I did after the 4E tools were taken offline.)

If it's any comfort, I hate the crafting rules and secretly wish they were optional as I also forget them every time.