Pathfinder Player and GM Core Are Now Available

The new Remastered core rulebooks will serve as a fresh entry point for Pathfinder 2nd Edition under the ORC license.

Today, November 15th, Paizo released the first two books of their remastered line: Pathfinder Player Core and Pathfinder GM Core. They will continue the line in 2024 with Pathfinder Monster Core and Pathfinder Player Core 2.

These books serve as a fresh entry point into 2nd edition while removing any carried over OGL content and incorporating several years of errata and changes to the game. This comes as a response to the concerns brought about earlier this year with the shifting conditions of the Open Gaming License and the huge influx of new Pathfinder players. This explosion of new players saw Paizo selling out of Pathfinder Core Rulebook in Q1 and triggered an unexpected new and final printing of the book.

Paizo used this opportunity to pull content from many of the previous books, along with errata and feedback from the developers and players, to replace the OGL books as they are phased out of production. They also streamlined the organization of the books to make it easier to navigate for old and new players alike.

The design team also took this opportunity to introduce new rules, heritages, and feats, as well as overhauling spellcasting.

We did a review of both books earlier this month. They are available now in standard hardcover, Special Edition hardcover, and hobby-retailer exclusive Sketch Cover hardcovers.

If you want to find out more about the ORC license, you can find it on Azora’s website.

 

[Lucas Yew]

And apparently they have some day 1 errata, too.

 

[Reynard]

And apparently they have some day 1 errata, too.

Printing takes a long time.

 

[orial]

When WOTC released a day one errata, or even plans to release a new ”edition” the internet was to small.

 

[Retreater]

It's not actually errata. It's changing the rules. They're just calling it "errata" to make it look like they know what they're doing and that the remaster wasn't a rush job.
I'm waiting to purchase until a print copy with all this "errata" is incorporated. I'm not going to drop over a hundred dollars on a system that is instantly outdated.

 

[Velderan]

Printing takes a long time.

Since they print in China, guessing these books were sent to the printer earlier in the summer. Sucks they missed some things, but given they felt they needed to get the core material out from under the OGL ASAP, it's understandable why the books were so rushed IMO.

 

[Reynard]

Since they print in China, guessing these books were sent to the printer earlier in the summer. Sucks they missed some things, but given they felt they needed to be the core material out from under the OGL ASAP, it's understandable why the books were so rushed IMO.

They should not get a complete pass, of course. Editing is important and it looks like the dying rules thing was a complete flub. But they also produced these books in record time, so maybe a little bit of understanding is allowed.

 

[Reynard]

You know, I have a pretty wide potential player pool. That makes it only all the more frustrating when I can't fill a table to give PF2ER an honest go. "Let's just play 5E." UGH.

/rant

 

[Velderan]

They should not get a complete pass, of course. Editing is important and it looks like the dying rules thing was a complete flub. But they also produced these books in record time, so maybe a little bit of understanding is allowed.

Yep, they don't get a complete pass. Consider me disappointed, I guess. But I don't think it's a big enough deal to be outraged or hold off on getting the books. I probably look at it differently because I mostly play on Foundry, where the updates will end up much quicker. The books are just there to give me an initial read through.

I'm planning to start going to try PFS at my FLGS once my Saturdays settle down a bit and that's probably where what the books say will be a bit more relevant if the GM isn't savvy to online errata.

 

[GMMichael]

I can't seem to find information on this magic "overhaul." The prior article just said that the spells were alphabetized/schools removed.

Unrelated: PF2 still strikes me as Pathfinder's 4e. Did I browse the rules too quickly, or is there a silent rebellion somewhere that I don't know about?