This was originally written by Owen Stephens, who gave me permission to post it here. If you plan to write for Paizo (or many other companies) you need to be familiar with these conventions. Note that other publishers may do things differently (and that's fine) but this is how Paizo does it. Owen is co-owner of Rogue Genius Games and a prolific Paizo freelancer.[h=3]Pathfinder Style Guide[/h]
...or the standard presentation of Pathfinder rules:
- There is no special treatment of the names of classes, races, class features, combat maneuvers, monsters, or mundane gear. Treat them the way your English teacher told you to.
- Spells and magic items are italicized. (I guess magic leans to the right.)
- Ability scores, feats, and skills are Capitalized.
- Even though it isn’t a sentence (so this is dumb), there is a period at the end of the "Prerequisites" line of a feat.
- Ability score minimum (which is listed as a flat number; "Str 13," not "Str 13+" or "Str 13 or greater"),
- Race (this is rare),
- Racial trait (also rare),
- Skill ranks (listed as "Ride 1 rank," not "Ride +1" or "Ride +1 or greater"),
- Other feats (in alphabetical order, and all the prerequisites of those feats should also be listed as prerequisites, shuffled in using this standardized order),
- Class feature (listed as "channel energy class feature" if you just need it, or as "channel energy 3d6" if you need some specific increment of it),
- Extraordinary ability, spell-like ability, supernatural ability,
- Any odd prerequisite not normally used (like "any two critical feats"),
- Base attack bonus (listed as "base attack bonus +1," not "BAB +1," or "base attack bonus +1 or greater"), caster level (listed as "caster level 7th," not "7th level caster" or "caster 7+"), class level (listed as "14th-level fighter," not "fighter 14" or "fighter 14+"),
- Character level *(which, perversely, IS listed as "character level 11th," and not "11th-level character").
[h=5]Check Your Feats Names[/h]
Whenever you reference a feat (or any other rule, but feats get messed up most often) for heaven's sake, CHECK YOUR FEAT NAMES. I once sent in a feat with "Deceptive" as a perquisite – which is great, except the feat I meant was "Deceitful."
Also, make sure you have the correct version of the names, looking for hyphens and compound words. It's Blind-Fight (not Blindfight, Blind-Fighting, or Blind Fight), Catch Off-Guard, Improved Bull Rush (not Improved Bull-Rush), Point-Blank Shot (NOT Pointblank Shot, or Point-Blank-Shot), Quick Draw, Ride-By Attack (but, note, Flyby Attack), Self-Sufficient, and Two-Weapon Fighting (not Two Weapon Fighting or Two-Weapon-Fighting). There are lots of other examples.
[h=5]On 1st/2nd/3rd Person for Pathfinder rules[/h]
- Class description use third-person language. ("This grants her a +2 bonus on attacks against pies." Or "The baker can select any of his cakes to gain this bonus.")
- Skills use second-person language. ("You can use the appropriate Craft skill to make cakes and pies.")
- Feats use second-person language. ("You gain the ability to eat twice as much pie and cake.")
- Spells and magic items use second person for the spellcaster ("You create explosive pies.") and third person for other creatures. ("The pie damages all foes within 30 feet, unless they make a Reflex save.")
[h=5]On gender[/h]
The question of how to use gender-specific pronouns to be both clear and inclusive is a contentious one, and different publishers handle it differently. At least for Rogue Genius Games, no product or series of products should ever, by example, suggest that gender is entirely binary, or that it defines the most likely role for a character. That is the First Rule of Gender, though RGG also follows the guidelines below.
The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook uses "he" as the default gender of gendered entities with an unknown gender. Things that do not have an immediately obvious gender (often, but not always, including monsters) are generally referred to as "it" even if they technically would have a gender. Many sentences are carefully worded to avoid the necessity of mentioning a player or character's gender at all (often by using plurals, but never plural pronouns as single nouns), but only when it can be done without creating awkwardness.
Specific classes (including prestige classes) are generally assumed to be the same gender as the iconic example of that class unless speaking about a specific character. Thus in examples (and the class write-ups) arcane tricksters, barbarians, battle heralds, clerics, druids, duelists, gunslingers, inquisitors, master chymists, master spies, nature wardens, oracles, paladins, pathfinder chroniclers, rogues, shadowdancers, sorcerers (who are, nevertheless, never referred to as the "sorceress class"), and witches are assumed to be female. Similarly, in those circumstances alchemists, arcane archers, assassins, bards, cavaliers, dragon disciples, eldritch knights, fighters, holy vindicators, horizon walkers, loremasters, magi, monks, mystic theurges, rangers, rage prophets, stalwart defenders, summoners, and wizards are assumed to be male.
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