[UPDATED] Pathfinder Unchained Contents Spoilers

Pathfinder Unchained is shipping to Paizo's subscribers. Below you'll find a quick look at the table of contents, introducing the five chapters of the book and what's in each. The book seems crammed full of new optional rules and systems. UPDATE: Be sure to scroll down to the comments below this article where a sequence of posts provides large amounts of detail about the book's content!

Unfortunately, I got my copy on the one day of the week where I work until 10 at night.

But I can give you a brief rundown of the table of contents!

Chapter 1 features the unchained versions of the Barbarian, Monk, Rogue, and Summoner.
It also has a section for determining "Fractional Base Bonuses" for multiclassing purposes, and a section for "Staggered Advancement" that lets you increase BAB, Saves, or HP between levels.

Chapter 2 is all about the skills and options. Background Skills, Consolidated Skills, Skill Groups... also expanded rules for Craft and Profession. It also turns out that the Rogue's new "skill tricks" are available to all classes with a feat. The Variant Multiclassing rules are also in this section, but doesn't include options from the Advanced Class Guide.

Chapter 3 has rules for removing alignment, a revised action economy (three simple actions per turn, one between turn action), a system for removing Iterative attacks (which lets you deal an additional hit of damage for every 5 points above their AC you rolled) , rules for Stamina and Combat Tricks, and rules for wounds, diseases, and poison.

Chapter 4 is all about magic. It has a simplified spellcasting system, alterations to spells, new material components that can modify spells, and some extensive magic item tweaks.

DMs can either remove magic items entirely (making the bonuses inherent), have magic items grant a bonus in addition to their normal effect (similar to 4e and 13th Age), or have them scale with level. There's also a system for making new ones that promises to be an "adventure".

Chapter 5 is dedicated to the quick monster creation rules.

I would like to answer more questions, but I really need to get going. Can't wait to get a chance to really read this!

UPDATE: Be sure to scroll down to the comments below this article where a sequence of posts provides large amounts of detail about the book's content!

 

[CubeB]

Oh crap, front page.

So, for the record, the deeper I look into this book, the more I'm trying to clarify what's going on.

So, when I can, I'm going to put a few little blurbs here.

The first one is Variant Multiclassing.

Variant Multiclassing is theoretically compatible with normal multiclassing, though the book advises that you stick with one or the other. As it stands, only classes published before the Advanced Class Guide's release are in this book. I'm guessing that ACG classes will be in some sort of "Unchained Origins" Player Companion.

You get Variant Multiclass options at 3rd, 7th, 11th, 15th, and 19th levels. If your secondary class has a deity, code of honor, or aura, you get that at first level.

Variant Multiclasses don't grant spell, save, or BAB progression; they only give class features. They also usually suffer a -2 to -4 penalty on level based effects.

Going through things REALLY FAST...

The barbarian gets the power to rage, plus uncanny dodge and DR.

The bard gets Bardic Knowledge, plus some bardic performances.

The cleric gets a domain, plus a channeling ability and spontaneous curing.

The Druid gets a companion, wild empathy, and wildshape, though all are weaker than a normal druids.

A Fighter gets bravery and the training options.

The monk gets unarmed strike, evasion, and a ki pool, plus a very late game armor bonus.

The Paladin gets Detect Evil, Lay on Hands, Smite, Mercy, and Divine Bond to a weapon.

The ranger gets tracking, favored enemy and terrain, woodland stride, swift tracker, and quarry.

The rogue gets trapfinding, sneak attack, uncanny dodge, and evasion.

The sorcerer gets limited bloodline access.

The Wizard gets access to school powers, a familiar, a cantrip, and a discovery.

The Alchemist gets bonuses to alchemy, bombs, mutagen, and poisoning.

The Cavalier gets an order, the power to issue a challenge, and the tactician ability.

The Gunslinger gets Guns n' Deeds.

Inquisitor gets stern gaze, judgement, and solo tactics.

Magus gets an arcane pool and arcana, plus limited spellstrike access.

An Oracle gets a Curse, and a mystery with limited revelation access. Also an orison (what is with these classes and giving 0 level spells as a mid game ability?)

Summoner gets Summon Monster, a weaker Eidolon, Shield Ally, and Aspect.

The witch gets a familiar, hexes, and yet another mid-game cantrip.


Over all, the options are interesting. Most of the really iconic options you'd want to dip for don't come in until about level 11 or so, however. Also, an abnormally high number of variant multiclasses give out the ability to cast a single cantrip at will as the level 7/11 ability.

 

[Kramodlog]

How does the new action economy work?

 

[CubeB]

Short version?

Players get three actions per turn. Things that took a swift, standard, or move action now just take an action.

Spell casting usually takes two actions. More complex stuff takes three.

There's a whole chart of options I don't have access to at the moment.

 

[CubeB]

I'm going to start sort of poking at the classes while I have time, since I think that's the hotbutton topic for this.

First, the Barbarian.

The big change here is rage, which (as previewed), applies direct bonuses to rolls and temp HP, rather than bonuses to strength. I'm not super familiar with the rage powers, so I can't accurately say what has changed without spending time comparing them directly. The big thing I noticed are "Stance" rage powers, which are activated as a move action and are mutually exclusive. They grant things like fast healing, bonuses to accuracy, strength check bonuses (for non-maneuvers), the ability to use Opportunity Attacks as counterattacks... stuff like that.

Also, Trap Sense is now Danger sense and applies to ambushes. Otherwise, the class looks pretty much the same as the original one, down to the names. It shouldn't be hard to use archetypes with it.

 

[CubeB]

Getting to the monk now.

The monk has full BAB, so Flurry now just adds bonus attacks.

The big change are the Ki Powers. A lot of these have the same names as normal monk powers, but function differently. (For example, Diamond Body requires you to spend Ki to neutralize poison, rather than straight immunity). Otherwise, they function a bit like ninja tricks. Oh, and Qinggong powers are an option.

 

[CubeB]

The Rogue's big new changes are the addition of the Rogue's Edge feature (which grants skill unlocks, more on those later), and Finesse Training.

Skill Unlocks are basically skill tricks. Things that grant you extra functions for your skills. They're not super impressive, but they're pretty cool. At low levels they're things like "You reduce the penalty for bluffing someone again after failing" or "you can notice people more easily while sleeping". Higher levels are more epic.

Finesse training is cool, though. You get Weapon Finesse for free, and then every few levels can choose a weapon that you can add Dex to damage with. Rogues are a lot more stabby now.

Another new thing: Sneak attacks now can apply debuffs. They scale with level, and refresh with each new sneak attack.

I'll check the talents later, I've got an appointment to catch.

 

[Ramaster]

Thanks Morrus and CubeB for the previews!

 

[CubeB]

Summoner's changes are mostly to the Eidolon (which means the class should be compatible with archetypes). Eidolons have fewer evolution points now (15 at level 20), and are required to pick a subtype.

The subtype grants them thematic abilities replacing the lost evolution points. I guess this is to make things more logical and less minmaxy. I'm not too upset, since the flavor is pretty cool in a lot of ways.

The subtypes are Agathion, Angel, Archon, Azata, Daemon, Demon, Devil, Div, Elemental, Inevitable, Protean, and Psychopomp.

...I know Synthesist is widely considered to be broken, but I really want to try mixing it with these subtypes so I can wear an Inevitable as Power Armor.

 

[CubeB]

Going through the skill changes...

The Background skill variant divides skills into two sections: Adventuring and Background.

Adventuring Skills are the ones like Perception, Stealth, Disable Device, and knowledges directly associated with adventuring. Background skills are ones like Handle Animal, Profession, Craft, and Perform, plus knowledges like History and Nobility. You get two bonus skill ranks per level to spend on background skills in this system. There are also two new skills in the form of Artistry (which is like craft for the literary, rhetorical, and musical arts), and Lore (Which is a hyper specific knowledge skill that only applies to a narrow category of things). Artistry I could see working in a normal campaign, but Lore really only works in the background system.

A general addition comes in the new uses for Craft, Perform, and Profession.

Craft now lets you appraise items, or identify things base on the craftsmanship of an item (Who made it? Is it real?)

Perform lets you do similar things with performances. (Knowledge: Showtunes)

The big one is Profession: It now allows you to do anything that would normally be required for you to do your job, in addition to its usual use as a downtime money generator. If you have Profession: Cook, you can cook a meal, identify ingredients, spot poison in food, and sell your cooking for money.

The Consolidated skill system condenses things into Acrobatics, Athletics, Finnesse, Influence, Nature, Perception, Performance, Religion, Society, Spellcraft, Stealth and Survival. You get far fewer skills in this system, but they do more things. Skill Focus also has been changed.

The last system falls under Skill Groups, which grant you very broad skill groups based on Int, and then you can declare specific skills in those groups to be specialized. I don't really get this one.

The rest of the skill chapter covers alternate crafting rules (including ones for running a shop), and the Skill Unlocks that the Rogue has access to now. There's a feat that lets anyone unlock new uses of a skill as well. (Heal lets you apply multiple days worth of healing at once on deadly wounds, Intimidate lets you add more terror effects, swim gets you a swim speed, etc...)

Oh, and Variant Multiclassing is in this chapter, but I already covered that.