Pathfinder 1E Which Pathfinder Resources are "Must Haves?"

[tylermalan]

I was just now browsing Amazon for some Pathfinder books and saw a lot of the books I've seen in the past - many of these books seem to be a little obscure, especially the Companion line and some of the setting books.

I don't have many Pathfinder books and was hoping to get the community's opinion on books that you feel are real necessities at the table of a Pathfinder game. One that looks interesting to me, as an example, is Rule of Fear, but I've also seen one or two about deities and equipment and the like. I know I'm focusing on the obscure books, but I'm interested in hearing about the major releases, as well. As a reference, I and my group use the core rulebook, the APG, and I have the first Bestiary and the Inner Sea World Guide.

What books can you not live without?

 

[SteelDraco]

Ultimate Magic and, to a lesser degree, Ultimate Combat, are must-haves, in my opinion. I really like the classes in Ultimate Magic - I will probably play a magus and an alchemist as my next two PCs, honestly. The witch is very cool as well - there's one in my current Pathfinder game as the main caster, and she's effective and fun. UC is more important if someone is interested in playing a monk, or if you're going to have Asian influences in your game - the ninja is a nice rogue variant. The samurai I could take or leave. The monk got a very significant boost in Ultimate Combat, and the style feats are a cool addition to the game's mechanics.

I don't have any of the Golarion-specific material, as we're not using that setting in my group.

 

[SlyDoubt]

Sweet topic. I'd love to hear the same.

For me definitely the APG is a must have. Ultimate Combat is feeling like that too due to the immense amounts of monk love. I don't own any of the companions myself either and I'm curious too. I like that they're all about the same price as the adventure paths though, it's nice to be able to pick and choose what bits and pieces you want more info about at a very reasonable price.

 

[Osagasu]

Let's see, here's my opinion:

The CRB introduces the core races and classes and all of the basic mechanics. Must Have, period.

The APG steps out from under the WotC 3.5 umbrella with new classes and options for intermediate players. If your team is new, then this isn't really necessary, but as players learn they will want to branch out into the various base classes and PrCs, feats, favored class options, and so forth. These options aren't so much that they can't be worked into the vast majority of settings that allow the use of all the core classes.

UM is iffy. Mainly for use of advanced players, the options here are likely to change the flavor of people's campaigns beyond what some people are comfortable with. While the extra rules help streamline certain combat types (spell duels), and others add entirely new ways to play (Words) they're largely unnecessary. If your setting's magic was already fluffed to be word casting and not crunched that way, this is a pretty necessary book, but that's the only time I could see where it would be on my "must have" list

UC is also necessary in limited situations. A lot of DMs don't want guns in their campaign, which is half the book pretty much. However, the eastern armor, vehicles, and siege engine rules make this book nearly mandatory for any campaign that hopes to run with them.

The campaign setting books are mostly fluff, which most adding only one or two extra options, making them largely extraneous and only needed if you plan on running a campaign in Golarion.

I know this went a tad beyond the scope... I kinda got carried away. >.>

 

[Asmo]

"City of Strangers" by James L. Sutter (Pathfinder Chronicles) is one of the best rpg supplement I´ve ever read.
The book deals with a very special city - Kaer Maga - and its dark secrets.
A veritable smogasbord, filled with delicious treats off all kind, crammed in this 64 page wonder.

Asmo

 

[tylermalan]

I know this went a tad beyond the scope... I kinda got carried away. >.>

I guess I meant more like, what books are must haves for you?

Kaer Maga seems pretty awesome. Where in the setting is it?

Also, has anyone read Rule of Fear?

 

[enrious]

For the core books, certainly the core rulebook.

The APG is a nice addition that introduces mechanics that have sort of defined how Pathfinder is striking out on its own, such as archetypes.

The GameMastery Guide is useful even for experienced GMs (although naturally it's less useful the more experience you are), although having writeups of commonly encountered NPCs is very nice.

Ultimate Magic is as has been said a mixed bag. The magus is very well done, but if you're not looking for spells or playing a spell caster *and* your GM will allow the material (some of which is mechanically broken) then I wouldn't bother.

Ultimate Combat from my perspective is pretty horrible, unless you play a monk. The bulk of it consists of broken rules, broken material, and stuff that's at the level of 3.5 splatbook quality. So my advice is that unless you play a monk or a spellcaster (10% of the book is spells) then avoid this book. Oh I forgot, if you want some wonky not-really-beta-tested firearms rules, grab this book.

There was recent discussion that observed that there seems to be a difference in quality between the recent core rules products (such as Ultimate Combat and Ultimate Magic) and the Inner Seas/Chronicles products (for example, Inner Sea Magic even thought it's 64 pages is more useful to anyone in a Pathfinder campaign than Ultimate Magic) and there may be something to it.

I don't know. I do know that for the most part, UC and UM will be unused by us and that's a first for Paizo products.

If you have the Inner Sea World Guide, then presumably you're using that setting. In which case, I'd say grab Inner Sea Magic, Bestiary 1&2, Inner Sea Map Folio is nice but optional (and reasonably priced), and then it's a matter of deciding what interests you next, like Gods & Magic or some of the race books.

Bear in mind that the mechanics of the "core" books end up in the PRD, so for example you can head over to http://d20pfsrd.com and take a look at what's in the APG, GMG, Bestiaries, UM, and soon UC. Look before you buy.

 

[DumbPaladin]

Rules-book wise, APG and Ultimate Combat seem pretty good choices. Overall I like the archetypes in UC, and some of the stuff requiring so much fixing in Ultimate Magic makes it "not quite essential", in my book.

In terms of campaign flavor, Inner Sea World Guide is a must have. It's very well done and gives you a kernel of the flavor of all manner of regions to set your campaigns in.

The only other book I consider is the small softcover book detailing the different deities -- Gods & Magic. The "Faiths" books are nice if you have a cleric in need of that information or if you really need yet further deity information, but I'm not sure it'd be essential to most games. I certainly find "Faiths of Balance" very interesting.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

It may be something of a chorus now: APG. It marks a point where Paizo decided 'let's go this way, instead', compared to 3.X.

Ultimate Magic - for the Magus among other things. If you're doing your own adventures then I have to tell you, hitting the party with an 'in your face' Black Blade Magus lich is great fun.

Other than that, it depends on whether you are running or playing.

If running then the GMG is good - the rules for statting out towns and the stats for many NPCs. And let us not forget Page 55. (The mark of being a true nerd - knowing about the Page 55 Project. It was a website dedicated to Page 55 in many books, listing the first paragraph or page... Why did it exist? Why not? I think that it is gone now, and don't know if the GMG made it in, but I found it amusing that they apparently aimed a page right at the Project.)

If playing... I recommend downloading the free Player's Guides for the Adventure Paths, there are some nifty Traits in them, and the price is definitely right.

The Auld Grump

 

[Steel_Wind]

I dissent.

"Must" is not the same as "nice".

The "must haves" are , in my opinion, The Core RuleBook, the APG and Bestiary 1.

All else is nice, cool even. But not a "must", imo.

For that matter, the APG is not entirely a must -- but it is so useful and such a go to book that it has in the past 13 months essentially become a core book.

Now -- what would I get, were I you? Every Paizo hardcover, in the following order of acquisition: Bestiary 2, GameMastery Guide, Ultimate Magic, Ultimate Combat.

After that, it really does depend on taste and the campaign you are running.