city-states; and countless tombs, dungeons, and monster

lairs with hidden secrets and relics. A Pathfinder character’s

adventures might take them to forsaken underwater ruins,
haunted gothic crypts, or magical universities in jungle
cities. A world of endless adventure awaits!
What Is a Roleplaying
Game?
A roleplaying game is an interactive story where one
player, the Game Master (GM), sets the scene and
presents challenges, while other players take the roles
of player characters (PCs) and attempt to overcome
those challenges. Danger comes in the form of monsters,
devious traps, and the machinations of adversarial agents,
but Pathfinder also provides political schemes, puzzles,
interpersonal drama, and much, much more.
The game is typically played in a group of four to seven
players, with one of those players serving as the group’s
GM. The GM prepares, presents, and presides over the
game’s world and story, posing challenges and playing
adversaries, allies, and bystanders alike. As each scene
flows, each player contributes to the story, responding
to situations according to the personality and abilities
of their character. Dice rolls, combined with preassigned
statistics, add an element of chance to the game and
determine whether characters succeed or fail at actions.
The Flow of the Game
Pathfinder is played in sessions, during which players
gather in person or online for a few hours to play the game.
A complete story can be as short as a single session, often
referred to as a “one-shot,” or it can stretch for multiple
sessions, forming a campaign that might last for months
or even years. If the GM enjoys telling the story and the
players are entertained, the game can go as long as you like.
A session can be mostly action, featuring battles with
vile beasts, escapes from fiendish traps, and the completion
of heroic quests. Alternatively, it could include negotiating
with a baron for rights to a fort, infiltrating an army of
lumbering giants, or bargaining with an angel for a strand
of hair to revive a slain friend. Ultimately, it’s up to you
and your group to determine what kind of game you’re
playing, from dungeon exploration to a nuanced political
drama, or anything in between.
including the Game Master, but for the sake of simplicity,
“player” usually refers to participants other than the
GM. Before the game begins, players invent a history
and personality for their characters, using the rules to
determine their characters’ statistics, abilities, strengths,
and weaknesses. The GM might limit the options available
during character creation, but the limits are discussed
ahead of time so everyone can create interesting heroes.
In general, the only limits to character concepts are the
players’ imaginations and the GM’s guidelines.
During the game, players describe the actions their
characters take and roll dice, using their characters’
abilities. The GM resolves the outcome of these actions.
Some players enjoy acting out (or roleplaying) what they
do as if they were their characters, while others describe
their characters’ actions as if telling a story. Do whatever
feels best!
If this is your first experience with a roleplaying game,
it’s recommended that you take on the role of a player to
familiarize yourself with the rules and the world.
The Game Master
While the other players create and control their
characters, the Game Master (or GM) is in charge of
the story and world. The GM describes all the situations
player characters experience in an adventure, considers
how the actions of player characters affect the story, and
interprets the rules along the way. The Game Master uses
the rules and advice found in Pathfinder GM Core.
The GM can create a new adventure—crafting a
narrative, selecting monsters, and assigning treasure
on their own—or they can instead rely on a published
adventure, using it as a basis for the session and modifying
it as needed to accommodate their individual players
and the group’s style of play. Some even run games that
combine original and published content, mixing both
together to form a new narrative.
Being the GM is a challenge, requiring you to adjudicate
the rules, narrate the story, and juggle other responsibilities.
But it can also be very rewarding and worth all the work
required to run a good game. If it’s your first time running
a game, remember that the only thing that matters is that
everyone, including you, has a fun time. Everything else
will come naturally with practice and patience.
5
Ancestries &
Backgrounds
Classes
Skills
Feats
Equipment
Spells
Playing the Game
Conditions Appendix
Character Sheet
Glossary & Index