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.

 

[Justice and Rule]

You would think that, but PF2 is much more similar to 4E. I think the change averse have been shooed away and the new base is more open to change. Thats just my impression of being a longtime PF1 Paizo fan that didnt follow through with the change.

I also think that, at a certain level, the people moving over like to have things like updates where it feels like the game designers are responding to what people say are problems with the game. Look at 5E, which has been notoriously resistant to any sort of large-scale updating of things despite people having a lot of problems (Man, I remember the hopeful days of the UA Ranger). I get the philosophy behind it, though I disagree with it. I suspect there are a lot of people who feel like me, being okay with certain things becoming "out of date" as long as the designers are trying to address and fix problems.

 

[Thomas Shey]

That's fine. But why is there Day One Errata? That's the whole reason I'm salty. The issues are so glaring that the books are basically junk before they're on store shelves. And that makes me leery of the entire project.

As someone who used to do editing--including editing in the RPG industry (I worked for-hire for Eden Studios for a while)--you'd be astonished how many things go through several editing passes, and then suddenly when you have the physical product in your hands you look at something and go "Oh, G-- D-- it..."

 

[Justice and Rule]

As someone who used to do editing--including editing in the RPG industry (I worked for-hire for Eden Studios for a while)--you'd be astonished how many things go through several editing passes, and then suddenly when you have the physical product in your hands you look at something and go "Oh, G-- D-- it..."

Yeah, at a certain point you just miss things, no matter how much you read over it. Having thousands of others looking through the book without the same preconceptions the editors might have (especially when they are searching for changes) will catch things they will have missed.

 

[Thomas Shey]

Yeah, at a certain point you just miss things, no matter how much you read over it. Having thousands of others looking through the book without the same preconceptions the editors might have (especially when they are searching for changes) will catch things they will have missed.

Yup. And sometimes even playtesters are of limited help, because they have been looking at it for a long time too, and see what they expect to see...

This is why blindtesters are priceless, but even full new editions only get so much blindtesting...

 

[Staffan]

That's fine. But why is there Day One Errata? That's the whole reason I'm salty. The issues are so glaring that the books are basically junk before they're on store shelves. And that makes me leery of the entire project.

Really? There are 23 items of errata listed on Paizo's website for Player Core 1, and 8 for GM Core. The only one I'd call "glaring" is the one concerning the wounded/dying rules. The rest of the "errata" recently released are how to use the old CRB, Dark Archive, Secrets of Magic, and Advanced Player's Guide with the changed rules.

 

[Kaodi]

That comment that PF2 should not exist was certainly a take. Especially when you consider that PF2 is so good that they are literally making the next edition of Starfinder 100% compatible with it.

 

[Velderan]

That comment that PF2 should not exist was certainly a take. Especially when you consider that PF2 is so good that they are literally making the next edition of Starfinder 100% compatible with it.

It's up there with the claim the designers need to spend time with other systems when they've managed to create checks notes the 2nd most popular system by most available information and a game that is doing well enough that the publisher is doubling down on the system with a 2nd game.

I mean don't like a system all you want, PF2e is certainly not for everyone but claiming it's a mistake or bad when it clearly has it's fans is just silly.

 

[SteveC]

It's up there with the claim the designers need to spend time with other systems when they've managed to create checks notes the 2nd most popular system by most available information and a game that is doing well enough that the publisher is doubling down on the system with a 2nd game.

I mean don't like a system all you want, PF2e is certainly not for everyone but claiming it's a mistake or bad when it clearly has it's fans is just silly.

I can't agree with this enough: I am not a fan of the Remaster, but PF2 has been an amazingly successful game. What's more it has grown in popularity tremendously in 2023. Of course people like the games they like and dislike what they don't, but to say it's a mistake takes yucking other people's yum to a new level.

 

[Thomas Shey]

It's up there with the claim the designers need to spend time with other systems when they've managed to create checks notes the 2nd most popular system by most available information and a game that is doing well enough that the publisher is doubling down on the system with a 2nd game.

I mean don't like a system all you want, PF2e is certainly not for everyone but claiming it's a mistake or bad when it clearly has it's fans is just silly.

Yeah. There are reasons PF2e won't suit various people, both within and without of the D&D-sphere, but to act like it isn't serving its users properly only makes sense if you don't understand what they're getting out of it or think what they're getting is somehow, intrinsically, "bad".

 

[Velderan]

My replacement books arrived yesterday and I finally got a chance to open them today. I opened the Player Core book and noticed this is in the inside cover..

@Whizbang Dustyboots I forget which thread we were discussing this (at least I’m pretty sure it was you..), but having a piece of art to set the tone for what the game is about is a nice touch for a new player picking the book up off a shelf to flip through. So much nicer than a blank page.

GM Core has this picture:

Edit: Had to fix the images, the forum doesn't seem to like .HEIC files.