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.

 

[Retreater]

This YouTuber (who I usually find to be supportive of Paizo and Pathfinder 2) recommends that people who already own the Core Rulebook of PF2.0 don't buy the remaster in print. He says it's just not worth it - and he suggests using Archives of Nethys or the change document on Paizo's site.

 

[Velderan]

This YouTuber (who I usually find to be supportive of Paizo and Pathfinder 2) recommends that people who already own the Core Rulebook of PF2.0 don't buy the remaster in print. He says it's just not worth it - and he suggests using Archives of Nethys or the change document on Paizo's site.

Without watching the video just yet to see why he said that (I’ll check it out later), I would generally agree. Unless you want to buy the books for reasons beyond the content (wanting to support Paizo, you collect physical books, etc.), there’s really not a compelling reason to buy them if you already have the CRB. The information inside just isn’t this huge change some seem to think it is, it’s just organized a lot better IMO.

 

[ReshiIRE]

I'm specifically buying the books in print to have as part of my physical collection, as part of a long term collection thing, to have an excuse to reread the rules, and because I don't own the CRB physically.

 

[Greg K]

Good news, with Archives of Nethys you wont have to spend a single penny to get the new rules.

yes. I am aware of Archives Nethys. However, I, personally, to find it convenient to read or find things. (edit: That should read inconvenient).

 

[payn]

yes. I am aware of Archives Nethys. However, I, personally, to find it convenient to read or find things.

The physical books work better for you? Hmm...

 

[Greg K]

I may be misreading what you’re saying, but the way the types of spells are organized would largely achieve that because some spells belong to multiple spell lists (e.g. heal is both a primal and divine spell).

I have no issue with spells being on multiple lists. However, for some classes, whatever list they take, there are several spells on that list that I don't associate with the class (e.g.witches) while other lists would still have spells that I do consider appropriate.

 

[Greg K]

I know that there is the spell Disguise Self that lets you alter your appearance (including race and, irrc small adjustments to height), but is their a cantrip that lets you only make smaller alterations to you appearance (e.g. eye color, hair color, hair length) such as in the scene from The Craft?

 

[ruemere]

Here's a request for a few answers on the remastered version:

Is the character sheet still a masochist accountant's dream?

Is the after encounter still a healing roll party?

Dying rules - got that covered (https://www.enworld.org/threads/pathfinder-2e-remasters-death-and-dying-rules-are-brutal.700952/).

 

[Retreater]

While I haven't read it myself, I've gotten a lot of information from reviews.

Is the character sheet still a masochist accountant's dream?

Yes, slightly improved but still a clustered mess.

Is the after encounter still a healing roll party?

No change in healing, with the exception that the cleric now maxes out the spots available for their healing font, so there's potentially more magical healing available.

Dying rules - got that covered (https://www.enworld.org/threads/pathfinder-2e-remasters-death-and-dying-rules-are-brutal.700952/).

They've errata'd that on their website. It now functions again like we all played it before the remaster.

 

[Velderan]

Here's a request for a few answers on the remastered version:

Is the character sheet still a masochist accountant's dream?

Is the after encounter still a healing roll party?

Dying rules - got that covered (https://www.enworld.org/threads/pathfinder-2e-remasters-death-and-dying-rules-are-brutal.700952/).

There’s a post from Reddit that shows the sheet from Paizo’s GenCon stream. I think my only real complaint is it doesn’t have a way to write down your strikes with MAP applied. Not a big deal, just something I would have liked to see if they could add it cleanly. Otherwise it’s easier to read than the original sheet IMO.