Pathfinder RPG Review by Dmitri

[Dmitri]

So, we have been talking for awhile here about core concepts, game balance issues, etc. It has been interesting to get some new viewpoints on some classes that I usually don't play. After talking, though, I still think that 3.5 DnD could use some tweaking. That said, I really don't want to throw out my relatively large 3.5 library and start over from scratch, like the folks at WotC want us to do, by going over to 4E. So along comes Paizo to the rescue, or so they would have us think. With the introduction of Pathfinder, a system based on the 3.5 d20 OGL, we have what seems to be a 3.75 of DnD. The system is designed to be wholly backwards compatible with WotC and other 3.5 products with minimal conversion, thus allowing those of us with hundreds wrapped up with the 3.5 system to still use some of the older books we have. But how good is it? At 50 bucks, it is a substantial investment... so does it actually do what it attempts? Is it worth the conversion?

If you wanna read along with me, there is a Pathfinder SRD site available:

www.d20pfsrd.com/

There is also a conversion guide for people who want to look over the changes and convert existing characters:

paizo.com/store/byCompany/p/paizoPublishingLLC/pathfinder/pathfinderRPG/v5748btpy89m6

So let the reviewing begin!

Overview:

The book is 576 pages long, and laid out like a combination of the 3.5 Players Handbook and the Dungeon Master's Guide. This is actually pretty key to me - while the book retails around 50 bucks, it contains 2 books worth of information. Essentially you are paying 25 bucks a shot for both of the key texts. The Bestiary is due out soon, and I don't know what kind of price point they have for this. But it is not totally necessary - I have set up a few sample encounters with existing monsters from the MM, and even without adjustment they seem to work OK. The artwork in the book is solid, if a little anime for my taste. The book looks sturdy and weighs a ton, so it can double as an improvised bludgeoning weapon when needed.

Chapter One - Getting Started:

This is alot like the PHB chapter along the same lines. It walks you through a basic play session, explains the core d20 mechanic, etc. It also explains the character building process, and details the stats, what they do, bonus spells for high ability scores, and character stat generation methods. It gives the basic methods, including your standard rolling method, a few alternate rolling methods (I kinda like the "2d6+6" one if I have to roll), and a new point buy system. Frankly, you could use any of the homebrew methods, or the ones in the PHB, or whatever - just so everyone is on the same page. Overall, a necessary chapter, but nothing new for us who are looking to up-convert.

Chapter Two - Races:

Here is where the crunchy bits get interesting. All of the races have gotten an overhaul here, with the standard PHB races included (dwarf, elf, gnome, halfling, half-elf, half-orc, human). The most obvious change here is that all the demi-human races now have two stats with a +2 bump, and one stat with a -2. Generally it is a mental stat and a physical bumped, like CHA or WIS. Half-human races and humans get one floating +2 stat bump of their choice, without penalty. This is a major change for half-orcs especially, who I now find a lot more useful than before.

Racial weapons work a little better in my opinion, with most races now getting a free proficiency in racial weapons or thematic weapons for them. Racial skill bonuses are still in place, and stuff like the elvish keen senses or the dwarven stonecunning are still there. The only other major racial change I can see is the way that favored classes work. Essentially, they have been done away with - the player chooses their favored class at the beginning of the campaign, and gets a choice of +1 HP or +1 skillpoint per level when following that class. Prestige classes cannot be used as favored classes, so this gives an impetus for following a class through 20 levels, or at least most of the way. It also reduces the flavor of the races though, giving someone who is an elf no more reason to play a wizard than a dwarf.

Chapter Three - Classes

Here is the real meat and potatoes of this system's major changes. I'm not going to try to detail all of the changes - read the SRD for all the details. I will give a basic rundown of the major themes though for each class. First, though, it is important to note that feats now come on every odd level for all character classes. That is 3 more total feats in a 20 level game, which is handy given that they have increased the number of feats in the core book by a bunch. So here is my summary...

Barbarian: Pretty much the same as 3.5, except that rage has been changed a bit. It now functions on rounds per day, rather than rages per day. Likewise, the barbarian now has "rage powers" that can be used while raging, some of which are quite cool, and just one more way to differentiate one barbarian from another.

Bard: I love what they did here! Shield proficiency without spell failure adds to survivability, as does an increase to d8 HD. New bard songs, which can heal, debuff and do fear stacking effects, are available. You get more skill boosting class abilities, which helps with the jack of all trades kind of thing, as well as access to level 1 spells right out the gate. Major change to spells, by the way - cantrips and orisons can now be cast for free, basically whenever you want to (took out cure minor to keep cheese down). All in all, the bard looks a lot more combat worthy now, and still versatile. Probably still one of the least "powerful" classes, but not so much so that they would be miserable to play, just a challenge.

Cleric: Major changes to domains, and turning is basically gone. Now there is a channeling feature that can hurt undead or heal living creatures that substitutes for turning. Clerics also lose heavy armor proficiency, something that is bound to be controversial. I think it is OK, and helps keep some of the "cleric combat monster" stuff under control, but not massively nerfing. There is also a new pantheon if that matters to anyone. Like bards, the old 0th level spells are now free casts, though they still must be prepared each day.

Druid: Wow... druids got beat with a huge nerf-bat. Wildshape is vastly altered - suffice to say that any druid trying to convert would likely need to restat to be useful when not casting spells. Orisons are free like clerics. Animal companions are now optional, as you can choose a thematic domain instead.

Fighter: Gets a major upgrade in this edition. With his bonus feats and the increased feat progression that everyone gets, fighters now get a feat every level. They also get a bunch of new class features that help them to fight better, in terms of AC and attack bonus and damage. I love this upgrade, and can't rave enough about it. I've thought about even trying to upconvert my own groups players to the martial classes here.

Monk: Lots of upgrades here. Flurry now works like unarmed TWFing, and actually gets a bonus to hit when making a flurry - but you never lose the -2 penalty. You have to read it, I can't explain it. They also get a ki pool, for activating some special abilities and such. Also, they get more bonus feats to choose from than before, which gives some really neat options. All in all a good upgrade to the class, though it still relies on scads of good scores, but such is the nature of the class.

Paladin: Pally gets upgraded, thankfully. Now they get a choice between a bonded weapon and a special mount, as well as more stuff to do with lay on hands and the like, called mercies. Several other small upgrades, overall its well done I think. Little things make a big difference here.

Ranger: Rangers are back to a d10 HD now, and get some extra options during their choices for combat styles. A few minor abilities, such as favored environments and the ability to ditch the animal companion to give bonuses on favored enemies to your allies, round out the new stuff. Again, nicely played I think. Enough to balance them up a bit, but not enough to overpower them.

Rogue: Also gets a HD bump to d8 (all the medium BAB classes do), and some neat new rogue talents (I especially like the minor and major magic talents, which give access to a cantrip and level 1 spell, respectively, limited times per day). All in all, this one might have gotten excessive, honestly, but I don't think so. Overall, another well done one I think.

Sorcerer: Low BAB classes are now d6 HD. Sorcerer gets cantrips free like a bard, and also Eschew Materials at level 1 (finally!). Blood lines are new, giving different origins and special abilities for the sorcerer. What's nice is that they aren't really high powered, compared to the spells you have access to, but they really contribute to flavor and roundedness. They do lose their familiar, if this really matters to people. I think the bloodlines more than make up for it, myself.

Wizard: Only 2 major changes here. First, they get to choose between a familiar and a bonded item, like a ring or staff or something. Second, all wizards now go into a "specialist" school, even if it is only the "universalist" track. Specialists now have the ability to cast from opposition schools, but at a cost of 2 spell slots per spell of the level, and a -4 penalty when crafting items from opposition schools. You also get a few minor powers at various levels, most of which are not really potent, but all flavorful. Also got the low level BAB bump to HD, up to a d6.

OK, been at this for a while... will continue with feats and skills next time round.

[Dmitri]

OK, onward and upward - heading into more stuff!

Chapter 4 - Skills:

Skills are changed a little from 3.5, though nothing so major that it makes it look like a radically new system. The first major thing that you notice is that skill points are no longer x4 at level 1. This is because now a class skill that is trained gets a +3 bonus... so frankly not much is different in these terms unless you really go nuts with cross-classing skills.

Some of the skills have been condensed, such as Search, Spot, and Listen now being categorized in Perception. Also Hide and Move Silently have been condensed into Stealth, and a few others have gotten changed too. Concentration is now deleted from the skill lists, and a new Fly skill is added for people who shapeshift and can get the ability to fly. Kind of an odd skill, but whatever.

Chapter 5 - Feats

Lots of new feats have been added to this list, many of which I like. Of particular note is the list of critical hit effects that are added from feats, changes to Cleave and Combat Expertise, and a new Power Attack kind of feat for ranged combat. Basically, this all is a big power up for fighters, making their bonus feats worth a lot more than they were in the old core SRD. One highlight for me is the new Arcane Strike and Arcane Armor training feats, that use the character's swift action to reduce arcane spell failure (thus killing quickened spellcasting) and to add a + to attack and damage rolls (at the same cost of quickened spells). Really neat for an eldritch knight build, and making one a lot more usable with just the core rules and not the splat stuff like Dragonslayer and Abjurant Champion. All I can say is read the Pathfinder SRD, since I could ramble about the little changes forever.

Chapter 6 - Equipment

Most of the equipment is the same in Pathfinder as in WotC's 3.5 rules. There are a few changes to special materials like adamantine and mithral, most noticeable for me being that Pathfinder specifies that if you want to wear a suit of mithral fullplate, you must be proficient in heavy armor. So a rogue can't use mithral breastplates without the feat or a multiclass, ditto for barbarians in mithral fullplate. A few of the armors have higher AC, terminating in fullplate getting a +9 with a max DEX of +1.

For weapons, again, most things are comparable. Most noticeably, they removed reach from the spiked chain and halbard. Otherwise, weapons are pretty well the same as they have been. I didn't read the entire "other gear" part, but it looks like prices have changed a little, but few other things.

Chapter Seven - Additional Rules:

Here is that part of DnD that confuses the hell out of most people - all the little odds and ends of the ruleset. Most of it is the same, but I like some specifics I will point out. First, they specifically say that some weapons, when being used to damage stone walls and such, are ineffective. So regardless of whether it is an adamantine sword or not, you can't use it to bash through a cavern wall.

They also include a "broken" condition for items, which impose a penalty on their usage, such as halving shield and armor bonuses and doubling check penalties, or for weapons applying a -2 to attack and damage rolls. This occurs at half HP for items, and makes the Craft skill much more important for everyone.

Chapter 8 and 9 - Combat and Magic:

OK, here are some more changes, for the better I think. Every character gets a "combat maneuver bonus" and a "combat maneuver defense" stat, based on BAB, size, STR, DEX, etc. This is used for all of the grapple, bullrush, sunder, disarm, trip, etc. checks that are made. Weapons and feats and the like can still add a bonus to it for certain actions, but overall it is much simplified from the 3.5 way of doing things. You role you bonus against the opponents combat maneuver defense (CMD), like an AC for these things, rather than an opposed roll.

Concentration is now basically a d20 + caster level + casting stat modifier, instead of keyed off a skill, so its kind of like giving casters a free skill point per level.

Not a lot has changed in Chapter 9 - Magic. They explain all the stuff about Concentration here, the spell schools, how to prepare, etc. So not much is different, at least at first blush.

Will do Chapter 10 - Spells and Chapter 11 - Prestige Classes soon.

[Dmitri]

Chapter 10 - Spells:

OK, this one is a long chapter, like the spell lists at the end of the PHB. I won't pretend to have read the whole thing yet, but I have glanced through it generally and can make the following general statements.

Polymorph Changes - In a fashion similar to the Druid's Wildshape, all the polymorphing spells you can get have been nerfed beyond recognition, and simplified significantly. Biggest thing is that you will have to keep your base physical stats now, and just take a bonus based on size for STR and natural armor and such. So if you are an 8 STR wizard polymorphing into a large creature, you only get a +4 bonus to STR - not earth shaking by any stretch. Wildshape has changed like this too, so Druids who dump physical stats beware!

Death Effect Changes - This I don't like, and would house rule in some fashion. Now a spell like Slay Living only does 12d6+1/CL on a failed save, or 3d6 on a made save. So basically it is just another kind of energy damage... boring! Maybe if it did this every round unless you make the save, but as written it is OK when you get it and worthless in a few levels. I say lame, so lame. I'd rather you take those spells out than make them silly like this.

Spells Without Saves - Many of the spells without saves have now been given saving throws. 2 good examples are Irresistible Dance (which is now somewhat resistible with a will save for reduced duration) and Ray of Enfeeblement, which gets a Fort save for half STR penalty. Seems like a lot of the save or suffer kind of spells got this kind of treatment - save and suffer a little, fail save and suffer much.

Chapter 11 - Prestige Classes

OK, it seems to me that Pathfinder really reinforces the whole "PrCs are a DM option and not a player right" concept. And I like that a lot. With the bump to the base classes outlined earlier, a lot of the PrCs special abilities are not so special anymore. Then when you take into account that you don't get a favored class bonus to HP or skill points, and that you lose out on some of the new class features at the higher levels, and the PrCs really aren't that attractive.

But with that said, I like the change. PrCs have always been about niche ability and special flavor to me, rather than massive power. I think a little of this has gotten lost in the glut of 3.5 splat books and their scads of PrCs and alternate classes. Anyway, enough of my rambling, and onto the specifics of some of the PrCs, in a similar format to the Classes section above.

First thing that should be noted is that saves are different with PrCs - no +2 to good saves at level 1 anymore... just look at them in the SRD if you wanna see the progression. Suffice it to say that this helps keep the huge save boosts from a one level dip from happening, and is welcome in my book.

Arcane Archer: Thank God, it now advances arcane casting for 7 of 10 levels. Everything else looks basically the same.

Arcane Trickster: Pretty much the same with slightly better HP, like all low BAB classes. A few new abilities, but not much to distinguish it from the older version.

Assassin: A few new abilities, but the big change here is that the assassin gets no spellcasting progression at all - not even the separate one that he used to get. Gets a d8 HD now though. I kind of miss the spells, but have never really played an assassin, so I really can't comment too much.

Dragon Disciple: Word... gets spell progression at 7/10 now, and nerfed stat bumps. A lot of other small changes - looks a lot like a new class in many ways. They also progress the bloodline feats of the sorcerer, though at a slower rate.

Duelist: Totally revamped and finally usable! From what I read in the book, they can use light armor, and do the INT to AC like before. They also get precision damage (1 per class level) if using a onehander and nothing in other hand. They also get parrying, and a few other features. Cool for a DEX fighter, or a rogue/fighter, or a martial bard if you can deal without the song and spell progression.

Eldritch Knight: Same as before, with better HP and a few more feats. Still 9 of 10 casting progression, thankfully - this should not be a full casting class. Perfect for my paladin/sorcerer multiclass.

Loremaster: No major changes except for a few extra HP, and a few class features that give divinations for free each day.

Mystic Thuerge: Gets d6 HD and the ability to use arcane slots to prepare divine spells, and vice versa, at a one spell level higher cost. Capstone ability lets you cast one of each kind of spell simultaneously 1x/day. I like the fact that it gets a few

Pathfinder Chronicler: This one is kind of setting specific, in that it assumes you are using the Pathfinder Adventure Paths and their organizations. Seems to beg for a bard to take it, but it loses all casting progression, so it seems a hard pill to swallow. Anyway, for campaign flavor, if you have a world that has this kind of organization, a nice choice. Definitely not overpowered.

Shadowdancer: Still a really odd blend, in my opinion. Better than in the DMG, however. Gets some new abilities, and is more closely tied to the rogue than before.

More to come as time allows!

[Dmitri]

Chapter 12, 13, 14, and 15 - GMing, Environment, Creating NPCs, and Magic Items:

OK, a lot of stuff here, but much of it the same as before in the standard DMG. Quick outlines below...

GMing: A really good chapter if you are new to RPGs, really repetitive if you have been playing for a decade or two. Good tables for XP and loot progressions (3 different speeds is kinda nice), as well as figuring out EL for challenges, traps, etc. Good stuff, and necessary to complete the system.

Environment: Much like the DMG version, a little simpler at times. The problem is that they took out the planar stuff - no description of a cosmology, at all. If you are like me, and like to make up your own cosmology, this is not an issue. If you don't like doing this, then you can always use the DMG or the online SRD stuff. Otherwise works like the normal stuff.

Creating NPCs: This chapter is nice - gives the normal outline of NPC classes, and step by step stuff for making NPCs on the fly. I like that it gives feat banks and premade stats for NPCs of different archetypes, really helps to do this stuff quicker. I made up 3 in 15 minutes using this, and it usually takes me that long to make one NPC. Not strictly necessary, but handy nonetheless.

Magic Items: With a very few exceptions, identical to the SRD. A few options for new bonuses on different very *friendly* persons, but nothing major.

[Dmitri]

Summary Review:

So... got to the end of the book. Read back over a few things, looked at a few things I missed; there is a lot here for the reading. So, if anyone cares, these are my thoughts after a bit of reflection, in the form of questions and answers.

Does Pathfinder help with class and race balance?

Yes, I think it does. By buffing the melee classes, especially the previously weak fighter and paladin, these type of characters are a lot more playable across all levels. Even more importantly, with the addition of the new favored class rules and abilities, class dipping is less desirable and there is actually a reason to play a fighter for 20 levels pure. Likewise, races other than human and dwarf are once again useful mechanically. Even PrCs are brought into line powerwise, I think. So I think that Pathfinder is a winner here.

Does Pathfinder totally balance the power level of melee and caster classes?

No, it does not. But I doubt that this is possible with the way that DnD is set up. It never has been fully balanced, and probably never will be. So I don't think that this is a major issue. They did a bit to help, but didn't swing the other way either.

Is Pathfinder compatible with previous d20 products, such as the WotC books for DnD?

Yes and no. Some things will clearly and easily work across both systems. But there are places were things make little to no sense. I think that Pathfinder works well by itself, and with a little bit of the splat material thrown in. But I don't think you can just replace your PhB with the Pathfinder rules and continue to use everything else without modification. Especially pointless now is Unearthed Arcana, which has lots of alternate rules that simply make no sense with the new Pathfinder system. But lots of stuff does work, like a lot of the PrCs from the Complete series. Some of the feats from the Complete series would also make little sense, since a few of the feats in the Pathfinder core rules have been altered significantly.

Is there a lot of new, good material for DMs?

Not really. Most of the DM stuff is there just for those who don't own a DMG at this point. Do note that you will need a Bestiary if you don't have the Monster Manuel.

Is the book worth the $50 that you need to shell out for a hardcopy?

Depends. If you are a DM or player who wants to be in a game that makes use of the new classes, it is kind of like working off the SRD online in a normal DnD game. I am doing that right now for my psion, and it is workable but less than pleasant at times. If you are just curious about the changes and are completely satisfied with the current setup, I would recommend just checking out the Pathfinder SRD or Pathfinder Wiki. For my players, we are in a long term campaign, so don't feel it necessary to upgrade. When this campaign ends someday, however, I will likely use this system in my games. Who knows - you may also see a few NPCs with a few of these features, and if you see a feat that you like let me know.

* * * * *

So, final tally? I give it an 8 out of 10. I'd have liked to have seen some new items, spells, etc. to go along with the class changes. Overall I think that everything looks pretty decent, and some of it looks fabulous to my eyes. I think it is a good replacement for the PHB, and I think it is a heck of a lot better than the travesty that 4th Edition seems to be. So give it a look!

[Dmitri]

Wanted to continue this a little, now that I have a few more of the materials and since Piazo has come out with a few new things. So here is a quick review of the Bestiary.

Pathfinder RPG Bestiary:

It's a Monster Manual for the Pathfinder RPG. Really that is enough said, in truth. In general, the creatures are the same as in the DnD 3.5 game, with changes made to accommodate the new rules for Pathfinder.

There are a few nice additions, such as exemplar dragons varying across different CRs and sizes and such. Helpful if you need one to run quickly. The same is true of elementals and a few other creatures. There are also a few more extraplanar creatures like demons/devils and such included, but nothing revolutionary. There are also some more variants of things like Skeletons and Zombies, which is kind of cool. Helps to create interesting encounters, particularly if you mix the types, Templates also got an overhaul, and seem easier to apply than before.

All in all, this book is what you would expect it to be - necessary to a DM running a Pathfinder game, and otherwise not that big of a deal.

For DMs, a 9/10 (the art is only OK in places)
For players, a 5/10 (since you don't really need it)

Next up will be the Game Mastery Guide, a text for DMs only, followed by a review of the Advanced Players Guide.

[Dmitri]

Pathfinder RPG Gamemastery Guide:

This is an odd book. It is like an optional DMG, really just an extension of a few things, with lots of ideas, ways to think about things, practical advice, prebuilt NPCs, etc. to make the DM job more rewarding, and easier. So... first thing is that this book is NOT necessary in anyway to play the game. Depending on what you are planning to do, in terms of pre-made modules vs homebrew adventures, and your preferred style of gaming, this book could be either a godsend or a waste of time.

So let's jump into the juicy bits!

Chapter 1: Getting Strated

This is a pretty basic chapter. It gets a DM who has never run a game into the swing of things, and reminds old timers not to be too sloppy with the basics. Covers stuff like how to find players, how to effectively manage big vs small groups, player absence, and OOC talking vs IC talking. For a newb, a useful read. For veterans, maybe not necessary, but a quick glance gave me a few interesting ideas. It goes on to deal with a list of things you would probably need to run a game, and section of game prep. Finally it ends with an odd section on creating a campaign setting or game guide - as in, getting it published or something... kind of an odd inclusion, but hey, whatever they wanna do I suppose!

Chapter 2: Running a Game

Fascinating reading, really. It reads like a "Dungeon Master Theory and Practicum 101" course manuel or something. Has good sections on narrative techniques. There is even a little section explaining the difference between the discrete uniform distribution of a single die roll like 1d20 vs the standard normal distribution of a multiple die roll, like 5d6. Not sure that is really necessary, but I found it interesting... then again, I am an extreme geek I suppose.

It does give more practical advice and direction - detailing the different ways to run an adventure (linear vs unrestricted vs nonlinear), how to build encounters (both mechanically with CR and APL and thematically) for interesting combats, and how to deal with unusual campaigns (no healer, no caster, all caster, small party, big party, etc.). The "Fixing a Broken Game" section is worth reading no matter how long you have been doing this, and the "Game Changers" section is great, too - it gives practical ways for a GM to handle invisibility, flying, teleportation, detect evil/lies, scrying, etc. Of course there is the requisite section on dealing with overpowered and/or overtreasured PCs, as well as conversion of material from other d20 systems.

The chapter ends with tables and charts of random plots, plot twists, quest items/goals, and names/titles/cultural indicators. Kind of a hodgepodge here at the end, but actually quite useful for quick reference.

Chapter 3: Player Characters

This section deals largely with how a DM relates to players. From character creation to teaching newbs the ropes, it follows the theme of "really great for new DMs, and a decent refresher for old ones". It has an EXCELLENT section on dealing with alignment issues, far more intelligently that the oft-repeated "ignore/chuck/toss/screw it".

There is also a good section on dealing with different kinds of PCs. Interestingly enough, I can find nearly everyone I have ever gamed with in this collection to some extent - most "problem personalities" have a root in something good. Anyway, good section for anyone here.

Chapter 4: Non Player Characters

Starts with basics like NPC roles (villain, donor, etc) and moves on to motivations and personality. Then a whole section on creating them as memorable characters in their own right WITHOUT spending hours on a single NPC who may show up for 5 minutes. It continues with more general NPC advice, including a neat system of NPC Boons that is both simple and engaging.

Of course, what NPC section would be complete with a section on the villain? Deals well with both creating memorable villains as well as how to run them. Includes cool stuff, too, on how to keep villains alive if you want them to be recurring without having it seem cheesy. Section ends with some more tables, called "NPC Creator's Toolbox". One of the more amusing parts of this was the "Random Adventuring Party Name Generator", on which I rolled such great party names as the "Irresistible Iron Weasels" and the "Studious Brown Oozes".

Chapter 5: Rewards

Interesting chapter. Strats with XP, and different methods for doling it out, as well as advice on leveling (when, how, where, etc). Moves on to treasure and magic items, including what to do with overtreasured PCs and overpowered items, reducing magic for low magic worlds, etc. Also deals with story/quest type treasure, and unusual treasure like lands and titles, intangible benefits, story benefits, and even other adventurers as the treasure (like getting information leading to a further adventure).

There is also a good section on PC-controlled rewards, like new spells (homebrew stuff), unusual spell components, wishes, etc. There is also, of course, tables and charts at the end of the chapter for random magic items and treasure, scrolls/wands/staves/rods, etc.

Chapter 6: Creating a World

This is one of the best chapters. It is basically a walkthrough of building a campaign setting, with a really nice checklist of questions that a DM will need to answer for the players. Also has some neat premade descriptions of different TYPES of worlds, ie. primitive, feudal, cosmopolitan, etc. It also gets into questions of technology, time, cosmology, planar issues... basically all the major issues a world-building DM will face. While it is not a dense chapter, I actually think this may be one of the most useful in the text for any DM, not just noobs.

Chapter 7: Adventures

This chapter is a nice intro to developing adventures, the "dungeon concept" , ie. self contained adventuring area, mapping a dungeon, different kinds of encounters, ecology of dungeons, etc. It also has the standard toolbox of tables for rolling random dungeons and features.

There is a discussion of the standard planes here, too, for all the planar adventure junkies - basically just like the stuff in the 3.5 DMG. A whole section is also dedicated to taverns, since so many adventurers, particularly dwarven ones, spend so much time there.

Other sections include: Water (ship adventurers with a nice ship-to-ship combat system that is pretty easy to figure out), Wilderness, Urban (including some pregen cities and other urban features). Very handy, nothing groundbreaking, but I found that it helped break my thinking out of a few ruts that I have gotten into with designing adventures.

Chapter 8: Advanced Topics

A good one, almost worth the price of admission by itself. Starts with a section on designing new rules and subsystems, and how to adapt existing rules and subsystems for unexpected situations. Then it gets into the really good stuff.

Chase scenes are tough to pull off, but the first alternate rule they put in makes them relatively easy to accomplish. Disasters follow, with natural and supernatural disasters both getting coverage. Drugs and addiction are next, with some nice sample drugs and a clear description of addictions and there mechanics. Fortune telling is next, with Gambling and Games of Chance as well. Haunts are neat, and can be a whole encounter or adventure in themselves, and rules for Sanity add to these horror themed flavors. The section is rounded out with Puzzles and Riddles, a generic section for otherwise undiscussed Hazards, and Mystery and Investigation.

In general, very cool for DMs who want to do more than talk and kill.

Chapter 9: NPC Gallery

Just as it sounds, this section is a collection of premade NPCs for use in games. What is nice about it is that while it gives some of the easily expected ones (cultists, raiders, guard, etc.) it also includes some less expected ones (farmer, village idiot, archaeologist, etc.). This is very handy, and can really help in a pinch. Also the fact that they are spread across a lot of CRs makes it a good resource for DMs in a bind (the PCs decide to attack a guard - doh, didn't stat one up!) or with less time to do prep work. Also the inclusion of sailors is nice, at 3 CRs.

Concluding Thoughts:

I like this book. Did I learn tons of new stuff reading it? No - I've been DMing too long for that. Did I remember things I had forgotten, get some new ideas, new twists on old tropes, etc. from this text? Absolutely.

That said, I recommend this most highly for new DMs. For them, I give it a 9/10.

For veteran DMs, I still give it a 6.5 out of 10. Nothing new, but certainly won't hurt to read.

For players, just stay away from it. Nothing to see here that you need, move away from the book slowly!

[Dmitri]

And finally, the Advanced Player's Guide. Currently these are the only Pathfinder books out (I think), with a few more on the way - a new magic book, and a new martial book.

Let me add a caveat to this one: I have not played any of these options, not even in little games with my son or anything. So I may miss something, or misevaluate something based purely on theory. Please forgive me, gentle readers!



That said... on to the review!

Advanced Player's Handbook

Chapter 1: Races

Rather than introduce new races in this section, Paizo takes the time to alter some of the crunchy bits on the existing basic races. This includes two aspects: new favored class benefits, and/or exchanging racial features (like the human bonus feat) for another benefit. These crunchy bits are not gamebreaking that I can see - many of them just switch things around a little (example: dwarven racial hatred and its bonuses against elves instead of against orcs and goblins) or give specific background abilities in place of the more general abilities from the Pathfinder Player's Hanbook.

There is also a little extra fluff in here, with sections detailing the way each race typically views each class. This is of course just a generalization, and not a hard and fast rule.

Chapter 2: Classes

This chapter introduces a few new base classes, and some new options for the standard PHB classes. The new base classes include:

Alchemist - makes potion-like extracts and mutagens that can enhance the alchemist's abilities, and throws bombs which increase in damage much like the old Warlock's eldritch blast. He also gets UMD and DD as class skills, with 4+INT mod per level so he can kind of pull off the party rogue role since he should have a high INT to use his class features.

Cavalier - not really fond of this one in most games, really. It is a pally without the lawful good thing, focused on mounted combat and leadership and teamwork. Cool idea, but mounted combat can be problematic as we all know, though not bad per se. Also gets a challenge class feature, that lets him single out an enemy, like the Knight from the PHBII. Finally, Cavaliers join an order, hich also adds class skills, and certain abilities based on what order they choose.

Inquisitor - an odd class, to be sure. They are a 6 spell level casting class like the bard, and a 3/4 BAB class like them as well. They are basically an intermediate ground between the cleric's "caster role" and the paladin's "martial role". They get "judgments" that they can make, which give them specific bonuses for the battle, and of course they are restricted by their deity's code of conduct, whatever that might be.

Oracle - simply a divine spontaneous caster. Gets mysteries and revelations, which differentiate oracles from each other and grant new powers and bonuses, but takes a curse as part of the character build, which could prove annoying at times - but that might be half the fun, too.

Summoner: woo hoo! A real summoner, after all these years. Exciting things are afoot. Anyway, I like summoning, and these do it well. They get a permanent summoned pet (eidolon) and the ability to cast Summon Monster I-IX as spell like abilities as standard actions. That said, you can't use both, so it seems odd - the Eidolon should always be superior in combat, so you will rarely use the SLAs I would think. They are a 6 spell level caster class like the bard, with most of the spells aimed at the buffing role, with a few debuffs and battlefield controls thrown in for fun. Eidolons are customizable via evolution points, much like the astral constructs from the Expanded Psionics Handbook in 3.5 DnD.

Witch - basically a variant wizard with hexes that hamper the enemy and benefit the witch, and a superpowered familiar that acts as a sort of spellbook. Not a class I really understood well, but it seems pretty standard and safe.

The changes to the standard PHB base classes are reminiscent of the old 2E kits. You must take ALL the features from an archetype, and cannot cherrypick. You can take more than one archetype for each class, but there can be no overlap in the class features replaced. I will just include the lists here, with the observation that it seems that Paizo is trying to get away from PrCs. The idea seems to be to give variations of the core classes, so that PrCs are not really as relevant.

Barbarian: Breaker, Brutal Pugilist, Drunken Brute, Elemental Kin, Hurler, Invulnerable Rager, Mounted Fury, Savage Barbarian, Superstitious, and Totem Warrior. This section also includes a host of new rage powers that any barbarian can take.

Bard: Arcane Duelist, Archivist, Court Bard, Detective, Magician, Sandman, Savage Skald, Sea Singer, and Street Performer.

Cleric: Instead of specific archetypes, each cleric can choose from a host of subdomains that focus on one aspect of their deity’s power. Two or more subdomains are presented for each domain.

Druid: Aquatic Druid, Arctic Druid, Blight Druid, Cave Druid, Desert Druid, Jungle Druid, Mountain Druid, Plains Druid, Swamp Druid, and Urban Druid. Alternatively, druid can choose to be an animal shaman, such as a Bear Shaman, Eagle Shaman, Lion Shaman,
Serpent Shaman, or Wolf Shaman.

Fighter: Archer, Crossbowman, Free Hand Fighter, Mobile Fighter, Phalanx Soldier, Polearm Master, Roughrider, Savage Warrior, Shielded Fighter, Two-Handed Fighter, Two-Weapon Warrior, and Weapon Master.

Monk: Drunken Master, Hungry Ghost Monk, Ki Mystic, Monk of the Empty Hand, Monk of the Four Winds, Monk of the Healing Hand, Monk of the Lotus, Monk of the Sacred Mountain, Weapon Adept, Zen Archer.

Paladin: Divine Defender, Hospitaler, Sacred Servant, Shining Knight, Undead Scourge, and Warrior of the Holy Light. This section also includes rules for an alternate version of the paladin class, the antipaladin.

Ranger: Beast Master, Guide, Horse Lord, Infiltrator, Shapeshifter, Skirmisher, Spirit Ranger, and Urban Ranger. This section also includes new combat style choices that any ranger can take.

Rogue: Acrobat, Burglar, Cutpurse, Investigator, Poisoner, Rake, Scout, Sniper, Spy, Swashbuckler, Thug, and Trapsmith. This section also includes a number of rogue talents and advanced rogue talents that any rogue can take.

Sorcerer: Aquatic Bloodline, Boreal Bloodline, Deepearth Bloodline, Dreamspun Bloodline, Protean Bloodline, Serpentine Bloodline, Shadow Bloodline, Starsoul Bloodline, Stormborn Bloodline, and Verdant Bloodline. Unlike other alternate class features, a sorcerer may never have more than one bloodline.

Wizard: This section includes four elemental wizard
schools, air, earth, fire, and water. It also includes focused
arcane schools, which allow wizards of one school to focus
on one element of that school’s power.

In general, I like these ideas. They are flavorful, and of approximately the same power level as the standard classes, but just a little different in flavor. Really seems to let you do a lot of customization and differentiation without multiclassing - a ranger can still be a ranger, just a different kind of ranger.

Chapter 3: Feats

The feats are exactly what they sound like - lots and lots of new feats. A lot of them will make the optimizers cringe, because getting a +10 to Disguise as a human if you are a half-human is not usually an optimal expenditure of a feat. And yes, there are lots of suboptimal choices in here. There are also some really neat ones, a lot of which mimic old stuff from PrCs (there is Point Blank Master feat that negates AoOs when using one kind of ranged weapon, for example like in the Order of the Bow Initiiate PrC), and more of the "improved" and "greater" feats. All in all I see nothing gamebreaking on a quick read through here, and a lot that is very circumstantial, but also some really neat options that I would take and that help make certain builds/roles more attractive.

Chapter 4: Gear and Equipment

This part is nothing to write home about. It includes new weapons, lots of which are flavorful, but nothing earthshattering. I do like the addition of the Lucerne hammer, and some more combat maneuver weapons. New minor gear options, alchemical items, services.. nothing a decent player couldn't think of wanting and a decent DM just fudge a price and description for.

Chapter 5: Spells

There is a LOT of material here, too much for me to go over completely. Suffice it to say, this is like the Spell Compendium in 3.5, with I believe a little more attention to balance. Some of the fun stuff is REALLY fun... I would love to make use of the new "Create Pit" spell with a few fighters or barbarians or something around to get in some bull rushing goodness.

I think the biggest difference here, and one of the nice things, it that it seems like this stuff was made to go together - the feats, the spells, etc. A lot of the WotC splatbook material seemed like no one playtested or thought about it in connection with other books - how does this spell from ComArc work with this feat from ComWar and this PrC from one of the Races books. Stuff like the above mentioned "Create Pit" was obviously thought about it conjunction with the new feats that allow for knockback, and new weapons that allow that, and the new combat maneuver for relocation. Just nice attention to detail, I think, and rewarding creativity.

Chapter 6: Prestige Classes

Hmmm... this chapter is less than impressive in my mind. Here is the quick list, and my comments:

Battle Herald: A veteran whose masterful tactics and air of command inspire allies to greater feats of heroism.

This must be a multiclass Cavalier/Bard - a really odd combo. Very cool though, in terms of the PrC melding the two classes like a noncasting Mystic Theurge or something.

Holy Vindicator: A pious warrior who spreads religion at the edge of a sword.

Super-martial cleric - a 7/10 casting class that advances BAB and HP well while adding a few minor benefits for combat.

Horizon Walker: A scout and wanderer comfortable in even the strangest terrain.

Yea... unless you are doing LOTS (and I mean LOTS and LOTS) of planar adventuring, this is not going to be useful. If you are plane hopping a lot, then it might be the best thing since sliced bread.

Master Chymist: An alchemist whose mutagens create an alternate, brutish personality.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, here we come!

Master Spy: An espionage expert specializing in disguises and striking swiftly from the shadows.

Again, a highly circumstantial PrC that does what it says, and does it well.

Nature Warden: A master of the wilderness bonded spiritually to a fearsome animal companion.

Need to look at this more - it looks like a Ranger/Druid dual class PrC? Really interesting idea, but dunno. Anyway...

Rage Prophet: A bold and barbaric champion who embraces otherworldly powers in order to perfect the art of combat.

An Oracle/Barbarian PrC that continues advancement for both to a lesser degree.

Stalwart Defender: A master of defending territory and holding the line at all costs.

A Dwarven Defender for non-dwarves, hooray! Actually a well done class, I like what I see with this - lots of little options for defense, and would meld really well with some of the new feats and combat maneuvers.

To sum it up a little, I think my issue is that the base classes have gotten so darn cool and interesting at all levels that most PrCs look like you give up too much to get into them. With adding the kits from earlier, I just think they are less necessary, unless you have a hybrid character in mind, when they are really handy to have.

Chapter 7: Magic Items

Dude, they have a minor artifact that is basically a 20 sided die... pure win. But seriously...

This is just what you would expect. A few new weapon and armor abilities, a few new wondrous items (some of which are really creative if not always useful) , some minor and major artifacts... not as extensive as the 3.5 MiC, but then again, who says you have to toss everything from the MiC (just the augment crystals!)?

Chapter 8: New Rules

Love it, love it, love it, love it!!! Adds several simple things, which are pretty nifty:

1) New combat maneuvers - these include stuff like dragging an opponent in combat, repositioning them a little, stealing something during combat, and "dirty tricks" (this is stuff like kicking sand in the eyes, boxing the ears, etc). I can see lots of uses for these things, especially teamed up with like minded players.

2) Hero Points - like action points in D20 Modern or 4e D&D, only a lot more rare - like 1 per level kind of rare. Also make rewards like completing a story arc or whatever major dangerous or difficult heroic act you as DM wanna hand em out for. A good system for helping to prevent PC death too, as 2 hero points can negate a deadly blow (adjudicated by the DM, so subject to DM approval, of course).

3) Traits - a system of "little feats" that a character starts play with, designed to give a mechanical link to the purely hypothetical character background. Interesting, but there are a few that are a little too powerful in my book - having a trait give you a +2 initiative is something I would have to think hard about as a DM.

And that wraps it up. A LONG splatbook, that couches itself as non-core, but recommended. All in all I would need to look over the stuff more, but I like the general direction. The feats and spells looked carefully considered, the classes looked interesting and balanced, and the combat maneuvers are just cool. The rest of the stuff looked OK, but I was not thrilled. That said, this is a much better reaction than when I looked at some of the WotC source material... going "Holy Mother of God, that is broken!" is not a reaction you wanna hear when you open to the feat tables or the PrCs...

ratings!

8/10 for players and DMs alike, not necessary but helpful.