How does pathfinder society work

You might encounter awkward formatting, contradictory or unsourced information, or other undesirable elements. Learn how you can help with these updates in the discussion. The membership consists primarily of Pathfinders , adventurers who travel throughout Golarion —usually inconspicuously—and explore, delve, and otherwise experience the lesser-seen parts of the world.

They send journals documenting their travels back to their venture-captains , who also assigns them new missions and suggests new places to explore. The most exciting and illuminating of these journals are compiled in the Pathfinder Chronicles , an ongoing series of books that collect the history and mystery of Golarion for its membership and the general public.

The Pathfinder Society generally takes a hands-off approach with its agents, leaving them to pursue their own leads, and chose their own priorities. Pathfinders are only expected to explore the mysteries of the multiverse , report what they find, and cooperate with one another in order to assure the success of the first two duties.

Pathfinders are expected to report their findings to their venture-captains, who collect and review these records, and pass on the best to be published in the Pathfinder Chronicles.

The Pathfinder Society was founded in Absalom on 23 Desnus , AR , [2] by a group of adventurers as a means to share stories and resources. After the first few meetings, known as Grand Convocations , returned to the Wounded Wisp, [2] meeting locations changed frequently over the next decade to accommodate the growing audiences. The incredible stories shared among members at these early meetings became popular forms of entertainment among the public as well.

After an attempted coup in AR [2] as the Society grew in wealth and power, the Decemvirate decided that for its own security and safety its members would mask themselves to hide their identities, even from other Pathfinders. The membership of the Decemvirate has presumably changed many times over the last few centuries, although their identities or how they are chosen remained mysteries to nearly all Pathfinders as well as the general public. The day-to-day management of the Pathfinder Society is handled by its venture-captains.

These are usually older, accomplished Pathfinders or long-time allies of the organization who have settled down and claimed a Pathfinder lodge for themselves.

They direct Pathfinders in the field toward new and interesting locales, and receive the regular reports that will eventually become part of the Chronicles. Venture-captains are largely autonomous, but occasionally receive directions from the Decemvirate, the Society's secret leadership council. The Decemvirate is composed of ten masked individuals who direct the Society's overall strategies, but little is known about their ultimate goals, or what they do with all the information Pathfinders collect all over Golarion.

The Pathfinder Society is willing to accept members of all backgrounds, creeds, and morals. More information can be found in our Privacy Policy. Explore, Report, Cooperate! Pathfinder Society Scenarios Scenarios are adventures with immerse you as a hero in ongoing Pathfinder Society storylines.

Loading product information Pathfinder Society Quests Quests are short adventures that take place in the Pathfinder Society world, but are not tied to the ongoing storyline. Choose Your Faction. Envoys' Alliance Strength in Community. Grand Archive Chronicling the Past. Between adventures, each character can participate in Downtime activities. Scenarios and Quests grant two days of downtime per XP earned. Bounties are missions the PC undertakes during their downtime and thus grant no down time.

Other adventures grant the downtime listed in their sanctioning document. Players are responsible for rolling and recording their own downtimes, and may chose not to do so if they prefer to simplify play. Alternately, for players seeking a more in depth downtime, rules for using the entire set of downtime rules appear in " Additional Character Options ". Note: some adventures published prior to August have had their rewards increased. See Additional Adventures for details. Characters accumulate XP every time they play an adventure.

For every 12 XP earned, characters advance 1 level. This progression is roughly equivalent to the Slow Advancement progression Core Rulebook Leveling up happens after all other rewards for the scenario are calculated, including Downtime, however characters can still purchase equipment after leveling up.

Characters who earned the requisite number of XP must level before joining another game. Organized play characters rely on good recordkeeping to ensure accurate information while playing. Several methods of tracking exist, but the most prevalent is the Chronicle. Every organized play published or sanctioned adventure contains a Chronicle, though players can choose alternative tracking methods and keep the Chronicles as backup. Upon completing an adventure, players each receive a Chronicle sheet from the GM.

This sheet includes a summary of the adventure; indications of any choices made along the way which may impact the future of the campaign, and a log of rewards earned while exploring. Players using other tracking methods should ensure all the data on the Chronicle is reflected in their records.

Players may choose to keep their records digitally or in paper files. If stored digitally, players must be comfortable with GMs handling their device while reviewing records.

If in paper files, all pages must be carried to games. Chronicles and their associated information is assigned to the character identified on the registration sheet. Information from the Chronicle applies when the character adds the Chronicle to their record.

Credit applies immediately except for the following circumstances:. Chronicles apply in the order in which they were played. Add all earned rewards and make Downtime checks before applying the next Chronicle. Applying credit in batches may advance a character multiple levels. Please wait The PDF is being prepared, please wait English en Translations.

Page actions. Player-Created Characters Pathfinder Society characters use the process outlined in the Pathfinder Core Rulebook , with a few additional campaign-specific rules and benefits. More information on approved resources can be found in the Character Options Document Rarity: Some options within the game have a rarity trait of uncommon, rare, or unique. Rebuilding Your Character After playing a new character, you might find aspects of your character you would like to change.

Some items found on Chronicles are available for purchase only a limited number of times. Weapons and Armor found on Chronicles can be upgraded following the normal rules for upgrading.

Any basic equipment weapon or armor your character has access to can be purchased in a precious material version, provided you have access to weapons or armor made of that precious material. The weapon or armor must still meet any requirements stipulated in the listing for the precious material in question.

Any items and services purchased with Achievement Points. Spells Any prepared spellcaster can use the Learn a Spell activity to learn any common spells they have access to from tutors at the Grand Lodge. Spellcasting Services All pathfinders have access to spellcasting services related to condition removal at any pathfinder lodge. Formulas The pathfinder society will sell formulas to members for any non-limited item for which the agent has access.

Applying and Transferring Runes The Society has a specialist at the Grand Lodge who can apply or swap out runes for agents of the Pathfinder Society in good standing. These adventures are written expressly for use in the Pathfinder Society campaign. Pathfinder Adventures, including Adventure Paths, Modules, and Stand-alone adventures, are produced monthly. These adventures are oftentimes sanctioned for use in the Pathfinder Society campaign.

See types of Adventures for more about these products. These reviews can happen for a variety of reasons. For example, GMs might need to check to the Adventure Summary section to learn what a character did in a previous adventure, and GMs and Coordinators can review Chronicles to ensure that they are filled out correctly.

These reviews can help ensure that players understand the rules of Pathfinder and the Pathfinder Society Campaign, as well as catch the errors that naturally crop up in the course of play. See Dealing with Chronicle Errors for more on this. In a typical home game, the PCs would all be the same level and face challenges tailored to their level. In an organized play environment, though, there needs to be more flexibility to make it easier for players whose characters are of different levels to participate in the same adventure.

Each scenario or quest will list the levels of characters able to play in it, as well one or more level ranges within the adventure.

If an adventure has more than 2 level ranges each table must choose 2 adjacent level ranges for that adventure. Only Characters of a level that falls within those two level ranges can play in that adventure at that table. For example, an adventure for levels would have a Base Level of 1. A party of five PCs levels 1, 2, 3, 4, and 4 would contribute 2, 3, 4, 6, and 6 points respectively.

Parties with challenge points of 15 or less always play in the lower level range. Parties with 19 or more always play in the higher level range. Parties with play in the higher level range only if they have 4 or fewer PCs. If they have 5 or more PCs, they play in the lower level range. This allows small parties of high level adventurers to play in the higher level range, while large parties of low level adventurers play in the lower level range.

These adjustments are less beneficial than gaining a level, yet they provide the PC more survivability and opportunity to contribute to the adventure experience, reducing the degree to which higher-level PCs might overshadow these less experienced Pathfinders. Some early scenarios were written before the CP system was fully developed.

If you are GMing scenario through or quests 1, 2, or 5 consult the Converting Early Scenarios appendix. Unless a scenario says otherwise, GMs are free to choose how to handle secret checks Core Rulebook on a check-by-check basis and should adapt based on the mood and pacing of the table. If players rolling their own secret checks use information that their characters would not have to determine their actions—then inform them that their characters would not have that information and try to steer them away from using it.

A goal of the Pathfinder Society program is to provide a fun, engaging, consistent experience at all tables. GMs should run Pathfinder Society adventures as written, which means:. Beyond the above, GMs are encouraged to make choices which would result in the most enjoyable play experience for everyone at the table and that emphasize PCs are the heroes of the story.