Paizo Pathfinder Core Rulebook, Medium

The new Pathfinder Core Rulebook 2nd Edition (PF2) is a bold step for creator Paizo. They made their bones catering to a market segment that abhors change, namely the D&D 3.5 crowd. Pathfinder 1E was essentially a slightly tweaked and at the time it came out in 2008, simplified version of the massive behemoth that had become D&D 3.5. Many called it "d20 3.75" since it was a step up from 3.5 but not the completely new and scary D&D 4th Edition that Wizards had just put out. 4th Edition was a RADICAL shift away from the core concepts of D&D, so much so that many long time fans felt betrayed and upset that Wizards was now catering to a "MMO Crowd" of RPG gamer that was more into fantasy combat simulation than it was role-playing. And so Paizo comes to the rescue on their shiny Pathfinder horse, ready to cater to the folks that still loved the D&D of Yore, or at least the D20 variety of it that started with 3.0e.But now Paizo is taking a major leap! They are pretty much forced to do something... their fan base is dwindling thanks to the incredible popularity of D&D 5e, which hearkens back to the good old days of 3.5, but does just enough modernization and tweaking to keep it simple for folks that like a less complicated game. Quite simply, D&D 5th edition is easily the best edition of the most popular role-playing game that has ever been published, or at least so most of its many, many fans like to think. So the modern RPG gamer wants a game simple enough to jump right in with little to no rule-memorization needed, but complex enough that 5 years from now you'll still be discovering more and unique ways to play, and not just from a massive onslaught of "splat books."And so this is the audience that Paizo seeks to woo back into their fold, without losing their core "change averse" crowd, keeping their focus on delivering great story-content for their fantasy world of Golarion, now rebranded as "Age of Lost Omens". And to a large extend, PF2 does EXACTLY that. It's pretty simple to pick up. Not quite as simple as D&D 5e, but certainly easier than PF1 core, and much easier than PF1 that exists today with all the massive splat-madness. But it's also SO deliciously layered to allow some really amazing and creative builds just in the core classes and races.As for combat, the 3 action turn is simply GENIUS. They have vastly improved the way combat works (even compared to 5e which is not shabby), they have vastly improved the character build and improvement structure so that no two class XYZ characters in the same campaign should ever look the same. They have vastly improved the way multi-class characters work. I'm not yet sure it's not still broken (it is severely broken IMHO since it was first invented all the way back to 1e), but it looks far more balanced than prior editions with its crazy "level dipping" madness. Then you have the spells, all greatly simplified but also vastly improved with options to scale and upgrade in various ways. Feats, oh my goodness! So, so many feats! And now you get feats all the time!A great amount of development time and game balance has gone into the SKILLS section of PF2. This is one of the strongest aspects of the game, IMHO, and far better than what 5e offers today. Paizo has explicitly declared what can and some of what can NOT be done with each of the skills at EACH of the levels of competency (trained, expert, master, etc. ). Planning out what skills you take and how to advance them as well as what associated skill feats go with it can greatly change what your character is capable of doing both in and out of combat.And on top of all of this, you have a pretty good DM-oriented section with a great encounter building and experience awarding system, some cool magic/treasure sections, and very brief synopsis of the whole "Age of Lost Omens" setting.If there is anything to complain about, it's that Core is perhaps too much book! I'm kind of wondering if maybe Paizo shouldn't have just gone ahead with the Player's, DM's, and Monster book format (we're already moving monsters to a 2nd core book and DM info is now split into Core + a Game Mastery book). However, I suppose it is nice having the bare minimum needed to run the game in one core book (as long as stats are provided for creatures in the various published adventures, which I believe they are).So the big question, is PF2 worth investing in for gamers who already play D&D 5e? I think that partly depends on two things, your own budget, and how much you are actually enjoying 5th edition. I think PF2 is a more nuanced, balanced, and ultimately more detailed RPG with greater depth now than 5e is likely to ever have, and so if you are the type of player that wants a "crunch heavy" system or the type of DM that wants clear and precise guidance on more of the kinds of things that come up while at the table, then PF2 might be worth a look for you, assuming you're willing to put in the financial and time investment. If you're happy with the depth and complexity of 5e, and especially if you are a new player to fantasy RPG gaming, you may not want to dive in just YET, but you should keep an eye on this line of products because I have a feeling it's going to get really, really great in the near future.Final verdict, this is a fantastic rulebook for the experienced RPG gamer that wants a detailed, crunch-heavy D20-based system that is both familiar to games of the past and true to the RPG roots, as well as different and improved enough that it's not just a tweak on 1e, it's a significant improvement and worthy of a "2" in the name. If you're in that audience, do not hesitate to jump in, this is going to be a fun ride. And if you're totally new to RPG gaming, well, this system is not terribly difficult to learn, and especially if you like what you hear of the Golarion setting, it's worth the effort to learn. But it's also going to be significantly more difficult to master this than 5e, so take that as you will. For gamers looking for a challenge, this is it. For gamers wanting a simple easy ride of nostalgia + PC-dominance over pretty much all obstacles, 5e is still where it's at. I for one am getting a bit tired of the easy-simple-ride that 5e is about and look forward to a challenging complex offering that PF2 so far seems to deliver on.

While not without flaws and political correctness, Pathfinder 2nd edition streamlines gameplay and character creation compared to 1st edition while remaining highly customizable and offering greater tactical play. The complexity of PF1 rules has been shifted in PF2 to different areas of the game where they can carry more weight so-to-speak, although the subtlety of the new rules will not immediately obvious on first read. Some options are more powerful than they may seem initially. One major shift in the rules is a modular approach to game design that make this edition even more akin to Legos the RPG, except substitute the word "feat" for the building blocks you'll use to create. The book itself is remarkably well designed to teach the game as well as to allow players to reference rules and information quickly.All that being said, this is just the core rulebook so it will be interesting to see how the game grows and evolves in the future. The mechanics seem well thought out with prudent "future-proofing" evident, but no system is perfect and eventually time will makes its strengths and weaknesses more obvious. I'm also uncertain how the political correctness of the core rules will manifest in future books. Thus far, for me, it is tolerable and in parts - such as renaming humanoid "races" such as elves as "ancestries" - a great improvement. I like the cultural diversity of human heritages, for example. But, as a devout Catholic, I'm nervous how far the "political correctness" will be taken in the future.Overall, a great start at a fantasy role-playing game system for both longtime Dungeons & Dragons or Pathfinder players and newcomers alike.UPDATE (4/29/20)I thought it may be helpful to offer a breakdown of some positives and negatives of the game after playing it in the months after my original review, though the negatives I list aren’t really issues for me personally. I'll also note the hardcover book has held up perfectly. I've had no issues.1. ALL RULES AND FOES CAN BE VIEWED FOR FREE ONLINE: The role-playing game uses an open gaming license and all rules content can be easily viewed online, such as at the Archives of Nethys website. The free Pathbuilder2e app for Android makes character creation effortless and many other free resources and gaming aids exist. You can play Pathfinder 2nd edition - if you wish - for the grand price of free, though buying PDFs and books is a real option.2. CHARACTERS GROW IN POWER AS THEY GAIN EXPERIENCE: Your player's characters will become increasingly more competent and effective as they grow in experience. A terrible foe faced in the past will become ever easier to defeat as you advance and you will experience real progress3. THREE-ACTION SYSTEM FOR FACING FOES OR HAZARDS: When in danger, you can do 3 actions and a reaction every set of turns. Many actions only require one action to do while others use up two or three. For example, you could attack three times on your turn, but you'll take an increasing penalty on the second and third attacks, which encourages diversifying your tactics.4. DEGREES OF SUCCESS ARE FUN: Most every action you attempt can have degrees of results: Critical Success, Success, Failure, and Critical Failure. Outcomes of actions can thus be far more diverse and interesting - even scarily so if you're the target. This can also make conflicts more unpredictable and exciting, and having good tactics more important.5. EVERY LITTLE BONUS MATTERS: In this game, every +1 you gain means a 5% greater chance of success and a 5% greater chance of a critical success, and it isn't easy to stack bonuses. This means every little bonus matters. But players may not intuitively realize how valuable even a small bonus is in the game, and until they grasp this they may feel unsatisfied if they don't have big bonuses.6. WARRIORS AND OTHERS HAVE COMPARABLE POWER TO SPELLCASTERS: Spells no longer eclipse mundane methods to victory, which can feel like a nerf to magic lovers and a joy for the rest. While magic stays relevant and valuable, spellcasters no longer reduce all other allies to the equivalent of henchmen or "meatshields." Warriors and others without magic are closer to equals than ever before and in their own specialties can surpass magic-users. I think it’s a good change.7. NOT A RULES LIGHT GAME: The speed and flow of gameplay has been streamlined in Pathfinder 2nd edition compared to its predecessor, but that doesn't make it a rules light game and it definitely is more complex than the 5th edition of its cousin, Dungeons & Dragons. For myself, I think the game mechanics are worthwhile, fast in play, and impressively well explained.8. AS MUCH A REVOLUTION AS AN EVOLUTION: Pathfinder 2nd Edition is recognizable as the successor to 1st Edition but makes many changes. Whether this leap is too far, too small, or just right depends on how one feels about the earlier version of the game and the designers' goal of making the game easier to get into and faster to play while keeping player characters highly customizable and tactical. I welcome the changes.9. POWER GAMING IS HARDER THAN BEFORE: Those who want to fulfill a power fantasy and take advantage of every rules loophole to create a highly specialized legend may be frustrated. Pathfinder 2nd Edition has a higher floor, so-to-speak, and a lower ceiling when it comes to relying on your system mastery to optimize a character. You can do but it will be harder and you may gain less of an edge than you could in Pathfinder 1st Edition. As a player and a Game Master, I am grateful for this change.10. MAKING AN INEFFECTIVE CHARACTER IS MUCH HARDER THAN BEFORE: Those new to role-playing games will not easily make ineffective characters, and even the most bungled character will probably function mediocrely at worst - instead of being worthless. This is good.