Join Paizo For Pathfinder Playtest & It’s 2nd Edition!
March 7, 2018 by brennon
The team at Paizo have a new rulebook, the Pathfinder Playtest, in in the works which allows you to get stuck into a new and improved version of the rules for your adventures in lands of High Fantasy.
The new book will bring together all of their combined knowledge from ten years of developing this role-play system and takes things to the next level including such changes as...
- 10th-Level Spells and 4 Spell Lists
- Alchemists in Core
- Archetypes and Multiclassing
- Class Changes
- Classic Monsters and Magic
- Clean, Modular Information-Based Design
- Combat Maneuvers that Rock
- Designed for All Levels of Play
- Easier to Play
- Goblin Player Characters
- Golarion-Infused
- Heroic Storytelling
- Innovative Initiative
- More Customization
- New Background System
- Pathfinder Society
- Production Values
- Race Changes and Feats
- Rebalanced Magic Items
- Simplified Actions
- Streamlined Proficiencies
- Support
- True to Pathfinder
- Wayne Reynolds Art
...and all that comes as part of the new rulebook which you'll have seen above. Inside its pages, you'll find...
"This massive 400-page rulebook contains everything you need to create characters and run Pathfinder Playtest adventures from levels 1–20! With gorgeous new illustrations by Wayne Reynolds, the Playtest Rulebook lights the path leading directly to Pathfinder's future. Available in three editions: softcover, hardcover, and deluxe hardcover with foil-debossed faux-leather cover and ribbon bookmark."
There is also a new Playtest Adventure known as Doomsday Dawn and a Flip-Mat Multi-Pack. These will allow you to get going right away when the game lands on your doormat from Paizo and provide you with a nice entry point into the world of Pathfinder.
When Is It Coming Out?
All of the playtest products will be available as FREE downloads on August 2nd, 2018. There will also be a limited print run of the books and mats that have been mentioned above. These will be available to pre-order between March 20th and May 1st. You will also be able to get your hands on a limited quantity of them at Gen Con 2018.
Importantly, Paizo will NOT be reprinting the Playtest material after this limited run so if you want to get your hands on the physical copies you will have to pre-order so you aren't disappointed.
This sounds like a great endeavour by Paizo and if you want to get more into the way things have changed you can follow their Blog HERE.
Are you going to be going on a Playtest adventure?
"The new book will bring together all of their combined knowledge from ten years of developing this role-play system..."
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this is going to be interesting. keeping the unique feel of pathfinder while updating and advancing the rules is going to be a fine balancing act. they really have to be careful not to get to close to D&D 5th edition. i’m sure the community will come good as they know what it is that has them playing pathfinder as opposed to D&D.
Great news! Especially with free pdfs everyone can look if he likes the changes. It is really interesting to see how pathfinder will develop its next step. 🙂
10 years is a good run for an RPG. I don’t know how some will react to losing dozens of books, but I’m sure there will be a split between first ed. players and 2nd ed. players happening. It has been a while since I played Pathfinder, but I’ll probably pick up 2nd ed. for reading.
Typical… I bought the core book two days ago….
This won’t be out for a while, so don’t worry too much – still plenty of time to get playing through the old rules AND then you can have a go at the Playtest and see how things have changed.
which is still fully valid , as are all the books.
I still play first ed Star Wars D6, doesnt mean its invalidated by the FFG books.
It will be interesting to see how this develops. Pathfinder was created to cater to people resistant to changing D&D editions from 3rd to 4th (with good reason). How will the community react? I suspect the pathfinder player base is more resistant to new editions than the general rpg community. I also think it would’ve a bad idea if they try to make it more like like 5th edition D&D. Anyone who likes 5th will keep playing 5th and pathfinder players who prefer the older more detailed system would be put off by them dumbing it down. It would be… Read more »
The real question is what will happen to the five star GMs? Will they keep their stars or have climb and claw their way back up the ladder?
So, they’re selling printed playtest rules? So, if we have to buy the “real” rules later on, paizo doesn’t have to say”, Gee, we called them Playtest, you can’t cry about paying twice for them.”
They are not the first to do this. Fantasy Flight put out hardcover beta books of their StarWars RPGs if I recall correctly. Warlord sold hard copies of their beta rules for Antares miniature game as well. I can’t remember any others off the top of my head but there are probably other examples.
The PDF will be free, I think the idea of the printed sets are to give people the option to own it as a special thing.
The idea of buying playtest rules seems terrible, and I have gone in on godtear. There I get the minis, don’t understand how a hard copy book works unless there are going to be no adjustments in the beta.
A new edition will be cool though