Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Advanced Player’s Guide

The Advanced Player's Guide for the Pathfinder Tabletop Role Playing Game is the best product I have seen so far in the Dungeon & Dragons 3.5 and Pathfinder series.All the books I have looked at before this one (in its series) give you a small list of options for making a character. This one gives you tons of options. Four pages of feats to choose from. Four pages of new class material per class for the classes that were covered in the Core Rule Book. Whole new classes. Just a mind blowing amount of new options.Other Tabletop Role Playing Games have killed my imagination with the limited possibilities. They might list a class and make it look all shiny and nice. Then only give you two or three "real" options on how to build it. This has started to heal that pain.Now I have a feeling of truly being able to make a Character to fit my Ideal of what a character should be , not have to conform to some writers ideal character concept.Thanks Paizo for this wonderful book.

I am a fan of the way Paizo writes their books, and this one delivered. It has 6 new classes and I would rate them based on originality.Alchemist-5/5 I love this Int based spellcaster who throws surprisingly powerful bombs, just funCavalier-3/5 seems like an improved archetype for a fighter, mounts can restrict DM or force player to frequently abandon his mount,Inquisitor-4/5 feels like Sorcerer+cleric+archer. I am giving 5 because of the good char design and the fact this char is based on Wis.Oracle- 3/5 Sorcerer+cleric. The only reason I give a 3 is because of the curses.Summoner-2/5... It's just an archetype for sorcerer. I love the class and I would play it,but it is just a sorceror+animal companionWitch-2/5 above for wizard+hexes.Base archetypes-5/5Feats-4/5 some feats were... Just badPrestige-Can not rate my DM's don't force me to take any prestige so I can't tellEquipment-5/5 some armour and weapons disappointed but rest made it upNew rules 5/5 traits=nice new maneuvers going to breathe more life into non-caster classesRaces- 5/5 great detail about races and relevant alt.race traitsOverall-5/5 even though some new classes lack in originality I still loved the concept of them and they will certainly freshen up the game, the best thing overall is how it contributes to the understanding of the world

There are a number of reviews already that have gone into deep analysis of the books content, so there is nothing I could add to the thoughtful posts already made. I can say that the book has seen steady use, and though handled with care by any who touch it, its holding up very well to the use reminding me of the days long gone of 2nd edition first run printings with which you could deflect bullets with and still have the pages firmly seated in the binding. As far as bringing value to the system as a whole, I give it a solid 5 star rating in that area too, fantasy roleplayers looking to get their feet wet with the PF system are definitely encouraged to acquire this book as a staple companion to the core rulebook.

Hi-ho, it's off to adventure we go! My son refers to this constantly as he creates characters for his Pathfinder adventures. Pathfinder is a derivation of Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition. I got sick of the constant evolution of D&D into versions that strayed further and further from the original and that required buying whole new books every couple years. Pathfinder seems content to stick with the rules, and the rules they use work. Note, this book is not the whole game -- you will need to purchase the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook and the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary as well. I lead my son, daughter and their friends on wonderful adventures that are a nice break from computer games -- in other words, the kids interact with each other -- and me -- face to face for hours at a time.

Paizo has really outdone themselves here with lots of great new content for characters in the Pathfinder RPG system. The book presents six new and interesting base classes but there are also a plethora of new options for the classes from the core rulebook. From drunken monk to urban druid, the number of choices allows players to opt to build really distinctive characters.On top of all of that, I must say that the new optional rules really add some more spice to 3.5's "move and attack or just attack" combat. Methods are given for repositioning enemies, using filthy tricks (sand in the eyes), hero points, and more. The hero points are especially cool, acting like a cross between 4.0 and 3.5 Eberron's action point systems, and there are enough spells, feats, and other abilities that you could even build a character around their various uses.Technically, you could use a lot of the content in this book in a regular 3.5 game, but this is definitely a must-have for Pathfinder players.

This book meshes perfectly with the Core Rule book, adding fresh options for your characters. I like that you can substitute traits in each race, and the option to add additional traits really lets you make a character more nuanced and unique. The new base classes are original, worthwhile, and each goes up to level 20. There are also alternate builds for the core classes. The prestige classes are also well done and worthy of consideration alongside those from the core book.There are 163 new feats: 77 are combat feats, 69 are general feats, 14 are metamagic feats, and 11 are teamwork feats. There is a chapter for new equipment and a chapter with 262 new spells. The chapter on new magic items ranges from weapons and armor to minor and major artifacts. Chapter 8 introduces rules for new combat maneuvers, Hero Points, and additional character creation traits.

Not only did this guide give you new classes to play with (such as the Alchemist and Summoner) but it gave you a fantastic way to defeat the ever irritating "We can't both be fighters!" argument with the archetypes! With archetypes, you can certainly play the same class and be completely different!The archetypes alter a class by removing some abilities and replacing them with others, say, two-weapon fighter where you want to focus on fighting with two-weapons and it replaces the vanilla abilities with abilities that improve your damage when making a full attack or two-handed fighter that focuses on using a two-handed weapon like a massive axe, club or sword. There is also the Phalanx fighter who uses shields with spear (and spear-like weapons) allowing him to use both when normally they can't and that's just three from the fighter's side.Other books released years later added more of these archetypes to the basic classes and the new classes featured in here, but there are also new feats, traits and optional rules such as hero points. It also includes a bunch of new mundane and magical items to stock up on.

The new  Pathfinder Roleplaying Game  gives those disenchanted with D&D v4's radical changes, a gentler alternative. It is a comprehensive reworking of a much loved friend. Good though it is, there is little that is new on the original 3.5 rules, so why bother buying into it? Until now, Paizo supported its rules through sumptuous game aids, high-quality and inventive adventure paths and a real enthusiasm for the game. This new rulebook sees 'Pathfinder' step out of the shadow of its predecessor.The main development are six new base classes - Alchemist, Cavalier, Inquisitor, Oracle, Summoner and Witch. These are original and inventive, and look great fun to play, each having a host of new Class Features. Bombs, Challenges, Judgements, Mysteries, Eidolons and Hexes respectively. The Eidolon is particularly interesting - a summoned magical creature that evolves as its Summoner increases levels. Like a familiar only more interesting. Oracles have powerful Mysteries but against that, they are cursed, with blindness, deafness or perhaps a shrivelled limb.This rulebook puts the characters back at the heart of the game. Unlike v4, which seemed to me all about emulating the combat experience of a computer game, Pathfinder is about character evolution. Expanded rules on races and the original base classes, mean that you could play this game religiously for years, racking up years of gameplay, without ever duplicating a character. There are a number of suggestions for tailoring your Race towards particular Classes, and alternative racial traits to give a specific flavour for whatever race you want to be - Pyromaniac Gnome anybody?The classes have been expanded with (where appropriate) new class features (such as a new set of rage powers) and again each class now comes in different flavours - fancy playing a drunken barbarian, or perhaps maritime bard? It's all here. Clerics have new sub-domains, Druids skills can now be relevant to the type of terrain they live in. Want to be a healing monk, or your fighter to be a crossbowman? Well now you can. Rogues can now be underworld investigators, working on the right side of the law, and for the paladin whose halo has slipped, there is the dark and destructive 'Anti-Paladin' alternate class. When you work in the formalised rules for character traits - New 'half-feats' that add depth to your characters background, the permutations for character generation become almost infinite.By comparison the rest of the book is almost a disappointment! The new feats, equipment and spells are all fine, but as is often the way, you can't help thinking all the best ones were put in first time around. The new Teamwork feats are interesting. Two characters who take the same feat, can then use it together to greater effect. A nice idea, but I wonder if they may prove a headache to play in anger? I'm sure there some of these new rules will be invaluable, but only by extensive playing will I find out. (Sadly, time for extensive playing is not something I have much of these days!). The new prestige classes are solid if unexciting - the notable exception being the Master Chymist, whose potion brewing allows for a 'Jekyll and Hyde' split personality, and looks like fantastic fun to play.Once again, the book has been put together using the highest production values. It's a weighty tome that looks and feels great. For anybody who plays a lot of Pathfinder this book is an essential purchase. For those who have less time, you'll never manage to use everything in here, but it will enhance any game. Terrific stuff! Pathfinder Roleplaying Game

An absolute must-buy for any aspiring Pathfinder player out there. That is of course assuming you already own the core rule book, if not go buy that first. Between 6 new classes, the new archetypes to play the core classes with a bit of twist, and the new lists of feats and spells, it hard to find a reason why you wouldn't want this book, because these additions aren't tacked on for the sake of it, each new class and archetype feels different in all the right ways, so that you can customize your pathfinder characters with even more options.

The second book you should be searching for if you're really interested in learning the ways of pathfinder after the core rulebook!

Makes running your game much easier than just using online resources. It's quite big and heavy but it is easy to navigate, has a good index and is well written. I'm very pleased I added this to our box of gaming stuff!