Spells Abilities Rules Sources

Chapter: Introduction

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• Ancestries [23]
• Backgrounds [1]
• Basics [4]
• Classes [41]
• Conditions Appendix [44]
• Crafting & Treasure [4]
• Equipment [7]
• Exploration Mode [1]
• Feats [1]
• Game Mastering [54]
• Introduction [22] ×
• Languages [1]
• License [1]
• Playing the Game [62]
• Skills [47]
• Sources [1]
• Spells [22]

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22 rules

Name ▲	Page	Description	Chapter
Introduction	7	Pathfinder is a fantasy tabletop roleplaying game (RPG) where you and a group of friends gather to tell a tale of brave heroes and cunning villains in a world filled with terrifying monsters and amazing treasures.	Introduction
What Is a Roleplaying Game?	7	A roleplaying game is an interactive story where one player, the Game Master (GM), sets the scene and presents challenges, while other players take the roles of player characters (PCs) and attempt to overcome those…	Introduction
Basics of Play	8	Before creating your first character or adventure, you should understand a number of basic concepts used in the game.	Introduction
Playing the Game	10	In a Pathfinder game, three modes of play determine the pacing of each scene in the story.	Introduction
Encounters	10	In the course of your adventures, there will be times when a simple skill check is not enough to resolve a challenge— when fearsome monsters stand in your character’s way and the only choice is to do battle.	Introduction
Key Terms	12	There are a number of important terms that you’ll need to know as you create your first character or adventure. Some of the most important terms mentioned on previous pages are also included here for reference.	Introduction
Example of Play	14	The following example is presented to give you a better idea of how the game of Pathfinder is played. In this adventure, Erik is the GM.	Introduction
Using This Book	16	While this chapter is here to teach you the basics of Pathfinder, the rest of this rulebook serves as a reference manual during play, and it is organized to make finding the rule you need as easy as possible.	Introduction
Format of Rules Elements	17	Throughout this rulebook, you will see formatting standards that might look a bit unusual at first. Specifically, the game’s rules are set apart in this text using specialized capitalization and italicization.	Introduction
Character Creation	19	Unless you’re the GM, the first thing you need to do when playing Pathfinder is create your character.	Introduction
The Six Ability Scores	19	One of the most important aspects of your character is their ability scores. These scores represent your character’s raw potential and influence nearly every other statistic on your character sheet.	Introduction
Ability Score Overview	20	Each ability score starts at 10, representing human average, but as you make character choices, you’ll adjust these scores by applying ability boosts, which increase a score, and ability flaws, which decrease a score.	Introduction
Ability Modifiers	20	Once you’ve finalized your ability scores, you can use them to determine your ability modifiers, which are used in most other statistics in the game.	Introduction
Step 1: Create a Concept	21	What sort of hero do you want to play? The answer to this question might be as simple as “a brave warrior,” or as complicated as “the child of elven wanderers, but raised in a city dominated by humans and devoted to…	Introduction
Step 2: Start Building Ability Scores	24	At this point, you need to start building your character’s ability scores.	Introduction
Step 3: Select an Ancestry	24	Select an ancestry for your character. The ancestry summaries on page 22 provide an overview of Pathfinder’s core ancestry options, and each is fully detailed in Chapter 2. Ancestry determines your character’s size,	Introduction
Step 4: Pick a Background	25	Your character’s background might represent their upbringing, an aptitude they’ve been honing since their youth, or another aspect of their life before they became an adventurer.	Introduction
Step 5: Choose a Class	25	At this point, you need to decide your character’s class. A class gives your character access to a suite of heroic abilities, determines how effectively they fight, and governs how easily they can shake off or avoid…	Introduction
Step 8: Buy Equipment	27	At 1st level, your character has 15 gold pieces (150 silver pieces) to spend on armor, weapons, and other basic equipment.	Introduction
Step 9: Calculate Modifiers	27	With most of the big decisions for your character made, it’s time to calculate the modifiers for each of the following statistics.	Introduction
Step 10: Finishing Details	28	Now add the following details to your character sheet in the appropriate spaces.	Introduction
Leveling Up	31	The world of Pathfinder is a dangerous place, and your character will face terrifying beasts and deadly traps on their journey into legend.	Introduction

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