GM Additional Guidance
Certain circumstances you might encounter as a GM benefit from extended discussion.
Running Secret Checks
In Pathfinder Second Edition, some checks, such as checks to Recall Knowledge, have the secret trait. Secret checks fall into two broad categories. The first category includes checks that characters do not know exist, such as a check against a hidden threat that the PCs did not notice. The second category includes checks for which players would gain significant extra information that their characters would not have if they knew how well they rolled. Recall Knowledge checks are the broadest type of checks that fall into this category. Characters that critically fail a Recall Knowledge check gain false information, so if players know that they rolled very low, they might have trouble avoiding metagaming. Similarly, if the players all rolled low on a check to Seek, they might find themselves tempted to metagame and have everyone roll again because they know that there is likely something that they didn’t find.
The secret trait is a tool to help separate character knowledge and player knowledge, but, as listed in the secret check rules,PC pg. 405, CRB pg. 450Player Core page 405
Core Rulebook page 450
(click to close) GMs can at any time allow their players to roll their own results on secret checks. Some Scenarios will make recommendations, such as directing GMs to keep a particularly pivotal check’s results hidden or to let players roll a string of checks in the open to keep gameplay moving. Unless a Scenario says otherwise, GMs are free to choose how to handle secret checks on a check-by-check basis. GMs can keep all secret checks secret, have players roll all secret checks, or adapt on the fly based on the mood and pacing of the table. If players rolling their own secret checks do metagame—that is, use information that their characters would not have to determine their actions—then remind them that their characters would not have that information and try to steer them away from using it. In general, it can be useful to have players roll their own checks if there are many secret rolls in one section, and useful to roll for the players if you suspect that there will be a strong temptation to metagame or that the extra information of the result could negatively impact the experience for players at the table.
Running Treasure Bundles
In the course of completing a Scenario, characters are likely to encounter, if not acquire, all 10 Treasure Bundles as part of overcoming challenges and inspecting their surroundings. That said, a non-linear adventure might include encounter areas (and treasure) the PCs miss entirely, and there might be small portions of treasure that a group would overlook entirely (such as hidden in a concealed room). As a result, even a capable party might not secure all 10 Treasure Bundles. Taking into account the free consumable items granted to PCs at the beginning of adventures, the wealth earned by Pathfinder Society characters is slightly higher than the published standard. GMC pg. 61, CRB pg. 510GM Core page 61
Core Rulebook page 510
(click to close) That means that although missing a Treasure Bundle stings, it is accounted for in the campaign.
However, awarding fewer than the maximum Treasure Bundles is not a punitive tool. Unless recovering a Treasure Bundle is tied to succeeding at key skill checks or making key choices, PCs who overcome an encounter with creative solutions earn the same reward they would have earned by defeating that foe in combat. Adventures call out special exceptions, such as treasure only accessible if the PCs investigate a particular secret door or agree to an NPC’s proposal. If the PCs’ actions allow them to bypass the area or encounter where they would have the chance to recover the treasure, it’s okay to relocate the opportunity to a later point with similar requirements to recover the treasure.
Example: The PCs are supposed to attack a keep, and they successfully trick the guards into escorting the PCs to the final encounter with the evil warlord rather than fighting their way in. By tricking the guards, the PC not only skip the guards fight (which has 2 Treasure Bundles associated with it) and never have a chance to pick up the easily-discovered magic wand in the guardroom (1 additional Treasure Bundle), but they also skip a fight with a minotaur (who guards coins representing 2 Treasure Bundles). The PCs receive credit for these rewards anyway; they overcame the guards encounter, bypassed the minotaur, and would have easily recovered the treasure afterward.
However, escorting the PCs through the keep also means the PCs neither explore the side rooms nor have a chance to find the secret vault where a golden chalice is hidden (1 Treasure Bundle). Finding this vault would have required a PC Searching during exploration and succeeding at a DC 20 Perception check, and the room’s rewards cite that the PCs only receive this reward if they find the room and recover the chalice. In this case, the PCs are given a fair opportunity to find the chalice anyway, such as the secret door and room being relocated to the warlord’s throne room with the same Perception check DC.
Reviewing Chronicles
If time permits, GMs and Event Organizers can spend a few minutes reviewing players’ Organized Play records at the start of an event slot. These reviews can happen for a variety of reasons. For example, you might need to learn what a character did in previous adventures, or you might want to verify the records' accuracy.
When you are looking over the players' records, if you notice anything that seems amiss, you can ask the player to explain any potential errors. Remember that errors are far more likely to be honest mistakes than intentional cheating—and that it is possible that they are not errors at all. When you ask the player about a potential error, speak with the player calmly, nicely, and with an open mind. The player might have simply made a mistake—or you might have made a mistake in your understanding of their records.
Remember that the game is supposed to be fun, so waste as little time as possible on drama and spend as much time as possible providing an exciting, action-packed adventure for your players.
Resolve any issues as fairly as possible. For example, if the character selected an option that they did not have Access to, let them pick another option to replace it; if they paid a discounted price for an item in error, let them pay the additional costs to meet the full purchase price; and so on. If you believe a player is cheating, ask your Event Organizer for assistance. If you are both the Event Organizer and the GM, use your discretion on how to proceed.
Adjustments to Early Adventures
Some early scenarios need adjustment to fit the final form of the Challenge Point system. See Converting Early Scenarios for details.
GM Rewards
Paizo Organized Play rewards GMs for volunteering their time to run events. See the GM Chronicles section for additional rules and benefits of GM Chronicles. GMs also receive rewards based on the number of adventures they have run and reported.
GM Achievement Points
GMs receive Achievement Points (AcP) every time they run an adventure, whether it is repeatable or not. In addition, they receive double the AcP they would have received for playing that adventure.
GM Table Credits
GMs receive “table credits” for every table they run and report. These credits determine how many Glyphs a GM has. Each Scenario earns 1 table credit. Each Adventure Path volume earns 3 table credits. Other products grant varying amounts of table credits.
GM Glyphs
The Pathfinder Society offers a GM rank system that uses Glyphs to represent the activity and experience of a given GM. A GM can earn up to five Glyphs. Earning Glyphs 1-4 requires a certain number of table credits; earning a 5th Glyph has additional requirements. The total number of table credits for each Glyph is as follows:
Table: GM Glyph Ranks
| Table Credits | Glyphs earned |
|---|---|
| 10 Table Credits | 1 Glyph |
| 30 Table Credits | 2 Glyphs |
| 60 Table Credits | 3 Glyphs |
| 100 Table Credits | 4 Glyphs |
| 150 Table Credits | 5 Glyphs with additional requirements met |
GMs receive the following rewards based on the number of GM Glyphs they have earned:
- For each Glyph earned, players who have GM Glyphs receive an additional initial Hero Point to distribute to the table. A player cannot gain more than one additional Hero Point from Glyphs.
- For each Glyph earned, GMs receive one additional Granted Replay each January 1.
- GMs with 4 or 5 Glyphs might be able to run exclusive or limited release content.
Fifth Glyph Additional Requirements
A GM must accomplish the following to qualify for their fifth Glyph:
- Earn 150 GM table credits.
- Run 50 different adventures.
- Run 10 or more adventures that have the Exclusive or Glyph tag or are a multi-table interactive special scenario. Except for multi-table interactive specials, a particular adventure can earn credit for a maximum of 3 of those 10.
- Complete 3 evaluation games, each in the presence of a different Qualified Evaluator (a Venture-Captain, Regional Venture-Coordinator, or Paizo Organized Play staffer) using the Organized Play rubric.
If no Qualified Evaluator is willing or able to evaluate a GM due to unreasonable travel requirements or similar reasons, the GM can contact their Regional Venture-Coordinator. In such cases, their RVC can designate a 5-Glyph GM, a Venture-Lieutenant, or other trusted community member as a Qualified Evaluator for that GM.
Organized Play Rubric
To fully experience the benefits of peer review and feedback, we recommend the following observation schedule:
- 0–10 GM table credits: You are starting your GM adventure. Thank you for GMing!
- 11–49 GM table credits: Use the rubric to get a feel for Organized Play best practices. Consider having a fellow GM sit at your table and give feedback.
- 50–99 GM table credits: Ask any Venture-Officers at your tables to do a rubric evaluation to give feedback as if it were an evaluation game.
- 100+ GM table credits: Receive 3 formal evaluations from 3 different Qualified Evaluators.
GMs need a better than average score to pass an evaluation. For example, they could have one criterion rated "exceeds expectations" and the rest "meets expectations" and qualify. They could also have one rated "does not meet expectations," two "meets expectations," and two "exceeds expectations" and qualify.
A GM cannot complete more than three evaluations in a weekend. A GM that fails to meet the criteria can wait three months and try again.
| Aspect | Does Not Meet Expectations | Meets Expectations | Exceeds Expectations |
|---|---|---|---|
| The GM’s preparation allowed for smooth game flow. | The GM had to check on information repeatedly throughout the session, and/or took long pauses to figure out what happens next. | The GM had to check on things throughout, but the game did not experience extensive delays. | The GM was able to keep the flow of the game consistent and dealt with unforeseen challenges by exercising skilled time management. |
| The GM had a solid understanding of the rules of the game. | The GM has basic rules knowledge, but frequent breaks or questions impacted the flow of the game. GM did not know the majority of the rules. GM defaulted to arbitrary ad hoc rulings. GM confused rules between game systems consistently. GM did not allow players to question GM rulings made at the table. | The GM had average rules knowledge, and questions did not impact the flow of the game. GM knew the most common rules of the game well and GM did not have confusion between game systems. GM allowed players to question GM rulings and resolved questions in a professional manner. | The GM had solid rules knowledge and kept the game flowing while handling questions. GM acknowledged when a rule is unclear or when the GM made a mistake. GM did not have confusion between game systems. If a rules challenge arose, the GM handled it fairly and consistently. |
| The GM made efforts to make the game distinct and interesting. | The GM made little attempt at tying in setting, NPCs, or imagery to convey an imaginative setting. GM did not provide opportunities for players to engage with the storyline. | The GM made a reasonable effort to make the game distinct in at least one meaningful way, such as deeply roleplaying the NPCs, using setting specific terms and lore to increase immersion, or using words with imagery to describe the environment, situations, etc. | The GM put in an excellent effort to make the game distinct, using multiple techniques off the “meets expectations” list. |
| The GM presented the scenario as written. | The GM followed the gist of the storyline but adjusted content. GM did not run encounters as written. GM ran the wrong sub-tier encounters. | The GM ran the adventure as written. GM did not allow for creative solutions by the PC to resolve situations. | The GM stayed true to the storyline while allowing for creative solutions and player interest. |
| The GM understood and applied the rules of the Organized Play Program. | The GM was not familiar with core Organized Play concepts. GM was unfamiliar with the contents of the Guide. | The GM was familiar with the majority of Organized Play concepts and applied the rules of Organized Play consistently. GM knew where to look up general guidelines in the Guide. | The GM was markedly familiar with the majority of Organized Play concepts and applied the rules of Organized Play consistently. GM knew where to find obscure corner case answers in the Guide. |
Additional Adventures
In addition to the adventures written for Pathfinder Society, some other Paizo adventures have been sanctioned (approved) for Organized Play credit. Since these adventures are published for a wider audience than the Pathfinder Society campaign, there is typically a downloadable sanctioning document with Chronicles and any special considerations for Organized Play.
Sanctioned Adventures
- Pathfinder Adventure Paths : Multi-volume campaigns that take dozens of game sessions to complete. Many Adventure Paths are sanctioned for use in the Pathfinder Society campaign.
- Pathfinder Adventures : Stand-alone adventure books that take one or more sessions to complete. Many Adventures are sanctioned for use in the Pathfinder Society campaign.
- Pathfinder Bounties : Short one-hour adventures aimed at introducing new players to the game or representing what characters do between Pathfinder missions. All Bounties are sanctioned for use in the Pathfinder Society campaign.
- All Pathfinder Bounties are repeatable.
- Bounties do not grant Downtime.
Modes of Play
The Pathfinder Society rules of play are customized to work with Pathfinder Scenarios and Bounties and are not necessarily applicable to other sanctioned adventures. Adventures run using these customized rules are referred to as “Society Mode” in the rest of this document.
“Adventure Mode” is used for adventures not specifically designed for Organized Play. This mode allows the GM more freedom to adapt those adventures, including running the adventure in Pathfinder using GM house rules and the ability to alter encounters and statistics found in the adventure.
If Paizo has released an official conversion of a sanctioned adventure to another game system (such as the Pathfinder Kingmaker Bestiary (5e) or Pathfinder Adventure Path: Abomination Vaults (5e)), GMs and players can play these adventures using those rules and earn credit as if they had played it using Pathfinder rules. Adventures that have not been converted by Paizo in this way must be played using standard Adventure Mode rules.
Character Types
Most Adventure Mode sanctioned products can be played with any character; some products include pregens, and players are encouraged to play those characters for an optimal experience.
Any adventure that can be played with a PFS character can also be played with an Iconic Pregen. When playing an adventure using a PFS character, the Chronicle must be assigned to that character.
Story Pregens are characters released with an adventure. They often contain ties to the adventure's backstory. Campaign Characters are characters that are designed according to the GM's house rules.
Table: Mode of Play by Adventure Type
| Ruleset | PFS Characters Only | Story Pregens Required | Story Pregens Recommended* | Campaign Characters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Society Mode | Scenario, Quest | - | - | - |
| Adventure Mode | Bounty | Free RPG Day | Beginner Box, One Shot | Adventure, Adventure Path |
* To provide the same level of experience, we strongly recommend that GMs who chose to use Campaign Characters work with their players to tie those characters into the adventure backstory.
Sanctioning Documents
Each sanctioned adventure comes with a freely downloadable sanctioning document located on the product’s description page on paizo.com. This document contains the rules for running that adventure, as well as Chronicles awarded for completion.
Read the sanctioning document carefully, as it might modify the adventure's rewards. Specific information in a particular sanctioning document always takes precedence over the general information presented in this Guide.
Unlike Scenarios and Quests, Chronicles for other sanctioned adventures are assigned at the completion of the adventure.
A group can complete an adventure when it is not sanctioned. If it later becomes sanctioned, the GM is allowed and encouraged to issue Chronicles to all interested players. These Chronicles are applied as if the group had completed the adventure on the date the Chronicle is issued. Such Chronicles must have an accurate issue date (that is, they cannot be backdated) and cannot be applied such that they retroactively affect other Chronicles.
Current Version: 6.02
6 November 2024