Getting Started
Pathfinder Society (second edition)("PFS") is a worldwide fantasy roleplaying campaign set in the World of Golarion during the Age of Lost Omens. As agents of the Pathfinder Society, a legendary league of explorers, archaeologists, and adventurers headquartered in Absalom, you dedicate your life to discovering and chronicling the greatest mysteries and wonders of an ancient world. Pathfinder adventures range from exploring the dark alleys to engaging in political intrigues to embarking on far-flung travels to exciting locales.
Pathfinder Society (second edition) uses Paizo’s Pathfinder Second Edition ruleset and Lost Omens setting under the campaign leadership of the Paizo Organized Play Team. This guide presents the information you need to participate in this exciting, dynamic campaign. Welcome to the Pathfinder Society!
What Is Paizo Organized Play?
In a Paizo Organized Play campaign, your character adventures in a shared setting with thousands of other gamers worldwide. Anyone can host a game anywhere it is convenient for the players. This includes in homes, game stores, libraries, conventions, and online, as long as they report the adventure’s results afterward. Reporting earns each participant campaign rewards and player actions can even influence the fate of the Lost Omens setting.
As part of the Organized Play experience, you can take your characters to any Pathfinder Society (second edition) event in the world, allowing you to join a game with friends and strangers alike with ease. After each adventure, your characters grow stronger and carry their rewards with them to the next adventure, even if your fellow players and Game Masters ("GM") change between adventures. The Paizo Organized Play experience is uniquely immersive, as the diverse range of players, GMs, and characters provide incredible depth. The campaign is also a great way to meet other gamers and play regularly without needing to schedule recurring events with a single set of players as you might for a more traditional game setting.
In order to help the Pathfinder Society (second edition) program function smoothly in a shared-world environment, the campaign has some additional rules to ensure a fair and equal experience for all participants—no matter who is playing or running the game. The rest of this guide covers that information.
Besides the Pathfinder Society (second edition) campaign, Paizo Organized Play programs also include the Starfinder Society, the Pathfinder Adventure Card Society, and the Pathfinder Society (first edition) campaigns. Paizo’s Organized Play Team oversees the campaign’s content and program structure, and team members include the Organized Play Manager, Organized Play Managing Developer, Pathfinder Society developers, and the Pathfinder Society design liaison. Volunteers, called Venture-Officers, facilitate the campaign by coordinating the worldwide network of players and GMs.
Register for Organized Play
To ensure you have access to all the tools and benefits available to our players, participants should have an organized play number and an account on paizo.com. To create an account, visit paizo.com/organizedplay and click on the “New Players Create an Account” button.
If you are unable to acquire an Organized Play ID number online, ask your Event Coordinator for help.
My Organized Play
Every registered Organized Play participant has a record on paizo.com. You can access this information by direct link or by visiting paizo.com, hovering/clicking on the My Account at the top right of the screen, then selecting Organized Play. There are several tabs on your account page:
- Summary: A list of your GM Ranks for all Paizo Organized Play programs, your registered characters and their character IDs, and your character Reputation totals. You can create new characters by selecting the desired type at the bottom of the screen or "Edit" an existing character by selecting edit on the right of the screen. In addition, this table displays your Organized Play ID and allows you to download a card you can print and bring with you to events.
- Sessions: A chronological list of all games you have participated in.
- GM/Event Coordinator: A list of your earned points, including Achievement Points ("AcP") and GM Table Credits. Additionally, this tab displays a list of all events you are organizing, a button to create new events, and a button to reserve and print Organized Play Cards for new players.
- Boons: A list of all currently available boons in each Paizo Organized Play program that may be purchased using AcP or earned through play. The Player Rewards appendix contains more details on purchasing and using boons.
If you discover an error in your Sessions list, send an email to pfsreportingerrors@paizo.com. Include the error, any supporting documentation, and the correction.
Community Code of Conduct
All participants in Organized Play must adhere to the Paizo Organized Play Code of Conduct and the PFS Community Standards—thoroughly read through these and uphold them at all Organized Play events and sessions.
Characters
Next, you need a character to play. You can either use a pregenerated character or create your own character.
Using a Pregenerated Character
If you don’t have time to create a new character or want to try out a new character class, you can use a pregenerated character ("pregen") based on the Pathfinder iconic characters. A player can choose any of the pregen characters without owning the associated rule books or sources. You can download the pregen character sheets for free from Paizo, Community Use Package: PF2E Iconics Pregenerated Characters, or request them from your local Event Coordinator. More information on using pregenerated characters can be found in Player Basics: Before the Adventure.
Using Your Own Character
If you have the time and know what you want to play, you can build your character following the rules in the Character Creation appendix.
After you are done building your character, register them by going to your Organized Play account, signing in, and clicking on the “Register a New Pathfinder Society (second edition) Character.”
Where can I find a game?
Each community uses its own game scheduling process. Common platforms used in scheduling games include:
Organized Play Forums
Join the vibrant Pathfinder Society online community by participating in the official Pathfinder Society forums. Ask questions! Compare character builds! Discuss! Find events! Your feedback helps us improve our program, so drop by and tell us what we can do to enhance your organized play experience.