Mission Briefing

Each adventure typically begins with a briefing, either in the form of a message, a meeting with a Venture-Captain, or a job offer from an outside employer.

Supplies: Beginning in Year 8 (August 2026), the mission briefing might also provide Pathfinders with additional items. These items are available for characters to use only during the adventure; any such items are returned to the Pathfinder Society at the adventure’s conclusion. In adventures from Year 7 or earlier, all characters receive one healing potion or oil of unlife with an item level of the character's level or lower at the conclusion of the mission briefing.

Hero Points: Immediately after the mission briefing, the GM will distribute initial Hero Points. ^{PC pg. 413, CRB pg. 467}Player Core page 413
Core Rulebook page 467
(click to close) Some rewards grant players additional initial Hero Points; these rewards include GM Glyphs, Campaign Coins, and Order of the Wayfinder recognition. Remember, you can have a maximum of 3 Hero Points at a time. ^{PC pg. 413, CRB pg. 467}Player Core page 413
Core Rulebook page 467
(click to close)

Daily Preparations: In most cases, PCs can perform their daily preparations (changing prepared spells, preparing staves, etc.) after the mission briefing and questions. In exceptional circumstances, such as if the briefing is interrupted, a GM might determine there is not time for such adjustments before the mission.

Purchasing Equipment: This will also often be the last opportunity your character has to purchase equipment during the adventure.

Void Energy Healing

Any time a Pathfinder Society NPC or allied NPC provides a healing potion or heal spell (as a casting, wand, scroll, effect of a boon including promotional boon, or other similar effect), a PC who relies on void energy healing can receive an oil of unlife ^{GMC pg. 258, APG pg. 258}GM Core page 258
Advanced Player's Guide page 258
(click to close) or harm spell ^{PC pg. 334, CRB pg. 343}Player Core page 334
Core Rulebook page 343
(click to close) of an equal spell rank instead.

The player must make this request at the time the healing is supplied. Treasure found during the adventure and gifts from NPCs not affiliated with the Pathfinder Society are unaffected.

Treasure

You will typically find items during play. These items are available for use only during the adventure and often appear as purchasable items on Chronicles.

You will typically not find gold during play, but at the end of the adventure you will earn a fixed amount of gold based on level. Older adventures use the Treasure Bundles system; see Supplemental Materials for details.

Once Per Adventure Options

Character Options that can be used less often than once per day can be used once per adventure in Pathfinder Society play.

Crafting

Characters are not able to craft items during an adventure. The only permitted crafting happens during Downtime (see Downtime Crafting).

Run Prudently

The Paizo Organized Play program strives to provide a fun, engaging, consistent experience at all tables. GMs are required to run Paizo Organized Play adventures as written, but are empowered to make adjustments to suit the table, fix obvious errors or typos, use alternate maps, and ensure all players have the best possible experience.

GMs must allow you to use legal character options and cannot change the mechanics of those options. GMs can change the presentation of adventure elements (reskin) to avoid phobias or otherwise ensure a positive experience for all players, but cannot change the mechanics of those elements.

For additional details, see Permitted Table Adjustments. For legal character options, see the Character Options page.

Ethical Infractions and Infamy

Players are responsible for their characters’ choices and are subject to consequences resulting from those choices. Infamy represents a character’s reputation for performing evil or criminal actions. Some Scenarios will call out specific actions that will cause one or more PCs to gain Infamy. A GM can also assign Infamy for evil or criminal acts not specifically called out by the Scenario.

Warnings: The GM must warn the Player that their act will earn Infamy. This warning can be in character or out of character but must be clear to the player. If the PC goes through with the action, they earn the point of Infamy.

Effects of Infamy: Each point of Infamy reduces a PC’s effective level by one for purposes of purchasing gear.

If a character ends an adventure with 3 or more Infamy, that PC’s membership is revoked and they can no longer play in the campaign. The character must be marked dead when the table is reported.

Infamy is not for player actions. Players who commit or describe character actions in violation of the community standards are subject to disciplinary sanctions outlined in the community policy.

Reducing Infamy: A PC can purchase the Untarnished Reputation Boon with AcP to reduce their Infamy by 1.

Major Infractions: Characters who become Wantonly Evil by performing vile actions deliberately and without motive or provocation cannot reduce the value by spending AcP and are retired from the campaign when they reach 3 Infamy. This measure is a last resort; players must try to play their characters in ways that are within the bounds of acceptable Pathfinder behavior, even if their characters have gained some Infamy.

If a character is retired for reaching 3 Infamy, the GM must report the issue to their local Venture-Captain or Regional Venture-Coordinator. (See Violation Enforcement Procedures for more information.)

Only in-game actions earn Infamy. Code of Conduct violations earn players table sanctions.