Hero Points: At the beginning of an adventure, each PC receives 1 Hero Point. During play, GMs are expected to follow the normal GM guidelines and hand out additional Hero Points at a rate of approximately 1 Hero Point per hour of play. GMC pg. 57, CRB pg. 507GM Core page 57
Core Rulebook page 507
(click to close)

Secret Checks: Unless a scenario says otherwise, GMs are free to choose how to handle secret checks PC pg. 405, CRB pg. 450Player Core page 405
Core Rulebook page 450
(click to close) on a check-by-check basis and adapt based on the mood and pacing of the table.

If players rolling their own secret checks use information that their characters would not have to determine their actions, then remind them their characters would not have that information and encourage them not to use it. See Running Secret Checks for further discussion.

Permitted Table Adjustments

GMs are empowered to make certain limited adjustments at their tables.

GM Adventure Adjustments

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 and ensure all players have the best possible experience.

GMs must:

  • Ensure players experience all major plot points and NPC interactions (excluding optional or bypassed encounters)
  • Run combat encounters without substantially increasing difficulty, except as dictated by the scenario
  • Maintain the presence and functioning of skill checks, subsystems, and similar challenges, while allowing for creative player solutions

GMs can:

  • Adjust obvious typos or errors in a scenario
  • Use alternate maps (or areas of provided maps) for encounters
  • Reskin enemies to avoid phobias or for personal preference without altering mechanical traits

GMs must not:

  • Change player-facing armor, feats, items, skills, spells, statistics, traits, weapons, or any other mechanics of player character options
  • Disallow legal character options
  • Add new encounters or NPCs with mechanical weight or influence
GM Discretion

As a Pathfinder Society GM, you have the right and responsibility to make whatever judgments you feel are necessary—within the rules—to ensure everyone has a fair and fun experience at your table.

This does not mean you can contradict rules or restrictions outlined in this Guide, a published Pathfinder RPG source, errata document (like the Pathfinder FAQ and Errata), or official FAQ (like the Pathfinder Society FAQ) on paizo.com. It does mean that only you can judge what is right for your table in situations not covered in those sources.

As the GM, you are empowered to make changes at your discretion including the list below. Note that the actions listed are explicitly allowed, but this is not a complete list of every possible situation that could require GM discretion. You can make changes including:

Table Rulings

  • Interpret situations or player actions not covered by the rules.
  • Interpret unclear rules.
  • Determine the effects (if any) of terrain or environmental conditions described in the adventure but not given mechanics.

Content Adjustments

  • Change aspects of the scenario’s description and story as appropriate for the players at the table as described in "A Welcoming Environment." GMC pg. 6, CRB pg. 485
  • Make changes to satisfy the Acceptable Content section of the Community Standards and Expectations.
  • Modify creature tactics when invalidated by errata or official clarifications

Responses to PC Actions

  • Modify creature tactics when invalidated by PC actions.
  • Interpret reactions of NPCs to good roleplaying, including effects on the outcome of an encounter.
  • Interpret the use of alternate skills or creative solutions to bypass or overcome traps, skill checks, and obstacles.
    • DCs and results of a check are part of the mechanics and cannot be changed.
  • Move missed plot points to areas where they can be encountered.
    • This does not include moving missed Treasure Bundles except those bypassed with a creative solution as below.

Unless an encounter is marked as optional, it is required. This does not prevent players from circumventing encounters with clever play. Otherwise, the only generally valid exceptions are due to time constraints: a venue closing imminently or a convention slot ending. If your table skips or bypasses encounters that award treasure bundles, players are not penalized; award the treasure bundles at the end of the adventure.

If a particular issue comes up repeatedly or causes a significant problem in one of your games, please raise any questions or concerns on the Organized Play GM Discussion forum where Venture-Officers, members of Paizo’s Organized Play team, or fellow GMs can help you resolve it.

Death and GM Discretion

Given the dangers characters face once they become Pathfinders, character death is a very real possibility (and a necessary one to maintain a sense of risk and danger in the game). However, GMs are asked to consider the player's experience when deciding whether to use especially lethal tactics or target a character in extreme danger of death, especially when the player is new to the game.

Creative Solutions

Sometimes during a game, your players might surprise you with a creative solution that the adventure did not anticipate. Rewarding the creative use of skills and roleplaying makes games more fun for the players. If your players find another solution that resolves or bypasses an encounter, give the PCs the same reward they would have gained by resolving the encounter as the adventure anticipated.

The Pathfinder Society never wants to give the impression that the only way to solve a problem is to kill it.

It is also possible that the PCs will kill an NPC with an important piece of information or destroy a critical clue. Unless the scenario specifically instructs you to withhold that information, you are free to improvise an alternate way for the information to survive and reach the PCs.

For additional discussion and examples, see Advice for Running.