History TabletopGame / Pathfinder

* DoubleEdgedBuff: A core feature of the {{Alchem|yIsMagic}}ist class is a mutagen that temporarily boosts and penalizes one of their physical and mental [[TheSixStats attributes]], respectively. They can learn stronger versions (with even more penalties) and cognatogens, which hone their mind and harm their body.

* DoubleEdgedBuff: A core feature of the {{Alchem|yIsMagic}}ist class is a Mutagen that temporarily boosts one of their physical [[TheSixStats attributes]] and penalizes a mental attribute. They can learn stronger versions (with even more penalties) and Cognatogens that hone their mind and harm their body.

* WorldOfTechnicolorHair: Gnomes are close kin to fey and often have brightly-colored hair -— scarlet, blue, purple, green, yellow, white, and so on —- as a result; mundane shades are almost entirely unknown. Elves also have more diverse coloring than humans but tend to match their surroundings, so their primary unusual color is green for forest-dwelling elves.

* YourHeadASplode: There's a spell in ''Occult Adventures'' called Explode Head. It does what you'd expect.

''Pathfinder'' products are mostly set in the Age of Lost Omens campaign setting, primarily around the Inner Sea region of the ConstructedWorld of Golarion. (First Edition publications refer to the same setting as "The Inner Sea." "The Age of Lost Omens" descriptor was implemented during the transition from First Edition to Second Edition.) Golarion is actually one of several populated planets in the setting's solar system, but overwhelming focus is given to Golarion, the "Earth" of the setting. The FantasyKitchenSink nature of the game's setting as a whole means that a large variety of {{fantasy}} genres are represented, along with certain {{horror}} and [[ScienceFiction sci-fi]] ones. This meant that you could run different themes of campaign merely by changing the locale on Golarion, rather than having to incorporate different settings, such as ''TabletopGame/{{Dragonlance}}'' vs. ''TabletopGame/{{Ravenloft}}'' vs. ''TabletopGame/{{Eberron}}'' vs. ''TabletopGame/DarkSun'' as in ''D&D''.

As of Second Edition, the Worldwound in Sarkoris has been closed. Most of the Runelords that rose back in ''First Edition'' have been defeated, with one remorseful Runelord choosing a more benevolent rule instead. Cheliax was dealt two major blows in the form of a successful separatist revolution at home and against their colonization efforts abroad in the Mwangi Expanse, forming the nations of Ravounel and Vidrian. Now, however, the [[OurLichesAreDifferent Whispering Tyrant Tar-Baphon]] has returned, turning the nation of Lastwall into the Gravelands in his wake...

* AlternativeCalendar: The Absalom Reckoning calendar is exactly like our RealLife calendar but with the names of the months and days of the week changed (the months are named after twelve of the major gods of the pantheon). The Age of Lost Omens began in 4606 AR; the current "present day" in any given book is 4700 + the last two digits of the book's publication year (e.g. ''Rise of the Runelords'' volume 1 came out in 2007, therefore the InUniverse year is 4707 AR).

** While there are always exceptions at the [=GM's=] discretion, ''First Edition'' supplementary materials would kindly remind you that aside from those singular individuals, the savage humanoids of Golarion are ''gleefully'' evil, if not [[AxCrazy insanely so]].

*** Rovagug's "children" include the Tarrasque, the infamous and nigh-indestructible creature that likes to end civilizations when it awakens. But even ''that'' pales in comparison to [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Rovagug himself...]]

* DudeWheresMyRespect: Frequently as much averted as played straight, but there are some [[ExaggeratedTrope fairly notable]] times where you might be wondering what the devs were thinking. Such as being able to build up an entire nation in the ''Kingmaker'' adventure path and still having random [=NPCs=] give you, their liege, ''fetch quests.''

* FunWithAcronyms: The Open RPG Creative License, or the [=ORC=] for short, which will replace the [=OGL=] in ''Remastered'' and on.

* GemTissue: [[PowerCrystal Ioun Stones]]in ''First Edition'' usually [[AntiGravityClothing orbit their user's head]], but characters can permanently incorporate them into their bodies through a combination of psychic attunement and surgery. Afterwards, the stone counts as a part of the user and can't be targeted separately by attacks or effects.
** In ''Second Edition'', [[WritingAroundTrademarks Aeon Stones]] can still be embedded by Wizards with the Runelord specialization.

* GenreShift: Occurs at the start of the second ''Kingmaker'' module. You go from being typical adventurers to becoming the rulers of a new kingdom. Adventuring still takes up most of the gameplay, but you will spend a lot of time running your kingdom.

* HuntingTheMostDangerousGame: Taldor has a tradition called a "peasant hunt" where a convict is released into a hunting preserve dressed in an animal costume for partying aristocrats to pursue. If the peasant stays uncaptured for a full day, they get a pardon. Less malevolent than most examples because, at least in theory, the hunters are only allowed to use nonlethal means to bring down their quarry. The [=PCs=] have an opportunity to take part in one in part 2 of the ''War for the Crown'' campaign, [[spoiler:but one of their rivals rigs the draw of hunting grounds to assign them to a territory he knows is inhabited by a powerful manticore, [[HuntingAccident hoping it will kill them]]]].

** ''Second Edition'', being an entirely new system that deliberately distances Pathfinder from its ''[=3.5e=]'' roots while trying to fix issues like LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards, does plenty of both nerfs and buffs compared to its predecessor. Spellcaster player characters in particular lost a significant number of their "I win the encounter" buttons and generally had the power level of their spells massively reduced, while martials got a net power increase by comparison. Several especially useful spells are now rituals that any party can theoretically access.

* PostScriptSeason: 2nd Edition moves the timeline forward a few years, and explicitly has all of First Editions Adventure Paths (except Kingmaker, which was pushed back for a remake) concluding satisfactorily. Of course, that just means the time has come for new threats to crop up!

* PrestigeClass: ''Pathfinder'' does offer a wide selection. Unlike the game from which it sprang, however, there are also generous rewards for players who abstain from a PrestigeClass and set out to attain high levels in a base class, and the archetype class modifications make it easier to specialize without having to take a prestige class. In fact it's arguable that the efforts by Paizo to address EmptyLevels and increase the flexibility of base classes through the archetype system actually makes taking a prestige class counterproductive if the level 20 cap is kept.
** ''Second Edition'' offers some mid- to high-level archetypes that might functionally act as these, although you take them in place of your class's feats instead of taking separate levels of them.

* RetCanon: The PlayerParty in the 2018 ''VideoGame/PathfinderKingmaker'' video game, adapted from the ''Kingmaker Adventure Path'' tabletop campaign by Creator/OwlcatGames, included two characters from the tabletop game ([[Characters/PathfinderIconics Amiri]] and [[Characters/PathfinderAdventurePathKingmaker Jubilost Narthropple]]) and eleven original characters. In 2022, Paizo released an add-on for the Second Edition remake of the ''Kingmaker Adventure Path'', the ''Kingmaker Companion Guide'', which adapted Owlcat's implementation of all thirteen characters back into tabletop format, along with personal sidequests for seven of them. The contemporary ''Kingmaker Bestiary'' re-stats Amiri, Ekundayo and his dog, Jubilost, Linzi, Nok-Nok, Tristian, Valerie, and many [=NPCs=] for use in First Edition runs.

* SeadogPegLeg: "Peg Leg" is a selectable character [[SkillScoresAndPerks Trait]] in the pirate-themed ''Skulls & Shackles'' campaign. A PC who takes it has had his leg chewed off by a shark as a child, but they suffer no normal penalties for using a prosthetic and instead gain a bonus on damage rolls against sharks and other aquatic predators.

!!Pathfinder contains examples of:

* ArtifactOfDeath: Several cursed magic items, such as the ''necklace of strangulation'', the ''periapt of foul rotting'', and the ever-popular ''scarab of death''.

* ThreadOfProphecySevered: Aroden, the patron god of humanity, was prophesied to descend from the heavens to rule mankind as a GodEmperor in a new GoldenAge in 4606 AR. On the prophesied date, worldwide natural disasters wracked Golarion: Aroden had instead died of unknown causes. In the century-plus since, no prophecy has come to pass anywhere, which has caused problems for Pharasma's priesthood since she's the goddess of prophecy in addition to life and death.

* GrammarNazi: A 2E bestiary justifies dropping the term "lycanthrope" in favor of just "were creature" with a rather snarky note about how the root "lykos" only applies to wolves and that if you call another type of transforming creature that they'll get offended and attack you. Apparently they didn't notice that "were-" only applies to human males, though.

The ''Pathfinder'' RPG is the first, and arguably most well-known, Tabletop RPG system produced by [[Creator/{{Paizo}} Paizo Publishing]]. Paizo Publishing began life as a group that was split off from Creator/WizardsOfTheCoast in 2002 to as an outsourced publisher for ''Magazine/{{Dragon}}'' and ''Magazine/{{Dungeon}}'' Magazines. When [=WotC=] announced the fourth edition of ''D&D'', they took back the publication rights to the magazines in order to create exclusively online versions. Now without their only client, Paizo decided to publish a 3rd-edition-focused magazine of its own, ''Pathfinder'', keeping up the Adventure Path tradition they'd established in the last three years of ''Dungeon'' while establishing a new in-house campaign setting -- the "Inner Sea", based on a new world called Golarion. This saw the publication of the ''Rise of the Runelords'', ''Curse of the Crimson Throne'', ''Second Darkness'' and ''Legacy of Fire'' Adventure Paths published specifically for ''D&D'' 3.5 under the Open Game License. However, as they heard from more fans of 3rd Edition who were dissatisfied with the radical changes introduced in the 4th Edition of ''D&D'', Paizo saw an opportunity: they would [[StartMyOwn create their own ruleset]], using the foundation of [=3rd-ed=] ''D&D'' (the core rules of which were in perpetual open license under the Open Gaming License) to offer something new and fresh while allowing old players to build on what they already knew, created, and played. It also prided itself on being compatible with 3.5 (with a few rules alterations, of course, mostly in service of trying to patch what were then 3E's most obvious holes and broken parts).

* PostScriptSeason: 2nd Edition moves the timeline forward a few years, and explicitly has all of First Editions Adventure Paths(except Kingmaker, which was pushed back for a remake) concluding satisfactorily. Of course, that just means the time has come for new threats to crop up!

The ''Pathfinder'' RPG is the first, and arguably most well-known, Tabletop RPG system produced by [[Creator/{{Paizo}} Paizo Publishing]]. Paizo Publishing began life as a group that was split off from Creator/WizardsOfTheCoast in 2002 to publish ''Magazine/{{Dragon}}'' and ''Magazine/{{Dungeon}}'' Magazines. When [=WotC=] announced the fourth edition of ''D&D'', they took back the publication rights to the magazines in order to create exclusively online versions. Paizo decided to publish a 3rd-edition-focused magazine of its own, ''Pathfinder'', keeping up the Adventure Path tradition they'd established in the last three years of ''Dungeon'' while establishing a new in-house campaign setting -- the "Inner Sea", based on a new world called Golarion. This saw the publication of the ''Rise of the Runelords'', ''Curse of the Crimson Throne'', ''Second Darkness'' and ''Legacy of Fire'' Adventure Paths published specifically for ''D&D'' 3.5 under the Open Game License. However, as they heard from more fans of 3rd Edition who were dissatisfied with the radical changes introduced in the 4th Edition of ''D&D'', Paizo saw an opportunity: they would [[StartMyOwn create their own ruleset]], using the foundation of [=3rd-ed=] ''D&D'' (the core rules of which were in perpetual open license under the Open Gaming License) to offer something new and fresh while allowing old players to build on what they already knew, created, and played. It also prided itself on being compatible with 3.5 (with a few rules alterations, of course, mostly in service of trying to patch what were then 3E's most obvious holes and broken parts).

''Pathfinder'' Second Edition Remastered was announced in 2023, in the wake of Wizards of the Coast's attempts to revise the OGL that have since been abandoned. Second Edition Remastered's goal is to provide a backwards-compatible revamp of the game that completes the system's divorce from D&D by publishing the system under a new, system-agnostic [[FunWithAcronyms Open [=RPG=] Creative]] license. It removes a large number of elements that were specifically tied to the Open Gaming License or Dungeons and Dragons as a whole, most notably [[CharacterAlignment alignment]], while reimagining, revising, or downplaying a number of legacy elements dependent on [=OGL=] content.

''Pathfinder'' products are mostly set in the Age of Lost Omens campaign setting, centred around the Inner Sea region of the ConstructedWorld of Golarion. ("The Age of Lost Omens" descriptor was coined during the transition from First Edition to Second Edition.) Golarion is actually one of several populated planets in the setting's solar system, but overwhelming focus is given to Golarion, the "Earth" of the setting. The FantasyKitchenSink nature of the game's setting as a whole means that a large variety of {{fantasy}} genres are represented, along with certain {{horror}} and [[ScienceFiction sci-fi]] ones. This meant that you could run different themes of campaign merely by changing the locale on Golarion, rather than having to incorporate different settings, such as ''TabletopGame/{{Dragonlance}}'' vs. ''TabletopGame/{{Ravenloft}}'' vs. ''TabletopGame/{{Eberron}}'' vs. ''TabletopGame/DarkSun'' as in ''D&D''.

* ''Pathfinder Legends'' audio adaptions of Adventure paths released by [[/index]]Creator/BigFinish[[index]].

* ''Abomination Vaults'', an ARPG published by BKOM.
* ''Gallowspire Survivors'', a roguelite bullet hell

The ''Pathfinder'' RPG is the first, and arguably most well-known, Tabletop RPG system produced by [[Creator/{{Paizo}} Paizo Publishing]]. Paizo Publishing began life as a group that was split off from Creator/WizardsOfTheCoast in 2002 to publish ''Magazine/{{Dragon}}'' and ''Magazine/{{Dungeon}}'' Magazines. When [=WotC=] announced the fourth edition of ''D&D'', they took back the publication rights to the magazines in order to create exclusively online versions. Paizo decided to publish a 3rd-edition-focused magazine of its own, ''Pathfinder'', keeping up the Adventure Path tradition they'd established in the last three years of ''Dungeon'' while establishing a new in-house campaign setting - the "Inner Sea", based on a new world called Golarion. This saw the publication of the ''Rise of the Runelords'', ''Curse of the Crimson Throne'', ''Second Darkness'' and ''Legacy of Fire'' Adventure Paths published specifically for ''D&D'' 3.5 under the Open Game License. However, as they heard from more fans of 3rd Edition who were dissatisfied with the radical changes introduced in the 4th Edition of ''D&D'', Paizo saw an opportunity: they would [[StartMyOwn create their own ruleset]], using the foundation of [=3rd-ed=] ''D&D'' (the core rules of which were in perpetual open license under the Open Gaming License) to offer something new and fresh while allowing old players to build on what they already knew, created, and played. It also prided itself on being compatible with 3.5 (with a few rules alterations, of course, mostly in service of trying to patch what were then 3E's most obvious holes and broken parts).

''Pathfinder'' Second Edition Remastered was announced in 2023, in the wake of Wizards of the Coast's abandoned attempts to revise the OGL. Second Edition Remastered's goal is to provide a backwards-compatible revamp of the game that completes the system's divorce from D&D by publishing the system under a new, system-agnostic [[FunWithAcronyms Open [=RPG=] Creative]] license. It removes a large number of elements that were specifically tied to the Open Gaming License or Dungeons and Dragons as a whole, most notably [[CharacterAlignment alignment]], while reimagining, revising, or downplaying a number of legacy elements dependent on [=OGL=] content.

''Pathfinder'' products are mostly set in the Age of Lost Omens campaign setting, centred around the Inner Sea region of the ConstructedWorld of Golarion.(The setting was formerly known as "The Inner Sea, but was renamed to "The Age of Lost Omens" during the transition from First Edition to Second Edition.) Golarion is actually one of several populated planets in the setting's solar system, but overwhelming focus is given to Golarion, the "Earth" of the setting. The FantasyKitchenSink nature of the game's setting as a whole means that a large variety of {{fantasy}} genres are represented, along with certain {{horror}} and [[ScienceFiction sci-fi]] ones. This meant that you could run different themes of campaign merely by changing the locale on Golarion, rather than having to incorporate different settings, such as ''TabletopGame/{{Dragonlance}}'' vs. ''TabletopGame/{{Ravenloft}}'' vs. ''TabletopGame/{{Eberron}}'' vs. ''TabletopGame/DarkSun'' as in ''D&D''.

The ''Pathfinder'' RPG is the first, and arguably most well-known, Tabletop RPG system produced by [[Creator/{{Paizo}} Paizo Publishing]]. The first edition of Pathfinder has been called a SpiritualSuccessor to [[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragonsThirdEdition the 3.5 Edition]] of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''. It is a tabletop game based upon the rules of ''Dungeons and Dragons''' 3.5 Edition, but expands on them, making additional rules, rebalancing classes, and simplifying some aspects. In short, Pathfinder [=1E=] was ''D&D'' for those who disliked the changes found in ''D&D''[='=]s Fourth Edition (or at least liked 3.5 and preferred to remain compatible with its rules). After 10 years of publication, the first edition of ''Pathfinder'' was phased out in favor of the ''Second Edition'' -- this edition continues to evolve the ruleset towards incorporating more simplicity while still finding a way to give more options for creating characters and adventures to challenge them, and more directly incorporating feedback about the framework of [=3E=] that had now accumulated over nearly twenty years - addressing both friction points in the system, and, in the aftermath of Wizards of the Coast's OGL debacle of 2023, excising any remaining links between Pathfinder and D&D, at least ones that are not in the public domain.

Paizo Publishing began life as a group that was split off from Creator/WizardsOfTheCoast in 2002 to publish ''Magazine/{{Dragon}}'' and ''Magazine/{{Dungeon}}'' Magazines. When [=WotC=] announced the fourth edition of ''D&D'', they took back the publication rights to the magazines in order to create exclusively online versions. Paizo decided to publish a 3rd-edition-focused magazine of its own, ''Pathfinder'', keeping up the Adventure Path tradition they'd established in the last three years of ''Dungeon'' while establishing a new in-house campaign setting - the "Inner Sea", based on a new world called Golarion. This saw the publication of the ''Rise of the Runelords'', ''Curse of the Crimson Throne'', ''Second Darkness'' and ''Legacy of Fire'' Adventure Paths published specifically for ''D&D'' 3.5 under the Open Game License. However, as they heard from more fans of 3rd Edition who were dissatisfied with the radical changes introduced in the 4th Edition of ''D&D'', Paizo saw an opportunity: they would [[StartMyOwn create their own ruleset]], using the foundation of [=3rd-ed=] ''D&D'' (the core rules of which were in perpetual open license under the Open Gaming License) to offer something new and fresh while allowing old players to build on what they already knew, created, and played. It also prided itself on being compatible with 3.5 (with a few rules alterations, of course, mostly in service of trying to patch what were then 3E's most obvious holes and broken parts).

''Pathfinder'' Second Edition Remastered was announced in 2023, in the wake of Wizards of the Coast's OGL Revision Debable. Second Edition Remastered's goal is to provide a backwards-compatible revamp of the game that completes the system's divorce from D&D by publishing the system under a new, system-agnostic [[FunWithAcronyms Open [=RPG=] Creative]] license. It removes a large number of elements that were specifically tied to the Open Gaming License or Dungeons and Dragons as a whole, most notably [[CharacterAlignment alignment]], while reimagining, revising, or downplaying a number of legacy elements dependent on [=OGL=] content.

Paizo Publishing began life as a group that was split off from Creator/WizardsOfTheCoast in 2002 to publish ''Magazine/{{Dragon}}'' and ''Magazine/{{Dungeon}}'' Magazines. When [=WotC=] announced the fourth edition of ''D&D'', they took back the publication rights to the magazines in order to create exclusively online versions. Paizo decided to publish a 3rd-edition-focused magazine of its own, ''Pathfinder'', keeping up the Adventure Path tradition they'd established in the last three years of ''Dungeon'' while establishing a new in-house campaign setting - the "Inner Sea", based on a new world called Golarion. This saw the publication of the Rise of the Runelords, Curse of the Crimson Throne, Second Darkness" and "Legacy of Fire" Adventure Paths published specifically for ''D&D'' 3.5 under the Open Game License. However, as they heard from more fans of 3rd Edition who were dissatisfied with the radical changes introduced in the 4th Edition of ''D&D'', Paizo saw an opportunity: they would [[StartMyOwn create their own ruleset]], using the foundation of [=3rd-ed=] ''D&D'' (the core rules of which were in perpetual open license under the Open Gaming License) to offer something new and fresh while allowing old players to build on what they already knew, created, and played. It also prided itself on being compatible with 3.5 (with a few rules alterations, of course, mostly in service of trying to patch what were then 3E's most obvious holes and broken parts).

* ReadTheFinePrint: Under pressure due to numerous slave rebellions in other nations, Cheliax abruptly freed all of its slaves in 4722 AR. House Thrune then offered the newly-freed slaves a contract allowing them to receive a stipend, supposedly to help get them on their feet. [[DealWithTheDevil This is House Thrune]] [[ObviouslyEvil we're talking about]]. In reality, the contract has [[ComicallyWordyContract an absurd amount deliberately hard-to-understand fine print]] with clauses that demand payments back on the stipend with high amounts of interest, essentially turning signatories into [[IndenturedServitude indentured servants for life]].

* TheNecrocracy: The nation of Geb.

* OmnicidalManiac: [[GodOfEvil Rovagug]], who wants the end of the entire universe. Then there's the daemons who certainly look this way to anyone on the outside.