Firstofalleverythingyoucouldpossiblyneedisonthefollowingwebsiteavailableforfreefrompaizo

themselves.
http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/
Ifyouprefertowatchavideoratherthanreadyoucanwatchthebeginnerserieson
https://www.youtube.com/user/DawnforgedCast
IfyoulookunderplayliststhereisasectioncalledPathfinderbasics.Thesevideosgofarmoreindepth
thanthisdocumentdoesbutdoesanexcellentjobofexplaininghowtoplayPF.Ipersonallyreallyenjoy
thischannelandthinkithashelpedmetremendouslywithmyknowledgeandconfidenceintheruleof
Pathfinder.

Playingthegame
WhileplayingthePathfinderRPG
,
theGameMasterdescribestheeventsthatoccurinthegameworld,
andtheplayerstaketurnsdescribingwhattheircharactersdoinresponsetothoseevents.Unlike
storytelling,however,theactionsoftheplayersandthecharacterscontrolledbytheGameMaster
(frequentlycallednonplayercharacters,orNPCs)arenotcertain.Mostactionsrequiredicerollsto
determinesuccess,withsometasksbeingmoredifficultthanothers.Eachcharacterisbetteratsome
thingsthanheisatotherthings,grantinghimbonusesbasedonhisskillsandabilities.
Wheneverarollisrequired,therollisnotedasd#,withthe#representingthenumberofsidesonthe
die.Ifyouneedtorollmultiplediceofthesametype,therewillbeanumberbeforethed.Forexample,
ifyouarerequiredtoroll4d6,youshouldrollfoursixsideddiceandaddtheresultstogether.Sometimes
therewillbea+orafterthenotation,meaningthatyouaddthatnumberto,orsubtractitfrom,thetotal
resultsofthedice(nottoeachindividualdierolled).Mostdierollsinthegameusead20withanumber
ofmodifiersbasedonthecharacter'sskills,hisorherabilities,andthesituation.Generallyspeaking,
rollinghighisbetterthanrollinglow.Percentilerollsareaspecialcase,indicatedasrollingd%.Youcan
generatearandomnumberinthisrangebyrollingtwodifferentlycoloredtensideddice(2d10).Pickone
colortorepresentthetensdigit,thenrollbothdice.Ifthediechosentobethetensdigitrollsa4andthe
otherd10rollsa2,thenyou'vegenerateda42.Azeroonthetensdigitdieindicatesaresultfrom1to
9,or100ifbothdiceresultinazero.Somed10sareprintedwith10,20,30,andsooninorderto
makereadingd%rollseasier.Unlessotherwisenoted,wheneveryoumustroundanumber,alwaysround
down.
Asyourcharactergoesonadventures,heearnsgold,magicitems,andexperiencepoints.Goldcanbe
usedtopurchasebetterequipment,whilemagicitemspossesspowerfulabilitiesthatenhanceyour
character.Experiencepointsareawardedforovercomingchallengesandcompletingmajorstorylines.
Whenyourcharacterhasearnedenoughexperiencepoints,heincreaseshischaracterlevelbyone,
grantinghimnewpowersandabilitiesthatallowhimtotakeonevengreaterchallenges.

Skills
Eachlevel,yourcharactergainsanumberofskillranksdependentuponyourclassplusyour
Intelligence
modifier.Investingarankinaskillrepresentsameasureoftraininginthatskill.Youcanneverhave
moreranksinaskillthanyourtotalnumberofHitDice.Inaddition,eachclasshasanumberoffavored
skills,calledclassskills.Itiseasierforyourcharactertobecomemoreproficientintheseskills,asthey
representpartofhisprofessionaltrainingandconstantpractice.Yougaina+3bonusonallclassskills
thatyouputranksinto.Ifyouhavemorethanoneclassandbothgrantyouaclassskillbonus,these
bonusesdonotstack.

Taking10andTaking20
Askillcheckrepresentsanattempttoaccomplishsomegoal,usuallywhileundersomesortoftime
pressureordistraction.Sometimes,though,acharactercanuseaskillundermorefavorableconditions,
increasingtheoddsofsuccess.
Taking10
:Whenyourcharacterisnotinimmediatedangerordistracted,youmaychoosetotake10.
Insteadofrolling1d20fortheskillcheck,calculateyourresultasifyouhadrolleda10.Formanyroutine
tasks,taking10makesthemautomaticallysuccessful.Distractionsorthreats(suchascombat)makeit
impossibleforacharactertotake10.Inmostcases,taking10ispurelyasafetymeasureyouknow(or
expect)thatanaveragerollwillsucceedbutfearthatapoorrollmightfail,soyouelecttosettleforthe
averageroll(a10).Taking10isespeciallyusefulinsituationswhereaparticularlyhighrollwouldn't
help.
Taking20
:Whenyouhaveplentyoftime,youarefacedwithnothreatsordistractions,andtheskill
beingattemptedcarriesnopenaltiesforfailure,youcantake20.Inotherwords,ifyourollad20enough
times,eventuallyyouwillgeta20.Insteadofrolling1d20fortheskillcheck,justcalculateyourresultas
ifyouhadrolleda20.
Taking20meansyouaretryinguntilyougetitright,anditassumesthatyoufailmanytimesbefore
succeeding.Taking20takes20timesaslongasmakingasinglecheckwouldtake(usually2minutesfor
askillthattakes1roundorlesstoperform).
Sincetaking20assumesthatyourcharacterwillfailmanytimesbeforesucceeding,yourcharacterwould
automaticallyincuranypenaltiesforfailurebeforeheorshecouldcompletethetask(hencewhyitis
generallynotallowedwithskillsthatcarrysuchpenalties).Commontake20skillsincludeDisable
Device(whenusedtoopenlocks),EscapeArtist,andPerception(whenattemptingtofindtraps).
CommonSkillchecks
Acrobatics
Usedtomovewithoutprovokinganattackofopportunity,jump,tumble,andwalkin
slipperyareas.
Appraise
Haslittleuseinthiscampaign.Usedtodeterminethevalueofanobjectoridentifyit
Bluff
usedtoconvinceanNPCofalie.Canalsobeusedincombattofeint(ifyouwishtodothisitis
recommendedtoinvestsomefeatsintoit.
Climb
Letsyouclimbsurfaces,ropesrecommended,thoughnotalwaysrequired.
Craft
Mostlyaflavorskill,Itemcreationnotallowedinthiscampaignsolessuseful

Diplomacy
UsedtoPersuadeNPCstoagreewithyoursideormakethemmorehelpful.
DisableDevice
Usedtodisarmtraps,unlockdoors,orsabotagesimplemechanicaldevices.
Disguise
Usedtocreatedisguiseto(hopefully)preventpeoplefromrecognizingyou.
EscapeArtist
Usedtoescapegrapplesorsqueezeoutoftightareas.
Fly
Yourproficiencywithflying,noteyoucantputranksinthisuntilyouhaveameansofflight.
HandleAnimal
Usedtoattempttocontrolorpersuadeananimal
Heal
Mundanehealing,usedtodoCPR,treatdiseases,wrapwounds.Healerskitrecommended
Intimidate
Usedtoforcesomeonetodowhatyousay,doesntlastindefinitelyandthetargetwontlike
youafterwards,butcanworkforshorttime.Alsocanbeusedincombattogiveenemiesshaken
condition.
Knowledge(various)
Linguistics
Youlearnanewlanguageforeveryrankputin,alsoyoucanattempttodecipherunknown
languages.Lastlyyoucanattempttomakeforgerieswiththis.
Perception
Themostcommonlyusedskillinthegame.Thisisyourabilitytoseeorhearsomething
beforeitstoolate.Youusethistoavoidbeingsurprisedandwhenlookingforsomething.
Perform
Ifyouarentabardoraskaldthisskillhaslittleuse.Itisyourabilitytodoartlike
performancesi.e.Tellastory,playaninstrumentordance.
Profession
Thisislikeamundanejob.Littleuseinthiscampaignmostlyjustflavor,butcertainones
canbeusefulinothercampaigns(i.e.Prof:Sailorwouldletyoudriveaboat)
Ride
Yourabilitytocontrolandrideamountskillfully.
SenseMotive
YourabilitytoreadBodylanguageandtheliketodetermineifpeoplearelyingoratleast
hidingthetruth.Alsousefultodetermineifmagicisenchantingsomeone.
SleightofHand
Thisletsyoupickpockets,concealweapons,orotherminortaskswithoutbeing
noticed.
Spellcraft
Thisisusedtobothidentifymagicitemsandspellsbeingcastoralreadycast.
Stealth
Thisisyourabilitytosneakandhideunnoticed.Noteyouneedeithertobeinthedarkorhiding
behindsomethingtostealth,(i.e.concealmentorcover)
Survival
Thisisyourabilitytobothgetalonginthewildi.e.scavengingforfood/water,yourabilityto
track,andcanhelpwithavoidinggettinglost.
Swim
Selfexplanatory,ifyouneedtoswimyougetthisskill.
UseMagicDevice
Whenactivatingwandsorscrolls,ifthespellisnotaspellyoucancastnormallyn
yourown(onyourspelllist)YouhavetomakeaUMDchecktoemulateyoubeingabletocastthespell
toactivatetheitemproperly.Noteyoucanttake10or20onthisskillbecauseifyourolla1youcant
attempttoactivatetheitemagainfor24hours.

Combat
Combatiscyclicaleverybodyactsinturninaregularcycleofrounds.Combatfollowsthissequence:
1.Whencombatbegins,allcombatantsrollinitiative.
2.Determinewhichcharactersareawareoftheiropponents.Thesecharacterscanactduringasurprise
round.Ifallthecharactersareawareoftheiropponents,proceedwithnormalrounds.Seethesurprise
sectionformoreinformation.
3.Afterthesurpriseround(ifany),allcombatantsarereadytobeingthefirstnormalroundofcombat.
4.Combatantsactininitiativeorder(highesttolowest).
5.Wheneveryonehashadaturn,thenextroundbeginswiththecombatantwiththehighestinitiative,and
steps4and5repeatuntilcombatends.

FlatFooted
:Atthestartofabattle,beforeyouhavehadachancetoact(specifically,beforeyourfirst
regularturnintheinitiativeorder),youareflatfooted.Youcan'tuseyour
Dexterity
bonusto
AC
(ifany)
whileflatfooted.Aflatfootedcharactercan'tmakeattacksofopportunity,unlesshehasthe
Combat
Reflexes
feat.

ActionTypes
Anaction'stypeessentiallytellsyouhowlongtheactiontakestoperform(withintheframeworkofthe
6secondcombatround)andhowmovementistreated.Therearesixtypesofactions:standardactions,
moveactions,fullroundactions,swiftactions,immediateactions,andfreeactions.
Inanormalround,youcanperformastandardactionandamoveaction,oryoucanperformafullround
action.Youcanalsoperformoneswiftactionandoneormorefreeactions.Youcanalwaystakeamove
actioninplaceofastandardaction.
Insomesituations(suchasinasurpriseround),youmaybelimitedtotakingonlyasinglemoveactionor
standardaction.

StandardAction
:Astandardactionallowsyoutodosomething,mostcommonlytomakeanattackor
castaspell.SeeTable:ActionsinCombatforotherstandardactions.
MoveAction
:Amoveactionallowsyoutomoveuptoyourspeedorperformanactionthattakesa
similaramountoftime.SeeTable:ActionsinCombatforothermoveactions.
Youcantakeamoveactioninplaceofastandardaction.Ifyoumovenoactualdistanceinaround
(commonlybecauseyouhaveswappedyourmoveactionforoneormoreequivalentactions),youcan
takeone5footstepeitherbefore,during,oraftertheaction.
FullRoundAction
:Afullroundactionconsumesallyoureffortduringaround.Theonlymovement
youcantakeduringafullroundactionisa5footstepbefore,during,oraftertheaction.Youcanalso
performfreeactionsandswiftactions(seebelow).SeeTable:ActionsinCombatforalistoffullround
actions.
Somefullroundactionsdonotallowyoutotakea5footstep.
Somefullroundactionscanbetakenasstandardactions,butonlyinsituationswhenyouarelimitedto
performingonlyastandardactionduringyourround.Thedescriptionsofspecificactionsdetailwhich
actionsallowthisoption.

FreeAction
:Freeactionsconsumeaverysmallamountoftimeandeffort.Youcanperformoneormore
freeactionswhiletakinganotheractionnormally.However,therearereasonablelimitsonwhatyoucan
reallydoforfree,asdecidedbytheGM.
SwiftAction
:Aswiftactionconsumesaverysmallamountoftime,butrepresentsalargerexpenditure
ofeffortandenergythanafreeaction.Youcanperformonlyasingleswiftactionperturn.
ImmediateAction
:Animmediateactionisverysimilartoaswiftaction,butcanbeperformedatany
timeevenifit'snotyourturn.Animmediateactionusesupyournextturnsswiftactionaswell.

InjuryandDeath
Yourhitpointsmeasurehowhardyouaretokill.Nomatterhowmanyhitpointsyoulose,yourcharacter
isn'thinderedinanywayuntilyourhitpointsdropto0orlower.
LossofHitPoints
Themostcommonwaythatyourcharactergetshurtistotakelethaldamageandlosehitpoints.
WhatHitPointsRepresent:Hitpointsmeantwothingsinthegameworld:theabilitytotakephysical
punishmentandkeepgoing,andtheabilitytoturnaseriousblowintoalessseriousone.
EffectsofHitPointDamage:Damagedoesn'tslowyoudownuntilyourcurrenthitpointsreach0or
lower.At0hitpoints,you'redisabled.
Ifyourhitpointtotalisnegative,butnotequaltoorgreaterthanyour
Constitution
score,youare
unconscious
and
dying
.
Whenyournegativehitpointtotalisequaltoyour
Constitution
,you'redead.
AttacksofOpportunity
Sometimesacombatantinameleeletsherguarddownortakesarecklessaction.Inthiscase,combatants
nearhercantakeadvantageofherlapseindefensetoattackherforfree.Thesefreeattacks
arecalled
attacksofopportunity.
ThreatenedSquares
:Youthreatenallsquaresintowhichyoucanmakeameleeattack,evenwhenitis
notyourturn.Generally,thatmeanseverythinginallsquaresadjacenttoyourspace(including
diagonally).Anenemythattakescertainactionswhileinathreatenedsquareprovokesanattackof
opportunityfromyou.Ifyou'reunarmed,youdon'tnormallythreatenanysquaresandthuscan'tmake
attacksofopportunity.
ReachWeapons:
MostcreaturesofMediumorsmallersizehaveareachofonly5feet.Thismeansthat
theycanmakemeleeattacksonlyagainstcreaturesupto5feet(1square)away.However,Smalland
Mediumcreatureswieldingreachweaponsthreatenmoresquaresthanatypicalcreature.Inaddition,
mostcreatureslargerthanMediumhaveanaturalreachof10feetormore.
ProvokinganAttackofOpportunity:Twokindsofactionscanprovokeattacksofopportunity:moving
outofathreatenedsquareandperformingcertainactionswithinathreatenedsquare.
Moving
:Movingoutofathreatenedsquareusuallyprovokesattacksofopportunityfromthreatening
opponents.Therearetwocommonmethodsofavoidingsuchanattackthe5footstepandthewithdraw
action.
PerformingaDistractingAct
:Someactions,whenperformedinathreatenedsquare,provokeattacksof
opportunityasyoudivertyourattentionfromthebattle.Table:ActionsinCombatnotesmanyofthe
actionsthatprovokeattacksofopportunity.

Rememberthatevenactionsthatnormallyprovokeattacksofopportunitymayhaveexceptionstothis
rule.
MakinganAttackofOpportunity
:Anattackofopportunityisasinglemeleeattack,andmost
characterscanonlymakeoneperround.Youdon'thavetomakeanattackofopportunityifyoudon't
wantto.Youmakeyourattackofopportunityatyournormalattackbonus,evenifyou'vealready
attackedintheround.
Anattackofopportunityinterruptsthenormalflowofactionsintheround.Ifanattackofopportunity
isprovoked,immediatelyresolvetheattackofopportunity,thencontinuewiththenextcharacter'sturn
(orcompletethecurrentturn,iftheattackofopportunitywasprovokedinthemidstofacharacter'sturn).
CombatReflexesandAdditionalAttacksofOpportunity:
Ifyouhavethe
CombatReflexes
feat,youcan
addyour
Dexterity
bonustothenumberofattacksofopportunityyoucanmakeinaround.Thisfeatdoes
notletyoumakemorethanoneattackforagivenopportunity,butifthesameopponentprovokestwo
attacksofopportunityfromyou,youcouldmaketwoseparateattacksofopportunity(sinceeachone
representsadifferentopportunity).Movingoutofmorethanonesquarethreatenedbythesameopponent
inthesamerounddoesn'tcountasmorethanoneopportunityforthatopponent.Alltheseattacksareat
yourfullnormalattackbonus.

Cover&Concealment
Refertotherespectivesectionsof
http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/combat.html
formoredetailed
rules.
Cover
Generallycoveriswhenthereisanobstaclebetweenyouandthetargetofanattack.Theygetabonusto
ACandsometimesReflexsavesdependingonthelevelofcover(Normal,Soft,Partial,Total,or
Improved)
NormalCover
Ifthetargetispartiallybehindawallorsimilartheygetcove(+4AC+2RefSTfrom
spellsthatburstfromtheothersideofthecover)
PartialThecreatureisstillhalfwayvisible,andgetshalfthebenefitsofnormalCover
SoftSoftcoveriswhenthereisanenemyorallybetweenyouandthetarget,theyget+4acbutno
bonusonRefST
Total
Totalcoveriswhentheyare100%obscuredbyawallorsimilar.Thisiswhenyoudonothave
lineofsighttoanenemy.Ifyoudonthavelineofsightyoucannottakeanattackagainstthemorcasta
spellonthem.
ImprovedCover
Thisisararecasebutifthetargetis75%ormoreobscuredbutstillabletobe
attackedtheyhaveimprovedcover.I.e.Beingbehindanarrowslitinawall.TargetswithImp.Coverget
+8ACand+4onRefST.vsspellscomingfromtheothersideofthecover.Furthermorethetargetgets
ImprovedEvasionforanyspellattemptingtocomethroughtheImprovedcoveraswell.
Concealment
Thereare2typesofconcealmentconcealmentandtotalconcealment.NormalConcealment.Common
thingsthatgrantconcealmentarefoganddarkness.Ifyouareinanareaofdimlightyouhave
concealmentandifyourtargetisunabletoseeyouyouhavetotalconcealment.

NormalConcealmentgrantsa20%misschanceandTotalprovidesa50%misschance.


Youcannotattackanopponentwithtotalconcealment,thoughyoucanattackthesquareyouthinkheis
in.Todothisyoumakeyourattackasnormalandthenyourollad%forTotalconcealment,wherea51+
hitsanda150misses.
Normalconcealmentworksthesamewayexceptyoucanseethetargetbutstillhavea20%chanceto
missthetarget.(i.e.youstillrolleitherad5orad%anda1onad5ora120onad%missthetarget)

Charging,Flanking,&CombatManeuvers

Flanking
Flankingiswhenyouandanallyareonoppositesidesofanenemy.Tobeflankingyoumustbeonthe
directlyoppositesideoftheally.Ifyouareflankingyougeta+2toyourattackrollsYoumustbe
threateningthetargetinordertoflank(i.e.holdingaweaponorwearingagauntlet).

Charging
Chargingisaspecialfullroundactionthatallowsyoutomoveuptotwiceyourspeedandattackduring
theaction.Charging,however,carriestightrestrictionsonhowyoucanmove.

MovementDuringaCharge
:Youmustmovebeforeyourattack,notafter.Youmustmoveatleast10feet
(2squares)andmaymoveuptodoubleyourspeeddirectlytowardthedesignatedopponent.Ifyoumove
adistanceequaltoyourspeedorless,youcanalsodrawaweaponduringachargeattackifyourbase
attackbonusisatleast+1.

Youmusthaveaclearpathtowardtheopponent,andnothingcanhinderyourmovement(suchas
difficultterrainorobstacles).Youmustmovetotheclosestspacefromwhichyoucanattackthe
opponent.Ifthisspaceisoccupiedorotherwiseblocked,youcan'tcharge.Ifanylinefromyourstarting
spacetotheendingspacepassesthroughasquarethatblocksmovement,slowsmovement,orcontainsa
creature(evenanally),youcan'tcharge.
Helpless
creaturesdon'tstopacharge.

Ifyoudon'thavelineofsighttotheopponentatthestartofyourturn,youcan'tchargethatopponent.
Youcan'ttakea5footstepinthesameroundasacharge.

Ifyouareabletotakeonlyastandardactiononyourturn,youcanstillcharge,butyouareonlyallowed
tomoveuptoyourspeed(insteadofuptodoubleyourspeed)

AttackingonaCharge
:Aftermoving,youmaymakeasinglemeleeattack.Yougeta+2bonusonthe
attackrollandtakea2penaltytoyour
AC
untilthestartofyournextturn.
Achargingcharactergetsa+2bonusoncombatmaneuverattackrollsmadeto
bullrush
anopponent.
Evenifyouhaveextraattacks,suchasfromhavingahighenoughbaseattackbonusorfromusing
multipleweapons,youonlygettomakeoneattackduringacharge.
LancesandChargeAttacks
:Alancedealsdoubledamageifemployedbyamountedcharacterina
charge.

WeaponsReadiedagainstaCharge
:Spears,tridents,andotherweaponswiththebracefeaturedeal
doubledamagewhenreadied(set)andusedagainstachargingcharacter.

CombatManeuvers
Thereareseveralspecialactionsyoucantakeincombat.Theseactionsareoftenusedstrategicallyto
hamperafoeasopposedtooutrightattackingthem.Thisincludesthingsliketripping,feinting,disarming,
grapplingetc.CombatmaneuversprovokeAttacksofOpportunityfromthecreatureyouaretargeting
unlessyoupossesstherelatedfeat(oftencalledImprovedXwherexisthenameofthemaneuver).
Whenyouattempttoperformacombatmaneuver,makeanattackrollandaddyourCMBinplaceof
yournormalattackbonus.Addanybonusesyoucurrentlyhaveonattackrollsduetospells,feats,and
othereffects.Thesebonusesmustbeapplicabletotheweaponorattackusedtoperformthemaneuver.
TheDCofthismaneuverisyourtarget's
CombatManeuverDefense
.Combatmaneuversareattackrolls,
soyoumustrollforconcealmentandtakeanyotherpenaltiesthatwouldnormallyapplytoanattackroll.
Formoreinformationonindividualmaneuversrefertothecombatpageandthemaneuverssubsection.
http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/combat.html

Delay&Ready

Delay
Bychoosingtodelay,youtakenoactionandthenactnormallyonwhateverinitiativecountyoudecideto
act.Whenyoudelay,youvoluntarilyreduceyourowninitiativeresultfortherestofthecombat.When
yournew,lowerinitiativecountcomesuplaterinthesameround,youcanactnormally.Youcanspecify
thisnewinitiativeresultorjustwaituntilsometimelaterintheroundandactthen,thusfixingyournew
initiativecountatthatpoint.
Younevergetbackthetimeyouspendwaitingtoseewhat'sgoingtohappen.Youalsocan'tinterrupt
anyoneelse'saction(asyoucanwithareadiedaction)

Ready
Thereadyactionletsyoupreparetotakeanactionlater,afteryourturnisoverbutbeforeyournextone
hasbegun.Readyingisastandardaction.Itdoesnotprovokeanattackofopportunity(thoughtheaction
thatyoureadymightdoso).
ReadyinganAction
:Youcanreadyastandardaction,amoveaction,aswiftaction,orafreeaction.To
doso,specifytheactionyouwilltakeandtheconditionsunderwhichyouwilltakeit.Then,anytime
beforeyournextaction,youmaytakethereadiedactioninresponsetothatcondition.Theactionoccurs
justbeforetheactionthattriggersit.Ifthetriggeredactionispartofanothercharacter'sactivities,you
interrupttheothercharacter.Assumingheisstillcapableofdoingso,hecontinueshisactionsonceyou
completeyourreadiedaction.Yourinitiativeresultchanges.Fortherestoftheencounter,yourinitiative
resultisthecountonwhichyoutookthereadiedaction,andyouactimmediatelyaheadofthecharacter
whoseactiontriggeredyourreadiedaction.

Youcantakea5footstepaspartofyourreadiedaction,butonlyifyoudon'totherwisemoveany
distanceduringtheround.

DistractingSpellcasters
:Youcanreadyanattackagainstaspellcasterwiththetriggerifshestarts
castingaspell.Ifyoudamagethespellcaster,shemaylosethespellshewastryingtocast(as
determinedbyherSpellcraftcheckresult).
ReadyingtoCounterspell
:Youmayreadyacounterspellagainstaspellcaster(oftenwiththetriggerif
shestartscastingaspell).Inthiscase,whenthespellcasterstartsaspell,yougetachancetoidentifyit
withaSpellcraftcheck(DC15+spelllevel).Ifyoudo,andifyoucancastthatsamespell(andareable
tocastitandhaveitprepared,ifyoupreparespells),youcancastthespellasacounterspelland
automaticallyruintheotherspellcaster'sspell.Counterspellingworksevenifonespellisdivineandthe
otherarcane.
Aspellcastercanusedispelmagictocounterspellanotherspellcaster,butitdoesn'talwayswork.
ReadyingaWeaponagainstaCharge
:Youcanreadyweaponswiththebracefeature,settingthemto
receivecharges.Areadiedweaponofthistypedealsdoubledamageifyouscoreahitwithitagainsta
chargingcharacter.

Equipment
Mostadventurerscarrywiththemanassortmentofbothmundaneandmagicalitems.Youtypicallykeep
mostoftheseinabackpackorasack,andstorewhatyoucanonyourcharacter.
Touseanitemyouownyoumustbe(typically)holdingtheitem,i.e.ifyouhaveapotioninyour
backpackyoumustfirstretrieveitbeforeyoucandrinkit.
Gettinganitemoutofeitherabeltpouch,abandolier,orabackpackisamoveactionthatprovokes
AttacksofOpportunity.Onewaytoavoidthisforitemsyoumayneedinacriticalmoment(i.e.apotion
ofCurelightwoundsorawandofthesame)youcanpurchaseaspringloadedwristsheathfor1gpthat
allowsyoutoretrievetheitemheldinitasaswiftaction)Igiveadifferentsiteforthisonebecauseitis
inaPaizosoftcoverbookandthusnotontheirmainpage.
http://www.archivesofnethys.com/EquipmentMiscDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Wrist%20sheath%20%28spri
ng%20loaded%29

Belowisalistofcommonitemsyoushouldconsiderbringingonyouradventureintotheemeraldspire.
Notethislistisnotexhaustivejustlistsoptionsandcommonitemsthatmanyadventurerswillbringwith
them.
Containers
Backpack2gp,2lbs
Pouch(belt)1gp,1/2lbs
Sack1sp,1/2lbs
Lighting
Onlyifgoingtodarkplacesoradventuringatnight.
Candle1cp5ftradius
Torch1cp,1lb20ft+20ft
Flint&Steel1gp(tolightthingsup)

Tindertwig1gp(tolightthingsup)
Lamp1sp,1lb(needsoil)15ft+15ft
Lamp,waterproof(UE)
Sunrod2gp,1lbs30ft+30ft
Lantern(needsoil)
Hooded7gp,2lbs30ft+30ft
Sleep
Onlyneededinthewildsorforlongtravels
Bedroll1sp,5lbs
Hammock(UE)1sp,3lbs
Blanket5sp,3lbs(recommendedwiththebedroll)
Tent,small(Core/APG)10gp,20lbs(onemediumcreature)

Toolsofthetrade
Artisan'sTools5gp,5lbs(requiredforgivenCraft)
Thieves'Tools30gp,1lbs(requiredforDisableDevice)
MusicalInstrument5gp,3lbs(requiredforPerform/winstrument)
DisguiseKit50gp,8lbs(bonus)
Alchemist'sKit(APG)/AlchemyCraftingKit(UE)25gp,5lbs
Healing
Someofthesedependonexpectedthreats.Ifyouknowyou'regoingthrough
poisonousmonstersfilledjungles,youmaywanttopoolmoneyforanAntitoxinoraLeeching
Kit.
Bloodblock(APG)25gp(tohealwounds/bleed)
Healer'sKit50gp,1lb(requiredforHeal,+2bonuswhenused)
LeechingKit(APG)5gp,5lbs(forpoison)
Antiplague(APG/UE)
Antitoxin(Core/UE)50gp
MiscellaneousAdventureGear
Rope(hemp)1gp,10lbs
Rope(silk)10gp,5lbs
Crowbar2gp,5lbs
Mirror10gp,1/2lbs
Shovel/Spade2gp,8lbs
Compass(APG)10gp

Magic/Alchemy
Someofthesearerequirementsforspecificclasses.
Spellcomponentpouch5gp,2lbs
EverycastershouldhaveoneunlesstheyhaveEschewMaterial(Sorcerer)
HolySymbol,fordivinecharactersrequiringadivinefocustocastsomespells
Wooden1gp,0lbs

Spellbook15gp,3lbsforWizards,Magus,andArcanist(noteyoustartwith1forfree)
FormulaBook(APG),forAlchemist
Alchemyandsubstances
Apartfromtheoil,thisisveryoptional,especiallyconsideringthecosts.
Oil1sp,1lb(forlamp/lantern,splashweapon,grease1square)
AcidFlask10gp,1lbs
Alchemist'sFire20gp,1lbs
Smokestick20gp,1/2lbs
HolyWater25gp,1lbs
Thunderstone30gp,1lbs
TanglefootBag50gp,4lbs(ratherexpensiveforastartthough)
Writings/Scrolls
Ink8gp
Inkpen1sp
Parchmentsheet2sp
Papersheet4sp
Caseformaps/scrolls1gp,1/2lbs
Journal(UE)10gp,1lb
ScrollCase(APG)
ScrollBox(UE)
MapMaker'sKit(APG)

Magic
Ifyouareplanningonplayingamajorspellcaster(Arcanist,cleric,andsummonerforourcurrentgroup)I
recommendyoulookoverthemagicpagetomakesureyouunderstandspellcasting.Thehighlightsare
includedbelowforyourconvenience
Concentration
Tocastaspell,youmustconcentrate.Ifsomethinginterruptsyourconcentrationwhileyou'recasting,you
mustmakeaconcentrationcheckorlosethespell.Whenyoumakeaconcentrationcheck,yourolld20
andaddyourcasterlevelandtheabilityscoremodifierusedtodeterminebonusspellsofthesametype.
Clerics,druids,andrangersaddtheir
Wisdom
modifier.Bards,paladins,andsorcerersaddtheir
Charisma
modifier.Finally,wizardsaddtheir
Intelligence
modifier.Themoredistractingtheinterruption
andthehigherthelevelofthespellyouaretryingtocast,thehighertheDC(seeTable:Concentration
CheckDCs).Ifyoufailthecheck,youlosethespelljustasifyouhadcastittonoeffect.

ConcentrationChecks(page206)

SituationConcentrationDC
Castdefensively15+doublespelllevel
Injuredwhilecasting10+damagedealt+spelllevel
Continuousdamagewhilecasting10+1/2damagedealt+spelllevel
AffectedbyanondamagingspellDCofthespell+spelllevel
Grappledorpinnedwhilecasting10+grapplersCMB

Vigorousmotionwhilecasting10+spelllevel
Violentmotionwhilecasting15+spelllevel
Extremelyviolentmotionwhilecasting20+spelllevel
Windwithrainorsleetwhilecasting5+spelllevel
Windwithhailanddebriswhilecasting10+spelllevel
Weathercausedbyspellseespell
Entangledwhilecasting15+spelllevel

Counterspell
Itispossibletocastanyspellasacounterspell.Bydoingso,youareusingthespell'senergytodisruptthe
castingofthesamespellbyanothercharacter.Counterspellingworksevenifonespellisdivineandthe
otherarcane.
HowCounterspellsWork
:Touseacounterspell,youmustselectanopponentasthetargetofthe
counterspell.Youdothisbychoosingto
readyanaction
.Indoingso,youelecttowaittocompleteyour
actionuntilyouropponenttriestocastaspell.Youmaystillmoveatyournormalspeed,sincereadyisa
standardaction.
Ifthetargetofyourcounterspelltriestocastaspell,makeaSpellcraftcheck(DC15+thespell'slevel).
Thischeckisafreeaction.Ifthechecksucceeds,youcorrectlyidentifytheopponent'sspellandcan
attempttocounterit.Ifthecheckfails,youcan'tdoeitherofthesethings.
Tocompletetheaction,youmustthencastanappropriatespell.Asageneralrule,aspellcanonly
counteritself.Ifyouareabletocastthesamespellandyouhaveitprepared(orhaveaslotofthe
appropriatelevelavailable),youcastit,creatingacounterspelleffect.Ifthetargetiswithinrange,both
spellsautomaticallynegateeachotherwithnootherresults.
SpecificExceptions
:Somespellscancounterotherspecificspells,oftenthosewithdiametricallyopposed
effects.
DispelMagicasaCounterspell
:Youcanusuallyusedispelmagictocounterspellanotherspellbeingcast
withoutneedingtoidentifythespellbeingcast.Dispelmagicdoesn'talwaysworkasacounterspell(see
thespelldescription).

Review&Roll20Specifics
Soinconclusionwehaveskillsthatcanbeusedinandoutofcombat.wehavemagicwithits
complexitiesofcastingandconcentrationandwehavediscussedhowcombatflowsinatypicalsession.
Wehaveevenincludedalistofcommonitemsyoumaywishtotakewithyou.Ifyouhaveanyquestions
pleaseletmeknow.ButnowwewillmentionafewtipsandtricksforRoll20specificallyandthis
campaign.

Roll20

Roll20isaVirtualtabletopwebbasedclientthatwewilluseextensivelyforthiscampaign.Itis
recommendedthateachplayerhavetheirownscreen,i.e.atablet,alaptop,oranetbook.Howeverifwe
areshortonitwecanhavepeoplesharescreens.
Whenusingaroll20withalaptoporanetbookyouwillhaveyourtokenyoucontrolonamap/tabletop
andamenuwithvaryingoptionsontheright.Thereis5tabsatthetoprightforyoutochoosefrom.Read
lefttorightitistheChatlog,Journal,Jukebox,TablesandDecks,andoptions.Youwillusethejournal
andthechatlogthemost.
TableTopTips
Whenyouselectyourtokenyoumoveitbydraganddroppingitaroundthemap.Ifyoupressspacebar
whileholdingyourtokenyouwillcauseanarrowtopopupallowingyoutomeasurehowfaraway
somethingisformovementpurposes.Ifyoupressspacebarasecondtimewhilemeasuringyouwillmake
thearrowmeasuretothereandcontinuemeasuringoutfromthatpoint.Thisisgoodfordisplayingand
quicklymeasuringprecisemovement.Tojustmeasuredistancethereisaseparatebuttonontheleftside
menuholder.
Ifyouleftclickandholdontheboarditwillletoutapingthateveryonecanseewhereyouarepointing
to.ThisisgoodforsayingIattackthisgoblinandratherthandescribingwhichgoblinyoujustpoint.
Thereis3coloredcirclesaboveyourtokenshead.Thegreenoneisyourhp,theblueoneisyourac,and
theredoneisaspecialoneformeasuringsomeclassesspecialabilities(i.e.swashbucklerspanache)if
youdonothaveanumberintheblueorgreenletmeknowandIwilladjustitforyou.Inthegreencircle
ifyouhave10hpandtake4pointsofdamageyoucaneitherchangethenumberbyclickingonitand
writing6oryoucouldwrite4inthebubbleanditwillchangeappropriatelyforyou.
Lastlythereis2morebubblesaroundyourtoken,agearandacoin.Thecoinistoaddmarkersfor
specificconditions.Iwilltakecareofmostofthisbutthatiswhereitcomesfrom.Thegearistobringup
settingsforyourtoken.

ChatLog
Inthechatlogyoucantypetoeachotherandwhatnotbutthisisalsohowyourollforanythingyoudo
nothaveamacrofor.Thereis2waystoroll,inlineand/roll.Thereisacoupleothercommandsto
changethewayyourtextlookslike/emforanemoteand/oocforanoutofcharactermessage.
ex:[[1d20+5]]OR/roll1d20+5
Journal
Thisiswhereyourcharactersheet,handouts,andidentifiedmonsterswillappear.Inthistabyoucanclick
onanyofthelisteditemstobringupapopupofthatentry.Handoutswillbethingslikepicturesand
papersgiventoyourcharacterthatIwillspeciallymake.IfyousuccessfullyidentifyamonsterIwill
revealittoyouandyoucanreferbacktoitatfuturepointssothatevenifyouasaplayerdontremember
exactlywhatyourpartymembersknowledgeprovided,yourcharacterswillbeabletothroughthis.

Jukebox/Decks/Tables
Idonotplanonusingtheseforthiscampaign.Imightaddsomemusicatalaterdateandifsounderthe
jukeboxtherewillbeavolumebutton.Ifthishappenswewilldiscussitlater.
Options

Thereisasectionhereformacrostheseareprewrotecommandsyoucanmaketopreventfromhavingto
typeitfrequently.Thisisamoreadvancedstepandcanbediscussedfurtherifyouareinterested.

UnderOptionsIhighlyrecommendyouVideo/PlayerAvatarsizetonamesonlysoastofreeupsome
screenspace.
ThisoptionisabouthalfwaydownunderVideo&Voice

CommonAbbreviations&Terms

ArmorClass(AC)
:AllcreaturesinthegamehaveanArmorClass.Thisscorerepresentshowharditis
tohitacreatureincombat.Aswithotherscores,higherisbetter.
BaseAttackBonus(BAB)
:Eachcreaturehasabaseattackbonusanditrepresentsitsskillincombat.As
acharactergainslevelsorHitDice,hisbaseattackbonusimproves.Whenacreature'sbaseattackbonus
reaches+6,+11,or+16,hereceivesanadditionalattackincombatwhenhetakesafullattackaction
(whichisonetypeoffullroundactionsee
Combat
).
CasterLevel(CL)
:Casterlevelrepresentsacreature'spowerandabilitywhencastingspells.Whena
creaturecastsaspell,itoftencontainsanumberofvariables,suchasrangeordamage,thatarebasedon
thecaster'slevel.
CombatManeuverBonus(CMB)
:Thisvaluerepresentshowskilledacreatureisatperforminga
combatmaneuver.Whenattemptingtoperformacombatmaneuver,thisvalueisaddedtothecharacter's
d20roll.
CombatManeuverDefense(CMD)
:Thisscorerepresentshowharditistoperformacombatmaneuver
againstthiscreature.Acreature'sCMDisusedasthedifficultyclasswhenperformingamaneuver
againstthatcreature.
HitPoints(hp)
:Hitpointsareanabstractionsignifyinghowrobustandhealthyacreatureisatthe
currentmoment.Todetermineacreature'shitpoints,rollthediceindicatedbyitsHitDice.Acreature
gainsmaximumhitpointsifitsfirstHitDierollisforacharacterclasslevel.CreatureswhosefirstHit
DiecomesfromanNPCclassorfromhisracerolltheirfirstHitDienormally.Woundssubtracthit
points,whilehealing(bothnaturalandmagical)restoreshitpoints.Someabilitiesandspellsgrant
temporaryhitpointsthatdisappearafteraspecificduration.Whenacreature'shitpointsdropbelow0,it
becomesunconscious.Whenacreature'shitpointsreachanegativetotalequaltoits
Constitution
score,it
dies.
SavingThrow(ST)
:Whenacreatureisthesubjectofadangerousspelloreffect,itoftenreceivesa
savingthrowtomitigatethedamageorresult.Savingthrowsarepassive,meaningthatacharacterdoes
notneedtotakeanactiontomakeasavingthrowtheyaremadeautomatically.Therearethreetypesof
savingthrows:
Fortitude
(usedtoresistpoisons,diseases,andotherbodilyailments),
Reflex
(usedto
avoideffectsthattargetanentirearea,suchas
fireball
),and
Will
(usedtoresistmentalattacksandspells).
SpellLikeAbilities(SLA)
:Spelllikeabilitiesfunctionjustlikespells,butaregrantedthroughaspecial
racialabilityorbyaspecificclassability(asopposedtospells,whicharegainedbyspellcastingclasses
asacharactergainslevels).