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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

Pathfinder RPG (1st Edition) Pathfinder RPG (2nd Edition) Starfinder RPG

Rules Index | GM Screen | Player's Guide
Chapter 8: Playing the Game

Rules Overview

Source Player Core pg. 398 2.0
This section summarizes the rules found elsewhere in this chapter.

Modes of Play

Source Player Core pg. 398 2.0
This game presents three main methods of structuring play.

Encounter mode (page 435) is highly structured and is most often used for combat or stressful situations. Everyone in an encounter rolls initiative (page 435) to determine the order they act, with highest results going first. A participant takes their turn when their initiative comes up (page 435). You can Delay to change when you take your turn (416).

Exploration mode (page 438) takes place over minutes or hours. You use your travel Speed if you're moving, and you engage in exploration activities like Avoiding Notice, Detecting Magic, Scouting, or Searching. You can rest for the night while exploring to recover HP and abilities, and make daily preparations at the start of each day (page 439).

Downtime mode (page 440) takes place over days. You might make money, train, or recover, among other things.

Actions

Source Player Core pg. 398 2.0
During an encounter, you get 3 actions and 1 reaction per turn (page 435). Icons indicate whether your abilities take a single action [one-action] , 2 actions [two-actions] , 3 actions [three-actions] , a reaction [reaction] , or a free action [free-action] . Reactions have triggers (page 414), allowing you to take them whenever they come up. The Ready basic action (page 417) lets you prepare to use a single action as a reaction. Free actions can have triggers like reactions; a free action with no trigger can be used like a single action, but don't cost any of your actions for the turn.

The most important actions to learn are the basic actions (page 416). Specialty basic actions come up less frequently, and you typically won't look them up until you need them. Speaking (page 419) normally doesn't take an action.

Related: Activities (page 414), disrupting actions (415)

Rolling Checks

Source Player Core pg. 398 2.0
An action that can potentially fail requires rolling a check (page 400). Roll a d20 (20-sided die) and identify the modifiers, bonuses, and penalties that apply. Then, calculate the result, compare it to the DC (your target number), and determine the degree of success and the effect.

Most checks are modified by your attribute modifier (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma) and your proficiency modifier (untrained, trained, expert, master, or legendary) for the statistic. You might get a circumstance, status, or item bonus or penalty as well.

The degrees of success (page 401) are critical success, success, failure, and critical failure. You get a success if you meet or exceed the DC, or a critical success if you exceed the DC by 10 or more. If your result is lower than the DC, you get a failure, or a critical failure if you failed by 10 or more.

Related: Flat checks (405), fortune and misfortune (401), secret checks (405)

Effects

Source Player Core pg. 398 2.0
An effect is the rules term for anything that occurs in the game world. Effects might have limited range (page 426), and you may need to designate targets (page 426) or create areas (page 426) for your effects. Areas include bursts from a single point, cones blasting out from you, emanations surrounding you or another creature, or straight lines.

Effects that last for a period of time list a duration (page 426). These can last a set increment of time, or can end if certain requirements are met. Many effects apply conditions (page 442), which measure advantages or impediments like being blinded, frightened, or invisible.

Movement

Source Player Core pg. 398 2.0
Your Speed (page 420) governs how far you can move. Stride (page 418) is an action that has the move trait and allows you to move a number of feet up to your Speed. You may need to Stride multiple times in a turn! Move actions can often trigger reactions or free actions. However, unlike other actions, a move action can trigger reactions not only when you first use the action, but also for every 5 feet you move during that action (page 422). The Step action (page 418) lets you move without triggering reactions, but only 5 feet. Other basic actions with the move trait include Crawl, Drop Prone, and Stand (page 418).

This game measures movement on a grid (page 421). Difficult terrain and other types of terrain (page 423) may impede your movement.

Creatures can get tactical advantages by careful positioning. The most common are using cover from terrain and other creatures to increase your AC (page 424), and flanking (page 425), which requires you and an ally to be on the opposite sides of an enemy to reduce the enemy's AC.

Related: Escape a grab or restraint (416), falling (421), forced movement (422), moving through creatures (422), special movement modes (burrow, climb, fly, and swim; 420), travel speed outside of encounters (438)

Attacking

Source Player Core pg. 398 2.0
Strike (page 418) actions have the attack trait and allow you to attack with a weapon you're wielding or an unarmed attack (such as a fist). If you're using a melee weapon or unarmed attack, your target must be within your reach (page 426); if you're attacking with a ranged weapon, your target must be within your range (page 526). Ranged weapons get less effective as you exceed their range increments (page 403). Striking multiple times in a turn has diminishing returns. A multiple attack penalty (page 402) applies to each attack after the first.

Related: Cover (424), flanking enemies (425), spell attacks (403), targeting creatures (426)

Defenses

Source Player Core pg. 399 2.0
Your Armor Class (AC) (page 404) is the main DC used for attacks against you. You might also roll a type of check called a saving throw (page 404), also called a save, against spells, afflictions, and a wide variety of other effects. There are three kinds of saving throw: Fortitude, Reflex, and Will.

Damage

Source Player Core pg. 399 2.0
Attacks, spells, and other dangers deal damage (page 406). The amount is typically determined by a damage roll (page 406), which can use a variety of sizes and numbers of dice.

Damage reduces the Hit Points (HP) (page 410) that measure a creature's overall health or an object's durability. A creature might have immunity to damage or effects of certain kinds, a resistance that reduces the damage it takes, or a weakness that increases damage it takes (page 408). These are typically keyed to damage types (page 409) such as slashing damage or fire damage.

Related: Persistent damage condition (page 445)

Spells

Source Player Core pg. 399 2.0
Most of the rules for casting spells are in Chapter 7 (pages 296–303). For a spell that requires an attack roll against the target's AC, you'll calculate your spell attack modifier (page 403). For one that causes its subject to attempt a saving throw, you'll need your spell DC (page 403).

Related: Dismiss and Sustain basic actions (419)

Skills

Source Player Core pg. 399 2.0
Skill checks are required for all sorts of other tasks related to adventuring and life in general. Most of their rules are in Chapter 4 (page 224). You'll find the rules for calculating skill modifiers on page 226. Many exploration activities (page 438), such as Avoid Notice and Investigate, also use skill checks.

Perception and Detection

Source Player Core pg. 399 2.0
Your Perception modifier (page 404) indicates how good you are at noticing things around you. You typically use the Seek basic action (page 417) to find physical things or the Sense Motive basic action (page 417) in social situations. While in exploration mode, the Search activity (page 439) lets you keep an eye out for things around you.

Four main conditions indicate how well you can pinpoint and target a creature: observed, hidden, undetected, and unnoticed (page 434). A creature with the concealed or invisible condition is harder to find and target (page 442).

Related: Light (page 432), special senses (page 433)

Game Conventions

Pathfinder has many specific rules, but you'll also want to keep these general guidelines in mind when playing.

The Gm Has The Final Say

If you're ever uncertain how to apply a rule, the GM decides. Of course, Pathfinder is a game, so when adjudicating the rules, the GM is encouraged to listen to everyone's point of view and make a decision that is both fair and fun.

Specific Overrides General

A core principle of Pathfinder is that specific rules override general ones. If two rules conflict, the more specific one takes precedence. If there's still ambiguity, the GM determines which rule to use. For example, the rules state that when attacking a concealed creature, you must attempt a DC 5 flat check to determine if you hit. Flat checks don't benefit from modifiers, bonuses, or penalties, but an ability that's specifically designed to overcome concealment might override and alter this. While some special rules may also state the normal rules to provide context, you should always default to the general rules presented in this chapter, even if effects don't specifically say to.

Rounding

You may need to calculate a fraction of a value, like halving damage. Always round down unless otherwise specified. For example, if a spell deals 7 damage and a creature takes half damage from it, that creature takes 3 damage.

Multiplying

When more than one effect would multiply the same number, don't multiply more than once. Instead, combine all the multipliers into a single multiplier, with each multiple after the first adding 1 less than its value. For instance, if one ability doubled the duration of one of your spells and another one doubled the duration of the same spell, you would triple the duration, not quadruple it.

Duplicate Effects

When you're affected by the same thing multiple times, only one instance applies, using the higher level or rank of the effects, or the newer effect if the two are equal. For example, if you were using mystic armor and then cast it again, you'd still benefit from only one casting of that spell. Casting a spell again on the same target might get you a better duration or effect if it were cast at a higher rank the second time, but otherwise doing so gives you no advantage.

Ambiguous Rules

Sometimes a rule could be interpreted multiple ways. If one version is too good to be true, it probably is. If a rule seems to have wording with problematic repercussions or doesn't work as intended, work with your group to find a good solution, rather than just playing with the rule as printed.