
Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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

Rules Index | GM Screen | Player's Guide
Player Core / Chapter 1: Introduction / Character Creation

Step 10: Finishing Details

Source Player Core pg. 26 2.0
Now add the following details to your character sheet. There are boxes for edicts and anathema, deity, age, and gender and pronouns on page 3 of the character sheet.

Edicts and Anathema

Source Player Core pg. 26 2.0
You can choose to take on edicts and anathema to reinforce your character's beliefs and guide how they'd react in certain situations. Edicts are behaviors your personal philosophy or code encourages. Anathema are the opposite: actions contrary to your point of view and violations of your personal code. For example, you might declare that you follow an edict to keep detailed records of any dungeon you explore, or you might consider it anathema to refuse to help a friend in need.

For most characters, these are entirely optional, though it's best to consider taking some on as you create your character to hone in on how they think. If you follow a deity, you might take inspiration from the edicts and anathema listed for them on pages 35–39. Ancestry entries list edicts and anathema prevalent among their societies.

Required Edicts and Anathema

Source Player Core pg. 26 2.0
Certain classes have anathema tied to them; for example, a cleric gains the edicts and anathema of their deity. Violating these can cause you to lose some class abilities until you atone or make amends, as described in the class.

Changing Edicts and Anathema

Source Player Core pg. 26 2.0
Edicts and anathema can change during play as a character's beliefs evolve, or as you realize that your character's actions reflect a different set of values than you once thought. In most cases, you can just change a relevant edict or anathema and continue playing.

Deity

Source Player Core pg. 26 2.0
Write down the deity your character worships, if any. Clerics must worship a deity. See pages 35–39 for more about Pathfinder's deities.

Age

Source Player Core pg. 27 2.0
Decide your character's age and note it on the third page of the character sheet. The description for your character's ancestry in Chapter 2 gives some guidance on the age ranges of members of that ancestry. Beyond that, you can play a character of whatever age you like. There aren't any mechanical adjustments to your character for being particularly old, but you might want to take it into account when considering your starting attribute modifiers and future advancement. Particularly young characters can change the tone of some of the game's threats, so it's recommended that characters are at least young adults.

Gender and Pronouns

Source Player Core pg. 27 2.0
Characters of all genders are equally likely to become adventurers. Record your character's gender, if applicable, and their pronouns on the third page of the character sheet.

Class DC

Source Player Core pg. 27 2.0
A class DC sets the difficulty for certain abilities granted by your character's class. This DC equals 10 plus their proficiency bonus for their class DC (typically +3 for most 1st-level characters) plus the modifier for the class's key attribute modifier.

Hero Points

Source Player Core pg. 27 2.0
Your character usually begins each game session with 1 Hero Point, and you can gain additional Hero Points during sessions by performing heroic deeds or devising clever strategies. Your character can use Hero Points to gain certain benefits, such as staving off death or rerolling a d20. See page 413 for more about Hero Points.

Armor Class (AC)

Source Player Core pg. 27 2.0
Your character's Armor Class represents how difficult they are to hit in combat. To calculate your AC, add 10 plus your character's Dexterity modifier (up to their armor's Dexterity modifier cap; page 271), plus their proficiency bonus with their armor, plus their armor's item bonus to AC and any other permanent bonuses and penalties.

Bulk

Source Player Core pg. 27 2.0
Your character's maximum Bulk determines how much weight they can comfortably carry. If they're carrying a total amount of Bulk that exceeds 5 plus their Strength modifier, they are encumbered. A character can't carry a total amount of Bulk that exceeds 10 plus their Strength modifier. The Bulk your character is carrying equals the sum of all of their items; keep in mind that 10 light items make up 1 Bulk. You can find out more about Bulk in Chapter 6.