November’s Player Core and GM Core to Kick Off Multi-Book Rules Update
April 26, 2023 (REDMOND, Wash.): Pathfinder RPG publisher Paizo Inc. is pleased to announce the Pathfinder Second Edition Remaster Project, four new hardcover rulebooks that offer a fresh entry point to the popular Pathfinder Second Edition roleplaying game. The first two books, Pathfinder Player Core and Pathfinder GM Core, release this November, with Pathfinder Monster Core (March) and Pathfinder Player Core 2 (July) completing the remastered presentation of Pathfinder’s core rules. The new rulebooks are compatible with existing Pathfinder Second Edition products, incorporating comprehensive errata and rules updates and some of the best additions from later books into new, easier-to-access volumes with new presentations inspired by years of player feedback.
“This year saw a huge explosion in the number of new Pathfinder players,” said Paizo Publisher Erik Mona. “Remastered books like Pathfinder Player Core and Pathfinder GM Core streamline the popular Pathfinder Second Edition rules to improve their presentation, remixing four years of updates and improvements to make the game easier to learn and more fun to play.”
In time, the Pathfinder Player Core, Pathfinder GM Core, Pathfinder Monster Core, and Pathfinder Player Core 2 will replace the Pathfinder Core Rulebook, Gamemastery Guide, Bestiary, and Advanced Player’s Guide, which Paizo will not reprint when their current print runs expire. Existing Pathfinder players should be assured that the core rules system remains the same, and the overwhelming majority of the rules themselves will not be changing. Their existing books are still valid. The newly formatted books consolidate key information in a unified place—for example, Pathfinder Player Core will collect all the important rules for each of its featured classes in one reference, rather than spreading out key information between the Core Rulebook and the Advanced Player’s Guide.
The new core rulebooks will also serve as a new foundation for Paizo’s publishing partners, transitioning the game away from the Open Game License that caused so much controversy in the industry earlier this year to the more stable and reliable Open RPG Creative (ORC) license, which is currently being finalized with the help and input of hundreds of independent RPG publishers. This transition will result in a few minor modifications to the core system, notably the removal of alignment and a small number of nostalgic creatures, spells, and magic items exclusive to the OGL. These elements remain a part of the corpus of Pathfinder Second Edition rules for those who want them and are fully compatible with the new remastered rules but will not appear in future Pathfinder releases.
In the meantime, Pathfinder’s remaining projects and product schedule remain as-is and compatible with the newly remastered rules. This July’s Rage of Elements hardcover to the Lost Omens campaign setting books to Paizo’s regular monthly Adventure Path volumes continue as planned, as does the Pathfinder Society Organized Play campaign, which will incorporate the new rules as they become available.
