Pathfinder 2e Advanced Player’s Guide: A Comprehensive Overview
Pathfinder 2e’s Advanced Player’s Guide (APG) delivers a wealth of new character options, expanding beyond the Core Rulebook with ancestries, classes, and feats.
This 271-page tome is player-focused, offering diverse concepts and a redesigned approach to classes from the first edition, providing exciting variety.
Pathfinder 2e’s Advanced Player’s Guide (APG) represents a significant expansion to the game’s character creation possibilities, building directly upon the foundation established by the Core Rulebook. Released to address a desire for greater customization and diversity among player characters, the APG doesn’t introduce new rules, but rather layers additional options onto the existing framework.
It’s a resource designed for players who feel they’ve explored the initial offerings and are eager to delve into more unique and specialized character concepts. The book’s content is overwhelmingly player-centric, focusing almost exclusively on tools and choices to enhance individual character builds. Beautifully presented with impressive artwork, the APG maintains the clear layout and format familiar from the Second Edition core rules, ensuring ease of use and accessibility.
Core Focus: Player Options
The central tenet of the Pathfinder 2e Advanced Player’s Guide is an unwavering commitment to providing players with an abundance of choices. Unlike some supplements that might introduce significant systemic changes, the APG’s primary goal is to broaden the spectrum of character possibilities without altering the core mechanics of the game. This is achieved through the introduction of five new ancestries, four entirely new classes – Oracle, Swashbuckler, Investigator, and Witch – and a substantially expanded archetype system.
Furthermore, the APG delivers a massive influx of new feats, spells, and items, all designed to empower players to craft truly unique and personalized characters. It’s a toolbox overflowing with options for those seeking to move beyond the standard character archetypes.
New Ancestries
Pathfinder 2e’s APG introduces five fresh ancestries, dramatically expanding character creation possibilities and offering players diverse backgrounds and heritages to explore.
Detailed Look at the Five New Ancestries
The Advanced Player’s Guide significantly enriches character creation with five entirely new ancestries, each offering a unique flavor and gameplay experience. These aren’t simple reskins; they represent genuinely distinct lineages with tailored heritages and abilities. Players can now embody the feline Catfolk, known for their agility and curiosity, or the industrious and earth-attuned Kobolds.
The APG also introduces the mysterious and adaptable Leshy, plant-based humanoids, the stoic and resilient Orc, and the enigmatic Tengu, avian humanoids steeped in tradition. Each ancestry boasts a selection of heritages, allowing for further customization and reflecting diverse cultural backgrounds within the lineage. These additions provide a substantial boost to player agency and narrative potential, moving beyond the core ancestries presented in the initial rulebook.
Ancestry Feats and Heritages
The Advanced Player’s Guide doesn’t just introduce new ancestries; it deeply expands upon them with a robust selection of ancestry feats and heritages. Heritages within each ancestry offer distinct variations, shaping a character’s physical and cultural traits from the start. These choices aren’t merely cosmetic; they impact ability boosts and initial skills.
Ancestry feats, gained at specific levels, further customize your character, providing unique abilities tied to their lineage. These feats allow players to lean into specific aspects of their ancestry, creating truly individualized characters. The system allows for significant character customization, ensuring no two characters of the same ancestry feel identical, enhancing roleplaying and strategic depth.
Expanded Classes
Pathfinder 2e’s APG introduces four new classes – Oracle, Swashbuckler, Investigator, and Witch – offering diverse playstyles and expanding character-building options.
The Four New Classes: Overview
The Pathfinder 2e Advanced Player’s Guide significantly enriches character options with the introduction of four distinct new classes. Each class brings a unique flavor and gameplay experience to the Pathfinder universe. The Oracle class embodies divine power with unpredictable twists, while the Swashbuckler excels in daring feats and charismatic combat.
For those who favor deduction and investigation, the Investigator class provides tools for unraveling mysteries and uncovering secrets. Finally, the Witch class taps into primal magic and pacts with powerful entities. These classes are all redesigned from Pathfinder First Edition, offering a fresh and engaging experience for players seeking new avenues for character creation.
Oracle Class Breakdown
The Oracle class in the Pathfinder 2e Advanced Player’s Guide is a potent spellcaster drawing power from a divine source, but with a significant caveat: a curse. This curse manifests as a mystery, granting both boons and drawbacks that shape the Oracle’s abilities and narrative. Players select a mystery at character creation, defining the nature of their divine connection and the associated curse.
Oracles utilize divine magic, focusing on spells and abilities tied to their chosen mystery. They are versatile spellcasters capable of both healing and offensive magic, but must constantly manage the effects of their curse. The class offers a unique blend of power and vulnerability, creating compelling roleplaying opportunities;
Swashbuckler Class Breakdown
The Swashbuckler, introduced in the Pathfinder 2e Advanced Player’s Guide, is a charismatic and daring martial class excelling in finesse, panache, and exploiting openings in combat. They are masters of mobile combat, utilizing Deeds to gain advantages like finishing moves and precise strikes. Unlike traditional martial classes, Swashbucklers rely on style and flair rather than brute force.
This class thrives on taking risks and showcasing skill, gaining benefits from performing daring maneuvers. They are highly adaptable, capable of both dealing significant damage and supporting allies with their panache. The Swashbuckler offers a dynamic and engaging playstyle for players who enjoy a blend of combat and roleplaying.
Investigator Class Breakdown
The Investigator, a new class in the Pathfinder 2e Advanced Player’s Guide, is a master of deduction, research, and uncovering secrets. They combine martial prowess with keen intellect, utilizing Devise a Stratagem to analyze enemies and formulate tactical advantages. Unlike traditional spellcasters or warriors, Investigators rely on preparation and exploiting weaknesses.
This class excels at gathering information, solving mysteries, and delivering precise strikes against vulnerable foes. They are versatile, capable of both dealing damage and providing crucial support through their investigative skills. The Investigator offers a unique and rewarding playstyle for players who enjoy strategic thinking and unraveling complex narratives.
Witch Class Breakdown
The Witch, introduced in the Pathfinder 2e Advanced Player’s Guide, is a potent spellcaster drawing power from a mysterious patron. Unlike traditional wizards, Witches utilize hexes – persistent magical effects that alter their abilities and influence the battlefield. They forge a unique bond with their patron, gaining access to specialized spells and abilities based on that connection.
Witches are versatile, capable of both offensive spellcasting and subtle manipulation. Their familiar, a magical companion, provides additional support and utility. This class offers a flavorful and dynamic playstyle, appealing to players who enjoy thematic roleplaying and wielding dark, arcane power.
Archetype System Expansion
The APG vastly expands the archetype system, offering players greater customization options for their characters, allowing for unique builds and playstyles.
Archetype Benefits and Restrictions
Pathfinder 2e’s Advanced Player’s Guide refines the archetype system, providing substantial character customization. Archetypes grant unique benefits, like specialized feats and abilities, enhancing a character’s core class identity. However, they also impose restrictions, often requiring players to forego certain class features or general feats.
This trade-off ensures archetypes aren’t simply additive, maintaining class balance while offering distinct playstyles. The APG’s archetypes are designed to be impactful, shaping a character’s role and capabilities significantly, but always with a defined cost. Careful consideration is crucial when selecting an archetype, weighing the advantages against the limitations to create a cohesive and effective character.
New Archetype Options
The Pathfinder 2e Advanced Player’s Guide dramatically expands archetype choices, offering players diverse paths to specialize their characters. These new archetypes aren’t mere reskins; they fundamentally alter how a class functions, introducing unique mechanics and strategic options. Options cater to varied playstyles, from the battlefield tactician to the shadowy manipulator;
The APG’s archetypes provide a significant depth of customization, allowing players to truly craft a character reflecting their vision. They build upon existing classes, offering fresh perspectives and encouraging experimentation. This expansion ensures that even experienced players can discover new and exciting ways to approach character building.
Feats and Abilities
Pathfinder 2e’s APG introduces a tiered feat system, alongside ancestry and general feats, broadening character customization and offering diverse, impactful abilities.
Class Feats: Level-Based Progression
Pathfinder 2e’s Advanced Player’s Guide refines class customization through level-based class feats. These aren’t simply upgrades; they fundamentally alter how a class functions, offering significant choices at key progression points.
Unlike the Core Rulebook’s initial feat structure, the APG’s class feats are gated by level, ensuring players gain abilities when their characters are prepared to utilize them effectively. This system allows for more focused character builds, enabling players to specialize and truly embody their chosen class fantasy.
The variety is substantial, providing options for enhancing existing strengths or mitigating weaknesses, leading to uniquely tailored characters. This progression system is a cornerstone of the APG’s character-building depth.
Ancestry Feats: Customizing Your Heritage
Pathfinder 2e’s Advanced Player’s Guide significantly expands character customization with ancestry feats, allowing players to deeply personalize their heritage beyond initial choices. These feats aren’t merely stat boosts; they represent unique cultural adaptations, physical traits, or learned skills tied to an ancestry’s history;
The APG provides a robust selection of ancestry feats, enabling players to refine their character’s identity and gameplay style. This system allows for nuanced character development, reflecting the diverse backgrounds within each ancestry.
Players can truly make their character feel unique, shaping their abilities and story through these carefully designed options, enhancing the roleplaying experience.
General Feats: Broadening Character Capabilities
Pathfinder 2e’s Advanced Player’s Guide introduces a vast array of general feats, designed to broaden character capabilities beyond ancestry and class limitations. These feats offer versatile options, allowing players to tailor their characters to specific playstyles and fill party roles effectively.
Unlike ancestry or class feats, general feats are accessible to any character, providing a universal layer of customization. They encompass a wide range of abilities, from combat maneuvers and skill enhancements to utility powers and social proficiencies.
This system empowers players to create truly unique characters, blending diverse skills and abilities for a personalized gameplay experience.
Spellcasting Enhancements
The APG introduces new spells for existing classes and expands spellcasting with focus points and specialization, deepening magical customization options for players.
New Spells for Existing Classes
Pathfinder 2e’s Advanced Player’s Guide significantly bolsters the spellcasting repertoire of existing classes, offering a diverse array of new magical options. These additions aren’t merely rehashes of familiar effects; they introduce innovative mechanics and tactical possibilities, enriching the spellcasting experience for all traditions.
From potent evocation spells to subtle enchantments and versatile utility magic, the APG ensures that spellcasters have access to a broader range of tools to overcome challenges. The new spells are carefully balanced to integrate seamlessly with the existing system, providing exciting choices without disrupting game balance. This expansion caters to both seasoned veterans and newcomers, enhancing the depth and flexibility of spellcasting in Pathfinder 2e.
Focus Points and Spell Specialization
The Pathfinder 2e Advanced Player’s Guide introduces a refined system of Focus Points, dramatically enhancing spellcaster customization. These points allow spellcasters to amplify their spells, achieving greater effects or overcoming resistances, adding a layer of strategic depth to combat encounters.
Furthermore, the APG expands upon spell specialization, enabling spellcasters to truly master specific schools of magic. This specialization unlocks unique benefits, such as reduced casting costs or enhanced spell effects, fostering distinct playstyles. By carefully managing Focus Points and choosing a specialization, players can create truly unique and powerful spellcasters, tailored to their preferred approach.
Equipment and Items
Pathfinder 2e’s APG enriches gameplay with new magical and alchemical items, alongside associated recipes, broadening character options and tactical possibilities.
New Magical Items
The Pathfinder 2e Advanced Player’s Guide significantly expands the arsenal of magical items available to players. These aren’t simply rehashes of existing equipment; they represent genuinely new creations designed to complement the expanded character options introduced within the book. Expect to discover items that synergize particularly well with the new ancestries and classes, offering unique benefits to those builds.
The APG’s magical items aim to provide more nuanced choices, moving beyond simple stat boosts. Many items introduce interesting trade-offs or situational advantages, encouraging players to think strategically about their equipment. This focus on tactical depth enhances the overall gameplay experience, making item acquisition a more rewarding process. The guide delivers a diverse range of items, catering to various playstyles and character concepts.
Alchemical Items and Recipes
The Pathfinder 2e Advanced Player’s Guide doesn’t neglect the art of alchemy, providing a substantial collection of new alchemical items and the recipes needed to craft them. This expansion caters to characters who favor a more scientific or resourceful approach to problem-solving, offering alternatives to traditional magic. Players can expect to find concoctions with unique effects, ranging from potent elixirs to versatile utility items.
These new recipes aren’t merely additions; they often incorporate ingredients and processes that tie into the world’s lore and the expanded character options. The APG’s alchemical content encourages experimentation and customization, allowing players to tailor their creations to specific needs. This adds another layer of depth to character building and provides a rewarding outlet for creative players.
Character Building Strategies
Pathfinder 2e’s APG unlocks synergies between ancestries, classes, and archetypes, allowing players to optimize builds for specific, desired playstyles and character concepts.
Synergies Between Ancestries, Classes, and Archetypes
Pathfinder 2e’s Advanced Player’s Guide truly shines in its capacity to blend new ancestries, expanded classes, and the versatile archetype system. Players can now craft characters with incredibly nuanced identities.
For example, a Leshy Oracle, coupled with a specific archetype, can create a uniquely thematic spellcaster deeply connected to the natural world. Similarly, a Shoony Investigator benefits from archetypes that enhance their inquisitive nature and investigative prowess.
The APG encourages experimentation, allowing players to discover powerful combinations that weren’t previously possible, resulting in truly personalized and effective character builds.
Optimizing for Specific Playstyles
Pathfinder 2e’s Advanced Player’s Guide provides tools for tailoring characters to distinct playstyles. Players seeking a front-line combatant will find options within the new classes and ancestry feats to maximize martial effectiveness.
Those preferring a more subtle approach can leverage the Investigator or Witch, selecting archetypes and feats that emphasize stealth, deception, and control. The expanded feat lists allow for fine-tuning, focusing on specific skills or combat maneuvers.
The APG empowers players to build characters perfectly suited to their preferred role, whether it’s a damage-dealing powerhouse or a master of social intrigue.
Review and Overall Impression
Pathfinder 2e’s APG is beautifully presented, with impressive art and content, expanding character-building options significantly beyond the Core Rulebook’s initial offerings.
Comparison to the Core Rulebook
The Pathfinder 2e Advanced Player’s Guide doesn’t aim to replace the Core Rulebook, but rather to substantially augment it. Where the Core Rulebook establishes the foundational rules and a solid base of character options, the APG dives deep into customization.
It provides a significantly broader range of choices for players who feel they’ve explored the initial offerings. The APG expands upon existing systems, like archetypes, and introduces entirely new ones, such as the five new ancestries and four new classes.
Essentially, the Core Rulebook provides the tools, while the APG offers a much larger and more diverse workshop to build with, catering to players seeking unique and specialized characters.
Strengths and Weaknesses of the APG
A major strength of the Pathfinder 2e Advanced Player’s Guide is its sheer volume of new content, offering players extensive customization options and character concepts. The redesigned classes are a highlight, providing fresh takes on familiar archetypes. The book’s presentation, with its beautiful art and clear layout, is also commendable.
However, some perceive the APG as more of an overview than an in-depth review, lacking detailed analysis of every option.
Its focus is heavily player-centric, potentially offering less direct support for Game Masters compared to the Gamemastery Guide. Despite this, the APG remains a valuable resource for those seeking to expand their Pathfinder 2e experience.
Target Audience and Value Proposition
The Pathfinder 2e Advanced Player’s Guide primarily targets players who have already engaged with the core rulebook and are seeking expanded character-building options. It’s ideal for those who enjoy deep customization and exploring diverse character concepts, offering five new ancestries and four new classes.
The value proposition lies in its ability to overcome the feeling of being limited by the initial options.
For players who relish creating unique characters and experimenting with different builds, the APG is a worthwhile investment, providing a substantial amount of content for its price point.