Pathfinder 2E Preview of Pathfinder Player Core 2 and New Champion Class

Paizo shows off an alignment-less version of divine warrior class

PZO2103_Duels_2000.jpg

Paizo’s new blog post includes a preview of the champion class from Pathfinder Player Core 2. The class went through several changes as it was most affected by the change to the remastered Pathfinder 2nd Edition rules removing character alignment from the game.

Under previous rules, a champion’s alignment and choice of deity determined the champion’s cause, edicts, and anathema. Under the remastered rules, the champion still follows the edicts and anathema of their deity, but the alignment-based cause is replaced by a more descriptive one. From the blog post:

Let’s take the paladin as an example. They used to follow the two tenets of good, two tenets of the lawful good paladin cause, and any edicts and anathema for their deity. A champion under the remastered rules would choose the justice cause. They would follow the edicts and anathema of their deity, plus the following from the cause of justice.

Edicts follow the law, respect legitimate authorities or leadership

Anathema take advantage of another, cheat

More emphasis on edicts rather than an unbendable code loosens some of the restrictions on their roleplaying to allow more well-rounded, nuanced characters. There’s a better balance over “should nots” instead of all “must nots.”

A champion can optionally choose a sanctification. If you’ve read Pathfinder Player Core, you’re familiar with holy and unholy sanctification—a choice based on your deity that lets you commit yourself to the battle for souls between the holy planes and unholy planes. Champions can choose sanctification based on their deity, though unholy sanctification is an uncommon option. Each sanctification gives you another edict and anathema, and adds the holy or unholy trait to all your Strikes.
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The blog post also describes other changes to the champion class, including a defined champion’s aura for reactions, a change to the divine ally ability, changes to several feats, and a new option for a champion’s focus spell.

Pathfinder Player Core 2 is available for pre-order now for $19.99 in PDF and $59.99 in hardcover with a release date of August 1 from the Paizo Store and in mass market outlets like Amazon on August 20.
 
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Darryl Mott
Abstruse

Darryl Mott

Darryl Mott is a tabletop gaming and media journalist with bylines from outlets including Ain't It Cool News, EN World, and Zombie Orpheus Entertainment. He also makes videos for YouTube and does live streams on Twitch as well as doing post-production and editing for the Morrus' Unofficial Tabletop RPG Talk podcast.
Higgs

Higgs

Explorer
Pathfinder just keeps getting better with each iteration in my opinion! So glad that each TTRPG I latch onto has brought something unique and cool into the hobby, even if it's not to my personal preference. First WotC creating 3rd edition which really opened it up, then a bold experiment in 4th edition before creating 5th edition which brought so many new players to the table, then with Paizo patching the things I liked about 3rd edition with PF1, and then evolving it into my current favourite system in the remaster!

Also stoked about the champion changes!

edit to add: nothing is exciting me more right now than the Starfinder2e integration, though. It's going to take my campaign into a completely new direction!
 

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A

Arcanra

Villager
Thomas Shey said:
They don't in the sense you probably think, but only some alignments go with some deities (there was usually a range), and since PF2e has never been big on evil PCs, and the neutral Champion versions came out after the corebook, there were some practical limits.
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As a player of PF 1e since it came out, and not knowing anything about PF 2e, I didn't know that. Does PF2e prohibit evil pcs, or do they make it difficult to build one? That would definitely be a deal breaker for my group. You learn something new each day apparently.
 

Incenjucar

Incenjucar

Legend
Arcanra said:
As a player of PF 1e since it came out, and not knowing anything about PF 2e, I didn't know that. Does PF2e prohibit evil pcs, or do they make it difficult to build one? That would definitely be a deal breaker for my group. You learn something new each day apparently.
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No evil PCs for Pathfinder Society because creepers in game stores, go nuts in your home game. The rules support evil PCs well, with unholy options etc.
 

A

Arcanra

Villager
Incenjucar said:
No evil PCs for Pathfinder Society because creepers in game stores, go nuts in your home game. The rules support evil PCs well, with unholy options etc.
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Ah, that makes sense however it wouldn't surprise me to see less of a focus on playing evil pcs since a lot of games expect pcs to be heroic, etc.
 

Thomas Shey

Thomas Shey

Legend
Arcanra said:
As a player of PF 1e since it came out, and not knowing anything about PF 2e, I didn't know that. Does PF2e prohibit evil pcs, or do they make it difficult to build one? That would definitely be a deal breaker for my group. You learn something new each day apparently.
Click to expand...


Its not outright forbidden, but its, in practice, discouraged. They did end up with evil Champion options but they notably didn't come out until after publication of the core books, and there are at least some practical limits in most places about being clerics of evil gods because they're not welcome (there are obviously exceptions to that, but its not like operating in evil cultures can't be something of a problem even for evil characters).

Of course the Revised version is getting rid of alignment completely, so its moot.
 

V

Velderan

Hero
Barnes and Noble currently has a promo code for Members (free) and Premium Members (annual fee) that takes 25% off the price of a preorder and it looks like it works on Player Core 2. The 25% off stacks with the premium member 10% off, so both discounts drop the price down to about $40 plus tax. There's also the upcoming Lost Omens: Tian Xia Character Guide, War of the Immortals, Lost Omens: Divine Mysteries, and BattleZoo: Classic Creatures as well as some of the Pocket and Special edition books that are releasing this year.
 

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