Core Rulebook (First Edition)

This article covers the Pathfinder First Edition Core Rulebook. For the Pathfinder Second Edition equivalent, see Core Rulebook (Second Edition).

The Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook, with design led by Jason Bulmahn and contributions from James Jacobs, Sean K Reynolds, F. Wesley Schneider, Tim Connors, Liz Courts, Adam Daigle, David Eitelbach, Greg Oppedisano, and Hank Woon, was released in August 2009. Monte Cook was also credited as a design consultant.

The Core Rulebook provides rules, classes, and content to run the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game in any setting.

Its sixth printing was published May 30, 2013. A smaller, softcover Pocket Edition of the Core Rulebook was released on August 4, 2016, containing all of the original content of the hardcover format, but in a smaller, 8.4" x 6.5" softcover format.

It was succeeded as the primary reference work for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game in August 2019 by the Pathfinder Second Edition Core Rulebook.

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Enter a fantastic world of adventure!

The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game puts you in the role of a brave adventurer fighting to survive in a world beset by magic and evil. Will you cut your way through monster-filled ruins and cities rife with political intrigue to emerge as a famous hero laden with fabulous treasure, or will you fall victim to treacherous traps and fiendish monsters in a forgotten dungeon? Your fate is yours to decide with this giant Core Rulebook that provides everything a player needs to set out on a life of adventure and excitement!
This imaginative tabletop game builds upon more than 10 years of system development and an open playtest involving more than 50,000 gamers to create a cutting-edge RPG experience that brings the all-time best-selling set of fantasy rules into the new millennium.
The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook includes:

All player and Game Master rules in a single volume

Complete rules for fantastic player races like elves, dwarves, gnomes, halflings, and half-orcs

Exciting new options for character classes like fighters, wizards, rogues, clerics, and more

Streamlined and updated rules for feats and skills that increase options for your hero

A simple combat system with easy rules for grapples, bull rushes, and other special attacks

Spellcaster options for magic domains, familiars, bonded items, specialty schools, and more

Hundreds of revised, new, and updated spells and magical treasures

Quick-generation guidelines for nonplayer characters

Expanded rules for curses, diseases, and poisons

A completely overhauled experience system with options for slow, medium, and fast advancement

...and much, much more!

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