Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Reference Document

The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Reference Document, also known as the Pathfinder RPG Reference Document or PRD, was a compilation of Open Game Content (OGC) contained within the core rules of Pathfinder First Edition. Established in 2009, it was discontinued in September 2018 in favor of the Archives of Nethys, which compiles both OGC and Product Identity (PI).

It originally contained OGC from the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook, but was later updated to incorporate open content from many of the hardcover Pathfinder RPG books.

Unlike other parts of the Pathfinder RPG core rules, the Pathfinder RPG Reference Document was free and can still be accessed on the Archives of Nethys website.

Reasons for creating the PRD

With all Pathfinder products released under the Open Game License (OGL), Paizo had already opened much of their rules to third parties. The Pathfinder RPG Reference Document created two advantages over Paizo's obligations under the OGL.

Ease of use

One of the restrictions of the OGL is that Product Identity (PI) must not be used by anyone reusing content published under the OGL. Reusing PI, even accidentally, is a breach of the conditions of the OGL and can cause legal problems for anyone who does this commercially. With the PI clause broken, a product loses the protection of the Open Game License and may need to be recalled or destroyed.

The Pathfinder Reference Document simplified OGC reuse because it consisted solely of Open Game Content and contained none of Paizo's Product Identity. This meant that, like the 3.0 and 3.5 versions of the System Resource Document (SRD) from Wizards of the Coast, the PRD functioned as an easily reusable game engine.

As long as a copy of the Open Game License is attached to their products, publishers and private individuals could use the Pathfinder Reference Document for any purpose they wished. It was even legal to publish the entire content of the PRD, whether in the same form or with modifications.

Encouraging further support for the Third Edition rules

With Wizards of the Coast abandoning use of both the System Reference Document and the Open Game License with the fourth edition of Dungeons & Dragons, some publishers turned away from supporting its third edition and adopted different rules systems, many of which were closed systems (meaning that compatible products could not be sold by different companies). Some systems were open but published under different licenses that were incompatible with existing third-edition SRD material.

In contrast, the PRD picked up from where the last version of the SRD left off, and publishers could use the PRD to make Pathfinder-compatible products.

The ease of use was combined with compatibility with other OGL documents to allow people to mix and match rules from the 3.0 SRD, the 3.5 SRD, and the PRD. It was even possible for the PRD to be combined with non-fantasy OGL reference documents, such as the Modern SRD.

Where to find the PRD

PathfinderWiki is a wiki about the Pathfinder campaign setting and explicitly excludes content primarily about game rules and mechanics. It does not host the Pathfinder Reference Document.

The Archives of Nethys website officially compiles rules for Pathfinder First Edition and Second Edition, as well as for Starfinder, as searchable, hyperlinked sections of its reference site. It also catalogs content from publications containing Pathfinder PI, including adventures and setting material. It was originally launched as a project compliant with Paizo's non-commercial Community Use Policy, then became an official Paizo licensee in September 2018.

Archives of Nethys hosts a static archived copy of the original Pathfinder Reference Document as it existed on December 23, 2015.

Other Open Game Content resources

d20PFSRD

The d20PFSRD website is a wiki contains open content from both official Paizo sources and Pathfinder-compatible third-party publishers.

External links

• Pathfinder Reference Document as of August 2009, on Internet Archive
• Archives of Nethys for Pathfinder First Edition
• Archives of Nethys for Pathfinder Second Edition
• d20PFSRD