As a longtime 3.5 player and DM, allow me to be your guide to the good and the bad of Paizo’s Pathfinder in this, the first in my series of Pathfinder reviews, a bite at a time.

The Races

The races from 3E are back with many minor changes, and a few major. 

Each race receives a +2 to two ability scores, and a -2 to another. Half-orcs, half-elves, and humans get a +2 to one ability score of your choice (our very own Canid might need an upgrade based on this, but I believe our Siren still holds up well. Maybe even the Grumpkin from way back when). Favored classes are no longer a function of race (more on that when we bite into classes), and the usual gamut of skill bonuses, feats, and situational modifiers still apply with only a few tweaks.

Gnome drood, just for flavor.

Half-Orcs are more desirable now as their ferocious nature allows them to stay on their feet into the negative hit points (although I intend to houserule that they receive a +2 to Str and Wis with a -2 to Cha—it fits better with their racial text, provides a bit more flavour, and makes them a stronger choice overall for PCs).

Gnomes are now barely removed from their fey bloodlines, impulsive, craving action, with wonky hair colours, and seeming alien or strange to the other races. Dwarves still have a laundry list of abilities, some of which will only be valuable to the keenest players. Elves are now taller than humans and better wizards than their 3.5 counterparts, but still familiar. Halflings are still lucky survivors, and so on.

Despite my previous positive comments on the art, I'm a little dissatisfied with the smallclothed versions of each of the common races in PF. The gnome is particularly underwhelming, no pun intended. This may simply be a matter of naked skin being difficult to detail. Still, the writeups for each race are enjoyable to read, and while it’s mostly familiar territory this is a fine take on an old group; you’ll be pleased if you were pleased with them before. I am.

As a longtime 3.5 player and DM, allow me to be your guide to the good and the bad of Paizo’s Pathfinder in this, the first in my series of Pathfinder reviews, a bite at a time.

The Core Rulebook and Campaign Setting

Presentation

The Pathfinder Core Rulebook looks and feels great. It is 576 perfect-bound glossy pages smashing the PH and DMG together into one package that is just a few millimetres wider and taller than previous sourcebooks. Years from now I’m certain the corners will be mashed, and more than a few pages ripped or bent, but this is a quality product that will last with a bit of care.

The layout and decorative art are similar to previous incarnations of the ruleset, but with an updated look and feel that may be refreshing simply because they’re new. The interior pages are packed with text, stylized headers, folios, and margins. The index is 4 pages long, so time will tell if it’s as useful as we’d like it to be, but everything is easy to read and familiar to navigate.

Great art and a familiar layout.

The art is very pretty—a stylized realism that combines clean lines with tons of detail. Each chapter starts with a two-page spread of the Pathfinder archetypes in action, accompanied by a dramatic description of the scene.

The art is close, if not equal to, the core 4E art, and overall the re-imagined ogres, goblins, and characters look awesome. I’m especially fond of the half-orc-assassin, gnome bard, small druid, and elf rogue, each of which is done in a style that is Pathfinder’s alone.