Making Characters in Pathfinder Second Edition
Creating characters for the Pathfinder Second Edition game is a simple step-by-step process. Many of these steps can easily be rearranged, but this is my preferred order to create characters. Each character is unique and some are serious while others are comedic. As an example, I will explore a few of my own characters and how that process played out when I created them.
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Concept
The concept doesn’t technically need to be part of character creation, but it serves well as a cohesive way of tying the rest of the process together. The concept can either serve a purpose within a party, such as the tank, healer, DPS, or other function. My character Myseela, for example, is a highly intelligent master of knowledge skills as well as an offensive powerhouse.
Characters should serve a function within a party, even if that function is painted over in a comical way. I have another character, named Karen, who constantly berates enemies and improves her allies’ abilities in combat. She constantly talks about speaking to the manager, but her value to the party is still in her leadership skills, her ability to demoralize opponents, and her ability to improve the combat effectiveness of everyone around her.
Ancestry
Your family tree is referred to as ancestry in Pathfinder Second Edition. Whether you are an elf or a dwarf, a human or a halfling, ancestry is the basic building block. However, that choice is only the first piece of defining your ancestry.
The next piece of the ancestry puzzle is what is referred to as a heritage. Not all elves are identical and your heritage determines some unique abilities. For example, if you come from an arctic area you might have resistance to the harsh cold weather of your homeland. Perhaps your dwarf was from a deep forge near an underground lava pool, you may have resistance to fire.
The final piece is an ancestry feat. They allow you to customize your character and their history a little further and you get additional abilities based on that ancestry as you level your character up. Many ancestries have traditional weapons that these feats allow access to and better training with them. Myseela, for example, picked up the ability to wear armor as part of her ancestral training.
Background
Characters were not born as adventurers. They had a history before accepting their current position of defenders or conquerors. What did your character do before their current life? There are several options available, depending on the specifics of the campaign in which your character is participating. Myseela, for example again, My goblin monk, Gnashak, for example, was an artist and found painting brought her enjoyment and peace. My kobold druid, Lychana, was an herbalist and learned the benefits of plants to treat wounds.
Each background provides bonuses to ability scores and a lore skill to earn a living when not adventuring. Additionally, most have a minor feat that gives a bonus while adventuring, such as Lychana’s ability to use herbs to treat injuries and heal the party outside of combat.
Class
The core and most important decision for all adventurers is their character class. This one choice affects your abilities throughout your entire life. If a background was your character’s education and part-time job, your class is your professional career. Often there are similar choices to facilitate the same effect but examine these options carefully.
For example, I have a wizard I previously mentioned, Myseela. She learns magic using her intelligence and academic training. She reads books, scrolls, and learns the secrets of ultimate power through reason and knowledge. My sorcerer, Shumi, has the distant blood of a powerful genie flowing through him. He does not read books, scrolls, or use hours of study to learn his abilities, they are simply in his blood. He powers magic through sheer will rather than his knowledge of the arcane arts. Myseela focuses on her intelligence; Shumi focuses on his charisma.
Ability Scores
After all of the previous choices have been determined, it is time to finish the overall ability scores of your character. These scores are usually rated between 8 and 18. There are six abilities, and your choice of class, background, and ancestry will affect each of these scores.
Strength is your sheer brute muscle. It impacts your ability to wrestle, bash down a door, and move in heavy armor. Strength is the most important ability for characters focused on melee combat, like many fighters, some rogues, and even monks like Gnashak.
Constitution is about a character’s health. It affects their hit points, or durability in combat, as well as their resistance to poison, disease, and spells that have a similar impact on a character. Every character benefits from Constitution and it should never be ignored.
Dexterity is the basic ability for all things reflexive and reactionary. It directly impacts your armor class, if wearing lighter armors, as well as your ability to attack at range and manipulate small objects, such as picking a lock. Although Dexterity benefits most characters, rogues and ranged combatants rely heavily on this ability score.
Intelligence represents the ability to learn quickly and think rapidly. It is the most academic of all skills and represents knowledge of the world of magic, society, and lore. Intelligence is of critical importance to wizards, witches, inventors, alchemists, investigators, and other classes that rely on their knowledge to combat their enemies.
Wisdom reflects a character’s intuition and faith. This includes not only a character’s relationship with their deity but also their relationship with the natural world. How a character senses the world around them, the needs of a body to heal, and the feelings of the natural and unnatural world are all controlled by Wisdom. Wisdom is the main ability used by clerics, druids, and healers.
Charisma is the ability that reflects the interaction of people with each other. The ability to be a natural leader or a domineering tyrant are all expressed in Charisma. This represents confidence, self-esteem, natural appeal, the wit and humor that make and individual instantly likable. Charisma is used by sorcerers, bards, and certain rogues as well as those who negotiate, deceive, or intimidate others.
Skills
Skills represent a character’s training in various topics. Most of these are non-combat oriented, though a few such as Athletics definitely have solid uses. As a rule, only trained (or higher) abilities improve as your character levels and therefore which skills you do train are very important. Consider carefully your role and your concept when selecting skills.
Five skills are worthy of special mention here. These skills allow you to learn about the enemies you face and frequently aid in your party’s success. These are Religion, Nature, Arcana, Occultism, and Society.
Equipment
This could be the simplest step but ironically is also the easiest to forget. Starting equipment falls into three categories, and the necessity for each varies depending on your character class. Magical classes tend to require fewer weapons and less expensive armor than more heavily clad classes. Remember, you have by default 15 gold to spend on these categories:
The first category is adventuring gear. This includes the accessories needed to survive and explore, such as backpacks, rope, rations, etc. Most classes have “class kits” that include basic equipment for an adventurer. It is an excellent place to start looking.
Weapons make up the next category of equipment. Although some classes are able to deal damage with cantrips constantly, it is usually a good idea to at least have a basic weapon. Obviously, that choice is up to you. For example, my wizard, Myseela owns a staff but hasn’t swung it in most of her adventuring career. My monk, Gnashak, however, would be lost without her handwraps.
Armor is the final category for starting equipment. Most classes have several great options for armor, but there is a delicate balance between their ability to move in their armor (strength) and their ability to maximize their armor class (dexterity). Armor will have magical options available as your character gains levels, Even those classes who do not wear armor, such as monks, wizards, and sorcerers can get outfits that can be magically enchanted.
Finishing Touches
The final details for creating a character in Pathfinder Second Edition are about personal choices. These include mostly filling in blanks such as your character’s height, weight, and age. What does your character look like? What does your character believe in? This determines their religious beliefs and their alignment.
The hardest part here is picking spells for spell casters. Some classes choose from the full list of spells, like clerics or druids. Some classes have a very limited choice but can cast them more frequently, like sorcerers. Finally, other classes learn spells and can learn more as they buy and add to their list but need to select a few a day to cast, like wizards. Consider your options carefully here.