What to expect from your FIRST Pathfinder 2e Session - Tips

so you're finally going for it huh your group wants to try something new something a bit different something a bit more thick you've all decided to give pathfinder 2e a shot and you have no idea what to expect from your first session well that's exactly what this video is for howdy my name is nona and everyone has to do something for the first time even die hard fans and experienced players had to play their favorite game for the first time i'm here today to give you some warnings and helpful advice to help avoid some mistakes and pitfalls that could leave a sour taste in your mouth during your first pathfinder 2e session the pf2 system is a wonderful game and i'd hate to see somebody dislike it due to one bad session so let's talk about how to make that session go as smooth and engaging as possible before we get started if this video is helpful to you please do consider leaving a like the more likes and comments a video gets the more likely the mighty youtube algorithm is to share it with people who might need to see it and if you want to see more tabletop content just like this please do subscribe to the channel when going into your first session of pathfinder 2e i highly recommend you either play a pre-generated character or make your character ahead of time do not show up to the table without a character thinking oh i'll just throw one together in five minutes it can't be that hard character creation in pathfinder 2e is a deep and detailed process and it's also incredibly fun but it's not quick i'll leave a link in the description to the pre-generated characters available completely for free at paizo.com they even provide them at different levels i'm not going to lie you'll likely get at least a little bit lost during your first time making a character in pathfinder 2e i highly recommend you either watch a guide like this one even though it's kind of old and cringy or you get some help from someone who already knows what they're doing the core rulebook doesn't do an amazing job of guiding you through the process alternatively you can use something like path builder 2e on your mobile device or the wanderer's guide on a browser either of these are fantastic programs that help you make a character step by step that makes it so you can't really screw up path builder can even export your character directly to a pdf of the official character sheet so you can use that after building your character within the program one of the most intimidating aspects of pathfinder 2e for new players is the feat system every single time your character levels up you will get at least one new feat and there are four distinct types of feet each doing something different and coming from a different source class feats are gained every two levels and will typically give you more options in combat but not always some class feats do enhance roleplay capabilities ancestry feats are abilities and features gained directly from your ancestry or race these can include things like nimble elf or goblin lore general feats improve the general aspects of your character weapon and armor proficiencies movement speed initiative roles etc finally skill feats are often role play focused and give you unique options you can use with the different skills in the system though some of them are still usable in combat especially for more combat focused skills like athletics or intimidation okay so you have your character you have your dice you have your friends now you play the game the game is divided into three game modes but most tables don't define them this way technically there is encounter mode exploration mode and downtime mode but most tables i've played at just sort of play the game and it's up to the gm what the players can do at any specific time i've never been at a table where the gm says okay now you're in exploration mode alright now let's get into the meaty part of the game that i'm sure most of you are interested in encounters specifically combat combat encounters in pathfinder 2e are wildly different from any other tabletop rpg and that's due in no small part to the three action economy of the system you see many other games like d d and even first edition pathfinder have different types of actions move actions standard actions free actions full round actions etc pathfinder 2e just has actions and everything has an action cost from 0 to 3 0 being a completely free action and 3 actions taking your entire turn for example dropping an item is zero actions making a melee attack is one action and many feats or spells cost two or even three actions to use at the start of each of your turns your character is given three actions to use however they like this is true for anyone and everyone and can only be changed through spells like haste or slow you have complete freedom with these actions you can spend all three of them moving you can move twice an attack you can cast a two-action spell and make a one-action melee strike the choice is completely up to you as long as you have the actions to spend you can take that action now this may sound crazy you can attack three times at level one no matter what class you are but the game is balanced around it pathfinder 2e has something called a multiple attack penalty after you attack for the first time you have one multiple attack penalty this means your second attack on the same turn will be at -5 and give you another penalty making your third attack at -10. this makes attacking three times on the same turn pretty inefficient but you could also just press your luck and hope you get that natural 20 even at your minus 10 bonus speaking of natural 20s something you need to accept going into pathfinder second edition is that you will get way more critical hits than other tabletop systems you are also going to get critically hit way more often than other tabletop systems the average damage for pathfinder 2e is far higher than others in pf2 if you beat any dc by 10 or more it is considered a critical success this applies to skill checks saving throws and yes attack rolls if an attacker beats their target's armor class by 10 or more it is a critical hit even if the dice does not show a 20. this means that if a monster has a plus 12 to hit against a player who only has an armor class of 18 that's not only a 75 chance to hit but also a 25 chance to critically hit this makes every single bonus and penalty no matter how minor so important within the system one of my favorite quotes about this game is that armor class in pf2 is not about not getting hit it's about not getting crit for all of the gm's out there preparing to run their first session of pathfinder this all applies to you too the three action economy the multiple attack penalty the critical hit system it all applies to monsters the exact same way it applies to players unless a monster is unintelligent or in a furious rage it probably won't swing wildly with all three of its actions use those three actions to make the fight more dynamic step away to create some distance use an athletics check to grab a player or intimidate them to demoralize and inflict a penalty just like any system your encounters are going to be far more interesting if you use everything a monster has to offer and the freedom of the three-action economy makes this easier than ever oh by the way monsters hurt in this system a single monster has about the same power as two player characters of the same level this leads to more hit points higher armor class and most importantly a higher chance to hit and remember if there's a higher chance to hit that's a higher chance to crit monsters critically hitting players is not an uncommon thing in pathfinder second edition so go into the game mentally accepting that there's a reason the heel spell is so freaking powerful now between all of that combat of course is the role play and the role play aspect of pathfinder second edition is pretty much the same as most other tabletop rpgs get into character make the choices that you believe your character would make don't ruin other people's fun and enjoy yourself the biggest issue i've found for new players is that they get somewhat overwhelmed by their character sheet especially because the system gives you tools you can use in role play situations you might have a skill feed like hobnobber that makes you better at gathering information well a new player might look at this and think well i have this skill feat i need to use it so i should be actively trying to gather information rather than doing it that way just role play like usual and if you happen to need to gather information check your character sheet and apply the bonus trying to actively use all of your abilities as mechanics can take you out of the role play of the game and turn it into a much more mechanical interaction rather than a natural role play experience of course this is a total personal preference of mine if you would rather your role play be more mechanical and easy to track by all means go for it your game is your game just as long as you and your whole table are enjoying yourselves i would also be remiss to not mention the fantastic setting that pathfinder takes place in by default of course you can use these rules in any setting you'd like but do yourself a favor and look into the lore of galerion the world is deep and the lore is extensive even the core rulebook has 25 pages just dedicated to telling you about the inner sea region which is where the setting takes place primarily and paizo is constantly releasing new books in their lost omens line sure these books introduce some new mechanics and expand some rules but for the most part they're all about lore and giving you more information on different regions and locales within the setting now that we've discussed mechanics and role play let's talk about getting into your first game of pathfinder one problem that plagues the ttrpg genre is that trying a game for the first time usually comes with some kind of monetary cost need to buy the books or at least a starter kit whether it's city of mist d d or even the pathfinder 2e beginners box unless you're a pirate you're going to be shelling out some cash but what if i told you paizo's got you covered sure the books are pricey but they're also completely optional the amazing folks over at archives of nephis run a fantastic website sponsored by paizo themselves that includes every single rule from the core rulebook to the newest supplement completely free for all players and gm's i guess but gms are players too this means if you ever want to give pathfinder 2e a shot all you need is an internet connection and if you're watching this video i assume you have one the only resource that archives of nethis doesn't have is pre-made adventures and paizo offers those in droves paiso offers three distinct types of modules for pathfinder 2e one shots standalone adventures and adventure paths a one shot is exactly what it sounds like a single session adventure for about three to five hours a standalone adventure is a bit meatier usually about 60 to 70 pages long and will take about three four or sometimes even more sessions depending on your players and how much time they take finally paizo is easily most proud of their adventure paths these are gargantuan full campaigns that take your players from level 1 to level 20 over the course of six distinct books they have a couple of shorter ones from levels 1 to 10 or 11 to 20 but most of them are 1 to 20. there are currently 4 finished adventure pads already available and 3 more on the way within the next 12 months if you're looking for a great first experience with pathfinder 2e i can't recommend abomination vaults enough it is a classic dungeon crawl that takes players from level 1 to level 10 with a story that expands as they go deeper or you can just play a homemade game for free that's what i do and those are my big tips and warnings for enjoying your first session of pathfinder 2e did i miss anything did any of these tips really help you out let me know by leaving a comment down below in the end don't overthink things like any tt rpg pathfinder 2nd edition is a game to enjoy and have fun with your friends if you just want to focus on the role play go for it every rule is optional if you want to min max and manipulate the system to make the strongest characters possible more power to you if you're having fun that's awesome i have loved pathfinder 2e and it's become my favorite system over the past two years i sincerely hope you all get to enjoy it as much as i have thank you all so much for watching i want to give a huge shout out to my patrons who are on screen right now if you want to support the channel just like them there is a link in the description to the known at one's patreon where you can support me financially and unlock some cool benefits remember if you liked this video and it helped you out at all leave a like and subscribe to the channel for more tabletop gaming content just like this thank you all so very much for watching hope you have a wonderful rest of your day and until next time known at once

Channel: Nonat1s

Views: 56,445

Keywords: Pathfinder, Pathfinder 2e, Pathfinder Second Edition, Advanced Player's Guide, Pathfinder 2e APG, Nonat1s, Pathfinder 2e Nonat1s, Pathfinder 2e Level 1, Pathfinder 2e new features, Pathfinder 2e New Ancestries, Pathfinder 2e Gamemastery Guide, How to play Pathfinder 2e, What to expect from your first pathfinder 2e session, Pathfinder 2e session, Pathfinder 2e beginner's guide, Pathfinder 2e tips, Pathfinder 2e new player, 5e vs 2e, D&D vs pathfinder, D&D vs pathfinder 2e

Id: EN6BNSt3gyw

Length: 14min 17sec (857 seconds)

Published: Mon Jun 07 2021

Reddit Comments

[u/Killchrono]

Honestly, the quality of NoNat's advice has shot up very high lately. He's gone from being very casual and anecdotal, to giving some really solid advice mixed with mechanical insight. Dunno if working with other content creators like Disaster Tour Guide have granted him some insight, or if he's just generally got a good handle on the mechanics now to speak about them, but it really does seem like he's maturing as a content creator.

[u/SWAMPMONK]

Nonat is making such good content. As someone who wants to GM a 2E homebrew but has never GM’d before, i’ve been binging his videos and really getting a good view on the system. I would love to see his channel grow.

[u/Clestonlee]

Having played in a number of sessions his video rang true for me. Plus his videos in general have helped me be a better player around the virtual table.

[u/The-Magic-Sword]

I'll be honest, I don't even personally like his content that much for myself.

(I disagree with some of his takes and advice regarding the balance of the classes, he's too quick from what I've seen to accept that something balanced better than he thinks is actually bad, on his way to making the argument that it doesn't matter, IIRC he bought into the 'well of course the fighter is best at fighting' thing but while fighter is certainly competitive for top dog, the other martials are all about as strong at fighting-- at the very least the Rogue, Ranger, Barbarian, Champion, and Monk all are, its a tight pack.)

But its such a niche concern that I actually subbed and turn his videos on in the background from time to time for the sake of pressuring the algorithm to try and get him out there, he's probably our single best ambassador to newer players in the 5e/TTRPG community. His enthusiasm is infectious, he's unrelentingly positive, and gives great advice in terms of the newbie audience he's designing for.

[u/ValeWeber2]

What a great channel. He's the one that actually made me excited enough about Pathfinder to finally play it. Thanks to him and especially this video I'll pitch PF2e to my D&d5e friends. We'll play the beginner box soon and I'm really excited. Thanks nonat!

[u/ronaldsf1977]

"Something a bit more THICC" Yes!

[u/larstr0n]

The comment about how you should roleplay first, and then look to what bonuses you have is very good. I haven't seen that expressed exactly that way, but I think it's really great advice.

[u/CaptainBaseball]

I’m actually pondering the change from 5e to PF2 and a kind commenter pointed this video out to me. It was really helpful - it’s great that there are people putting out really good advice like this.

[u/Manowar274]

Love seeing his content gain more traction and get higher quality as a result, he got me into Pathfinder 2 from Pathfinder 1.