Day 1 of Gen Con is here and the long awaited arrival of the Pathfinder’s Playtest for the next edition of their ruleset is finally here. The original Pathfinder launched with a playtest around 10 years ago. I’ll assume they are hoping to get another successful decade this edition by making sure they put out the best product based on feedback from this playtest. Feedback from the previews has been mixed, but now that players and GMs can get their hands on all of the playtest materials we should have a better idea what everyone thinks about the next Pathfinder.
Back when Paizo first announced the playtest, they revealed that they would be selling of the playtest rules and offering PDFs for free. Right now you can download the playtest rulebook and other materials. Here is a list of the free playtest materials. If you haven’t been paying attention you’ll notice that Goblin ancestry and the Alchemist class are part of the core rules for this playtest. Rulebook. 434 pages with everything you need to create characters or run the game. Races: Dwarf, Elf, Gnome, Goblin, Halfling and Human (Half-Elf and Half-Orc are picked up with feats).
Classes: Alchemist, Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Monk, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, Wizard Bestiary – 125 pages of monsters and hazards to throw at your players during the playtest. Doomsday Dawn – 100 page starter adventure Flip-Mat Multi-Pack – Four high res gridded maps to use for the playtest or in your own adventure. Character Sheet Playtest Tracking Sheet Pathfinder Society Reporting Sheet Free Sounds – Info to get free sounds from Syrinscape Paizo posted this intro video with some details or to learn more and yourself.
Pathfinder-branded items that pre-date the Pathfinder RPG and are designed for D&D v.3.5 (e.g. Hollow's Last Hope) 2. Things that are related to the Pathfinder RPG beta, rather than the final version. Downloads that are just excerpts/previews of forthcoming products. And offering PDFs for free. Right now you can download the playtest rulebook and other materials. Here is a list of the free playtest materials.