This one is overdue, so it’s time to dive into Player Core 2, the latest core book expansion to Pathfinder 2nd Edition Remastered!
Disclaimer: an electronic copy of Pathfinder Player Core 2 was provided to me for review purposes by Paizo.
Background
When Paizo launched into the remaster project during the immediate fallout of the OGL 1.1 scandal that Wizards sparked, they were open with the fact that they weren’t going to be able to fit everything into a single book for players. This isn’t new, and Paizo has been releasing expansions to the core book collections for Pathfinder since first edition. However, what made this notable was that several classes considered core to the D&D-alike experience that Pathfinder was known for were absent from the first Player Core book. This raised some concerns that they may be embarking on a 4e D&D like spree of core books, but is this what happened? And is the book any good?
As the Player Core 2 is an expansion book, I’m going to be coming at it from a different perspective in terms of the review.
What’s in it?
Player Core 2 builds on the foundation set by the Player Core book. At a hefty 318 pages of content minus the covers, this book is a legit expansion to the game. And it’s also a great example of giving the fanbase what they want as opposed to what older “establishment” conventions think they should have.
In terms of ancestries, the book brings it. Catfolk (Amurrans), Hobgoblins, Kholos (“Gnoll” is gone!), Kobolds, Lizardfolk (Iruxi), Ratfolk (Ysoki), Tengu (continuing Pathfinder’s corvid association/interpretation), and Tripkees (Grippli is gone!) are all upgraded to remaster status. This means that large areas of the world have been opened up to tables without access to books like the Mwangi Expanse or the new Xian Tia set. They also brought some versatile heritages up to spec, with the Dhampirs, Dragonbloods, and Duskwalkers making their remaster debuts. And supporting all of this are 24, that’s correct, 24, new backgrounds.
Classes aren’t shorted in this book either. Alchemists, Barbarians, Champions (rebranded and redesigned Paladins), Investigators, Monks, Oracles, Sorcerers, and Swashbucklers all push into the remaster sphere. And with these classes comes a frankly alarming amount of archetypes, magic, items, magic items, and enough alchemical stuff to rewrite the face of the planet.
What’s good?
The book is the result of planners and creatives understanding the assignment. Where the core expansion books in 4e D&D failed was that they offered a bad combination of too little and too niche for an uncomfortable price point. This book shows, unequivocally, that Paizo knew they had to much content for one book and that they needed to do a proper expansion to present it properly.
Player Core 2 also continues the dual practices of using iconic character art and showcasing diversity that Pathfinder has been famous (and often unrecognized) for since 1st edition. There’s a nice mix of new and old art in the book, and it helps a lot with bridging continuity for older players and presenting a vibrant world to new players coming into Pathfinder and its setting, Golarion. I enjoyed seeing familiar faces and new ones, and bits of setting art scattered through to help give a feel for the world.
Another move that I’m finding interesting is that Pathfinder is moving further from its fantasy roots into a more comfortable existence in the science-fantasy genre. Even back in 1st edition, it was clear that there was a bit of an identity crisis for the setting, evidenced by its classic style high fantasy lore and origin tales and the inclusion of more dungeonpunk elements like the embrace of firearms, alchemy, and an actual solar system. 2nd edition moved to embrace all of that further, but the remaster is cementing it. In particular, the Alchemist class and plethora of alchemical items really puts this on display. As a bonus, this dovetails nicely with where the setting is headed (Starfinder), and opens up some sweet creative opportunities for GMs and players alike where the system and setting won’t fight them for it.
What’s not so good?
To be honest, I’m not liking the use of real world mythology names for stuff in game. Like Tengu or Nephilim (in Player Core). It rubs me the wrong way because there’s some strong cultural associations with these words that the game has to redefine and then push that redefinition to try to overcome said baggage. It seems like an oversight where they’re otherwise killing it in naming ancestries.
I’m also wishing that we could get more baseline equipment. I love that there’s new weapons in Player Core 2. They’re cool and thematic. I love that dragonhide gets a whole write up section on making gear from it. The magic armour? GOLD. But it’s still the same Eurocentric armour list from the base book. I get there’s little mechanically different between armour types when you get right down to it, but names and images are world building tools. They’re character customization and conceptualization tools. And we’re still not getting them.
The last two are gripes more than anything. One is that there’s still a lot of classes and ancestries to update and I haven’t seen anything about a Player Core 3 yet. The other is that, for reasons that still escape me, the electronic edition of this book isn’t linked. The layout of these books is incredibly link friendly, but they just aren’t doing it!
Thoughts
Pathfinder has found its path. Early in 2023, with the OGL 1.1 thing going down, I wasn’t sure how Paizo was going to redefine their core game in a way that would make a break from its D&D roots. 2nd edition was making moves, but it was still lacking something. The remaster has found that something. The books are well laid out and designed to be used by all levels in the hobby. The ORC licence is rolling hard. And now I’m seeing legit effort to make a multiple core book collection not only viable, but desirable. And the fact that they’re keeping things accessible with hardcover, softcover “pocket editions”, and pdfs to keep the prices where people can afford them. Player Core 2 is a good book. It’s worth picking up, and a solid Rank A entry into anyone’s Pathfinder 2nd Edition Remaster collection.
Player Core 2 is currently available in pdf and hardcover formats.
