Not looking for Foundry support or any other VTT. I’m about to start GMing Pathfinder for the first time for players who are all completely new to Pathfinder. Some have D&D 5e experience, some are new to RPGs.
Some might be willing to pay, but I suspect most probably will not, so I’d definitely prefer ones that have at least the character building content from the CRB for free. Definitely open to paid recommendations too though, if they’re really good.
Interested to hear what options are out there, and what quality of life features they have to walk players through creating a new character or to help while playing at the table.
Since you guys are new I would like to direct your attention to the following excellent resources:
- https://2e.aonprd.com/ - Has all the rules for Pathfinder 2e
- https://pathbuilder2e.com/ - Character creator for Pathfinder 2e. Free, but requires paying a small one-time amount to get access to Free Archetypes, Pets and Cloud Storage
- https://wanderersguide.app/ - Character creator for Pathfinder 2e. Free, but a Patreon subscription is required for more than 6 characters (I might be wrong on this part)
- https://www.youtube.com/@HowItsPlayed - Excellent YouTube channel with videos about most rules
- https://imgur.com/LjllYua - Overview of the classes and their general strengths
- https://foundryvtt.com/ - Virtual tabletop with excellent pf2e integration. One time purchase for GM + ongoing hosting cost
I highly recommend Pathbuilder, as well. It makes sure all the math is correct and nobody adds more or less than they’re supposed to during character creation or level up while making it clear that something is off. You can even export the player info as stat blocks instead of as a character sheet. I used it to double check my party during character creation in FoundryVTT since it didn’t have nearly as many guardrails.
Here are my only gripes, and they’re all related. For context, I have the Android version:
-Unarmed Attacks aren’t automatically added to the Offense category; they have to be added manually, which adds some tedium since even character can make unarmed attacks unless otherwise stated. -A number of ancestry traits that add special unarmed attacks, such as Taloned Tengu or the basic Sharp Beak, aren’t reflected in the “Weapon” category for unarmed attacks, so you have to create a “custom” unarmed weapon to give the player, which adds tedium because you have to make sure you add all of the correct traits yourself and name it correctly. At least on mobile, you cannot switch from the custom weapon creation popup and the build tab without closing the popup first, meaning you can’t reference the trait directly in the app while manually creating it in the menu. -If any custom/modified equipment is applied to the character, then those abilities will be labeled as 3rd Party with no way to remove the trait even if you delete it from the trait field during creation. So anyone playing an ancestry that Pathbuilder hasn’t yet fully implemented will have “3rd Party” listed as a trait, adding unnecessary clutter and possible confusion. -Weapon creation requires picking 1-2 hands even if it doesn’t use hands, such as a jaws or s beak.
For me it was a bit frustrating dealing with these particular issues since I have both a Gnoll and a Tengu in the party, both of whom have unarmed attacks in addition to fists, including ones which wouldn’t use a hand.
If you’re okay with filling in some of the gaps, then none of this should really be an issue. Everything else about the app has been lovely.
Edited to clarify, add additional info, and correct a spelling mistake.
Like everyone else, I can’t recommend Pathbuilder 2e enough! I even paid for it although the basic version does almost everything (with ads). The only bummer is that the app and web version are separate purchase.
You have a couple of options:
I prefer the 1st
edit Added Wanderers guide
As someone who likes to build their characters ahead of their current level I too prefer Pathbuilder, though for new players Wanderers Guide might be a bit more hand-holdy.
I believe both of them can output a pdf of the character sheet if you prefer to play without tablets/phones, and both can handle at-table play, though for Pathbuilder specifically I would recommend a tablet/laptop over a phone, because the website is a bit more friendly for at-table play.
On Foundry VTT I used the web version of Pathbuilder2e on my second screen and it was perfect.
People seem to forget http://pf2easy.com/ It is my favorite web site on the side to look for actions, condition, class feat, item, monster, spells, and everything else during the game.
Wait, I posted … Oh, it’s you again. :) unfortunately I can’t help here, I use a VTT, so I don’t need an external builder.
Well, I suppose I could use one, but it feels easier to spin up the VTT if I want to play with builds. That’s what I get for GMing and hosting
Interesting, are you using a VTT around the table? As in, not an online game?
How’s that go? Sounds very intriguing.
No, I’m doing it for a distance game. But with everyone on the discord, they just ping me if they want to work with a character, and I always set aside extra time during level-up to make sure everyone is good to go.
I have heard of people using Foundry (and other VTTs) for table games. You create 2 logins, DM logs in to his via the Foundry app, and the other is logged into through a browser and displays on a big monitor (possibly laid horizontally if you have the money to mod a table and have a glass insert). Control of the party token(s) will depend on the setup. If both monitors are being used by the DM’s computer, the DM controls the party map directly, otherwise one of the players logs in on the second PC and controls the party tokens.
There are a lot of variations.
IMO, even with a VTT there’s value in using something like pathbuilder. Foundry generally isn’t very “smart” about what options a character has at various points in the character creation process, so it can show you a lot of options you don’t have. For example, when you go to select a skill feat in Foundry, it doesn’t take into account the skills with which your character is proficient. It just shows you all of the skill feats.
I always build characters by hand in any TTRPG. It’s not complicated after you get the hang of it (after your first sheet).
Look, if I were playing I’d probably do this. At the very least I’d be using Pathbuilder or similar as an aid to my manual character creation.
But I’m GMing for a bunch of people for whom this is their first ever RPG, and doing it by hand would have been a lot of extra work for me as I have to help them through the process step by step.
I’ve also discovered that Pathbuilder lets players share their characters with me, and it has an encounter tracker that automatically ties into their characters so I can easily keep track of initiative, or can roll Secret skills/actions for them. I can also verify what content they’re using and that they haven’t made any errors. Which is pretty damn handy!
Good that it helps your game. I advocate for doing things manually because you get to know how the system works better but I also have a lot of free time as a student. Whatever suits you and yours better! :)
Pathbuilder2e easily the best character builder out there. Also for GMs, they have a great encounter builder/combat tracker even with it being in beta. https://pathbuilder2e.com/beta/encounters.html
