Pathfinder by the Apocalypse

A work-in-progress alternative rule system for the Wayfarer's Guide and general use beyond the setting, it attempts to merge 1st Edition Pathfinder's complex, controlled rules with the simpler, more collaborative Powered by the Apocalypse system. The goal of the project is to create a hybrid system that's better suited to Play-by-Post roleplay, particularly on a Forum, than games like Pathfinder and Dungeons & Dragons are while still retaining the complex character builds and statistics that define these games from a player's perspective. While less tactical and more freeform, it still makes use of some of the elements of these older games. It draws heavily on the Dungeon World RPG, itself a version of Powered by the Apocalypse.

Some general notes include the following:

* Things that enhance D20 checks are usually reduced to fit the new mechanics, with certain exceptions.
* The game uses the core Pathfinder Character Sheets and options for the Wayfarer's Guide but modifies how the stats, bonuses, and penalties on them function.
* The game does not award XP for failures, unlike in normal Powered by the Apocalypse games. Instead, XP is awarded by Milestone.

The shorthand term for Pathfinder by the Apocalypse is PFbtA.

# Basics

## Basic Play

PFbtA is essentially a conversational game; the Players and GM take turns telling parts of a story by discussing what happens in the game world and what characters do. The game generally begins with a scenario described by the Gamemaster and the introduction of the Players' characters, followed by some kind of impetus provided by the GM that may or may not have been part of the initial scenario. Once this is established, the Players more or less do as they please with their characters... right up until they do something that would require a Roll, called a Move. At this point, either the Gamemaster can call for a Roll or the Player can if they *know* what they're doing constitutes a specific Move, such as making an attack with a bow or trying to seduce an NPC. The Player then makes a Roll according to the Move's description and learns the result. Sometimes things go just as they'd like. Other times they succeed but only partially or face some sort of difficulty along the way, called a Complication. At still others they fail completely and the GM decides what happens. This process continues on indefinitely, until the game is completed.

## Dice Rolling & Bounded Accuracy

Pathfinder by the Apocalypse uses a heavily-modified version of the D20 system. In the classic system, you roll a D20 and add Modifiers, bonuses or penalties, to the result based on your character's Abilities, Class Features, Skills, Racial Modifiers, magical enhancements, and situational conditions. These numbers can get extraordinarily high in traditional D20 games, especially as players try to maximize their characters' specializations over time. D&D's 5th Edition attempted to rectify the bloated numbers that would result from this with a principle called "Bounded Accuracy," which capped the overall performance of most characters by limiting how many things actually provided positive and negative Modifiers to rolls and by instead making it much easier to instead roll twice and take the highest or lowest number in order to expand the difficulty range. Powered by the Apocalypse, on the other hand, used a 2D6 model where results of 10 or more on a roll were generally solid successes, and less than that allowed for a partial success or a success with a complication of some sort. These different approaches have superficial similarities but are vastly different in play. Pathfinder by the Apocalypse seeks to merge elements of these into something *roughly* similar, but that can still be compatible with 1st Edition Pathfinder's complexities.

**Pathfinder by the Apocalypse resolves significant challenges with a D20 roll, modified by an Ability Score's Bonus and other relevant Modifiers. These Modifiers are capped, increasing and cannot push the result of a Dice Roll above 20 or under 1. The results of a Roll are, generally, as follows:**

* **20 Success (Perfect):** Your Move resolves without difficulties, *and* you may either take a second Move of your choice or gain Advantage on your next Move. You may not benefit from more than one Critical Success in a row.
* **19-14 Success (Great):** Your Move resolves without difficulties.
* **13-8 Success (Good):** Your Move resolves, but something has gone wrong in the process or the situation changes in some manner. The GM decides what this Complication is unless you're engaging another Player, in which case either they or the GM does if no GM is present.
* **7-2 Failure (Poor):** Your Move attempt failed, and worse, you are now subject to a Complication from the GM or another Player, depending on the circumstances. In essence, the GM or other Player gets to say what happened.
* **1 Failure (Disaster):** Your Move attempt failed, you are subject to a complication as with a Fail, *and* you have Disadvantage on that Complication.

### Static and Temporary Bonuses and Penalties

Pathfinder provides a massive number of static bonuses to the different attributes that make up a character's statistics. From Skill Points to Feats to Class Features to spells and magic items, all are capable of modifying a character's performance on rolls. In fact, the massive, bloated numbers of bonuses that characters could acquire are something of a defining trait of Pathfinder 1st Edition, and Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 before it. Keeping these numbers in check for a system where one automatically knows success and failure based on the results of a single D20 roll makes for some significant difficulties in conversion; it's quite easy to have a character simply auto-Perfect any given result, especially at higher levels. This means that the benefits of various abilities that provide bonuses, as well as the way certain capabilities are handled, needs to be changed to fit the realities of PFbtA. Here are the *current* conversion notes:

* **Ability Score Modifiers:** These are derived as normal and are used as described in formulas that impact the performance of other abilities, such as Attack Rolls, Skills, Hit Points, and Saves. That is to say, a Strength of 14 still provides +2 on Attack Rolls. High Ability Scores go a long way in this game.
* **Hit Dice and Hit Points:** Determined as normal.
* **Magic Dice and Magic Points:** Determined as normal, which is to say that Magic Dice are the inverse of Hit Dice and are used in the same manner to roll or generate innate Magic Points.
* **Skills and Skill Points:** Characters do not gain Skill Points as they advance normally. Instead, they choose a number of Skills equal to their Skill Points per Level plus their Intelligence Modifier and gain a +1 Bonus in those Skills (and in the case of Skills that can't be used Untrained, access to the Skill at all). If the Skill is a Cross-Class Skill, they do not gain a Bonus, but may be able to use it as if they were Trained in it. If it is a Class Skill, their Bonus improves to +2 instead of +1. At 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th Levels, the bonuses on these chosen Skills improve by an additional +1, including granting a bonus to Cross-Class Skills that previously lacked one but were chosen to be Trained.
	+ **Background Skills:** When using Background Skills, you merely add an additional two Skill choices for the character from the appropriate list.
* **Base Attack Bonus:** A character with a Base Attack Bonus of +1 or better gains a +1 on Attack Rolls (such as in Hack & Slash, Volley, or Stick & Move). This bonus increases by +1 every time the character would gain another iterative Attack from the Base Attack Bonus progression. For example, a Fighter would have a +1 to their BAB at 1st, +2 at 5th, +3 at 10th, +4 at 15th, and +5 at 20th Levels, while a Wizard wouldn't even have +1 until their 2nd Level and +2 until 12th Level.
	+ **Combat Maneuver Bonus:** This includes the above Bonus instead of the full BAB but is otherwise calculated the same.
	+ **Combat Maneuver Defense:** This isn't really used due to how the system now works.
* **Saves:** Halve the listed bonuses, rounding down. Bonuses from Ability Scores are not affected.
* **Armor Class:** Take a character's Armor Class and subtract 10. This number serves as Damage Reduction on all conventional attacks. This is untyped DR/- that stacks with other forms of Damage Reduction, including other instances of DR/-, such as a Barbarian's Damage Reduction.
	+ **Against Touch Attacks:** When subjected to a Touch Attack, instead convert only AC bonuses that would function against Touch Attacks (such as Dexterity, Dodge, or Deflection) into Damage Reduction.
* **Feats:** Feats that improve D20 Rolls provide no more than a +1 bonus per Roll per Feat. Other Feats function as described.
* **Caster Level and Concentration Checks:** Caster Level Checks don't add your actual Caster Level. Instead, they use your Ability Modifier and 1/5th of your Caster Level, rounded down, with a minimum of +1 so long as you have an actual casting Class. This same rule applies to Psionics and other supernatural abilities, and for Concentration Checks.
* **Items and Equipment:** Items generally do not provide bonuses unless magical in some fashion or of exceptional quality. Items adhere to the following:
	+ **Exceptional Items:** Mundane items that are well-made, such as Masterwork weapons or tools, provide a non-stacking +1 bonus and may have additional properties. These are overridden by magical enhancements and do not stack with them, either, as per normal Pathfinder rules.
	+ **Magical Enhancement Bonuses to Weapons and Armor:** These function as normal, except that bonuses to Armor Class are treated as improved Damage Reduction. A +1 Weapon is still a +1 Weapon.
	+ **Save, Skill, and Caster Level Bonuses:** Bonuses are halved (minimum +1), and cannot exceed +5, regardless of source.
	+ **No Stacking:** Such bonuses do not stack. Only the highest Bonus applies, even if they are from different sources.
	+ **Item Rules Generally Apply to Racial Bonuses and Other, Similar Modifiers:** Halve Racial Bonuses to Skills, Saves, and the like. Again, these do not stack with items.
* **Class Features:** Class Features follow the same mechanical restrictions used for determining a character's Base Attack Bonus. Special abilities that add lesser dice to a result, such as the Investigator's Inspiration, instead add half of their result, rounded down. This only applies to Features that modify D20 Rolls. Those that don't do so function as normal.
* **Spells:** Spells, Powers, and other abilities that improve D20 results provide either their Spell Level or 1/2 of their normal benefit, whichever is lower.
* **Initiative:** Initiative in PFbtA is very freeform. It is only really used to determine what order events resolve in, not who acts. Therefore, it's possible that some actions may cancel each other out. Be prepared to Edit posts.
* **Movement:** Speed bonuses operate somewhat differently; they now provide a flat bonus on certain actions (such as Give Chase and Stick & Move), based on their increases. When using these actions or otherwise comparing Movement and Distance, a character gains a bonus to their rolls equal to +1 for every 10ft of relevant Movement speed they have over their target.
* **Penalties:** Penalties to D20 Rolls follow the same basic rules listed above as appropriate to their source.
* **Functions that Use Dice Results to Determine Degrees of Success:** These include Skill-based "spellcasting" like Truenaming, Psychic Aptitudes, Seals, High Runes, and Runespells. These still use the original Pathfinder 1e formulas and numbers to determine how potent or complicated their effects are, not the PFbtA ones. This means that, at least for the purposes of determining just what effects one can create with these abilities and how powerful they are, the old numbers are still used. However, when making rolls to see whether or not the attempt succeeds, and how well it does, one must make a *separate* roll that follows normal PFbtA policies.
* **As a General Rule, Bonuses and Penalties are small and one should keep that in mind. Big numbers break this game and should not be allowed under any circumstances.**

The above rules can be used to convert Creatures as well, such as by only granting a Monster a +2 to attack if it's Attack Bonus would normally be +10. These rules make Magic Items a big deal due to how much of a difference their relatively unchanged Enhancement Bonuses work. A 10th Level Fighter with a +2 sword is as accurate as a 20th Level Fighter without one now. Keep this in mind; basic Magic Items are now *very* powerful.

## Complications

Complications are a key element of the game. When a character takes an action, they're likely to experience a Complication. Games essentially boil down to characters working through those Complications to complete their objectives through multiple rolls until they manage to land enough Great and Perfect results to accomplish their goals. In this sense, Complications are the "enemies" of the game. Complications are where things go wrong and where the characters have to adapt and make major decisions. They may be minor and immediate, or major issues that take a long time to resolve.

Complications are generally decided by the GM to fit the situation, though some may be standardized or even randomized.

## Moves

### Basic Moves

#### Hack & Slash

When you **attack an enemy in melee,** roll Attack. On a Good or better, you deal damage. On a Poor or worse, you don't. On a Perfect, you score a Critical Hit regardless of the type of weapon you wield, multiplying the damage. You can choose to open yourself up to an Opportunity Attack from the enemy in order to turn a Great into a Critical Hit even if the weapon you wield would not normally allow that.

#### Power Play

When you try to **wield special or supernatural powers such as magic, psionics, martial arts, and the like against someone or something that might resist them**, roll the Level of the Effect. On a Good or better, your attempt is successful. On a Poor or worse, it doesn't work for some reason (such as you missing the target or them resisting it). If your ability was considered a weapon (such as a Ray-type spell) you deal critical damage on a Perfect. The normal complication for this Move is that you are left vulnerable when using it, though this does not apply to all instances. Power Play often consumes resources, usually Mana Points.

#### Save Yourself

When you try to **avoid, withstand, or shake free from something bad affecting you,** roll Reflex, Fortitude, or Will, respectively. On a Great or better, you completely shake free of the effect. On a Good, you still suffer some lingering effects, but you've improved. On a Poor, it remains the same, and on less than that the condition worsens.

#### Skillful Display

When you try to **do something that you are trained in**, roll the relevant Skill. On a Great or better, everything goes fine. On a Good, there was some kind of hitch. On a Poor, you just didn't get it quite yet. On a Fail, you screwed up, and on a Disaster or worse, you did so *badly.*

#### Smooth Talk

When you try to **seduce or manipulate someone**, roll Diplomacy if you're being sincere, Bluff if you're not, Intimidate if you're being scary, or Handle Animal if your target is, well, an animal. On a Great or better, the target goes along with you. On a Good, however, they want a compromise or exchange, and on a Poor, they weren't interested. On a Fail or worse, however, you've actually upset them and may well be in for a fight.

#### Volley

When you try to **attack an enemy with a ranged weapon**, roll Attack (with DEX if you're using a weapon like a gun or crossbow that uses mechanics to fire, or either STR or DEX if you're using a weapon that uses your physical prowess to do so, such as a bow, sling, or thrown weapon). On a Good or better, you deal damage.

### Special Moves

#### Class Moves

Class Moves are tied to your Class Features and generally function either as Modifiers on Checks or let you perform actions you wouldn't ordinarily be able to in the original Pathfinder game. Unless they call for a D20 roll to see if they work in their original Pathfinder rules, you don't need a move for them, or to roll anything in PbtA. They just work. However, some Features have a risk of failure and require a D20 roll. This is often a function of another ability, such as a Skill or Save, in which you would treat it as a normal PFbtA Check. Class Features that provide bonuses to D20 Rolls follow the rules described above.

## Character Creation

### Skills

See above for rules on how Skills and Skill Points work.

### Feats

See above for rules on how Feats that provide bonuses to D20 Rolls work. Otherwise, as normal for Pahtfinder 1e.

### Everyday Magic

*Main Article: Everyday Magic*

As normal for the Wayfarer's Guide.

### Stunts

*Main Article: Stunts*

As normal for the Wayfarer's Guide.

### Arts

*Main Article: Arts*

As normal for the Wayfarer's Guide.