The end is upon us. The end of the remastered core books, that is. Player Core 2 (PC2) is finally here and chocked full of new ancestries, player classes, archetypes, feats, and spells to add to your Pathfinder campaigns. I personally have been waiting for this book to see what updates they made to the Monk that I am playing in my current campaign. You won’t be disappointed in all the content the book adds to the set.

Player Core 2 completes the set of remastered content for Pathfinder Second Edition. If you’d like to see our reviews of the rest of the set, check out the links here:

• Player Core
• GM Core
• Monster Core

As stated in our previous reviews, the remaster project is really 2nd edition 2.5 rather than a brand new edition. As the world of role-playing games has evolved, publisher Paizo has taken errata, or updates and changes to rules, released since the 2nd edition first published in 2019 and included some new content in the 2023/2024 remaster project. From the Paizo website:

“The new core rulebooks will also serve as a new foundation for our publishing partners, transitioning the game away from the Open Game License that caused so much controversy earlier this year to the more stable and reliable Open RPG Creative (ORC) license, which is currently being finalized with the help of hundreds of independent RPG publishers. This transition will result in a few minor modifications to the Pathfinder Second Edition system, notably the removal of alignment and a small number of nostalgic creatures, spells, and magic items exclusive to the OGL.”

At its heart, Player Core 2 is the book for people looking to expand their options from the base set of rules and character building set forth in the Player and GM cores.

Ancestries and Backgrounds

The ancestries outlined in PC2 seem to lend themselves to the animal folk with a series of anthropomorphized options for players to take out on the road. This includes things such as catfolk, lizardfolk, and the frog like Tripkees. Each ancestry gives players unique features surrounding their race of character. PC2 also adds in three new versatile heritages available to any ancestry. Players can imagine one of their parents being a vampire, descending from a line of dragonbloods, or even a duskwalker who skirts the lines between life and death. Also included are a few pages of common and rare backgrounds that characters can assume to help with their character development, each giving special stat boosts and/or skill feats during creation.

Classes

Player Core 2 introduces updated versions of 8 of its player classes:

• Alchemist
• Barbarian
• Champion
• Investigator
• Monk
• Oracle
• Sorcerer
• Swashbuckler

Much like ancestry, each class provides the basics needed for character building, as well as an initial guide to how players may enact the personality of their created character. Each class explains the unique features of playing the character, from the updated “versatile vials” of the alchemist to different stances a Monk might choose to adapt its fighting to the current conditions. As a character advances levels, new feats unique to each class are outlined with prerequisites and descriptions of how the feat enhances the character. For example, a 2nd level Investigator takes the “Certain Stratagem” feat to target weak spots on an enemy.

As players level up, they may have ideas from other classes they would like to bring into their character build. Pathfinder outlines multiclassing rules in the way of archetypes, allowing characters to take feats from an amended list of abilities. Player Core provides the outlines for taking archetypes from the classes above and over 30 pages of other archetype options. These pages include feats and skills associated with assassins, herbalists, snarecrafters, wrestlers, and even vigilantes.

Feats

Throughout their adventuring and leveling up, players can acquire general and skill feats that any character can choose. PC2 provides a table of new general feats and feats related to certain skill proficiencies at the start of Chapter 4. Players can then easily find the longer descriptions of each feat as they journey through the book. Backup Disguise allows players to keep a disguise ready under their clothes, but only if an expert in deception. Someone trained in medicine can take the Forensic Acumen feat, allowing them to examine a body and recall knowledge about it. Someone trained in occultism, can pass themselves off as a member of a religion with Deceptive Worship. Each feat increases the arsenal of tricks a character has to interact with the world.

Spells

Player Core 2 includes a host of new spells for the magic wielding characters as well. PC2 provides spell charts and descriptions for each of the magic backgrounds and the types of spells players may want ranked from cantrips to higher level. Each spell includes descriptions of how to cast the spell and the effects they have on the world around them. Use Dismantle to take apart an object temporarily, cast Ghostly Tragedy to have spirits reenact a violent event, or have a cone of vermin erupt from your mouth with Vomit Swarm. The spell section also breaks down the unique focus spells available to the Champion, Monk, Oracle, and Sorcerer classes and more rituals for the characters patient and skilled enough to cast them.

Treasure, Glossary, & Index

The book ends with a wide variety of treasure items that can be found within the game. From Weapons & Materials, to Armor, Alchemical Items, snares, and magical items, the book provides a plethora of unique trinkets to add to any party’s trove. The book also outlines a Treasure Table, sorted by level and type for a quick reference in finding the perfect bounty for the game master. Rounding out the book is a glossary and index routing players to information, not only in Player Core 2, but also in the Player Core and GM Core books as well.

Overall Thoughts

Player Core 2, in my opinion, is the cherry on top for the remastered books. Combined with the introductory material in the Player Core, how to run a game in the GM Core, and the wild menagerie of creatures in the Monster Core, Player Core 2 is the final component needed to give adventurers more than enough content for hours upon hours of entertainment. The entire remaster line of products are easy to use with references to the other books sprinkled throughout each volume for more clarification. Navigating using the sidebar subsystem allows players to find the information they want quickly, especially when in the middle of a session.

The updated classes in PC2 are another strong point. In particular, the changes made to classes like the Barbarian, which was a bit lackluster in the first iteration and fixed up to be a better experience for those players, and for a class like the Champion, who needed more adjustments with the removal of Alignment from the game. The new classes and ancentries, combined with the backgrounds, archetypes, and heritages from both the Player Core books allow for almost infinite combinations of characters, allowing players to use their imagination and creativity in their adventuring.

As the final book has been published in the 2nd Edition Remaster, I can now say how impressed I have been with the entire project. As a relatively new player in the system, the remaster has made it so easy to onboard in the world of Pathfinder. The time spent in the design of the books, the care put forth with balancing the system, and the hours of fun I have had playing the game have made me an ardent fan of Pathfinder and Paizo. Paizo took feedback and errata from multiple years and created a well balanced experience for new and old players alike.

See below for our list of partners and affiliates: