Pathfinder GM Core

The book with the answers in it, which is why it lives behind the screen.

GM Core is the other half of Pathfinder Second Edition: running the game rather than playing in it. Building encounters that are actually survivable, awarding treasure at a rate that does not break the maths, adjudicating the situations your players invent specifically to break the maths, and the long section on hazards and afflictions you will find yourself reading at eleven at night before a session.

What it does better than most game master books is take the guesswork out. Pathfinder is precise by design, and this is the book that makes that precision usable — encounter budgets, level-appropriate DCs, tables for the things you will need at speed. There is also a lot of practical advice about running a table that has nothing to do with rules, and it is worth the time.

Perfect for: The one who ends up running it because nobody else volunteered, and then discovers they like it.

Core rulebook | Hardback | Pathfinder Second Edition (Remastered)