Welcome to the Pathfinder Second Edition Free Basic Rules! Here you will find the very basics of play, and just enough options to build a handful of low-level characters. For hundreds of more pages, rules, characters, options, artwork, and more, upgrade to the complete Pathfinder Player Core!

Fighting for honor, greed, loyalty, or simply the thrill of battle, you are an undisputed master of weaponry and combat techniques. You combine your actions through clever combinations of opening moves, finishing strikes, and counterattacks whenever your foes are unwise enough to drop their guard. Whether you are a knight, mercenary, sharpshooter, or blade master, you have honed your martial skills into an art form and perform devastating critical attacks on your enemies.

Key Attribute

Strength or Dexterity

At 1st level, your class gives you an attribute boost to your choice of Strength or Dexterity.

Hit Points

10 plus your Constitution modifier

You increase your maximum number of HP by this number at 1st level and every level thereafter.

During combat encounters...

You strike with unmatched accuracy and use specialized combat techniques. A melee fighter stands between allies and enemies, attacking foes who try to get past. A ranged fighter delivers precise shots from a distance, but can hold their own if forced into melee.

During social encounters...

You can be an intimidating presence. This can be useful when negotiating with enemies but is sometimes a liability in more genteel interactions. On the other hand, those comfortable with conflict may find you more trustworthy and less threatening because you don’t rely on magic.

While exploring...

You keep up your defenses in preparation for combat and keep an eye out for hidden threats. You also overcome physical challenges in your way, breaking down doors, lifting obstacles, climbing adeptly, and leaping across pits.

In downtime...

You might perform manual labor or craft and repair armaments. If you know techniques you no longer favor, you might train yourself in new ones. If you’ve established your reputation, you might build an organization or a stronghold of your own.

You might...

• Know the purpose and quality of every weapon and piece of armor you own.
• Recognize that the danger of an adventurer’s life must be balanced out with great revelry or ambitious works.
• Have little patience for puzzles or problems that require detailed logic or study.

Others probably...

• Find you intimidating until they get to know you—and maybe even after they get to know you.
• Expect you’re all brawn and no brains, especially when it comes to more esoteric areas of study.
• Respect your expertise in the art of warfare and value your opinion on the quality of armaments.

Initial Proficiencies

At 1st level, you gain the listed proficiency ranks in the following statistics. You are untrained in anything not listed unless you gain a better proficiency rank in some other way.

Perception

Expert in Perception

Saving Throws

Expert in Fortitude
Expert in Reflex
Trained in Will

Skills

Trained in your choice of Acrobatics or Athletics
Trained in a number of additional skills equal to 3 plus your Intelligence modifier

Attacks

Expert in simple weapons
Expert in martial weapons
Trained in advanced weapons
Expert in unarmed attacks

Defenses

Trained in all armor
Trained in unarmored defense

Class DC

Trained in fighter class DC

Fighter Advancement

Class Features

You gain these abilities as a fighter. Abilities gained at higher levels list the level at which you gain them next to the features’ names.

Ancestry and Background

In addition to what you get from your class at 1st level, you have the benefits of your selected ancestry and background. These are described in Chapter 2.

Attribute Boosts

In addition to what you get from your class at 1st level, you have four free boosts to different attribute modifiers.

At 5th level and every 5 levels thereafter, you get four free boosts to different attribute modifiers. If an attribute modifier is already +4 or higher, it takes two boosts to increase it; you get a partial boost and must boost that attribute again at a later level to increase it by 1.

Initial Proficiencies

At 1st level you gain a number of proficiencies that represent your basic training in attacks, defenses, Perception, skills, and other areas. These are noted at the start of this class.

Reactive Strike

Ever watchful for weaknesses, you can quickly attack foes that leave an opening in their defenses. You gain the Reactive Strike reaction.

Reactive Strike [reaction]

Trigger A creature within your reach uses a manipulate action or a move action, makes a ranged attack, or leaves a square during a move action it’s using.

You lash out at a foe that leaves an opening. Make a melee Strike against the triggering creature. If your attack is a critical hit and the trigger was a manipulate action, you disrupt that action. This Strike doesn’t count toward your multiple attack penalty, and your multiple attack penalty doesn’t apply to this Strike.

Key Terms

Below are some key terms in many fighter class features.

Flourish: Actions with the flourish trait are special techniques that require too much exertion for you to perform frequently. You can use only one action with the flourish trait per round.

Press: Actions with this trait allow you to follow up earlier attacks. An action with the press trait can be used only if you are currently affected by a multiple attack penalty. You can’t use a press action when it’s not your turn, even if you use the Ready activity.

Some actions with the press trait also grant an effect on a failure. The effects that are added on a failure don’t apply on a critical failure. If your press action succeeds, you can choose to apply the failure effect instead. (For example, you may wish to do this when an attack deals no damage due to resistance.)

Stance: A stance is a general combat strategy that you enter by using an action with the stance trait, and you remain in for some time. A stance lasts until you get knocked out, until its requirements (if any) are violated, until the encounter ends, or until you use a stance action again, whichever comes first. After you take an action with the stance trait, you can’t take another one for 1 round. You can enter or be in a stance only in encounter mode. You can Dismiss a stance.

Fighter Feats

At 1st level and every even-numbered level, you gain a fighter class feat.

Fighter Feats by Name

Shield Block

You gain the Shield Block general feat, a reaction that lets you reduce damage with your shield.

Skill Feats     2nd

At 2nd level and every 2 levels thereafter, you gain a skill feat. Skill feats can be found in Chapter 5 and have the skill trait. You must be trained or better in the corresponding skill to select a skill feat.

Bravery     3rd

Having faced countless foes and the chaos of battle, you have learned how to stand strong in the face of fear. Your proficiency rank for Will saves increases to expert. When you roll a success at a Will save against a fear effect, you get a critical success instead. In addition, anytime you gain the frightened condition, reduce its value by 1.

General Feats     3rd

At 3rd level and every 4 levels thereafter, you gain a general feat. General feats are listed in Chapter 5.

Skill Increases     3rd

At 3rd level and every 2 levels thereafter, you gain a skill increase. You can use this increase to either become trained in one skill you’re untrained in or become an expert in one skill in which you’re already trained.

At 7th level, you can use skill increases to become a master in a skill in which you’re already an expert, and at 15th level, you can use them to become legendary in a skill in which you’re already a master.

Ancestry Feats     5th

In addition to the ancestry feat you started with, you gain an ancestry feat at 5th level and every 4 levels thereafter. The list of ancestry feats available to you can be found in your ancestry’s entry in Chapter 2.

Fighter Weapon Mastery     5th

Hours spent training with your preferred weapons, learning and developing new combat techniques, have made you particularly effective with your weapons of choice. Choose one weapon group. Your proficiency rank increases to master with the simple weapons, martial weapons, and unarmed attacks in that group, and to expert with the advanced weapons in that group. You gain access to the critical specialization effects of all weapons and unarmed attacks for which you have master proficiency.

Fighter Feats

At each level that you gain a fighter feat, you can select one of the following feats. You must satisfy any prerequisites before taking the feat.

1st Level

• Combat Assessment
• Double Slice
• Exacting Strike
• Point Blank Stance
• Reactive Shield
• Snagging Strike
• Sudden Charge
• Vicious Swing

2nd Level

• Aggressive Block
• Assisting Shot
• Blade Brake
• Brutish Shove
• Combat Grab
• Dueling Parry
• Intimidating Strike
• Lightning Swap
• Lunge
• Rebounding Toss
• Sleek Reposition

4th Level

• Barreling Charge
• Double Shot
• Dual-Handed Assault
• Parting Shot
• Powerful Shove
• Quick Reversal
• Shielded Stride
• Slam Down
• Swipe
• Twin Parry (Fighter)

Sample Fighters

Bully

Using a two-handed weapon, you push your foes about the battlefield and deal grievous wounds. You excel at taking down the biggest enemy standing in your way.

Attributes

Prioritizing Strength and Constitution. Wisdom helps with survivability and increases your damage; Dexterity enables extra maneuverability.

Skills

Athletics, Crafting, Intimidation, Medicine

Starting Feat

Vicious Swing

Higher-Level Feats

Slam Down (4th), Furious Focus (6th), Positioning Assault (8th), Brutal Finish (12th), Savage Critical (18th)

Duelist

With one hand free and a blade in the others, you are adept at foiling your opponents by way of misdirection, disarming strikes, and by always being ready for their clumsy attacks.

Attributes

Prioritize Strength. Dexterity and Wisdom help with survivability and versatility, and Constitution grants some extra toughness.

Skills

Acrobatics, Athletics, Deception, Medicine

Starting Feat

Snagging Strike

Higher-Level Feats

Dueling Parry (2nd), Disarming Stance (6th), Disarming Twist (10th), Dueling Dance (12th), Opening Stance (14th), Master of Many Styles (16th)

Archer

You take out your opponents from a distance with ranged weapons, and you excel at dispatching flying or other hard-to-reach enemies.

Attributes

Prioritize Dexterity. Constitution and Wisdom helps with survivability, and Strength adds damage with propulsive weapons.

Skills

Acrobatics, Medicine, Stealth, Thievery

Starting Feat

Point Blank Stance

Higher-Level Feats

Double Shot (4th), Triple Shot (6th), Debilitating Shot (10th), Opening Stance (14th), Multishot Stance (16th), Impossible Volley (18th)