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Chapter 1: Introduction 

This introduction is designed to help you understand the basics of Pathfinder. This chapter also includes the rules for building and leveling up a character. The chapter ends with an example of building a 1st-level character.

Chapter 2: Ancestries & Backgrounds

The rules for the most common ancestries in the Age of Lost Omens are in this chapter, including their ancestry feat options. Backgrounds are at the end of this chapter, along with a section about languages, as these are most often influenced by your choice of ancestry.

The Quickstart Guide only includes a selection of ancestries. For more ancestry options, upgrade to the complete Pathfinder Core Rulebook!

Chapter 3: Classes

This chapter contains the rules for 4 classes. Each class entry includes guidelines on playing the class, rules for building and advancing a character of that class, sample builds, and all of the class feats available to members of that class.

For more class options, including animal companions, familiars, and archetypes; upgrade to the complete Pathfinder Core Rulebook!

Chapter 4: Skills 

The rules for using skills are presented in this chapter, and they detail what a character can do with a given skill, based on that character’s proficiency rank. Ancestry, background, and class can define some of a character’s skill proficiencies, and each character can also select a few additional skills to reflect their personality and training.

Chapter 5: Feats 

As a character advances in level, they gain additional feats to represent their growing abilities. General feats and skill feats (which are a subset of general feats) are presented in this chapter.

Chapter 6: Equipment 

Armor, weapons, and other gear can all be found in this chapter, along with the price for services, cost of living, and animals (such as horses, dogs, and pack animals).

Chapter 7: Spells 

This chapter starts with rules for casting spells, determining their effects, and getting rid of foes’ spells (called counteracting). After that, the spell lists for each spellcasting tradition are included, making it easy to quickly find spells by their level. Next are rules for every spell, presented in alphabetical order. Following the spell descriptions are all of the focus spells—special spells granted by specific class abilities and feats. While most spells appear on multiple spell lists, focus spells are granted only to members of a specific class and are grouped together by class for ease of reference.

Chapter 8: The Age of Lost Omens 

The Quickstart Guide omits details about the Age of Lost Omens. To find out tons of lore, upgrade to the complete Pathfinder Core Rulebook!

Chapter 9: Playing the Game

This important chapter contains the universal rules needed to play Pathfinder, including rules for the various modes of play, the basic actions that every character can perform, the rules for combat, and the rules for death and dying. Every player should be familiar with this chapter, especially the GM.