The Pathfinder Reference Document Updated (And a few other things!)

If you are a Pathfinder RPG fan you might already know this because Paizo has been very good at announcing it via social media and RPG new outlets have covered it, but just in case this is the one source of RPG news you read, and we can’t criticize your for your impeccable taste, I’m writing this post.

The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Reference Document has been updated yet again! I have to commend Paizo for keeping their reference document current and making it a real tool for gamers on the digital edge. For me the reference document does not substitute the actual book, PDF, on in many cases both. The books have more details and explanations; of course illustrations, “fluff”, and I still prefer reading the information from the book. But to a digital Game Master it is an excellent tool.

I don’t run adventures at home so my space to transport books is at a premium. I have to choose what to take and having so much content available online is probably what makes running Pathfinder so easy for me. So what’s new? The content for the NPC Codex has been added, the stat blocks, not the specific NPCs for each stat block (and they make getting the book in print of PDF worth it!) as well as information from the Advanced Races Guide integrated into the indexes. Oh the indexes! The various indexes make it possible to sort through the ever growing number of spells, feats and magic items. Some people are overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices in Pathfinder but tools such as this make it much easier to run the game!

(That and Hero Lab, Perram’s Spellbook,these tools are integral parts of my electronic toolbox, but I digress…)

I also regularly use the Pathfinder SRD, it contains much of the same content as the Pathfinder RD, but organized differently, and the SRD includes 3^rd party content, not on the official Paizo document. I typically have both open during games and switch from these online tools to my own home grown tools, such as my Excel campaign journal and work tool, an Excel encounter calculator, the campaign Facebook page and Google site. But the Pathfinder Reference Document is the center of all this madness, the most useful tool I have for my weekly game.

I’ve written about the updates before, and hope that Paizo continues to do this. It shows the commitment they have with their fan base, kudos to all the talented and hardworking people who work on my favorite fantasy RPG.