Making a PC
When you first make a PC you will see a completely blank sheet like this
Fill in the details, starting with the standard ABCs of character creation: Ancestry (heritage), Background, Class.
To select your ancestry click on the magnifying glass then select your ancestry in the window that comes up, hit the checkbox next to the ancestry to apply it.
You can search by ancestry name or source to filter down the selections
The system will automatically include all ancestries, even one from third party modules. If you select the wrong ancestry, you can either drag the new ancestry to the sheet from compendium or click the 3 dots next to the ancestry on your sheet and delete the ancestry from the actor.
Similar to ancestry you select your heritage by clicking on the magnifying glass. This will automatically filter to heritages for your ancestry + versatile heritages.
This is added with the same process as the other ABC items. Here filtering for source can be very useful when making a character for an AP because you can filter for just the player's guide backgrounds for each AP.
This is identical to the above ABC items. Often when selecting your class you will be given choices for your class features. Select these now otherwise your class automation may not work.
When you are setting up a new character you may finds that you don't need some of the tabs on the sheet. You can hide these by clicking on the 3 dot menu on the right side of the sheet's tabs and unchecking any tabs you don't need.
Non-PFS characters, for example, will find little use for the Pathfinder Society tab. Martial characters may not need the spellcasting or crafting tabs. You can re-enable these at any time through the same menu.
Once you have your ABC items selected you can set up your character's attributes. Click on the edit button to open the boost manager.
Select your boosts at each step. You can use the alternate ancestry boosts (2 free boosts, no flaws) by checking the box next to the ancestry. You can take voluntary flaws if you want, but don't need to select any.
Once your attribute modifiers are set you can select the languages your character knows. You can see all of the automatic languages and the open slots on the sheet, and make selections by hitting edit
The PF2e system will automatically manage many of your proficiencies, automatically setting your saving throw, defense, weapon, and skill proficiencies you automatically get. The system does not currently track how many skill trainings you get on top of these automatic proficiencies (We do plan to tackle this in the future). To set the proficiency on a skill click on the proficiency level and select the rank.
The PF2e system also does not currently support automatically adding lore skills, to add the lore skill from your background or new lores from skill trainings click the add button and type in the lore's name.
The system will adopt [Subject] Lore as the standard format for lore skills (ie, Architecture Lore, Engineering Lore, Undead Lore, etc), but you can enter anything you want in these text fields. Be aware that when the system does convert to automating lores the close you are to the system's standard the less chance the migration to the new structure will fail.
While the system automates weapon proficiencies for you you can add a specific weapon or weapon group as a proficiency. This can be useful for homebrew or if your GM gives you proficiency in a non-standard weapon.
On the feats and features tab you can see your ancestry and class features, as well as open feat slots. When you click on the magnifying glass next to a feat slot the compendium browser will open and automatically filter to all the feats that can go in that slot.
Note that you will see options that are rare, such as the reincarnation feats which are ancestry feats available to all ancestries. As you level up more feat slots are added. When selecting class feats at level 2 or higher you will see archetype feats presented as options, you can remove the archetype trait from the filter to remove these if you only want to see feats for your class. By default it will show feats of that slot's level and lower, since you can take lower level feats in a higher level feat slot. You can change the filter settings on the left.
The PF2e system does not and likely never will enforce prerequisites. In the future we may overhaul prereqs and note when you don't qualify for some feats, but we are not likely to prevent you from taking that feat.
The actions tab automatically populates with actions, strikes, and toggles according to the feats and features you have. We do not automatically add all basic or skill actions to sheets, as there are quite a few of these and not all of them will be relevant to every actor. You can find the full list of these in the compendium tab on the sidebar under Character Building and Actions. Basic Actions and Skill Actions are sorted into folders for easy browsing. The unsorted actions in that compendium are specific actions typically granted by feats, features, or from more specific sources.
The actions tab also has 3 subtabs for the three different game modes: Encounter, Exploration, and Downtime
Most actions with associated rolls will have an inline button you can click to roll the associated skill against the appropriate DC.
The disarm action, for example, will roll your athletics against the targeted creature's Reflex DC ('T' or double right-click on a token to target them). This will have an output in the chatlog with the text of the correct outcome. Players may or may not see the outcome automatically depending on the settings the GM has set for metagame information.
The inventory tab lets you manage your actor's equipment. Clicking on the magnifying glass next to any category opens the compendium browser for that category. To take an item for free just drag it from the browser to your sheet. To have the system automatically deduct money for the item click on the coin stack icon to buy the item. You can add currency to your sheet from the top of the inventory tab.
Once you have an item in your inventory you need to equip them to their proper usage
For items like armor the system distinguished from equipped as armor and just "worn" (not stowed). The slot an item needs to be in is determined by its usage. Some items also have the invested trait. To invest an item click on the diamond icon next to the equip mode. The system will automatically equip any invested item.
When you find runes for weapons, armor, and shields you can set those on the details tab of the items.
The system will calculate the price and level of the item automatically as you add runes and special materials. The specific magic weapon/armor checkboxes lock the level, price, and property runes for the item. Below the runes section is the base weapon damage, you should not need to use these fields. The additional custom damage should also not be needed, and rule elements are the preferred way to add additional damage to weapons on top of what is given by the weapon's base damage and runes.
Currently fundamental runes are automated for weapons, armor, and shields. Weapon property runes are automated, but property runes for armor and shields are not. Improving this is on the near-future roadmap for the system.
The system does not currently manage your spells or spellcasting entries. There are several technical hurdles to accomplishing this, but it is a long term goal for the system to automate this. Until we finish that you will need to manage your spell slots manually.
To make a spellcasting entry hit the add button then select your spellcasting type and tradition.
The proficiency will nearly always be Spell Attack Modifiers and DCs, not Class DC. Class DC is used almost exclusively by Thaumaturge for their various abilities.
The four spellcasting types are Prepared, Spontaneous, Innate, and Focus.
Innate spells typically come from ancestry features, not class features. Focus spells are granted by class feats and features.
Prepared casters prepare their spells each day and have some form of spellbook. Paizo does not use the word "spontaneous" in any of the spontaneous class descriptions, but spontaneous casters have a spell repertoire they cast from. For convenience here are the spellcasting classes and their spellcasting type and tradition listed for you.
Prepared Caster Classes:
- Cleric (Divine)
- Druid (Primal)
- Magus (Arcane)
- Witch (Determined by Patron choice)
- Wizard (Arcane)
Spontaneous Caster Classes:
- Bard (Occult)
- Oracle (Divine)
- Psychic (Occult)
- Sorcerer (Determined by Bloodline choice)
- Summoner (Determined by Eidolon choice)
The other casting class, Animist, is a more complicated caster. See the Animist specific section for more on setting up an animist.
Once you have a prepared spellcasting entry set the number of slots next to each rank to create empty spell slots. Clicking the spell preparation button opens your spells known list (Your spellbook, familiar, etc). Like equipment or feats clicking on the magnifying glasses opens the compendium browser to preset filters for that spell rank / type.
Once you have spells in your spells known list you can drag them into the slots to prepare them. If you want to prepare a single spell multiple times drag it into multiple slots.
Classes like Druid and Cleric may know all common spells at a given rank. It is not advisable to add all of those spells to your actor. Spells in your preparation list are stored in actor data, so adding dozens of spells at each rank bloats the actor, which can slow down processing for all players. For those classes treat the spells known list as a short list of spells you are likely to prepare, rather than creating a long list full of options you won't use that slows down the game.
As you cast spells the prepared spell will automatically be expended. You can recover that spell into the slot by clicking on the + button to the right of cast.
Resting for the night will automatically re-prepare all of your spells.
Spontaneous casters do not prepare their spells. They can freely cast from their repertoire using their available spell slots at each rank.
Set the spell slots in the field next to each rank and drag spells into those ranks. When you hit the cast button the spell slots will decrement automatically. Resting for the night will automatically recover all spell slots to their maximum.
Focus spell entries track the number of focus points for you automatically. You have a number of focus points equal to the number of non-cantrip focus spells you know (to a maximum of 3 points).
Casting a focus spell will automatically heighten it and consume a focus point. To recover a focus point manually you can left click on the focus pool. Right clicking the focus pool spends a point. Resting for the night automatically restores all focus points. Some focus spells are focus cantrips. These do not add focus points to your max or consume any focus points on cast (Psychic focus cantrips can consume points, see the building a psychic section for details on this).
Innate spells differ from spontaneous spells in that each spell has a number of uses per day. These are normally granted by ancestry feats, though some archetype or class feats may add some.
A useful button for innate spells is the toggle visibility button next to the edit and trash icons in the spell entry header. This will hide any empty ranks, condensing the spell entry to something more manageable for a character with only a few innate spells.
To heighten any spell simply drag it to a higher rank slot than its base. This works for any spellcasting type (cantrips and focus spells automatically heighten to the highest rank for your character level). Do not edit the spell's rank on the spell item itself, as that is what sets the base rank of the spell.
In addition to the known spells tab there are spellcasting tabs for rituals and activations.
The rituals tab holds the rituals your character knows. You do not need to create a spellcasting entry, and features that grant you specific rituals automatically add them to your rituals known list.
This tab automatically fills in with the wands and scrolls your character is holding. There is currently no support for other item types to add entries to this tab in the system.
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Here are guides and advice for using each class in Foundry.
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When you select barbarian you will be asked to pick your instinct. To rage click on use next to the rage action and hit apply effect in chat. Your temporary hit points
Most of these are straightforward, once you select them you will get the instinct and its abilities automatically. For some instincts such as Spirit Instinct there will be a new toggle on your actions tab to enable the increased rage damage. You can choose to turn the increased damage off and take the base 2 rage damage instead by unchecking this box. You would want to take the reduced damage bonus in fights where the enemy is immune to the damage type of rage, for example Spirit Instinct would want to use the reduced bonus for fights with constructs who are immune to spirit damage.
Animal Instinct barbarians are granted their unarmed instinct strike when they are raging.
Giant Instinct only gets their damage bonus when using an oversized weapon. You can change the size of a weapon by editing the weapon on your sheet. By default items from the compendium browser are added to your sheet at the right size for your actor. Effects like Enlarge will resize your equipment automatically, preserving the size difference if there is one.
Bards are spontaneous occult spellcasters who use charisma for their spellcasting attribute.
You will also need to add an occult focus entry for your focus spells: Courageous Anthem, Counter Performance, plus any focus spells from your choice of muse such as Lingering Composition.
The system does not currently have dynamic durations for effects, so spells like Lingering Composition are not automated. The PF2e Workbench module has a macro to handle modifying the effect durations and the bonuses for your composition effects for Lingering Composition and Fortissimo Composition.
When you select champion you will be asked to select a deity, which determines your choice of sanctification and cause. The causes will be restricted to causes that deity and sanctification supports, meaning you cannot choose to be a Champion of Sarenrae and then select the Iniquity cause. You will also have a choice of Blessing. Your blessing may have a linked effect. Dragging this effect to your actor sheet or token lets you choose the specifics of your blessing for the day.
Similarly your Champion reaction will have an effect linked in the description to drag onto your allies or enemies, depending on which cause you chose.
Cleric is a prepared divine spellcaster with Wisdom as their casting attribute.
The Divine Font feature grants you additional spell slots at your highest rank to prepare Heal/Harm (Depending on your deity. Or Bane/Bless for Battle Creed clerics). There are two popular ways to set up these slots. The first is to simply add the additional slots to your prepared entry and fill them with the appropriate spell.
Another option is to use a separate spontaneous spell entry just for your font. Note that you can rename the spellcasting entry for easier tracking, and collapse the spell rank display to the left of the edit button on the entry header.
Which method you choose is up to you.
Druid is a prepared primal caster who uses Wisdom as their spellcasting attribute.
For Untamed Order when you cast the Untamed Form focus spell then drag the spell effect to your actor you will be given a choice of any form available to you, which automatically expands as the spell is heightened and as you take additional Druid feats such as Soaring Form. It is important to cast the spell and drag the effect from chat, as that is what collects the context for heightening and the additional forms available to you.
For advice on animal companions see the Companions section.
When you create an exemplar you will be asked to select your ikons, and in the case of physical ikons like a weapon ikon you can select whether to choose an existing item in your inventory or be given a new item. Once you have finished your selections you can select where your divine spark is between all of your ikons. If you have more than one epithet you can also select the epithet to use. Specific ikons have toggles to enable some of their automation as well.
Fighters are very straightforward to build in Foundry. As you level you will be asked to select the weapon groups you focus on. At level 9 and 15 you gain the Combat Flexibility and Improved Flexibility features. These grant you temporary feats you can swap out each day. To add these feats drag the effect from the feature to your actor sheet and select the feat from the drop down that comes up. Improved Flexibility grants both feats, so you do not need to keep both effects on you after 15th level.
Similar to Fighter, Gunslinger is straightforward to build in Foundry. The system does not track whether you have reloaded your weapons, and some people prefer to use a module such as PF2e Ranged Combat to track this. Be aware that that module enforces reloading for all ranged weapons which some groups find disruptive.
Selecting Armor or Weapon When you select Armor or Weapon, you'll be prompted to make additional choices:
Armor: Choose between a Power Suit or a Subterfuge Suit. Weapon: Select your weapon innovation from the list of available base weapons in the system. After making your initial selection, you'll be prompted to choose the innovation's initial modification.
Once all selections are complete, the item will automatically appear in your character’s inventory.
Selecting Construct Choosing the Construct innovation does not prompt additional choices. Instead, you'll need to set up a separate character to represent your Construct Companion. See the companions section for how to make a construct companion.
Overdrive
Overdrive is automated as an effect in the system. For features that let you put your overdrive on another actor, such as your construct companion, sending the overdrive to chat then dragging it to another token uses your intelligence modifier rather than theirs, but dragging from your sheet to another actor will not. This is because the act of sending it to chat is what sets the data for the effect to use for other actors.
Unstable Action and Failures
Abilities or actions with the Unstable trait will include a prompt for the flat check. If the check fails, you can apply the Unstable Check Failure effect to your character sheet. This effect will add a note to any abilities or actions involving the Unstable trait.
If you have a feat, action, or ability that allows the use of Unstable Functions, you can enable these via a toggle on the character sheet.
Investigator's Devise a Stratagem is automated in the system by an effect that stores a die roll. When you apply this effect you will be asked to target a creature (It will automatically use your existing target if you have one). Then your next attack roll against that creature this round will use the rolled value. Once you make this strike the effect falls off automatically.
Kineticist's blasts and impulses are automated in the system, but to use them you must first channel your elements. Hit the use button on Channel Elements and apply the effect. This will add the blasts to your attacks. You can select one or two actions at the top of the actions tab. The first line of the blast is the melee form, and the second line is the ranged form.
Impulses make heavy use of inline automation, meaning the automation is in the text of the action.
Hitting the chat icon next to the save button sends it to chat for the GM to use to roll automatically, alternative the entire action text can be sent to chat, helpful for new things or when you would need to also provide the GM with a quick link to conditions or effects such as Prone that they can drag onto NPCs. Damage is rolled from the inline buttons and clicking on the inline template buttons lets you place a template on the map (control and shift-scroll lets you rotate the template. Be aware that the system does not enforce proper placement according to the PF2e rules (ie, bursts must be centered on an intersection). Feats such as weapon infusion are automated with effects that prompt for selection when applied.
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Monks get a special Fist strike in addition to the generic Unarmed Strike all characters get. You can choose to hide the default Unarmed Strike by clicking on Configure at the top of the actor sheet and unchecking show basic unarmed attack.
Monk stances appear on the actions tab, and using them lets you apply the stance effect. If the stance restricts your strikes to just the stance strikes the system will hide all other strikes while in the stance.
Oracle is a divine spontaneous caster who uses Charisma as their spellcasting attribute.
You will also want a focus entry for your focus spells.
Each oracle mystery is automated by adding the Cursebound conditions to the actor. You can increment the Cursebound value by ight clicking on the condition icon in the effects panel (top right of the screen when you have the token selected), or on the effects tab of your character sheet.
Psychic is a spontaneous occult caster who uses either Intelligence or Charisma as their spellcasting attrbiute (Determined by your choice of Subconscious Mind).
You do not need special versions of the spells for Psychic (If you are using the old Amps module, uninstall it). The system dynamically modifies the spells when you cast them from the appropriate spellcasting entry. To amp a cantrip be sure it is in an occult focus entry. An occult spontaneous entry can also be used, but focus point tracking requires a focus entry. When you have the Amp Psi Cantrips toggle set casting these cantrips will use a focus point and modify the spell, changing the damage, effect, or adding to the description of the spell as needed.
Alternative amps similarly have a toggle set on the spellcasting tab of the actor.
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To play as any class currently in playtest (Starfinder 2e, Commander, Necromancer, etc) install the appropriate playtest moodule (Both are free and made by us system devs!). For Starfinder playtest that is the Starfinder 2e Playtest module and for PF2e playtests that is the PF2e Playtest Data module.
Animal companions, construct companions, and eidolons are handled by the PF2e Companion Compendia module. For how-to instructions for using that module see the module's github page.
For familiars make a new familiar actor on the actors sidebar, then select which master is associated with that familiar. You can find familiar abilities in the compendium tab in the familiar abilities compendium. The system currently has no support for specific familiars. We also do not currently support familiars making strikes.
A Witch's familiar acts as their spellbook, but the tracking of spells known should be done on the Witch, not on the familiar actor.
You can alter your character's level in the top right corner of the sheet. The following things will be handled automatically:
- HP increase
- Class features
- New feat slots
- Proficiency increases
You need to do the rest manually:
- Add spells and spell slots
- Select new boosts in the attribute manager at the appropriate levels.
- Add feats into your new slots
There's a setting the GM can enable to allow for dual class PCs in the PF2e Workbench module, but it only adds extra feat slots. To make it work more smoothly, the easiest way is to use the dual class macro included in the PF2e Workbench module. You can also get the macro directly from Symon's gitlab repo.
If you do not want to use the macro you should do the following:
- Import the class you want to use as the base into your world.
- Add the second class's features onto the main class's details tab by dragging and dropping from the Class Features compendium (you might find the Quick Insert module really handy here)
- Add a roll option rules element to the main class which has the name of the second class. This will allow features like Sneak Attack to work properly, as otherwise Foundry won't realize that you also have this class. An example of the roll option rules element would be - just replace
roguewith the name of the second class:
{
"key": "RollOption",
"domain": "all",
"option": "class:rogue",
"priority": 0
}Then drag the new dual class item onto your actor from the items sidebar.