Origin Path

One of the most distinctive features of Pathfinder Second Edition is the richness and depth of the character options it provides. There are many choices to be made, all providing in game benefits and character depth; empowering players to create their own unique heroes.

This can also mean that navigating all these choices may be an overwhelming experience for a new player.

Luckily the game’s core rules make managing these character options easier in some ways.
First, the game defines a key attribute for each class. If a player takes care to get as high a score as possible in this key attribute it is very likely their character will have the mechanical heft to be a valuable contributor to any party.

Second, the game takes care to parcel all the choices a player can make into separate pools. This means at every level a player has only a few choices to make from a small number of options, rather than from hundreds.

Finally, the default character creation system mirrors a character’s origin story. Step by step it defines where a character came from and who they were before they became level one heroes ready to take on the world.

The goal of OriginPath is to supplement this character creation system. It ties each step of character creation to the early stages of life of a character destined to be an adventurer. At each stage instructions are given on how to fill out the character sheet, a short snippet of play is provided to introduce the mechanical abilities of the growing character, and questions are asked to explore how pivotal moments of a character’s early life defines who they will come to be.

Some of the earlier stages might be old hat for players experienced in Pathfinder Second Edition or other similar games and are designed to introduce new players to the basics of a d20 roleplaying system. Even so, all the stages are useful as introductions to the unique mechanics of Pathfinder Second Edition, its character sheet, as well as a valuable roleplay focused character creation tool to enrich the character backstories of even the most experienced players.