Pathfinder is D&D’s closest competitor in total sales, and I have a personal history with this system as well as D&D, so I thought it fitting to discuss it as well. I’ll give a brief history of how Pathfinder came about. In 2002 a company named Paizo was asked to take over writing, editing and publishing Dungeon and Dragon magazines, which they did for about five years. During this period Paizo pioneered the idea of the Adventure Path. AP’s offered complete, serialized campaigns that could take characters from 1st to high levels, giving Game Masters (GMs) and players a compelling, structured experience without the need for extensive preparation.
In 2007 WotC ended the print licenses for the magazines, cutting off Paizo’s main business model. As I said in my last article Paizo was not comfortable with the significant changes and restrictive license associated with 4e. In 2008 Paizo involved the fans in a massive, 50,000 player playtest which lasted a year. Their major goals were to preserve/improve the 3.5 ruleset, provide ongoing support and content, while establishing a distinct identity from D&D for a new game. They also had an open content philosophy: the rules were freely available, encouraging 3rd-party and community use. In 2009 the Pathfinder Core Rulebook was released, and for several years they outsold D&D.
Why did Paizo decide to change from 1e to 2e in 2019? Flagging sales was not the big reason, though they were experiencing a reduced market share. 1e had been around for a long time, and so many supplements had been released that the developers were hitting a design wall because every new class, feat, and archetype had to work with an increasingly brittle foundation. Also, there were so many rules and so much potential complexity it was intimidating to new players.
In short, Paizo transitioned to Pathfinder 2e with four goals: to fix inherited problems from earlier systems; provide a more balanced, streamlined and customizable experience; support GMs and players with clearer rules; and to establish a modern, distinct identity for the Pathfinder brand to compete with D&D 5e.
What were the changes? First, unified core mechanics. A three-action economy replaced the previous system with something more elegant, intuitive and flexible. Now there are three actions per turn, plus one reaction; moving, attacking, casting a spell—it’s all actions. It also introduced a unified proficiency system (untrained, trained, expert, master, legendary) which applies to weapons, armor, skills, and saves. Finally, 2e expanded from the binary success/failure to include critical successes and failures as well. There is tight math that allows GMs to design encounters more predictably and players to understand difficulty scaling more clearly.
2e aimed to balance martial and caster classes more effectively, while still offering robust options for customization. The ancestry, background, and class system offers flexibility with feats at nearly every level. Decisions during character creation and leveling have significant mechanical impact, and the archetype system allows dipping into other classes without sacrificing primary class progression. Martial characters are now more competitive with spellcasters at all levels. In 2e, character level has much greater significance. The level value is added to virtually all checks and DCs, creating a steeper progression curve than in 1e. Combined with expanded proficiency bonuses, this means the capability gap between characters of different levels is much more pronounced.
Game master tools were a big priority as well. 2e features a more reliable encounter building system that works as described in the rulebook. The relationship between creature level and party level is the primary determinant of difficulty, making it easier to create balanced encounters. Clear rules exist for most situations, reducing GM burden, and the published adventure paths again minimize GM prep. 2e’s tight math allows GMs to design encounters more predictably and players to understand difficulty scaling more clearly. There are even Rare/Uncommon/Common Tags built in to the system for GMs to control power creep, which was notorious in 1e.
Combat and tactical gameplay is a significant part of 2e. The system actively rewards coordinated play through mechanics like flanking, the Aid action, and various class abilities that create synergies. Magic in 2e is no longer the solution to every problem as it often was in 1e. Spellcasters must be more creative and tactical with their spell selection and timing. Combat in Pathfinder 2e is generally quicker and more streamlined compared to Pathfinder 1e, mainly due to the simplified three-action economy and reduced complexity in conditions and bonuses.
Not everything was fixed though, there are some criticisms that can be leveled at 2e as well.
While 2e is much more accessible and modern, it’s still somewhat complex. There is a learning curve involved; folks completely new to TTRPG’s will find it less friendly. Tactical depth in gameplay can be very rewarding, but it can also lead to longer combats. There are some digital tools available, but not much that’s supported by Paizo with the exception of Archives of Nethys, which does contain the rules of the game for free. UPDATE, 4/25/25: Paizo has launched Pathfinder Nexus, which includes a character builder and game compendium for both 2e and Remaster rulesets.
Pathfinder did a “remaster” of 2e in 2023, with new rulebooks. Yes, one could call it 2.5e. What drove it? Wizards of the Coast’s attempt to alter and even revoke the Open Game License (OGL) created uncertainty in the tabletop RPG market. Paizo seized the opportunity to move to their own Open RPG Creative (ORC) license. This change required them to remove or rename all D&D/OGL-derived terms, spells, and monsters to ensure legal independence
There is no alignment anymore for example, it’s been replaced with by Edicts and Anathema for deities and characters. Ability scores are removed, only ability bonuses are used for simplicity. Some classes were reworked, and there are new ancestries. Spell schools were removed; spells are now categorized by traits, streamlining the magic system. While originally some rules and options were spread across multiple books, now rules are consolidated and reorganized for easier reference. It is fully compatible with pre-remaster content and integrates years of feedback from gamers to refine and polish the system.
What are the pros and cons of the “2.5e” version? Most changes are for the better: there are quality-of-life tweaks (Recall Knowledge, crafting, focus spells), streamlined ancestries/heritages, and updated classes all make PF2 more accessible without undermining its crunchy depth. There are two new actions available, the swap action and the reposition action, while the disarm action was significantly improved.
However, splitting the core classes across two books, the initial errata timing, and a few changes (universal spell mod on cantrips, mid/late-game Aid triviality) may irk veteran players. The overall effect is Paizo leaning harder into its own identity—shedding D&D baggage, clarifying long-standing rules ambiguities, and smoothing out mechanical rough edges.
Is the Remaster worth buying it you are already playing 2e? Maybe not, but if you are wanting to start playing Pathfinder it’s a good idea.
Okay, now that I’ve broken down both D&D and Pathfinder systems, how do they compare and contrast? What are their relative strengths and weaknesses? That will be the subject of my third and final article.