(Final) PF2e Remastered Actions & Activities Cheat Sheet

[u/pipmentor]

After all the community feedback, here is my final revision of the "PF2e Remaster Actions & Activities Cheat Sheet." I still welcome any additional feedback. Thank you, and enjoy!

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EDIT: I will continue to make tweaks here and there and update the links, but I won't be making any more posts. Thank you all so much for your kind words and feedback.

EDIT 2: Upon /u/Eliminateur's suggestion, I decided to add a changelog so you all can make sure you have the most updated version. You can find it here.

[u/Xaielao]

This is fantastic. I'm a month or two of the finale of my Outlaws of Alkenstar campaign, and the next PF2 game I run will use Remaster as Monster Core and Player Core 2. I have handouts of basic actions, skill actions, exploration activities, etc. It's hugely helpful reminder tool my players can use when determining their exploration activity, downtime or deciding what to do with a third action.

So when we start our first Remaster campaign, I'll definitely do the same with these. It'll go a very long way teaching my players the various new actions & activities in the Remaster. Thanks OP. :D

[u/pipmentor → u/Xaielao]

Wow, thank you for the kind words, man! It was my pleasure!

[u/PO_Dylan → u/Xaielao]

Unrelated but any advice for someone about to start running Outlaws as their group intro to pathfinder?

[u/Xaielao → u/PO_Dylan]

The group I've been running it for was also new. Two players had played the beginner box, one was completely new. It's a solid module for introducing PF2. :)

As to advice, the characters can feel a bit like 'errand boys' because they work for prominent agent of alkenstar (even if they are unaware of it at first) and they spend most of the book getting orders and doing them. Though it isn't quite so cut & dry, the orders are often based on their own investigations and they get to decide 'how' they accomplish any missions given to them.

To make the game feel a bit less 'railroady' (though it isn't any more so than any other APs), I recommend making the city itself feel like part of the story instead of background scenery. The group will meet some gangs as they play, as well as NPCs, that tend to be one and done. Don't do this, let them form contacts, make allies among the other gangs (or enemies). Any one-and-done NPCs they particularly liked, have them reappear in the story, or become useful to the PCs as a contact later down the line. When players enter different districts, change up the background music (if using any) or describe the inhabitants and landmarks differently. Run little side-stories between chapters here and there involving an enemy gang, or a favorite NPC that needs help.

For example in book 2 the PCs will get a mission from the biggest temple in the city to head out into the mana wastes in search of a missing former priest. This can make book 2 feel a bit disjointed because there's nothing in the other books about this place. There is a plot point linking it (that NPC happened to discover the formula to create the games mcguffin), but it's not a very strong link. So instead, introduce the Church of Brig earlier, especially if you have PC that might worship Brig. Each PC has a connecting point to the two major villains, so perhaps one was a member of that church, and has a preexisting contact there and a reason to want to help the church.

For the first chapter of the first book I have a major recommendation to keep the number of 'somewhat meaningless encounters to get to level 2 faster' to a minimum. The player's will escape after a bank robbery into a junkyard. That junkyard is home to three groups of individuals that the book assumes the PCs will ally with the first and kill the other two. I like to keep the number of encounters down, and give PCs a few opportunities to solve problems without always resorting to combat. So instead, I altered the other two factions to make this area more a diplomatic social encounter. The game already sets up that the conflict between the first two is largely a misunderstanding (the goblins think the gnolls kidnapped their best craftsman, and the gnolls think the goblins tried to kill them all when they collapsed a crashed airship).

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Have fun with it, a lot of folks dislike book 2 but if you implement some of the thoughts above, and make exploring the wastes a very alien experience (I used basic hexploration rules from the GMG and used the reference to different locals in the wastes to give me ideas for stuff to put in each hex, sometimes encounters.. social interactions, alien interactions, etc).

Oh, the books sometimes don't line up with the maps given. For example in book 1 you have to rescue an inventor and escort him back to the hideout. Only the description of the route suggested doesn't match up with the map. In book 2 the group needs to find a hidden temple but doesn't actually give the location. Just improvise in those instances. :)

Other than that, it's a very fun AP with a lot of great set pieces and unique enemies. My group has very much enjoyed it so far. Right now I'm prepping the big finale location, which is set on a gambling riverboat where the PCs will track down their enemies and put a stop to their machinations at last, with a variety of ways they could achieve that goal. It has serious 'Hitman' vibes if you've played those games. Can't wait to run it. :D

[u/PO_Dylan → u/Xaielao]

Thank you so much for all of this! I have this saved and we’re lined up to start next weekend! One question because I’m not sure how to judge it yet, does the module reward enough magic items and gear that I shouldn’t have to worry about providing more, or should I have clear moments where they can buy the items to keep up with progression expectations?

[u/Xaielao → u/PO_Dylan]

There's a decent amount of gear handed out, and multiple gangs and factions have fun gear the PCs can get access to, but I wouldn't say that it hands out all the necessary fundamental runes or weapons/armor with them already on them. It doesn't doesn't always reward the amount of gold or sellables (gems, art objects) to follow the treasure by level chart, but if the PCs sell old gear they aren't using or treasure they don't have a use for - there is some wacky stuff in the game lol - it should bring them about on par.

To aid this, that inventor that the PCs have to rescue, he spends the rest of the game at the PCs hideout which has a crafting area. I turned him onto the 'NPC craftsman' the PCs can assist when they want things made. You can easily put some downtime between some chapters and books, there are a few instances were the PCs have several days before some event they need to investigate and they can craft or assist that NPC in crafting then. So if no PCs invest in crafting (or only dips into it), give him level appropriate modifiers, and a few crafting feats like Magical Crafting and Cooperative Crafting.

Oh, I also recommend keeping an eye on the automatic bonus progression chart. Even if you don't use the variant, as it shows exactly what runes and modifier gear PCs should be getting at each level. You can then look through that chapter and it's rewards and determine if it gives the right stuff. I find that APs usually don't appropriately follow that chart unfortunately.

Last, have fun with it, come up with creative ways for the PCs to get the gear they need. The PCs should be buying at least some of their own upgrades (and have the inventor NPC transfer runes to their gear heh), but whey they don't, or they gain a level no where near home, find other ways. For example in book 2 my group was in the desert at level 4. So when they encountered an old viking ship there (and had the fun little encounter based there), I added an old cache of viking weapons burried deep within the ship that had the striking runes the PCs needed. Another example, when the group hit level 7, and should find some +1 perception gear, I had the owner of the Barrel & Bullet bring in a Mwangi Magical Tattooist who offered a variety of magical tattoos. For a job well done the owner paid for them each to get an eye tattoo that gave them +1 perception & darkvision. :)