A review copy of the module was provided. Read more Roll20 Reviews and watch the video reviews on my YouTube channel.

Support my content via Patreon.

Designed by: Paizo

Once upon a time, Wizards of the Coast released Dungeons & Dragons Fourth Edition, and it wasn’t well received. A major third party publisher came along and decided to make their version of the then-popular D&D 3.5E, and Pathfinder was born. Pathfinder outsold D&D for several years before D&D5e put the ampersand solidly back on top.

Yet Paizo has been dutifully producing wonderful Pathfinder material for over a decade.

Then in 2019 they released Pathfinder Second Edition, along with this helpful Beginner Box. The Pathfinder Second Edition Beginner Box includes a small adventure, a flip-mat, some pregenerated characters, and softcover mini-books that teaches the basics of Pathfinder gameplay.

The following is included in the Pathfinder Second Edition Beginner Box bundle on Roll20 ($39.99):

    • Pathfinder 2E Compendium
      • Heroes’ Handbook (also included in adventure Journal)
        • Includes mini Solo-Adventure, Pirate King’s Plunder
      • Game Master’s Handbook (also included in adventure Journal)
    • Player Token Pack
      • Over 30 tokens and handouts
    • Adventure: “Menace Under Otari”
      • Level 1-2 dungeon crawl
      • Two 5-ft scale battle maps
      • One non-gridded regional map of Otari
      • Four pre-generated heroes, with character sheets and tokens
      • Over 50 creature statblocks with tokens and player handouts (11 are used in the adventure)
      • Over 40 magic item handouts (13 with art)
      • 25 player art handouts (not including creature and item art)

pathfinder bb battle

Similar to the previously released D&D Fifth Edition Starter Sets, the Pathfinder Second Edition Beginner Box is designed to introduce new players (and game masters) to the Pathfinder tabletop RPG.

The 72-page Heroes’ Handbook and the 88-page Game Master’s Handbook have been converted into Roll20’s compendium, as well as directly into the Journal when creating a new game using the Beginner Box module. The compendium persists across any number of Roll20 games, allowing you to drag and drop magic items, monsters, spells, etc, as needed.

As a D&D 5E veteran, it was easy to understand the basic rules and systems of PF2E, particularly its signature three-action economy (plus reaction) that every player character can do on their turn during combat. A player rules reference handout is incredibly helpful when explaining all the common rolls for players, such as attack and damage, stealth, perception, initiative, and moving on the grid.

The Heroes’ Handbook includes four character classes, fighter, cleric, rogue, and wizard, and rules for creating and leveling them up to 3rd level. Four pregenerated player characters are provided, fully set up, including token art.

I really love how the PF2E character sheet looks on Roll20, with smart use of color and clickable links. It’s honestly a lot more impressive that the official Roll20 5e character sheets. The Conditions sidebar alone is hugely helpful, automatically deducting the penalties from the character sheet, such as Flat-Footed’s -2 AC. Nice!

Unfortunately Roll20’s awesome charactermancer doesn’t currently support Pathfinder Second Edition. That’s a big blow, as the charactermancer is hugely helpful when creating and leveling up player characters.

pathfinder 2e beginner box roll20

The adventure, “Menace Under Otari,” is a mixed bag. On the one hand, it’s a wonderful tutorial that properly teaches you how to play, while you’re playing (like most modern video games). It’s a big dungeon crawl, which is what Pathfinder (and D&D) does best, and it’s perfectly paced to show off an assortment of combat, puzzles, traps, and other challenges.

It’s designed for level 1 player characters (who reach level 2 before the end). Unlike D&D 5e, 1st level doesn’t suck all that much in PF2E!

The party will tiptoe through a webbed cave to avoid (or fight) a giant spider, gain power from elemental orbs, avoid a water-blasting fountain trap, solve a puzzle involving weighing coins, and battle an assortment of undead, kobolds, and other level-appropriate baddies.

On the other hand, it’s only a single dungeon crawl. Compare that to “Lost Mine of Phandelver” or “Dragons of Stormwreck Isle” (the D&D 5E Starter Kit adventures), which feature multiple dungeons, quests, NPCs, and adventure ideas and locations, through several levels of play. Otari is given detailed notes to help flesh out the town, but none of it is really used in the adventure, and there’s very little opportunity for the players to role-play outside of the initial quest-giver.

An anthology-style sequel that takes the PCs up to 4th level, Pathfinder Adventure: Troubles in Otari, is sold separately — and I really wish it were included here!

As disappointed as I am with the brevity of the adventure, it’s still a fabulous dungeon crawl, and is a fun way to teach the game to new players. The entire Pathfinder Second Edition Beginner Box offers enough content to get you started and play through the early levels with a limited selection of classes, spells, and monsters. If it works for you and your group, you’ll want to grab the PF2E Core Rulebook, and check out some of the available full-length adventures.

Pros:

  • Tutorial adventure teaches the game while you play.
  • “Menace Under Otari” is a tightly balanced, fun dungeon crawl.
  • Includes dozens of extra monsters.
  • PF2E Roll20 character sheet is highly attractive and flexible.

Cons:

  • “Menace Under Otari” adventure is relatively short (one big dungeon crawl).
  • Pathfinder 2E still lacks Charactermancer support.
  • Only four pregenerated characters.

The Verdict: Though the included adventure is woefully short, “Menace Under Otari” is an excellently designed dungeon crawl that shows off what Pathfinder Second Edition has to offer, and the Beginner Box does a fantastic job teaching the game to incoming players and Game Masters.

A review copy of the module was provided. Read more Roll20 Reviews and watch the video reviews on my YouTube channel.

Support my video work via Patreon.