The Armamentarium

A Short-Hand Guide to Pathfinder’s

Wondrous Items, Unique Weapons, and Unique Armors & Shields

Introduction

One of the most daunting tasks facing any Pathfinder player is sifting through the sheer number of magical items available on d20pfsrd.com or the Archives of Nethys. Although Pathfinder started with a manageable quantity of wondrous items, unique weapons, unique armors, etc., each addition--small and large--has only added to the load, with some supplements like Ultimate Equipment putting literally hundreds more items into the mix. Compounding the issue of sheer volume is the different formatting you’ll find throughout the system. Some magical items, for instance, are still formatted for Pathfinder’s early days as an offshoot of 3.5e; some have texts that are concise and entirely focused on mechanics; some have texts spanning a page or more, dedicated to the lore behind the item. Pathfinder players have often lamented that Paizo doesn’t write items and feats in two shorthand sections, one for flavor and one for mechanics. This format would allow players to read for mechanics when they need to read for mechanics, and read for lore when they want to read for lore--but it sadly doesn’t appear to be coming in 2e. If you’ve ever looked at the hundreds of magical items listed on your favorite Pathfinder resource and wondered how you’d ever make heads or tails of them, well...

Enter this guide. The Armamentarium began as a kind of internal reference document for my other guide-writing projects, where any discussion of a player’s class will necessarily touch on a few magical items suited to that class’ playstyle. When I realized how quickly I was drowning in content, I decided to slim down the bulk of the system as best I could: I’d create a spreadsheet with the bare mechanics of every item conveyed as concisely as possible in a single table, with searchable tags based on the item’s functions. Want an item that prevents ability damage? Boom. How about unique weapons that can be wielded with Weapon Finesse? Done. The more items I added, the more I began to realize that the resource was worth sharing with the community, which I maintain to this day is one of the best I’ve ever been a part of. My hope in releasing The Armamentarium is that it will make it possible for the average Pathfinder player--hurried, harried GMs and lovably lazy PCs alike--to comprehend the monumental body of work that Paizo has put out over the past decade. If you’re excited to jump in, you can look at the long-form lists below, or if you’re coming to the guide for a specific type of item, head to the Tags section on the next page so you know what to search for.

As with all my guides, I plan to keep up with The Armamentarium as best I can, a task which should be considerably easier now the publication rate of new books in Pathfinder 1st Edition is starting to slow down. I couldn’t have done this without the help of many other guides and content creators before me from Paizo and the wonderful Pathfinder community, so thank you, thank you, thank you. I truly do stand on the shoulders of giants. As a last note, if you have comments or constructive criticisms, you can always find me on Reddit--my handle is /u/Allerseelen. Looking forward to hearing from you. May your items be wondrous, your shields unyielding, and your swords ever sharp!

All my best,

Allerseelen

Tags & Notes

Pathfinder Society-legal items. Items that are not eligible for play in Pathfinder Society Scenarios are highlighted in red. These items are, by and large, Mythic items or items that Paizo has deemed to powerful for regulated play. Because Paizo thinks that there’s something off about their balance, it would be considerate to run these items by your GM before crafting or purchasing them!
Top items. Items that are true stand-outs I have highlighted in blue. The list is by no means complete, and I’m always open to hearing about your favorite items, because it’s 100% my opinion right now. Let’s fix that!
Item caster levels. Items capable of casting spells use the item’s caster level (CL, for short), not the player’s caster level. Although veterans will be familiar with this rule, I wasn’t when I started playing with the system, and it still trips me up sometimes. As an example, a CL 5 wondrous item that can cast light will last for 50 minutes (10 minutes/level x CL 5) whereas a CL 18 wondrous item that can cast light will last for 180 minutes (10 minutes/level x CL 18). You’ll always find the caster level of the item in the column marked “CL.”
Bonus types. Items that grant bonuses to skills, attack rolls, saves, etc. will usually have a bonus “type” associated with them. Common examples of these bonus types include (Enhancement) bonuses, (Resistance) bonuses, and (Competence) bonuses. As a general rule, bonuses of the same type don’t stack--you just take the higher of the two! The exceptions are (Dodge) bonuses to Armor Class, which always stack, and (Circumstance) bonuses, which stack if they come from different sources. (Untyped) bonuses are the rarest and most precious of all, because they stack with everything unless they come from the same source.
The “Big Six.” Pathfinder encounters, at least those in Adventure Paths and Modules, are built with the assumption of 4 player characters that have the following items: a magical weapon, a suit of magical armor, a ring of protection, a cloak of resistance, an amulet of natural armor, and either a physical stat-boosting belt or mental stat-boosting headband. Together, these items ensure that you have high enough AC, saves, attributes, and firepower to take down encounters of an appropriate challenge rating. The Big Six do somewhat limit your choices, however, as one Ring slot and the Neck, Shoulder, and Headband/Belt slots will have to be filled by those items unless you’ve got a compelling alternative. Pathfinder Unchained did release alternative rules, the Automatic Bonus Progression rules, that increase saves, armor class, etc. incrementally and automatically as players level, but the downside is that you get only half your usual money. I personally like the system--there’s too much cool stuff to shut out that many item slots--but you should talk over the relative merits of both methods with your GM, and decide which is right for your group.

Alignment Tags

Comments

[Chaotic]

[Evil]

[Good]

[Lawful]

Alignment tags apply to items that have specific moral value. Items that specifically mention consuming human flesh or other innately evil acts, for example, are flagged as [Evil].

Attribute Tags

Comments

[Charisma]

[Constitution]

[Dexterity]

[Intelligence]

[Strength]

[Wisdom]

Attribute tags flag items that specifically increase the listed attribute. These will typically be Belts and Headbands.

Casting Tags

Comments

[Casting]

[Divination]

[ResDivination]

[Enchantment]

[ResEnchantment]

[Illusion]

[ResIllusion]

[Necromancy]

[ResNecromancy]

[Transmutation]

[ResTransmutation]

Casting tags generally tell you what function spells or defenses a magical item offers. The Conjuration school is housed under [Summoning] or [Blasting], the Evocation school falls under [Blasting], and the Abjuration school will usually involve one of the Defensive tag options.

[Casting] typically includes effects that boost all Spell Save DCs or caster level checks.

[Res] tags call out items that allow the wearer/user to resist effects specifically from that school. In the example of [ResEnchantment], for example, you might gain bonuses to your Will save, but only vs. [mind-affecting] effects, which are almost always from the Enchantment school.

Class Tags

Comments

[Alchemist]

[Antipaladin]

[Arcanist]

[Assassin]

[Barbarian]

[Bard]

[Bloodrager]

[Brawler]

[Cavalier]

[Cleric]

[Druid]

[Fighter]

[Gunslinger]

[Hellknight]

[Hunter]

[Inquisitor]

[Investigator]

[Kineticist]

[Magus]

[Medium]

[Mesmerist]

[Monk]

[Ninja]

[Occultist]

[Oracle]

[Paladin]

[Psychic]

[Ranger]

[Rogue]

[Samurai]

[Shadowdancer]

[Shaman]

[Shifter]

[Skald]

[Slayer]

[Sorcerer]

[Spiritualist]

[Summoner]

[Swashbuckler]

[Swordlord]

[Vigilante]

[Warpriest]

[Witch]

[Wizard]

Class tags should be fairly self-explanatory: they mark items that have effects only for members of a certain class, or perhaps better effects for members of a certain class.

Some items call out class features associated with a certain class, like Favored Terrain for the Ranger; in these instances, I’ve flagged the item as [Ranger]. If you’re playing with an archetype that gains the class features of a different class, or feats like Amateur Gunslinger that give you a limited resource pool from another class, search for those items using the original class’ tag.

Defensive Tags

Comments

[Ability]

[AoO]

[Bleed]

[CMD]

[Conditions]

[Disease]

[Fear]

[Gaze]

[Poison]

[Tank]

[Traps]

Defensive tags focus on soaking damage or other harmful effects. [Ability] deals with negating ability damage, ability drain, energy drain, or negative levels. [AoO] deals with avoiding attacks of opportunity. [Bleed] deals with stopping bleed damage. [CMD] items increase combat maneuver defense. [Conditions] is a catch-all tag focused on negating harmful conditions, like staggered or sickened. [Disease], [Poison], and [Fear] are self-evident. [Gaze] helps you avoid gaze attacks specifically, while [Traps] is for dodging or resisting traps. [Tank] is by far the most ubiquitous tag, and generally includes bonuses to armor class, concealment and miss chances, and HP buffers.

Deity Tags

Comments

[Abadar]

[Achaekek]

[Apsu]

[Aroden]

[Asmodeus]

[Besmara]

[Calistria]

[Cayden Cailean]

[Dahak]

[Desna]

[Droskar]

[Erastil]

[Ghlaunder]

[Gorum]

[Gozreh]

[Groetus]

[Gyronna]

[Iomedae]

[Irori]

[Lamashtu]

[Milani]

[Minderhal]

[Moloch]

[Nethys]

[Nocticula]

[Norgorber]

[Pharasma]

[Ragathiel]

[Rovagug]

[Sarenrae]

[Shelyn]

[Sivanah]

[Torag]

[Urazra]

[Urgathoa]

[Ydersius]

[Zon-Kuthon]

Deity tags are, again, relatively self-explanatory. Many items in Pathfinder are either thematically connected to the various gods and goddesses of the pantheons, or else provide explicit benefits only for worshipers of that deity.

Enemy Tags

Comments

[Animals]

[Constructs]

[Demons]

[Dragons]

[Elementals]

[Fey]

[Giants]

[Incorporeal]

[Oozes]

[Outsiders]

[Plants]

[Swarms]

[Undead]

[Vermin]

Enemy tags call out items that have enhanced abilities when fighting a certain enemy type or subtype.

[Incorporeal] usually flags items that can deal force damage, which hits for full against incorporeal creatures.

Energy Type Tags

Comments

[Acid]

[ResAcid]

[Cold]

[ResCold]

[Electricity]

[ResElectricity]

[Fire]

[ResFire]

[Sonic]

[ResSonic]

As with Casting tags, the Energy Type tags show which items are capable of dealing a specific type of energy damage, and which items help you resist a specific type of energy damage.

Maneuver Tags

Comments

[Bull Rush]

[Dirty Trick]

[Disarm]

[Drag]

[Feint]

[Grapple]

[Maneuvers]

[Overrun]

[Reposition]

[Steal]

[Sunder]

[Trip]

Maneuvers tags call out items that increase your combat maneuver bonus globally, simply marked [Maneuvers], or your CMB to perform specific maneuvers.

Miscellaneous Tags

Comments

[Allies]

[Ambush]

[Anticaster]

[Blasting]

[Buffing]

[Channeling]

[Control]

[Debuffing]

[Face]

[Healing]

[Illumination]

[Infiltration]

[Interrogation]

[Intrigue]

[Mobility]

[Mythic]

[Pets]

[Scouting]

[Skills]

[Summoning]

[Utility]

[Vision]

By far the most varied group! [Allies] generally focuses on Teamwork feats or team buffing. [Ambush] might relate to Sneak Attack, making opponents flat-footed, or striking from hiding. [Anticaster] either includes direct defenses like spell resistance, or else remedies for common caster tricks like invisibility. [Blasting] deals damage. [Buffing] makes you or your team better. [Channeling] is mostly for Clerics. [Control] focuses on battlefield manipulation with walls, pits, difficult terrain, and vision-obscuring tricks. [Debuffing] makes your enemies worse. [Face] is a catch-all for any items likely to make social interaction easier. [Healing] is self-evident. [Illumination] monkeys with light levels. [Infiltration] helps you get into dungeons, residences, etc. without being noticed. [Interrogation] helps you get answers or take prisoners. [Intrigue] lets you play tricks, act guilefully, spy, and avoid being spied on. [Mobility] increases your capacity to move around a battlefield. [Mythic] is for, well, Mythic PCs. [Pets] focuses on Companions, Mounts, and Familiars. [Scouting] is for moving unseen in the wilderness. [Skills] increase bonuses to all skills. [Summoning] gets you friends. [Utility] is a catch-all for neat or helpful effects. [Vision] gives you new senses to play with.

Nationality Tags

Comments

[Azlant]

[Brevoy]

[Druma]

[Garund]

[Geb]

[Katapesh]

[Kelesh]

[Linnorm]

[Rahadoum]

[Razmiran]

[Taldor]

[Tian Xia]

[Triaxus]

[Varisia]

[Vudra]

Nationality tags denote items that are commonly found with members of a specific nationality. Some items, for example most of those found in Inner Sea Races, can only be used by members of that nationality.

Offensive Tags

Comments

[AoO]

[Cleave]

[Crit]

[DR]

[Finesse]

[Firearm]

[Improvised]

[Melee]

[Mounted]

[Natural]

[Nonlethal]

[Ranged]

[Reach]

[Splash]

[Thrown]

[Toxin]

[TWF]

[Unarmed]

Offensive tags deal with putting out the hurt on enemies. [AoO] deals with taking attacks of opportunity. [Cleave] deals with the feat line. [Crit] involves items that have extra effects on threatened or confirmed crits. [DR] items bypass DR, either explicitly or by being made out of Alchemical Silver, Cold Iron, etc. [Finesse] weapons can be used with the Weapon Finesse feat. [Firearm] is for guns. [Improvised] is for improvised weapons. [Melee] for the whack-sticks. [Mounted] is for people who ride animals. [Natural] deals with natural bite, claw, gore attacks, etc. [Nonlethal] deals, well, nonlethal damage. [Ranged] is for bows, slings, etc. [Reach] is for reach weapons, as [Splash] and [Thrown] are for splash and thrown weapons. [Toxin] deals with poisoning your enemies. [TWF] is for the Two-Weapon Fighting feat. [Unarmed] deals with unarmed strikes.

Race Tags

Comments

[Catfolk]

[Changeling]

[Dhampir]

[Drow]

[Dwarf]

[Elf]

[Fetchling]

[Gathlain]

[Gnome]

[Goblin]

[Grippli]

[Half-Elf]

[Halfling]

[Half-Orc]

[Human]

[Kitsune]

[Orc]

[Tengu]

[Tiefling]

[Undine]

[Vishkanya]

Race tags have effects that are specific to the various player races.

Saves Tags

Comments

[Fortitude]

[Reflex]

[Will]

[Saves]

Saves tags deal with saves, unsurprisingly. [Saves] boost all saves, while the other tags boost one tag in particular. If an item only boosts saves against a specific effect like fear, then the item is tagged for the more specific effect.

Skills Tags

Comments

[Acrobatics]

[Appraise]

[Bluff]

[Climb]

[Craft]

[Diplomacy]

[Disable Device]

[Disguise]

[Escape Artist]

[Fly]

[Handle Animal]

[Heal]

[Knowledge]

[Intimidate]

[Linguistics]

[Perception]

[Perform]

[Profession]

[Ride]

[Sense Motive]

[Sleight of Hand]

[Spellcraft]

[Stealth]

[Survival]

[Swim]

[UMD]

Skills tags provide flat bonuses to skill checks. Easy-peasy, lemon squeezy.

Terrain Tags

Comments

[Aquatic]

[Arctic]

[Desert]

[Forest]

[Jungle]

[Mountain]

[Planar]

[Space]

[Swamp]

[Underground]

[Urban]

Terrain tags operate best in a particular type of terrain, either by granting abilities like underwater breathing for [Aquatic] items or via spells like endure elements.

The Armamentarium

Other Guides and Content

As Allerseelen (Community Use Policy)

As All Souls Gaming (Commercial License)

Introduction

Tags & Notes

Alignment Tags

Attribute Tags

Casting Tags

Class Tags

Defensive Tags

Deity Tags

Enemy Tags

Energy Type Tags

Maneuver Tags

Miscellaneous Tags

Nationality Tags

Offensive Tags

Race Tags

Saves Tags

Skills Tags

Terrain Tags