Pathfinder Adventure Paths: Complete List and What They Cover

Pathfinder Adventure Paths are Paizo Inc.'s flagship serialized campaign product — extended multi-volume storylines designed to carry a group of characters from 1st level through a full 20-level arc or a focused mid-tier range. This page catalogs the Adventure Path line as published under both Pathfinder First Edition (2009–2019) and Pathfinder Second Edition (2019–present), describes their structural mechanics, and clarifies how groups, Game Masters, and organized play participants select and use them. Understanding the Adventure Path landscape requires distinguishing between edition compatibility, thematic scope, and the level ranges each product covers.

Definition and scope

An Adventure Path (AP) is a structured, multi-part campaign product published by Paizo Inc. in which each volume — historically a 96-page or 128-page softcover — advances a continuous narrative arc. Each volume covers approximately three to four levels of character progression. A six-part AP, the format used throughout First Edition and early Second Edition, typically spans the full 1–20 level range. Later Second Edition APs shifted to three-part and four-part formats with compressed level ranges, generally targeting tiers such as levels 1–10 or 3–13.

The Adventure Path line is the longest-running product category in Paizo's catalog. The first Adventure Path, Rise of the Runelords, launched in 2007 under Pathfinder First Edition's predecessor publication model and received a hardcover Anniversary Edition in 2012. As of the most recent Paizo product schedule data, over 30 distinct Adventure Paths have been published under First Edition alone, with the Second Edition line adding more than 12 complete or in-progress titles since 2019.

Adventure Paths are set within Golarion, Paizo's official campaign setting, specifically within the Inner Sea region and its surrounding continents. Each AP is designed to be self-contained — a group with no prior Pathfinder experience can begin an Adventure Path without additional sourcebooks, though supplemental Lost Omens sourcebooks often provide expanded context for the regions and factions featured.

For readers new to how Pathfinder's rules framework structures play across those levels, the conceptual overview of how Pathfinder RPG works maps the underlying mechanical architecture that Adventure Paths are built upon.

How it works

Each Adventure Path volume functions as a standalone adventure booklet that includes encounters, maps, NPC stat blocks, and optional supporting material such as bestiary entries, item descriptions, or setting gazetteer content. Volumes are designed for sequential play, with narrative threads, recurring antagonists, and escalating stakes connecting each chapter.

The mechanical structure across a typical six-part AP follows this progression:

  1. Volume 1 (Levels 1–3): Character introduction, inciting incident, local scope. Players establish their characters' roles in the narrative.
  2. Volume 2 (Levels 4–6): Expanding threat scope, first major villain reveal or faction conflict.
  3. Volume 3 (Levels 7–9): Mid-campaign complications, environmental or political obstacles introduced.
  4. Volume 4 (Levels 10–12): Escalating stakes; travel to new regions common.
  5. Volume 5 (Levels 13–15): Major confrontations; optional sub-bosses or secondary faction resolution.
  6. Volume 6 (Levels 16–20): Final arc, climactic encounters, campaign resolution.

Three-part Second Edition APs compress this structure, with each volume covering approximately 3–4 levels across a 1–10 or 3–12 range, forgoing the high-level content that requires significant Game Master preparation investment.

Game Masters running Adventure Paths work within the framework described in the Game Master role and responsibilities reference, adapting published encounter parameters to their group's specific proficiency rank progression and encounter-building standards detailed in the encounter building guidelines.

Common scenarios

Home campaign use: The most common deployment. A Game Master purchases each volume sequentially, reads ahead to track narrative foreshadowing, and runs weekly or biweekly sessions. Groups typically complete a six-part AP in 18–30 months of regular play at a pace of one 3-hour session per week.

Pathfinder Society organized play integration: Paizo has released Adventure Path content adapted for Pathfinder Society organized play, most notably Pathfinder Society Special events tied to ongoing AP releases. However, standard AP volumes are not themselves sanctioned organized play scenarios — the Pathfinder Society scenario structure governs that separate product tier.

Partial-path use: Groups that run only the first two volumes of an AP, stopping at levels 6–7, represent one of the most common patterns in the tabletop hobbyist sector. The self-contained nature of early volumes makes this a viable approach when a full campaign commitment is impractical.

Edition migration: Groups converting from First Edition to Second Edition sometimes use AP conversions — either unofficial community documents or Paizo's own conversion guides for select titles such as Age of Ashes (the first PF2E AP) — to continue familiar storylines under updated mechanics.

Decision boundaries

Selecting an Adventure Path requires evaluating three distinct criteria: edition, level range, and thematic scope.

Edition compatibility is the primary hard boundary. First Edition APs are not mechanically compatible with Second Edition rules. A group using Pathfinder 2E's action economy system and critical hit and success degree rules cannot run a First Edition AP without full conversion work. Paizo does not publish official cross-edition conversion documents for the majority of its First Edition catalog.

Level range vs. group ambition: Three-part APs (levels 1–10) suit groups that want a complete narrative arc without committing to 20-level progression. Six-part APs deliver full mechanical breadth, including high-level spell system content and magic item progression, but require substantially longer play commitments.

Thematic categories across the full AP catalog break into recognizable clusters:

Groups should assess their players' tolerance for specific encounter types — heavy combat rules density versus social and exploration emphasis — before committing to a multi-year campaign structure. The exploration and downtime modes reference documents how non-combat content is distributed across play sessions, which varies substantially between AP titles.

The full Pathfinder product ecosystem, including Adventure Paths within Paizo's broader publication schedule and product line, is navigable from the Pathfinder Authority index.

References

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