Choosing ABCs

Ancestry Basics

Your ancestry is your character's species/heritage, shaping your biology, lifespan, and cultural origin. It influences your character's appearance, starting attributes, and available ancestry feats.

Ancestries give a flat bonus to your HP at level 1.
Ancestries vary in physical sizes and speeds. Most are Medium or Small, which matters for some mechanics, and most ancestries have a movement speed of 25 feet, though this varies.
Fixed boosts to certain scores, and sometimes a flaw, create variety between ancestries. For example, Dwarves boost Constitution & Wisdom, but take a flaw to Charisma.
Base traits and abilities are automatically applied to each ancestry. Ancestries vary in their innate resistances and immunities to various effects. They even differ in their vision types, split between Normal, Low-Light, and Darkvision.

Ancestry Feats

Ancestry feats are how you customize and deepen your connection to your ancestry over time. You select them at levels 1, 5, 9, 13, and 17, so your ancestry continues to develop throughout your entire adventuring career, not just at character creation. Many of the best ancestry feats require earlier feats as prerequisites, forming chains. Ancestry feats fall into 5 general categories:

Physical/Biological Feats reflect your body's natural capabilities.
Magical/Innate Spell Feats access to innate magic: spells tied to their nature that don't require a spellcasting class.
Cultural/Training Feats reflect the traditions and skills passed down through your people.
Skill and Utility Feats give you bonus skill feats, extra trained skills, or unique utility options tied to your heritage.
Reaction and Defensive Feats have powerful defensive options tied to their resilience.

Heritages

Within each ancestry, you pick a Heritage at level 1, giving your character a sub-type that further defines them. For example, a Gnome can be a Chameleon Gnome (color-shifting skin) or a Umbral Gnome (raised in the Shadow Plane with deeper darkvision). Heritages are permanent and chosen once.

Some heritages (like Dhampir, Aasimar, or Changeling) can be applied on top of any ancestry. These represent magical bloodlines and give you access to unique ancestry feats while keeping your base ancestry intact.

Background Basics

Backgrounds represent what your character did before becoming an adventurer. They give you a small boost to two ability scores, a set of trained skills, and a unique background feat at level 1. Backgrounds are more about roleplaying hooks than mechanical depth, but they can still be impactful. They are largely about character concept and optimization. Ask yourself:

Where did my character come from? A Noble background fits an aristocrat; A Sailor fits someone from a coastal town.
What skills do I want? If you want to be the party's social face, look for backgrounds that train Diplomacy or Deception.
Does the ability boost fit my build? If your class wants Dexterity, look for backgrounds with a Dex boost option.

Class Basics

Each class in Pathfinder has unique abilities, strengths, and playstyles. It determines your hit points per level, proficiency progression (how good you get with weapons, armor, saves, and skills), and the class features and abilities you gain as you level up.

Every class has a Key Ability (Strength or Dexterity for Fighter, Intelligence for Wizard, etc.). This boosts your attack rolls, DCs, or core class features, so it shapes how you build your ability scores.
Classes grant different HP per level (on top of your Constitution modifier). Barbarians get 12 HP/level; Wizards get 6 HP/level. This directly affects your durability.
Some classes are more demanding than others. The Fighter is beginner-friendly with straightforward martial options. The Wizard or Oracle require understanding more systems (spell slots, curse mechanics, etc.).

Class Feats

Unlike some RPGs, PF2e separates automatic class features (things you always get at certain levels) from class feats (choices you make to customize your character). This means two characters of the same class can play quite differently based on feat choices.

Most classes grant class feats at even levels (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, etc.) all the way to level 20, giving you 10 class feats over a full campaign. Some classes like the Fighter get their first class feat at level 1.
Class feats cover an enormous range of effects. Many class feats give you entirely new things to do in combat or exploration, while some feats don't give you new actions but instead improve things you already do. For spellcasting classes, many feats improve how magic works.
Like ancestry feats, many class feats have prerequisites, forming chains where later powerful feats require you to have taken earlier ones. This means your feat choices at low levels can open or close doors at higher levels.

Quick Tips

Don’t min-max too early - balance matters
Pathfinder's proficiency system (Trained → Expert → Master → Legendary) matters a lot. Fighters become Legendary in weapons, while most spellcasters stay at Trained in light armor. Know what your class is built to excel at.
Know your role. If you're the party's primary damage dealer, prioritize feats that enhance your attack routine. If you're a support caster, look for feats that expand your spell list or improve your buffs.
Plan for the mid-game. Levels 5–10 are where most campaigns spend a lot of time. Having a clear idea of what your character looks like at level 8 or 10 helps you make better early choices.
It's worth skimming both your ancestry's and your class's full feat list at character creation so you don't accidentally close off a chain you'd want later.