[RPG] What’s the difference between Pathfinder and Pathfinder Chronicles

I use the d20PFSRD almost exclusively because it adds a bunch of stuff that the official PRD does not. They are similar in timeliness of updates of official Paizo content, but the PFSRD also includes...

1. FAQs and clarifications. On the PFSRD, they look for FAQs and forum posts clarifying twiddly bits about the rules and put them into sidebars on the page and link them to their source. Here, see the Domains & Subdomains page as an example.

2. More content. The PRD only has content from Paizo's hardback rulebook line, but the d20PFSRD has all the softcovers as well.

3. Third party support. PFSRD contains lots of third party Pathfinder content as well, clearly labeled as such.

4. Better organization. Compare the d20PFSRD Elf page to the PRD Elf page. The PFSRD page puts actual relevant info there (random height/weight tables, etc.) while the PRD includes elven equipment and magic items, which are best put in another location. This is way more helpful for most real-play purposes.

5. Tools - The PFSRD has a bunch of random generators, databases, etc. The PRD is just text. Example: Spell Database

6. "Labs" - The PFSRD has places for normal people to put their homebrews or other related info (like Treantmonk's Lab links to his class guides). Oh, and even Hero Lab data files.

7. Better formatting and hyperlinking. The PFSRD does more subheadings and sidebars and stuff, and also takes more care to hyperlink back and forth. Compare Stealth and Stealth.

8. The one minus of the PFSRD are the prominent ads. But, somebody's gotta pay to run the site. I just wish they formatted those in better, they were tacked on later in the design and it shows.

I guess probably they make them use the PRD for Pathfinder Society play because "it's official" or whatnot, but for normal home gaming/GMing I find the PFSRD way, way more helpful and when I traverse a link to the PRD from somewhere I think "Oh, poor guy... He doesn't know about the PFSRD..."

d20PFSRD doesn't put anything that "should be paid for," only legally OGL'ed content. And I don't believe there's any advantage to Paizo to them using their PRD, they don't even have ads on it. If they were super clever they'd be mining the Web analytics on parts frequently accessed to drive clarity/organization in Pathfinder 2 but that's really tangential (and I bet the d20PFSRD guys would hand over their analytics if they asked, because everyone's nice in the Pathfinder community.)

Although I don't remember the direct sources, there have been a few books out there for d20 based games that discuss what I will call 'legacy items'. These items level over time with the players. They must put in the time with the item and in some cases something else, such as gold for ingredients, a sacrifice of some kind, or as a reward (of sorts) for a momentous occasion. There is also, generally, a minimum level for each enhancement level equivalent on the item. This approach could work for players with magic tomes and such as well.

I'll give an example to help clarify what I mean:

A player wants to play a samurai, and as part of his story, he want a blade that's been handed down through his family's lineage for generation. It has great rumors that the strongest heroes of the family have been able to harness the power of lightning through it.

It begins as a masterwork katana. Functionally, this is all it is at this level. At level 3, the samurai gets 1,000 gold in incenses, food, and other sacrifices, and offers them to his ancestors, hoping to please them. They 'are pleased' by the sacrifice, and thus afford the weapon a +1 bonus.

A year goes by, and although he continues to honor his ancestors it is more time for him to show his own heroism in order to awaken his blade. This comes in the form of killing a tyrant in the midst of a thunder storm. He is now a level 9 character, and his act of heroism has allowed his katana to gain the lightning burst ability.

This gives a good idea on how to approach it. Add powers to the item as the wielder unlocks the power. Use the level suggestions in the Ultimate Magic book as a reference for when they could reasonably gain that power, while adjusting for the powers that are already there. Simply give them the power instead of a new magic item in the same place. It gives that one item a much more personal feel anyway, and players tend to love that one choice item that level with them.