Introduction
Treasure Vault Remaster is the Pathfinder 2e gear expansion book. It is not just "more loot." It adds more ways to express armor style, weapon identity, shield play, alchemical preparation, consumable timing, caster item economy, Crafting, artifacts, relics, intelligent items, cursed items, and GM reward design.
Use this with the PF2e equipment guide, weapons, weapon traits, armor, shields, runes, consumables, alchemical items, staves and wands, worn and invested items, Crafting, and treasure by level.
Hot take: Treasure Vault is best when it solves campaign problems. The weak version is "a thousand more things to buy." The strong version is "the Fighter, Alchemist, Witch, Champion, and GM all get sharper tools for the actual campaign."
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What Treasure Vault Adds
Treasure Vault Remaster is organized like a guided vault of item categories. For site coverage, the useful split is not "list every item." It is "which part of play does this category improve?"
| Book section | What it adds | Best site home |
|---|---|---|
| Armor and armaments | New armor, armor adjustments, armor runes, specific magic armor, shields, shield traits, weapons, weapon traits, weapon runes, and specific magic weapons | Armor, shields, weapons, runes |
| Alchemy unleashed | Alchemical ammunition, bombs, foods, tools, bottled monstrosities, elixirs, permanent alchemical items, and poisons | Alchemical items, Alchemist |
| Momentary magic | Catalysts, fulus, magical ammunition, missives, oils, potions, talismans, and wondrous consumables | Consumables, spell guides |
| Trappings of power | Apex items, assistive items, grimoires, held items, magical tattoos, spellhearts, staves, wands, and worn items | Magic items by level, staves and wands, worn items |
| Secrets of Crafting | Alternate Crafting rules, nature crafting, and story-based crafting | Crafting, downtime |
| Gamemaster's trove | Artifacts, archetype artifacts, blighted boons, cursed items, intelligent items, relics, and treasure tables | Treasure by level, mythic, GM guide |
How To Use It With The Core Books
Treasure Vault does not replace the core economy. It sits on top of it.
| Book | Job at the table |
|---|---|
| Player Core | Defines the equipment baseline: weapons, armor, shields, Bulk, hands, actions, tools, spellcasting, and item use |
| Player Core 2 | Adds classes that make gear planning more visible, especially Alchemist, Champion, Monk, Swashbuckler, Investigator, Oracle, Witch, Sorcerer, and Barbarian |
| GM Core | Controls treasure value, item level, reward pacing, downtime, settlement access, hazards, artifacts, relics, and cursed item use |
| Monster Core | Creates the problems gear answers: weaknesses, resistances, immunities, senses, terrain, movement, and monster traits |
| Treasure Vault Remaster | Adds more precise tools once the table knows the problem it wants to solve |
The rule of thumb: Player Core tells you how items work, GM Core tells you when and how many items should appear, Monster Core tells you what threats items answer, and Treasure Vault gives you deeper options.
Core Rules That Make Gear Matter
Treasure Vault becomes much better when the table pays attention to the normal rules that make items meaningful.
| Rule | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Three-action economy | Drawing, Interacting, activating, drinking, raising a shield, swapping hands, Striking, and casting all compete for actions |
| Hands | Shields, two-handed weapons, free-hand builds, scrolls, tools, reloads, and spellhearts all create hand pressure |
| Bulk | Expanded gear becomes comedy weightlifting if nobody tracks what they can carry |
| Investment | Worn magic items compete for a limited resource, so every invested item needs a job |
| Item level | Treasure should stay near the party's level and GM Core reward expectations |
| Rarity and access | Uncommon or rare options should have campaign, settlement, faction, or formula support |
| Crafting | Repair, formulas, downtime, item identification, and custom gear all depend on table support |
Hot take: a lot of "bad" gear is just unsupported gear. Wrong action economy, wrong enemy, wrong timing, wrong Bulk load, and wrong treasure access can make almost anything look worse than it is.
Category Rankings
These rankings are for table impact, not for raw item count.
| Rank | Treasure Vault category | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Consumables | They solve specific threats without permanently warping the character sheet |
| 2 | Alchemy | Alchemists, Investigators, Rogues, Rangers, and prepared parties get more ways to turn information into advantage |
| 3 | Runes and specific armaments | Martial characters live or die by weapon, armor, shield, and rune timing |
| 4 | Staves, wands, spellhearts, and grimoires | Casters get more ways to stretch spell access and specialize without rewriting their class |
| 5 | Crafting support | Excellent when the campaign actually has downtime, formulas, materials, and places to work |
| 6 | Relics, artifacts, and intelligent items | Huge campaign value, but dangerous if treated as random loot |
| 7 | Cursed items and blighted boons | Strong story tools for the right table, awful gotchas for the wrong one |
| 8 | Assistive and social gear | Very good in campaigns that reward exploration, social play, and problem-solving outside combat |
Hot take: consumables are the secret star. Players ignore them because they hate spending one-use items, but GMs can fix that by foreshadowing the problem before handing out the answer.
Armor And Shields
Treasure Vault expands defensive gear beyond the Player Core baseline. The important pieces are armor variety, armor adjustments, armor property runes, specific magic armor, shield traits, new shield styles, and specific magic shields.
| Character need | Treasure Vault direction |
|---|---|
| I want armor to express identity | Expanded armor and specific magic armor make the character look and play less generic |
| I need more utility from armor | Armor adjustments and armor property runes can add storage, mobility, resistance, or tactical support |
| I block constantly | Specific shields, shield traits, and repair planning matter more than another random weapon |
| I want a shield build with offense | Integrated, thrown, launching, or specialized shields can change action choices |
| I am a Champion or Guardian-style defender | Shield support, armor runes, defensive items, and repair access should appear deliberately |
Use armor, shields, and runes to keep the fundamentals straight. A shield character without repair and replacement support is not being rewarded; they are being charged rent for protecting the party.
Weapons And Runes
The weapons chapter adds new melee, ranged, advanced, uncommon, and combination options, plus weapon traits, property runes, and specific magic weapons. This is especially relevant for Fighters, Rangers, Rogues, Swashbucklers, Champions, Guns & Gears characters, and Battlecry-style martial campaigns.
| Gear question | Better answer |
|---|---|
| What is my damage type backup? | Carry a practical second option or consumable answer before the resistance appears |
| What does this weapon trait do for my turn? | Use weapon traits to judge action economy, reach, finesse, agile, parry, reload, thrown, and setup value |
| Does this rune support my party? | Choose runes that help against recurring enemies and conditions, not just the loudest effect |
| Is this weapon actually accessible? | Respect ancestry, rarity, region, class proficiency, and GM approval |
| Does this overlap Guns & Gears? | Link firearms and combination weapon planning to Guns & Gears, firearms, and combination weapons |
Hot take: a weapon that looks exciting but eats your whole turn to function is not style. It is a tax with a cool hat.
Alchemy
Treasure Vault is a major book for Alchemist play because it expands the categories alchemical characters can care about: ammunition, bombs, foods, tools, bottled monstrosities, elixirs, permanent alchemical items, and poisons.
| Alchemical category | Best use |
|---|---|
| Ammunition | Prepared answers for ranged builds, weakness targeting, and encounter-specific plans |
| Bombs | Damage type coverage, splash pressure, swarms, weaknesses, and battlefield utility |
| Foods and elixirs | Pre-fight buffs, exploration support, recovery, resistance, senses, and condition preparation |
| Tools | Utility, investigation, infiltration, crafting, and practical adventuring support |
| Bottled monstrosities | High-flavor encounter tools that need GM and player clarity |
| Permanent alchemical items | Long-term identity support for characters who want alchemy without only one-use items |
| Poisons | Best in intrigue, ambush, wilderness, monster-hunting, and rogue-style campaigns with table consent |
This is also useful for Investigator, Rogue, Ranger, and any party that uses Recall Knowledge, monster traits, and preparation instead of charging every door like it owes them money.
Momentary Magic
Momentary magic is the book's consumable magic layer: catalysts, fulus, magical ammunition, missives, oils, potions, talismans, and wondrous consumables. These are campaign tools for timing, foreshadowing, and player preparation.
| Category | Best table use |
|---|---|
| Catalysts | Spellcasters who want a prepared twist on specific magic |
| Fulus | Charm-like magic that works well in occult, divine, haunted, or warding-heavy adventures |
| Magical ammunition | Ranged characters get more ways to answer weaknesses, special threats, and encounter goals |
| Missives | Social, investigation, delivery, and message-focused play |
| Oils and potions | Pre-fight preparation, emergency answers, condition management, and movement support |
| Talismans | One-shot martial or defensive boosts that reward planning |
| Wondrous consumables | Weird, memorable tools for scenes that should not become permanent powers |
Use consumables, spell guides, and Monster Core pressure to decide what appears. Consumables are strongest when the party knows enough to use them before the fight is already over.
Caster Items
Treasure Vault gives casters more item texture through grimoires, spellhearts, staves, wands, held items, worn items, and magical tattoos.
| Caster item | Best user |
|---|---|
| Grimoires | Prepared casters who can plan daily spells and want a specific spellbook identity |
| Spellhearts | Casters or martials who want cantrip access, damage typing, or affixed item utility |
| Staves | Casters who repeatedly need a theme of spells across the day |
| Wands | Casters who want one reliable extra spell without spending daily prepared space |
| Scrolls and inscribed items | Characters with practical access to a needed answer once |
| Magical tattoos | Characters who want body-bound magic, style, and invested-item planning |
| Worn items | Casters who need defenses, mobility, perception, skill support, or tradition-specific utility |
Wizard, Witch, Cleric, Druid, Bard, Sorcerer, Oracle, and Animist all care about this, but in different ways. Prepared casters value planning tools; spontaneous casters value expanded access and emergency coverage.
Hot take: wands and staves are not boring. They are the difference between "I prepared wrong" and "I had a backup plan like a grown wizard."
Crafting And Downtime
The Crafting chapter adds alternate Crafting rules, nature crafting, and story-based crafting. These rules matter only if the campaign gives characters downtime, formulas, raw materials, workshops, markets, teachers, and reasons to care.
| Crafting support | What the GM should provide |
|---|---|
| Formula rewards | Better than generic coin for Alchemists, Inventors, and item-focused parties |
| Downtime windows | Crafting needs calendar space, not just permission |
| Materials and access | Rare ingredients, monster parts, settlement services, and faction help make crafting feel earned |
| Repair pressure | Shields, armor, vehicles, firearms, hazards, and battlefield damage should make repair matter |
| Story crafting | Relics, artifacts, custom items, and nature crafting should connect to quests and locations |
Tie this to Crafting, Inventor, Alchemist, Guns & Gears, GM guidance, and subsystems.
GM Trove
The GM-facing material is the part most likely to improve a campaign if used carefully. Artifacts, archetype artifacts, blighted boons, cursed items, intelligent items, relics, and treasure tables are not just rewards. They are pacing and story tools.
| GM tool | Best use | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Artifacts | Campaign objectives, divine relics, lost weapons, impossible keys, world-history objects | Handing one out like a normal permanent item |
| Archetype artifacts | Support a specific character path with a memorable object | Giving one to a character who does not want that identity |
| Blighted boons | Add risk, temptation, corruption, or dangerous blessing | Using them as punishment with no player buy-in |
| Cursed items | Horror, irony, greed, mystery, and consequence | Gotcha curses that make players stop trusting treasure |
| Intelligent items | NPC relationship inside a reward | Letting the item steal agency from the character |
| Relics | Long-term personal treasure that grows with the story | Forgetting to awaken or evolve the relic after major deeds |
| Treasure tables | Planning aid and level check | Replacing judgment with random shopping results |
Use mythic, War of Immortals, GM hazards, adventure hooks, and factions when these rewards need story weight.
Monster Core Gear Planning
Monster Core and Monster Core 2 should shape what gear feels good. The right item often answers a known trait, resistance, weakness, sense, movement mode, condition, or terrain problem.
| Monster pressure | Useful Treasure Vault direction |
|---|---|
| Resistances and immunities | Backup damage types, alchemy, runes, scrolls, oils, spellhearts, and Recall Knowledge |
| Weaknesses | Ammunition, bombs, oils, consumables, and spell items that trigger the weakness reliably |
| Flying enemies | Ranged weapons, magical ammunition, mobility items, flight answers, and terrain tools |
| Aquatic enemies | Water movement, breathing, ranged support, corrosion protection, and underwater gear |
| Swarms and groups | Bombs, area consumables, scrolls, control items, and splash pressure |
| Poison, disease, fear, mental, or death effects | Defensive consumables, divine support, condition removal, and pre-fight preparation |
| Boss monsters | Foreshadowed consumables, defensive items, backup weapons, and mythic or relic-grade story tools |
The GM does not need to reveal a full stat block. A rumor, mural, field report, damaged shield, old corpse, strange tracks, or failed scout can justify why the party receives the right category of item.
Player Core 2 Class Pressure
Player Core 2 makes Treasure Vault more valuable because several classes have highly visible gear needs.
| Class | Gear pressure |
|---|---|
| Alchemist | Formulas, alchemical ammunition, bombs, elixirs, foods, tools, poisons, and downtime access |
| Champion | Armor, shields, defensive runes, divine weapon identity, repair access, and relic-style rewards |
| Investigator | Tools, ammunition, consumables, skill items, social gear, and clue-facing utility |
| Monk | Handwrap-style rune planning, explorer clothing, mobility items, tattoos, and worn items |
| Oracle | Defensive items, scrolls, wands, staves, condition support, and curse-friendly survival tools |
| Sorcerer | Tradition-specific caster items, spellhearts, wands, scrolls, staves, and defensive gear |
| Swashbuckler | Finesse weapons, mobility gear, talismans, dueling items, and panache-supporting tools |
| Witch | Familiar-safe planning, scrolls, wands, staves, spellhearts, patron-flavored items, and defensive gear |
Best Use By Campaign Type
Treasure Vault should look different depending on the campaign.
| Campaign type | Best Treasure Vault emphasis |
|---|---|
| Dungeon crawl | Consumables, runes, shields, repair kits, light, tools, and Bulk discipline |
| City campaign | Settlement access, formulas, social gear, missives, tattoos, services, and faction-owned items |
| Wilderness or hexploration | Survival gear, alchemy, movement, weather answers, animals, plants, and carrying capacity |
| Investigation | Tools, divination items, grimoires, social consumables, skill items, and research rewards |
| War campaign | Ammunition, shields, repair, alchemy, banners, whetstones, siege gear, and logistics |
| Horror or occult | Cursed items, intelligent items, fulus, grimoires, tattoos, and careful consent |
| Mythic campaign | Artifacts, relics, intelligent items, storied equipment, and legendary consequences |
Use war campaigns, technology in campaigns, Dark Archive, Battlecry, Guns & Gears, and mythic for campaign-specific reward planning.
GM Treasure Procedure
When adding Treasure Vault items, use this order.
| Step | Question |
|---|---|
| 1 | What problem is the party actually facing? |
| 2 | Which character would make an interesting decision with this item? |
| 3 | Is the item level appropriate for the party? |
| 4 | Does the item replace expected rune, armor, weapon, caster, or defensive progression? |
| 5 | Is the item common enough for shopping, or does it need a formula, quest, faction, settlement, or treasure placement? |
| 6 | Does the item need foreshadowing so players know when to use it? |
| 7 | Does the reward create story pressure, or is it just a sell pile object? |
Hot take: random treasure is fine for pocket money. For signature items, random treasure is how the party gets a brilliant item nobody wants and sells it to buy the boring thing you should have placed.
What Not To Do
| Mistake | Why it hurts |
|---|---|
| Unrestricted shopping | It removes rarity, settlement identity, treasure pacing, and discovery |
| Ignoring fundamental runes | Flashy items do not replace the math that keeps characters functional |
| Making every reward a weird item | Players still need coin, formulas, runes, scrolls, and practical tools |
| Using cursed items as traps | Gotcha treasure teaches players not to engage with treasure |
| Giving artifacts casually | Artifacts should change goals, enemies, reputation, and campaign pressure |
| Dumping item lists on players | Choice overload is not depth; it is homework with dice nearby |
Copyright-Safe Coverage
This guide is a review and table-use article, not a replacement for Treasure Vault Remaster. It summarizes categories, use cases, and campaign guidance. It does not reproduce full item entries, tables, prices, activations, stat blocks, or mechanical text.
Use the book at the table for actual item rules.
Best Links
Start with equipment, weapons, armor, shields, runes, consumables, alchemical items, staves and wands, worn items, Crafting, GM treasure, and Monster Core planning.
Return to the PF2e guide hub or the main guides page.
Hot Takes
| Hot take | Why |
|---|---|
| Treasure Vault is secretly a GM book. | Players see item options; GMs decide access, timing, foreshadowing, rarity, and story weight. |
| Alchemists benefit more than almost anyone. | The book gives alchemy more categories, formulas, and encounter-specific preparation hooks. |
| Consumables need warning labels from the story. | Players use one-use items when they can see the problem coming. |
| Cursed items require trust. | Without table buy-in, they punish curiosity and make treasure less fun. |
| Artifacts should be problems, not prizes. | The best artifacts attract rivals, unlock places, create obligations, or ask for sacrifice. |
| Gear depth is only depth when it changes decisions. | If an item never affects actions, planning, enemies, or story, it is just expensive decoration. |
