So, yes, keep complaining. Addressing those issues keeps me in an apartment :)
There are things about pathfinder that I think are better than any other system. Those things aren't enough for me to think the system itself is better.
I like it enough to have purchased all the hardcovers and I look forward to getting ultimate campaign when it hits my local store without hesitation. 3.0 and 3.5 didn't get any of my personal paychecks, so that says somethin.
I definitely think its better than 3.0/3.5. I'm not a fan of the class dipping and prestige classes mechanic, although I was impressed by the unmistakable effort to try and keep prestige classes inside of a specific and reasonable powerband until the book of vile darkness came out. Not that I care about balance, but I saw and respect how hard they tried for so long before they gave up on it.
I feel pathfinder might have done the opposite. They've been just a little too loose in the wording for me... I'd rather put up with rules lawyers than for so many rules to be so vague. Its easier to defend your position when the rules are written specifically and unambiguously. It used to be if you wanted to know how something worked you turned to the page, you read it, and everyone walked away with the same perspective. Such a rare thing with pathfinder, I find.
Yes, Happy with it.
Pathfinder.. what's this? uhm.. updated system from 3.5.. (we were trying the 4th edition if i remember right) free beta test download.. "hey guys, i hate what we are playing, i'm bored and i've probably found something interesting.. for those who dont speak english i'll translate for you.. i want to try this.." this is the story.. i was the GM.. and now year after year i thank paizo for his works. The forum with all of you guys too.
It's not perfect, perfection for everybody is impossible, and probably boring.. but it's great :)
p.s. I've translated all rules for 2 friends :) what a mad!! ahahaha
Best D20 FRP. hands down. Not perfect, but best- and yes, I am very happy.
Most of the "problems" are complainers who would complain endlessly no matter the system.
What I like is that Paizo listens to us, and makes changes when it can. Many Monk changes. Still, the monk-o-philes are not happy, but they never will be.
Yes, they haven't 'fixed" Stealth, but they tried twice, and then said "No can do with a FAQ, please feel free to use the blog as a house rule". I dunno what more one could want, unless it's 2nd ED, and it's not time, yet.
Rogue could use a tweak. There are a weird few corner cases, like reach weapons.
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Pathfinder has the advantage of being a system that is still published, easy to find compatible content with, and easy to find groups for.
my problems with it are
martial heroes don't feel cinematic enough to me. lack of animesque talents, combat is too static, and it feels more like a game of rockem sockem robots with the aspect that the first successful full attack could spell the difference between victory and defeat.
but then, i am a fan of hardcore elements derived from such things as Anime, Wuxia, Mythology, and Hollywood Movies developed on a more grandiose scale
when i play pathfinder, i don't want to play generic human barbarian #29, i want to play something along the lines of Chu Culain (did i get the spelling right), Lu-Bu, Son-Wukong, Gilgamesh, Achilles, Miyomoto Musashi, Chun-Hyang, Hercules, Wong Fei Hong, or even Beowulf. the problem is, pathfinder supports none of these concepts effectively
Hell, i wouldn't mind playing Karasu, Roronoa Zorro, Reimu Hakurei, Edward Elric, Quicksword Ilina, Deathblow Georg, Lelouch Lamperouge, Alice Margatroid, Enma Ai, or even a fantasy Version of Gokou Ruri whose powers actually worked and were more than a playful Weeaboo tease.
the problem with the system, is the lack of equally viable options, which leads to some of the same generic builds.
What is Pathfinder?
What is Pathfinder?
Three pounds of flax.
And for the record, I'm happy.
My only major complaint with Pathfinder is that I had to cancel my subscriptions for 6 months. So, while I'm re-subscribing, I'll have to pick-up what I missed piecemeal.
I do love Pathfinder. Occasionally I'm disappointed with a product or a feature or a mechanic, but usually those are minor things.
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I am not trolling here and don't want to see any negative comments. It is a simple question, are any of you out there just happy with Pathfinder. I know I am, but it seems like all I see is negative thoughts on this game mechanic or that class is over powered or whatever. I just think it would be nice to have one thread out there where people take time to say something nice about Pathfinder, the game, we know the Paizo people are amazing. I see that all over the messageboards and have experienced it myself.
You're missing the subtext.
We're here commenting on these boards. Not on the defunct 3.5 boards. Not on the GURPS boards, or D&D 4E or 5E boards, or whatever.
There are a relatively small number of topics people complain about on the forums here: fighters, rogues, and monks being underpowered, martials not having enough real options, the CMB/CMD system breaking down at higher levels/against larger opponents, some holdover rules from 3.5 that were bad then are still bad now (like Stealth), specific feats or spells that are too strong or too weak.
Really, people here complain about only a VERY SMALL portion of the Pathfinder game, and, given that they are here, and not somewhere else, the implication is they A) like Pathfinder, and B) like most of Pathfinder (the stuff they AREN'T complaining about).
You have to keep in mind that humans are rarely as vocal about something they like as they are about something they don't like, especially over a period of time. We get excited about something (first starting to play PF), then we get used to it, it's a sort of constant level of content (playing for a few months or years), but there are a few things that we're unhappy with, or want to see improved. That's the stuff that ends up here.
And remember, most complaining on message boards like this is aimed at trying to improve the game in some small way, especially when we have game developers who are so communicative with their players. So, really, most of that complaining you see is ACTUALLY people telling Paizo that they LOVE Pathfinder, but want to see it be even better than it already is. Same thing with the people who complain about fighters/monks/rogues being weak. They aren't saying, "We hate these classes," they're saying, "We love these classes, and are disappointed that they don't live up to our hopes and aspirations. Make them better!"
Chu Culain (did i get the spelling right)
Normally it would be Cuchulain (spellings vary), because the initial sound is more like Koo or Kuh, while the second syllable has the harsher stress (it's times like this that I wish I'd learned some linguistic terminology, or that the little I have had stuck).
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What is Pathfinder?
A miserable little pile of secrets.
And yeah, I'm happy with it.
Doesn't mean I don't think it could be improved in some areas. I'm a balance freak, it's in my nature. These tiny imperfections bother me in slight, yet prominent ways. Therefore I gripe about them on the forums and occasionally throw out a possible partial fix. Doesn't mean I like the game any less.
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I think I might not be happy. I just don't like to GM Pathfinder, and in my group that is what I tend to do. When I'm a player however, I can focus on playing a powerful character with a coherent background. It is, however, extremely frustrating when I play with guys who have no idea how to play an efficient character.
Or in other words: I'd like something easier, both for me and my fellow players. For now though, Pathfinder is fine.
I love it. It's the first system I've tried to learn in depth, and it's been rewarding. I'm not a master yet, but I keep finding stuff I like. Obviously, there are minor things I don't like, and I can see why some people have a problem with it, but I think it's the system for me.
More than the system though, I really love the quality of the campaign setting. Thanks Paizo! Keep up the good work.
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I prefer 3.5e to Pathfinder, and we're having a game of the former this week.
With that said, I do like Golarion as a setting. I love Eberron and Forgotten Realms too.
So far all the people who played 3.5 and I GM'd Pathfinder for were happy with the changes. While not perfect for every situation it is pretty polished and is a nice system to play with :3
Pathfinder is the least terrible D&D iteration, in my opinion.
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My hat of d02 knows no limit. Parfinder is based on d02 and it is still way to liniar. It is over comlicated,and simplist at the same time.
(Let's see who remembers THAT reference...)
I remember, a rant about the d20 system from someone whose spelling and diction is worse then mine. Which forums was that posted on, was it RPG.net.
What is Pathfinder?A miserable little pile of secrets.
No, no, that is a MAN, you silly goose.
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90%. It's a great game and Paizo really knows how to add flavor to its world. I did not like some of the power creep started in APG, but the books after that seem to have been power-balanced appropriately to balance out.
I think Paizo itself is most of why I am happy... PFS and their module paths are far and away better than anything I played in the Greyhawk world. But I also like the improvement of manuevers, the higher power level of fighting types, and I believe the 20-level prestige feel of the kits are amazing. It's like having 100 base clases to choose from :).
I just wish they would do something to help skill monkeys; and ban out summoners and gunslingers, and I'd be set.
Old Dnd would hardly publish adventures, pazio has them in spades. I work lots of hours. its hard to write your adventures all the time. The adventure paths are well written, and easy to adapt to your game style. Pazio is doing a great job. Big pathfinder fan.
I am not trolling here and don't want to see any negative comments. It is a simple question, are any of you out there just happy with Pathfinder.
Yes.
Biggest plusses/improvements for me: the new base classes & archetypes.
It's the best FRPG I've ever owned/played/GMed. (And I've run BECM D&D, 1e, 2e, 3e, 3.5, GURPS, Rolemaster, WHFRP, & the Conan RPG.)
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I love Pathfinder. As most have said, yes, there are some problems, but they aren't deal-breakers. Truth be told, most of the problems I see brought up on the boards (which are mostly X class is under/overpowered) don't ever come up in my games. The few things I don't like, I house-rule, and if a class or race doesn't fit the campaign, it's not allowed in the campaign.
RPG Superstar 2014 Top 4
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I've been in love with Pathfinder since I got my hands on a print copy of the Beta test. I immediately integrated it with my then ongoing Eberron campaign and loved the results. I have been running Pathfinder games with only sporadic interruptions once a week since then.
My group plays all levels of play, all types of play styles.
I've played D&D from 2nd edition through 3.5, I've played Marvel Superheroes, Shadowrun, Mutants & Masterminds, d20 Modern, and none of them have given me the level of satisfaction that Pathfinder has. I've never subscribed to a game system before or even considered buying as many books from Paizo as I do for Pathfinder.
This is the best tabletop RPG I've ever played, and I can't thank the founding team (and all those who have come and gone since) enough.
Not only is Pathfinder excellent, but the publishing company has the best interaction with the customers/players that I have ever seen out of a publishing company. The transparency of decisions, interaction with fans and dedication enhances every single positive experience I've already had.
Is anyone out there happy with Pathfinder?
I sure as hell am.
I very happy with Pathfinder. Sure I'll complain about the rogue, it needs fixing and I have fixed it in the my games with out a major rules change. Just modification to the class using existing rules base.
I'm thrilled with pathfinder. 4E was such a let down. Pathfinder resurrected my fantasy gaming spirit and even gave him a plus one long sword to boot. I'm a bit sad that Mordenkainen, Leomond, Bigby and Murlynd's spoon didn't officially make it, and the rogue officially looks worse for wear, but all things considered, I am very happy.
I'm quite happy with Pathfinder. It's my favorite version of D&D yet, and I've played every version of D&D, plus a handful of clones.
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Ways you can tell I like Pathfinder:
- I'm currently playing and running Pathfinder games.
- I purchase Pathfinder products.
- I participate in the Pathfinder forums.
- When I see something in Pathfinder that could be better, I have a strong desire to fix it. I don't feel that way about games I dislike.
I really like Pathfinder. It isn't 100% perfect, but nothing with so many rules and options ever could be. I don't find that the minor flaws detract from the experience in any significant way though. It's easy enough to hand-wave anything that isn't working out for your specific group.
People complaining (in a positive and constructive manner) is actually a good thing in most cases. It means they like the game and care about it enough to spend their time talking about how to improve. If people really disliked the game the forums would be empty.
I also give the folks at Paizo kudos for taking the time to read through the forums and interact with their customers. That personal touch and attention from a business is extremely rare.
I am happy with Pathfinder. It's not perfect, but I like it very much.
Is anyone out there just happy with Pathfinder?
Yes
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I love it.
The rules: complex enough for me to sink my nerdy teeth into it, but flexible enough that I can handwave stuff for my inexperienced players.
The setting: Golarion is amazing. First setting that I've really enjoyed studying.
The products: the Adventure Paths would be worth it for the art alone, or the adventures alone, or the setting material alone. And we get all three.
The company: Paizo seems to do almost everything right: great production values, good logistics, an excellent store, solid website design, transparency to customers...
The community: tons of friendly folks on the message boards, with great ideas that help me improve my campaigns. Third-party publishers to fill in any niche I might imagine. PFS games for when I just wanna roll dice instead of GMing.
Nothing is perfect, but just about everything related to Pathfinder makes me happy in some way.
I am not trolling here and don't want to see any negative comments. It is a simple question, are any of you out there just happy with Pathfinder. I know I am, but it seems like all I see is negative thoughts on this game mechanic or that class is over powered or whatever. I just think it would be nice to have one thread out there where people take time to say something nice about Pathfinder, the game, we know the Paizo people are amazing. I see that all over the messageboards and have experienced it myself.
I will start.
I love the class archtypes, I was horrible about multi-classing in 3.5 and never was able to build what I wanted. The archtypes have saved me some serious headaches. Racial substitutions are awesome too, no two (state your race here) need be the same.
I love this game, all the crunch and the fluff of it. I love the feel it gives and the options available to me and my table.
Can it be "better"? Sure, but no game system is perfect. This system is very well supported, new stuff comes out all the time, and the developers are constantly asking for feedback and constructive criticism. That's more than can be said for most of the other game systems out there.
I must be honest, there is very little I like about Pathfinder, or 3.X in general. I play it solely because that is what my friends play.
I'm a total newbie to Pathfinder, but a long time loyal fan of AD&D. Stopped playing for many years and just getting back into it in the last few months. It's been a steep learning curve, especially sense I've been gearing myself up to run a campaign, a lot of catching up, reading and trying to wrap my head around the system. Don't have a lot of time between work and raising a two year old. But I'd have to say... I love pathfinder!!! Haven’t even played a real game yet! I'm buying everything I can afford, which is basically the core rule book, some modules, and a Pathfinder subscription. Next is to find a local group to get my feet wet. Anybody in Orange County CA? There's probably a different post for that but I thought I'd just throw it out there anyway while I was here. Yes, I like Pathfinder. I think one of the things that did it for me was in the intro of the core rule book it was dedicated to Gary Gygax. Like I said... loyal AD&D fan.
We use the investigation skills from Lorefinder and houserule the lorefinder skillpoints.
We start in Golarion the kingmaker kampagne and we change the setting to Eberron.
So we use the Eberron-Conversionguide Pathfinder, too.
But yes, i like pathfinder and golarion, but the homebrew is verry nice (for our group).
I am very happy with Pathfinder.
I am happy with Pathfinder, Yes.
It is a game that, at it's Core, works for me and the people I play with.
Have we changed a few things here and there? Yes.
Do we use a few 3.5 Rules instead of Pathfinder rules when it works for us? Yes.
I am under the impression that any RPG I play in or run will need to be altered before or as the game progresses to mold to the group and Pathfinder has done a wonderful job being molded into something that is fun and exciting.
Good Job, Paizo!
I am not trolling here and don't want to see any negative comments. It is a simple question, are any of you out there just happy with Pathfinder. I know I am, but it seems like all I see is negative thoughts on this game mechanic or that class is over powered or whatever. I just think it would be nice to have one thread out there where people take time to say something nice about Pathfinder, the game, we know the Paizo people are amazing. I see that all over the messageboards and have experienced it myself.
I will start.
I love the class archetypes, I was horrible about multi-classing in 3.5 and never was able to build what I wanted. The archetypes have saved me some serious headaches. Racial substitutions are awesome too, no two (state your race here) need be the same.
I love Pathfinder. Along with most of my gaming group, we've decided this is the last iteration of the Dungeons and Dragons game we'll ever purchase. The few things we don't like we houserule.
I'm happiest that it's run like business. I've seen too many good games run by people with great game ideas, but terrible business sense.
It's a better set of rules, IMHO, than 3.5. And I feel perfectly able to house-rule anything I don't like, so that works for me as well.
Adventures are great, and that's corresponding to my smaller amount of free time to write my own, so double-win there.
I'm not as 100% in love with the setting, it's a trifle too mapped onto the real world, but it's good enough.
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I'm late to the discussion, but I wanted to add my 2¢.
I switched to 4e when it was released because at the time I had no local game store and Barnes and Noble started only carrying 4th Edition books. Years passed and I continued using 4e but my group and I began to realize that it was less a role playing game and more of a strategic one more similar to World of Warcraft and other MMOs than our beloved Dungeons and Dragons.
About a year ago, at the urging of my wife who wanted to play with us but did not like 4th Edition, we switched to Pathfinder. My wife really wanted to role play and I know it can be done with 4th Edition but Pathfinder - being so similar to 3.5 - seemed like a better choice. At first, I was just going to switch our group back to 3.5, but thought it might be a little too complicated for her as a brand new player. To our surprise and delight Pathfinder seemed like a perfect choice since it improved 3.5 and included some aspects of 4th Edition.
The simplified skills really appealed to me and her as well. I no longer had to explain that if she were to play a Rogue she would need both Move Silently and Hide. I could just tell her that she only has to keep track of Stealth. I no longer had to explain that she needed ranks in Search, Listen and Spot, and could instead just take ranks in Perception.
Now, she's playing as a Dwarf Bard, her very first character, and LOVES Lunka. When she first began playing, she said that during combat her character would just run and hide since combat encounters seemed too complex at first. Now, she has pages and pages and pages of spells, magic items, and abilities which she feverishly flips through during each combat encounter in order to help the group and defeat the enemies. ...And typically completely screws me and my monsters in the process. More than a few times I've had to crumple up my current "Boss Monster" and throw it on the ground because she's found a way to totally shut it down. I hate... HATE... Cacophonous Call, which is, of course, her favorite spell.
By switching to Pathfinder, I've converted her from someone who put up with me when I said I was going to play DND to someone who can't wait for our weekly session.
When her parents came to visit us in Palm Desert, CA from Nashville, TN, she even asked me to make them each a player character. When I designed them simple some simple NPC sheets, she told me that wasn't good enough. They needed actual 12th level characters to be the same level as the party. Then announced to our group that not only were they going to meet and play with her parents as guest character but also that these guests would be playing her character's parents as well!
That game was so much fun, it had only one combat encounter for eight hours of play. The majority was role playing between my usual group and her parents as well as skill challenges. Her Dad, who played DND back when Dwarf and Elf were classes, had so much fun with us and has decided to find a Pathfinder group back home in Tennessee so he can keep playing. We already have the Core Rulebook, Advanced Players Guide and Advanced Race Guide put aside for a Father's Day present.
Both her parents asked me to hold onto their character sheets so the next time they visit they can jump into the group again!
No other RPG has ever given me so much fun and creativity. Due to our switch to Pathfinder, my wife has complete embraced the game and gone so far as to support the Dwarven Forge Kickstarter as well as buy me many new minis and current Dwarven Forge 3d terrain.
Long story short, Pathfinder has made me and my wife closer. Instead of just putting up with one of my hobbies, she's completely and totally embraced it as her own as well. In my opinion, no other RPG system could have converted her the way Pathfinder has. It really is a great RPG system.
I am content with PF, but I wouldn't say happy.
Vanacian spellcasting is great for prepared casters, but I hate it for spontaneous casting (and while we're at it, spontaneous casters get completely shafted for no reason). And then Words of Power came out, and while I didn't like it at first, it's beautiful for spontaneous casters. The mixing and matching is so awesome.
The biggest problem is the caster-martial disparity at high levels. I begin to see issues by 4th level spells or so, but at 9th it's just so outrageous. Would you rather be a 17th level caster or 17th level martial at high levels? It's a pretty obvious choice from a pure power perspective.
The main reason I play PF is because most of the people I play tabletop with know the rules and like it. So I just plug along, because my choices are not PF or, say, Shadowrun, but rather between PF and nothing. When it gets to the point that I would rather be at home alone then with my friends playing PF, I will politely bow out of the game.
One last thing. The D20. The D20 is a tyrant, and must be overthrown. Playing games with D6's at its core (GURPS and SR), have made me love the less random feel of it. When STR 7 Wizards can break down doors 20 STR Barbarians fail at, something is wrong. And I've seen something similar happen in a game, though it wasn't that bad.
PF does have a lot of good going for it - the support by Paizo is impressive, and the good books are definitely worth the money. I enjoy the class system, though I dislike the lack of support for multiclassing.
The Golarion setting is fairly impressive, and changing it to suit my tastes is easy enough.
So in conclusion - I play PF because it's what my friends like, what everyone knows, and because it's fairly easy to understand - everyone can pick their engagement level, which is great for my group, since everyone has different amounts of detail they are interested in.