Hello fellow gamers… I have not posted on these boards in a while, so I hope post this in the right place.
I gave D&D 4th ed. a try… I’ve been playing for six months, and will finish the mini campaign I’m running using the system in about two months, but looking to the future, I’ve realized 4th ed. doesn’t do it for me and my players. I’m thinking of using Pathfinder for my next campaign.
This is not meant as an attack on the system, or an attempt to declare one system superior to the other. Different strokes for different folks and all that. I just realize that my long running campaign (over 15 years now) is not a good fit for the new edition and from what I’ve read I think Pathfinder will be a better fit.
I’m getting the book when it comes out, but I don’t think I can wait that long to play, and am getting ready to use the Beta Rules for the game. However, I haven’t been here for all the discussion, and trying to sift through all the posts I’ve been getting a little lost. So I’m asking any hardcore Pathfinders fan for help, any rule change from Beta that’s appeared in the playtest process I should know about? Any pitfall I should avoid anything I should be on the lookout for?
Thank you in advance for any pointers and help you can give me.
Hope everyone has an excellent night.
I gave D&D 4th ed. a try… I’ve been playing for six months, and will finish the mini campaign I’m running using the system in about two months, but looking to the future, I’ve realized 4th ed. doesn’t do it for me and my players. I’m thinking of using Pathfinder for my next campaign.
. . .
Thank you in advance for any pointers and help you can give me.
Hope everyone has an excellent night.
I can certainly see how if you've been playing for 15 years 4th edition might not float your boat. It's a good system, it's just very very different from the system we're use to playing.
>I’m getting the book when it comes out, but I don’t think I can wait that long to play, and am getting ready to use the Beta Rules for the game.
Oh absolutely get the free PDF. That's the way to go. The only down side is if you have several people creating characters at once and one of them needs to look for feats and the other wants to read about bloodlines. But then again, I have the softcover of the Beta rules and I have the same issue with having only one copy of the book when several people need to look up different things.
As far as changes from the Beta, the only one we've incorporated is a change of the DC for Combat Maneuver Bonus from 15 + CMB to 12 + CMB. That seems to make the Combat Maneuvers a bit more useful without making them too deadly.
Another thing that confused me was the Monk's flurry of blows. FOB replaces two weapon fighting feat instead of stacking with it. That confused me but the folks here cleared it up.
The other thing that made me stumble coming from a 3.5 rule set mind set was skill points vs. skill ranks. In PF 1 point buys 1 rank. If you buy a rank in a class skill then you get a one time +3 bonus. That's it. Easy. But I was use to "in class: and "out of class" skills costing different amounts. In PF 1 skill point buys 1 rank.
The guys I play with aren't rules fanatics so we don't get into deep discussions of how well balanced a specific rule is. I know there are people who can discuss why the leveling up of base attack bonus for such and such a class isn't as effective as the advancement of BAB for another class and so on. But we don't worry about that stuff. We just try to play and have fun.
BTW, the Free module "D0 Hollow's Last Hope" is an awesome starting point. Once I downloaded that I had to buy D1, download the free D1.5 and then bought D4 "Hungry are the dead". I'll have to build a couple of home grown adventures in between some of those modules to give my players a chance to level up. But those are some very well written modules. You should at least check out the free ones.
I hope that helps.
Cheers.
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There have been a few rule changes / rule tests since the beta pdf.
- Barbarian Alternate Rage System here
- Alternate Animal Companion here
- Paladin Upgrade features here and here
- Feats from the New Feats Playtesting here
There is also a prestige class pdf here and a magic item creation pdf here
Have fun and don't sweat the small stuff.
Thank you both; this is exactly what I was looking for. I already have the Beta PDF, and I’m getting some of my players to come over and get themselves a copy. I also have the Prestige Classes and Magic Items.
Dru Lee Parsec, I’ve been playing FAR longer than 15 years, 22 years in fact, and the campaign world has been around for that long. The one that’s currently running, version 3, has only been around 15 years. I’m not a rule fanatic either, more interested in the story and having fun, but at least one of my players is very mechanical and I know he will pick the system apart, but I don’t think this is a bad thing.
As far as adventures go, I’ll download any free adventures to see how the implement things, but I rarely (if ever) run modules, I’d much rather tell my own stories. That’s part of the appeal fro me as a DM/GM.
Robert Hawkshaw thanks for the direct links. I’m looking at all this carefully.
If everything turns out the way I plan, I’ll probably be playing Pathfinder in about 8 weeks. I’ll come back here al let you know how it goes…
Have a great day, wherever you are!
Dru Lee Parsec, I’ve been playing FAR longer than 15 years, 22 years in fact, and the campaign world has been around for that long. The one that’s currently running, version 3, has only been around 15 years.
Wow, another long time player! I started way back in the blue box days and then played a LOT of 1st edition but I dropped out for 2nd and 3rd edition and only recently got back into RPGs because of Pathfinder. But you've been running a continuous campaign for 15 years! That's very cool.
Do you have players who have been with you the whole time?
Wow, another long time player! I started way back in the blue box days and then played a LOT of 1st edition but I dropped out for 2nd and 3rd edition and only recently got back into RPGs because of Pathfinder. But you've been running a continuous campaign for 15 years! That's very cool.
Do you have players who have been with you the whole time?
Dru Lee Parsec, I actually started playing while in 8th grade and while none of my original players are still playing with me I still keep in contact with them. I started with D&D, then played AD&D 1st, 2nd (for a REALLY LONG TIME), 3rd, tried 4th and now I’m moving on to Pathfinder. RPGs have always been a passion.
Actually when I rebooted the campaign in 1993, 2 of my current players came on board shortly after. Of the seven players currently playing 2 have been playing with me for 14 years, one 13 years, one for 10 years, one for 7 and two relative newcomers within the last year. So I’ve been blessed with longtime players and as a result long time friendships.
Hello fellow Pathfinder RPG players… Since you were so helpful the first time around, I’m posting here once more. I’m getting ready to start my new Pathfinder campaign next week, and have some players that want to use some 3.5 rules/characters/classes with Pathfinder. I realize the backward compatibility is in effect and I have some ideas how to work with these, but since some of you have been using the system longer I’d like to get your feedback and ideas on this, and see if anyone has worked on this.
One player wants to run a Goliath Dragon Shaman. Goliaths seem to be ok to use as a race, when compared to the Pathfinder Beta races, if a little overpowered. What about the Dragon Shaman, it seems to work ok up to level 11, but after that it seems to be that the class is lacking when compared to other Pathfinder classes. Anyone done any conversion or have any ideas?
Another player wants to run a Tibbit that appeared in the Dragon compendium vol.1, seems like a fun class, and I think I can modify the stats. I’ve never had a tibbit in a campaign, any suggestions?
And lastly, a player wants to create a Monk and take the Whirling Steel strike from Eberron that allows him to use Long Sword with his Flurry of Blows. How does that mesh with the new Monk. I’ve seen it on paper but have not see in run on the table.
Your ideas and feedback is welcome! Hope everyone has a great weekend.
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Hello fellow Pathfinder RPG players… Since you were so helpful the first time around, I’m posting here once more. I’m getting ready to start my new Pathfinder campaign next week, and have some players that want to use some 3.5 rules/characters/classes with Pathfinder. I realize the backward compatibility is in effect and I have some ideas how to work with these, but since some of you have been using the system longer I’d like to get your feedback and ideas on this, and see if anyone has worked on this.
One player wants to run a Goliath Dragon Shaman. Goliaths seem to be ok to use as a race, when compared to the Pathfinder Beta races, if a little overpowered. What about the Dragon Shaman, it seems to work ok up to level 11, but after that it seems to be that the class is lacking when compared to other Pathfinder classes. Anyone done any conversion or have any ideas?
Another player wants to run a Tibbit that appeared in the Dragon compendium vol.1, seems like a fun class, and I think I can modify the stats. I’ve never had a tibbit in a campaign, any suggestions?
And lastly, a player wants to create a Monk and take the Whirling Steel strike from Eberron that allows him to use Long Sword with his Flurry of Blows. How does that mesh with the new Monk. I’ve seen it on paper but have not see in run on the table.
Your ideas and feedback is welcome! Hope everyone has a great weekend.
I haven't played with any of them, but I don't think Whirling Steel Strike would be unbalancing. Longswords are nice, but he still has to get proficiency with them so that costs him two feats to use this. I think that's fair trade.
As for the rest, if you think the Goliath is still too powerful compared to the standard races then you can apply the +1 level adjustment and not let them go up a level until everyone else is going to third.
Dragon Shaman probably has too many dead levels for Pathfinder but I'm not sure how you'd adjust it. On the other hand, if you bring this up to the player and he still wants to play it, I'd let him. It won't overpower things. And if necessary, you can work with him to Pathfinderise it. That way he does most of the work and you can still make changes if he's gone overboard.
EDIT: And, of course, as DM you can always refuse to allow in anything you don't like the look of.
Incidentally, Tibbit is a race not a class. What class is he proposing?
And lastly, a player wants to create a Monk and take the Whirling Steel strike from Eberron that allows him to use Long Sword with his Flurry of Blows. How does that mesh with the new Monk. I’ve seen it on paper but have not see in run on the table.
For what it's worth, I have a Pathfinder monk/sorcerer that is using Serpent Strike (flurry with longspear) from Eberron. I think it's working fine so far. I even sweet-talked the DM into allowing it as a monk bonus feat.
hogarth, thanks for the feedback… I’ll look into it. It goes so well with the character concept I may give it as a bonus.