Our gaming group is starting a new campaign, and we may use Pathfinder for our core rules. We are a pretty hardened group, with experience from AD&D to 4.0. We spent a lot of time in 3.0/3.5, disliked 4.0 (WoW on paper), tried the original AD&D with modifications, and have decided to go back into 3.5, but with limitations.
I purchased the Pathfinder PDF, and noticed many of the feats and spells that I was familiar with in 3.5 are absent.
What has been your experience with using Pathfinder and incorporating spells and feats from 3.5 into Pathfinder? Is that a bad idea or a good idea? Does it unbalance the game? I'd like to know what the Pathfinder veterans have to say about this. Thanks.
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
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First, welcome to the Pathfinder RPG! :-)
mixing in 3.5 content contains many of the same risks of mixing 3.5 content in 3.5. Interactions may occur that are not intended.
Anything that affects Grapple/Sunder/other things now covered by a CMB/CMD check will need to be re-evaluated. Same thing for turn undead/channel energy (nightsticks come to mind)
General rule? Allow what you will, but include the caveat that your GM can modify, restrict the allowed item going forward (and allowing the PC to reselect the feat/spell/whatever.)
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Stormjack,
You are posting in the Beginner Box section. Are you using the Beginner Box PDF or the Core Rulebook PDF ?
The Beginner Box rules are a reduced set of the full Pathfinder feats, spells, skills, classes, etc. Also, many more feats and spells are available in other Paizo books (just like 3.5). If you add in 3.5 elements you run the risk of duplicating things already in Pathfinder that you haven't seen yet.
But it is your game. Play it the way you want to - as long as you are not making Pathfinder Society characters this way. It sounds like your group has enough experience to deal with any hiccups you might encounter.
@Matthew, Thanks for the guidance. Grapple was one of the problems we found.
@Don, We are playing with the Core Rulebook. As we're beginners with Pathfinder, I figured this would be the correct place to post this question. Should I repost it in a different forum?
I'll have someone move the thread. :)
My experience is take every feat and spell on a case by case basis. Talk it over with your dm (or player if you are the dm) and if you arent sure come here for advice.
There are lots of subtle tweaks in the game system that affect specific options. Big ones like Grapple/trip/bull rush becoming Combat Manuevers is one of the flagship changes that is pretty obvious and really any 3.5 feats around that are probably not going to convert easily. But there are other less obvious changes that are still important. For instance, casting defensively has been made intentionally much harder then it was in 3.5 (particularly at low levels), so any feat or option (such as an item from the magic item compendium) that allows you to bypass this check is more valuable then it was in 3.5 when the check was much easier.
Also feats that work like power attack and combat expertise would need to be altered (take x penalty gain y benefit scaling together) since that in pathfinder has been standardized instead of being a variable choice at each use.
Spells also require alot of examination but really the same amount they did in 3.5 If a spell didnt give you trouble in 3.5 it should probably go ok in pathfiner, but its worth reviewing with the player and dm before selecting.
Really there is just alot of judgement calls to be made when including 3.5 material. So take it case by case.
Thanks everyone! We've decided to go with the straight Pathfinder core rule book. I appreciate all the good feedback.
To be honest, if your group is very familiar with 3.5, I think you'd probably be just as well off playing 3.5 and adding various bits and pieces you like from Pathfinder (like the skill system, say).
The problem is that it'd take forever to go through the book and find all of the differences between 3.5 and PFRPG. For instance, I've been playing since Pathfinder came out, and I still couldn't tell you if Pathfinder's version of the Haste spell is different from the 3.5 version. I'm sure it's not much different, but I really don't know if they changed it or not.
Giant in the Playground has a nice thread on the differences between 3.5 and Pathfinder
Postscript: I checked the Pathfinder PRD against the d20 SRD and I noticed that one sentence is slightly different. Now I can sleep easy tonight. :-)
my recomendation is to allow or convert (nearly) everything a roleplayer wants and that is fun, and disallow everything a powergamer wants.
Pathfinder is very good on its own, the 3.5 compatible was a nice point back when only the core book was available, but in my opinion it's only a minor point now.