I would say that about a forth to one half of my players would be served better by a system drastically simpler than Pathfinder. I've tried to go about with the Beginner Box with expanded rules but players seem to resent not going past level 5 and not being able to go epic. So I've been on the lookout for an alternative to Pathfinder for the players that aren't too great at the game so I can still run some good games without having to double check their character sheets every level but expansive enough for them to grow in system mastery and have fun creating a character that feels unique.
At some point I picked up 5e's player handbook and monster manual. and while that's been great it runs against my sensibilities so frequently. I'm currently playing a game and I'm not entirely convinced that enough modularity can be introduced in later releases to please me. The DMG seems to have no rhyme or reason to the monster stats and little in ways to actually build my own monsters and if there isn't an srd soon I feel compelled to sell my books.
I've taken side glances at Sean K Reynold's Five Moons and the more information I get the more it seems closer to what I'm looking for in a simplified but sensible Pathfinder alternative. However despite my digging I know almost nothing about it.
Am I missing something with 5e? Because so far it seems universally liked and I could just be a grumpy grognard.
Is Five Moons good so far? I see good things but most comments I've seen towards it was that they don't trust Sean K Reynold's sense of balance by reputation. Since I only started playing a few years ago I'm not completely familiar with that reputation.
Any help?
Might I suggest Swords & Wizardry? The PDF is free.
I got it out of curiosity a while ago but am currently still reading it. Any high points on it as a system?
Never mind on swords and wizardry. Definitely too old school and narrow for me.
If you want a system that is not quite Pathfinder---13th Age or Five Moons is worth a look.
As far as selling you on Five Moons---it is Sean K. Reynold's system and not really in print yet---so you would have to go on just the value of his name.
5E---New player advantage system---new ways to deal with healing---spell slots ( but more flexible spell slots )
I know not everyone has the extra $$ to spend on a book that they will not use---but every game system out there has pros and cons---read the systems and take away what you like or move on to another system
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13th Age is simpler than Pathfinder, but not drastically so. It doesn't delve into specifics as much as Pathfinder, something which is clear from how the game treats skills (or backgrounds), but it's also apparent in what the game does with things like environmental damage and skill DCs. (Basically: environmental damage is not a factor of stuff like "how hot is it" or "how big a distance did you fall," but based on a simple "is this environment adventurer/champion/epic tier, and would the source of damage qualify as a low-damage or a high-damage source?" equation. Similarly, with skill DCs you just need to know the tier of the environment and whether it's an easy/moderate/hard check.)
So, basically 13th Age doesn't have quite as many specific rules as Pathfinder, but beyond that it's got pretty much the same amount of crunch. Even though the combat system is more abstract than Pathfinder's (no exact distances, just abstract distances like engaged/nearby/far) it still has about the same amount of depth. However, if you're not going to miss fiddling around with a square grid, the freedom afforded by the looser distances and positioning makes combat run somewhat more quickly.
Also, feats, which I think are categorically one of the biggest sources of complexity in Pathfinder, are somewhat more straight-forward: instead of having a laundry list of feats to choose from, each feat is tied to a specific class feature, talent, power or racial ability (with the exception of a very small list of general feats available to everyone), so there are not quite as many feats to choose from each level.
Also, 13th Age is fun. Like, really really fun.
If you want a system that is not quite Pathfinder---13th Age or Five Moons is worth a look.
As far as selling you on Five Moons---it is Sean K. Reynold's system and not really in print yet---so you would have to go on just the value of his name.
5E---New player advantage system---new ways to deal with healing---spell slots ( but more flexible spell slots )
I know not everyone has the extra $$ to spend on a book that they will not use---but every game system out there has pros and cons---read the systems and take away what you like or move on to another system
But you do not need money to try out 5th edition. Just go to their site and download the free basic rules.
Although already somewhat moot. I already have the Player's Guide and Monster Manual. My main problem is that Five moons is starting to look appealing because it touches on points that bug me about Pathfinder and looks as expansive but still simple enough where I don't have to educate players on how the system works for too long. However that playing niche is why I had gotten 5th edition and 5e is starting to annoy me for irrational reasons. I'm also not too keen on keeping multiple systems. I already have Dungeon Crawl Classics (which annoys me for new reasons) FATE (which I can never get players for) and a homebrew game I made a decade ago (which I will never finish)
I know I took a look at 13th age and had passed on it. I don't know why so I'll take another look.