Quote from: Crüesader;905156So basically if I have 3/3.5 D&D this book would be a waste.  Got it.

No.

Pathfinder was initially released around 2007-2008. Years later it consists of hundreds of books, rules variations, mutations, extentions and plug-ins not to mention separate games running on its core mechanics (some damn awesome). Therefore, contrary to popular beliefs, Pathfinder is now much more than "3.5+ badly implemented house rules". You might not be happy with specific books, find them useless, or even pointless, but as a whole it's a massive ecosystem that no longer should be perceived as "oh, just a collection of patches and erratas.".

Fun fact: plenty of people collect PFRPG books because they find them very well done, nice to look at & such. I recall Paizo admitting that - they said they understand that they realize some people who buy their books never put them into actual use.

Quote from: Crüesader;905184That was the other thing.  I tend to be apprehensive of books that seem uncomfortable to hold while you're on the crapper.

And now you know why no one steals my books.

or play with them.

Quote from: Crüesader;905156So basically if I have 3/3.5 D&D this book would be a waste.  Got it.

No.  Pathfinder is based on D&D 3.5 but not identical to it.  It has a lot of tweaks here and there to make the system work better.  One is consolidating skills to simplify skill selection and use.  Search, spot and listen are all consolidated into the perception skill in Pathfinder for example.  I think it runs better than D&D 3.5 but YMMV.  Paizo also makes an extensive line of material written for Pathfinder that would require conversion to use with D&D 3.5.  Whether that matters to you depends on how much you are interested in the stuff Paizo is putting out.

I run Pathfinder regularly and I consider it an improvement over D&D 3.5 but it is what it is.  It's a flavor of D&D.  As for the physical book, I run Pathfinder regularly and own one but I never use it at the tabletop.  I use the PRD.

Pathfinder drives me crazy, it's similar enough to 3.5ed that I can never keep the differences straight but different enough that I actually have to keep them straight. Made my brain hurt. It also seemed to systematically make all of the things I didn't like about 3.5ed worse.

With TSR D&D on the other hand I could never keep the differences between different versions straight but that didn't ever really matter.

Quote from: JesterRaiin;905186Fun fact: plenty of people collect PFRPG books because they find them very well done, nice to look at & such. I recall Paizo admitting that - they said they understand that they realize some people who buy their books never put them into actual use.

Didn't they also admit that some of their fans buy their adventures to read, not play?

Quote from: One Horse Town;905189or play with them.

Actually, in most groups I play with- we all have our own books or at least a PDF.  The only exception will be the GM, who'll usually have others.

Quote from: Pat;905196Didn't they also admit that some of their fans buy their adventures to read, not play?

I believe so.

Quote from: Daztur;905195Pathfinder drives me crazy, (...)

What's your opinion towards PFRPG-based games, like Midgard, Freeport, The Great City?

Quote from: JesterRaiin;905186No.

Pathfinder was initially released around 2007-2008. Years later it consists of hundreds of books, rules variations, mutations, extentions and plug-ins not to mention separate games running on its core mechanics (some damn awesome). Therefore, contrary to popular beliefs, Pathfinder is now much more than "3.5+ badly implemented house rules". You might not be happy with specific books, find them useless, or even pointless, but as a whole it's a massive ecosystem that no longer should be perceived as "oh, just a collection of patches and erratas.".

Fun fact: plenty of people collect PFRPG books because they find them very well done, nice to look at & such. I recall Paizo admitting that - they said they understand that they realize some people who buy their books never put them into actual use.

Quote from: yosemitemike;905190No.  Pathfinder is based on D&D 3.5 but not identical to it.  It has a lot of tweaks here and there to make the system work better.  One is consolidating skills to simplify skill selection and use.  Search, spot and listen are all consolidated into the perception skill in Pathfinder for example.  I think it runs better than D&D 3.5 but YMMV.  Paizo also makes an extensive line of material written for Pathfinder that would require conversion to use with D&D 3.5.  Whether that matters to you depends on how much you are interested in the stuff Paizo is putting out.

I run Pathfinder regularly and I consider it an improvement over D&D 3.5 but it is what it is.  It's a flavor of D&D.  As for the physical book, I run Pathfinder regularly and own one but I never use it at the tabletop.  I use the PRD.

You two might actually have me considering the purchase.  I'll see if I can't find one of those bookstore gift cards that I got and see if I can knock it down below $30.00.  If so, it'll be a purchase.

Anything really useful you suggest ordering if I buy it?

Quote from: Crüesader;905200Anything really useful you suggest ordering if I buy it?

1. Check reviews first. PFRPG is one of those games certain people love to hate, so pretty much everything what was released is already covered by someone out there. Reviews might be biased, but you can read between lines and find what the stuff is all about.
2. Make sure you really need the physical book. SRD contains pretty much all official material and stays up to date.
3. Don't think about CRUNCH alone. PFRPG features metric ton of fluff/setting focused books.
4. Some suggestions (in this specific order):

http://paizo.com/products/btpy8ief

http://paizo.com/products/btpy8x64?Pathfinder-Roleplaying-Game-Ultimate-Campaign

http://paizo.com/products/btpy8ffn

http://paizo.com/products/btpy978v?Pathfinder-Roleplaying-Game-Advanced-Class-Guide

http://paizo.com/products/btpy8rv2?Pathfinder-Roleplaying-Game-Advanced-Race-Guide

http://paizo.com/products/btpy8fo1?Pathfinder-Roleplaying-Game-Advanced-Players-Guide

...and of course bestiaries.

The rest are purely optional IMHO, but these ones are damn useful.

As for 3rd party stuff, I strongly suggest looking at what Dreamscarred and Kobold Press have in stores. They produce really useful stuff.


Oh, do remember, that it is useful to stop perceiving Pathfinder as "merely" sword & sorcery fantasy.

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Nowadays it's OFTEN like this:

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In fact, if you think about it, Pathfinder's setting resembles now old installments of Might & Magic, especially Xeen stage.

Quote from: Crüesader;905200Anything really useful you suggest ordering if I buy it?

This is a minor thing, but check out what printing of the Core Rulebook you're about to buy. Paizo incorporates errata each time a book has a new printing, and the Core Rulebook is currently on its sixth printing, so that's ideally the one you want.

Insofar as "really useful" goes, you're best served by checking out the PRD and d20PFSRD. The former is Paizo's own repository of the Open Game Content from their hardcover books, while the latter is a fan repository of Paizo's Open Game Content from their hardcover books, a lot of their softcover books, and some of the more-acclaimed third-party books.

Quote from: JesterRaiin;905206Oh, do remember, that it is useful to stop perceiving Pathfinder as "merely" sword & sorcery fantasy.  /snip/

In fact, if you think about it, Pathfinder's setting resembles now old installments of Might & Magic, especially Xeen stage.

I'm not familiar with that.  But I do like the whole magitech and weird west stuff.  Where can I get that?

Fun fact, I always thought the Warforged were cool as hell, but no one wants you to be a Warforged Juggernaut.  Plebs.

Quote from: Crüesader;905209I'm not familiar with that.  But I do like the whole magitech and weird west stuff.  Where can I get that?

By default, the game is void of both "magitech" and Fantasy Weird West, they show up in additional sourcebooks.

FWW's most iconic thing is Gunslinger class which was first (IIRC) introduced in Ultimate Combat sourcebook, alongside Ninja and Samurai.

http://paizo.com/products/btpy8mcz?Pathfinder-Roleplaying-Game-Ultimate-Combat

There are some additional elements, like equipment, and scenarios that put Gunslinger class into use, but so far there's not that much material covering FWW.

There's more material for "magitech" which, among other things, allows to play as Android PC:

http://paizo.com/products/btpy98i0?Pathfinder-Campaign-Setting-Technology-Guide

http://paizo.com/products/btpy978l?Pathfinder-Campaign-Setting-Numeria-Land-of-Fallen-Stars

and a whole campaign (Adventure Path) titled "Iron Gods":

http://paizo.com/pathfinder/adventurePath/ironGods/

There are also some nice scenarios (modules) that take place in Numeria, where technology meets magic:

http://paizo.com/products/btpy97n7?Pathfinder-Society-Scenario-6-03-The-Technic-Siege

QuoteFun fact, I always thought the Warforged were cool as hell, but no one wants you to be a Warforged Juggernaut.  Plebs.

PFRPG has its own version of Warforged, called Gearforged (my, my, how original!) introduced in 3rd party supplement:

http://paizo.com/products/btpy925h/discuss?Advanced-Races-3-Gearforged

And I agree, people who fear the Juggernaut are philistines.

I liked Pathfinder right up until the end of the beta when they decided to take a machete to the Fighter because it was deemed 'OP' compared to almost every other class that could waggled it's dick and reshape reality.

As for the art a few posts above mine, how to Piazo not get crucified by the SJW crowd for that first piece of art?  Male gaze and cheesecake galore.

Quote from: Warboss Squee;905217As for the art a few posts above mine, how to Piazo not get crucified by the SJW crowd for that first piece of art?  Male gaze and cheesecake galore.

That's why:

http://paizo.com/paizo/blog/v5748dyo5lgcn

http://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Anevia_Tirabade



Once you throw homosex and genderfluidity in, you're "protected".

Quote from: Crüesader;905184That was the other thing.  I tend to be apprehensive of books that seem uncomfortable to hold while you're on the crapper.

And now you know why no one steals my books.

Because they're afraid you could track them by some mysterious way:)?

Quote from: Crüesader;905209I'm not familiar with that.  But I do like the whole magitech and weird west stuff.  Where can I get that?

In Deadlands, of course!

Accept no second-hand substitute;)!