This is a summary of my Pathfinder play experience. Hopefully its of interest to those who are curious as to how it works.
It started with the DM us through KotS using the 4E rules. The actual campaign was always going to be in his homebrew world but the module was an excuse for us to see what rules set we would use. With 4E unanimously nixed (I think WOTC did themselves a major disservice by chosing such a shoddy module as H1 to be their intro to 4E) we decided to give Pathfinder a go. Why Pathfinder and not 3.5? I guess we were looking for something a little different and we'd all liked the look of some of the tweaks revealed in the Beta version.
Play started about 3 months ago, with the first two sessions using the Beta rules and then a switch over to the official relase rules.
Impressions of Pathfinder Basically it IS 3.5. This was hammered home when my copy of the rules finally arrived. It really didn't take long to go through the massive book because I was so familiar with most of it. The real differences are the slight powerups for all the classes, especially some of the weaker classes in 3.5 like the bard. A mechanism was also built in to reward those who don't multiclass (essentially you get an extra skill point or hp for every level you take in your preferred class).
Other changes of note are a simplication of the forumulas used to award xp and calculate ancounter levels. Also, the problematical polymorph spells have been split up into about a dozen lesser spells, each one much better defined. The complexities of special combat manueovres have been reduced by having the player use a universal combat manueovre bonus which is added to a d20 roll against a defenders static combat manueovre defence. This hasn't come up yet but I anticipate that once we are used to the rule it will save quite a bit of time. The skill system also got a much needed tidy up, with the removal of the annoying 4Xlevel skill points mechanic and the amalgamation of some key skills.
Things that we have actually noticed in play (DM is running pathfinder module Shadow in the Sky but set in his homebrew world):
- The skills system is much better in terms of building characters.
- We liked the improvements made to the bard and druid. While the bard is definitley not a powerhouse, its versatility is more of an asset than in previous editions. Its a viable character who can contribute in a wide variety of situations. The campaign isn't excessively combat heavy, giving the character plenty of scope. We liked the fact that the druid could trade in their animal companion (we tend to find these tedious and just more crap to track in combat) for access to a clerical domain and extra spells.
- The index in the Pathfinder rules is not up to scratch. Not nearly detailed enough, about my only real criticism of the rules in relation to 3.5).
- Combat doesn't run appreciably quicker or slower. We started out at first level, however, so the real test will come much later as we advance to significant levels).
More to come later.
Quote from: Fiasco;334605- The skills system is much better in terms of building characters.
VERY much this. Seems like a detail compared to other, more targeted changes to the rules, but we created a rogue for my wife using the Pathfinder rules, and we did feel the difference. The two things IME taking the most time in generating a 3.5 character are the skill ranks repartition and the feat(s) selection, assuming you have an idea of the type of character you want to build. The latter might not have improved, but the former certainly did with Pathfinder RPG.
Quote from: Fiasco;334605- The index in the Pathfinder rules is not up to scratch. Not nearly detailed enough, about my only real criticism of the rules in relation to 3.5).
I agree.
Quote from: Fiasco;334605- Combat doesn't run appreciably quicker or slower. We started out at first level, however, so the real test will come much later as we advance to significant levels).
Are there characters in the group with schticks based on maneuvers like disarm, trip, grapple and such?
Were you using 3.5 monsters still? Or is the Bestiary out already? I ordered a copy from my local Barnes & Noble but it is not in yet.
Quote from: Galeros;334676Were you using 3.5 monsters still? Or is the Bestiary out already? I ordered a copy from my local Barnes & Noble but it is not in yet.
The Bestiary releases in October. I pre-ordered it from Paizo, and it's not out yet.
There are previews available though, as well as the Bonus Bestiary, which provide you with lots of tools to convert monsters already (they're not just catalogs of monsters, but showcase some common monsters traits and abilities converted to the PF's specificities).
Quote from: Benoist;334691The Bestiary releases in October. I pre-ordered it from Paizo, and it's not out yet.
There are previews available though, as well as the Bonus Bestiary, which provide you with lots of tools to convert monsters already (they're not just catalogs of monsters, but showcase some common monsters traits and abilities converted to the PF's specificities).
Thanks.:)
Quote from: Benoist;334674Are there characters in the group with schticks based on maneuvers like disarm, trip, grapple and such?
Not really, no. We have a Bard, Monk/Druid, Sorcerer with the undead bloodline and a paladin/barbarian (I think).
The module is surprisingly investigative so there is lots of uses for the non combat skills.
The monsters are largely from module and the rest from 3.5. The systems are so close that there is absolutly no issues using 3.5 material (the module is also 3.5, I believe).