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I kep hearing people say that, instead of going to D&D 4e, they switched to Pathfinder or that Pathfinder reminds them of older D&D versions WAY more than 4e.

I've only recently heard of Pathfinder. I've only ever seen it mentioned here on Dakka, and I've only ever seen ONE book for it in FLGS's.

I'd appreciate ANY input anyone could give on the game. Whether it's a brief synopsis of the system, the "stock" setting or your personal experiences... I'd love to read about it.


Thanks.

Eric

It is almost EXACTLY like 3.5. I am in a campaign of it now and am going on my rules knowledge of 3.5 most of the time. I have yet to be wrong.

So what are the differences? Does it have good support material?

This interests me too. I've been thinking of joining D&D but put it off after hearing the negative comments about 4th. Hopefully this solves my problem.

Pathfinder is a "3.75" edition of D&D, basically, from an independent publisher. It takes the approach of tweaking 3.5 instead of the more radical approach of 4th edition. Lots of folks who were overall happy with 3.5 and didn't want a radical change are switching to Pathfinder instead of 4th.

I've heard some good things about their product support.

I am no expert, but from what I've seen there are a TON of support materials, supplements, etc.

So, if it's like a D&D 3.75, could you explain where it diverges from 3.5?

Thanks!

Eric

Publisher website here:

http://paizo.com/paizo

Eric, I would guess that there are too many little tweaks to summarize easily, though I actually haven't played Pathfinder yet. I downloaded the rulebook PDF when it was in the beta test stage and available for free, but haven't given it more than a quick read-through.

Some good comments here by the game devs.

http://paizo.com/paizo/blog

every base class level (rogue, barbarian, etc) has a reason to take it instead of just prestiging ASAP like was the norm in 3/3.5. you generally choose a base class when you make the character and you get a bonus HP or skill point when you take it. also, every class has some benefit/class ability at every level so you're never getting nothing special like the odd numbered fighter levels in 3/3.5. unique seldom used mechanics like trip and grappling have been combined into one mechanic listed on the char sheet so you don't have to look up the rules everytime someone does them. skills also have been simplified using common sense (for example perception now includes search, spot, listen). those are the general biggies that i noticed.

It should also be noted that the book weighs 400 lb.s

. . . because it combines the PHB and DMG into one handy $50 dollar tome.

Pathfinder fixes little things about 3.5 that were wonky. If you founded a religion worshiping 3.5 after 4th Edition was announced (as many did) you will not notice any of these fixes because you're too busy fighting the heresy that is progress in games development ("it's liek WoW hurrdurr!!!!1!"). If you remember the awkward results following grapple attempts in 3.0 and (yes, even) 3.5 then these sorts of fixes will delight you. Before 4th was announced, a friend of mine and I sat down with 3.5 and wrote our own rules update. Nearly everything she and I covered was dealt with in Pathfinder plus Paizo did more. One key selling point is Paizo's attitude toward the base classes. Often times in Wizards' 3.5 materials, there was an overshadowing of the base classes for silly unnecessary prestige classes. Paizo decided they wanted to make taking 20 levels in any base class (as opposed to just cleric and druid) worthwhile. Even the Pathfinder Fighter could be fun to do all twenty levels with, IMO. (The DMG prestige classes are also somewhat rebuilt and I think there are plans to release other non-setting-specific ones in the future. In any case, Paizo shows no signs of abandoning the Pathfinder franchise any time soon.)

As for the non-core materials . . . well, I think they are pretty mediocre. They have none of the gravity of the Realms, none of the novelty of Eberron, none of the cachet of Planescape, none of the romance of DragonLance, etc, etc. It's just middle of the road fantasy. There're some interesting rules packed up in the Paizo setting (called Golarion, IIRC) but it's nothing you would miss overmuch if you focused on homebrewing or adapting one of the TSR/Wizards settings.

Bottom Line: Is it more fun than 3.5? Yes, if you are a lawyer (IRL and rules) like me, who plays D&D with other lawyers. If not, it is pretty much indistinguishable except for the cooler base classes and notable absence of Wizards IP like Beholders and Illithid.