The only person trying to make it into 4e vs Pathfinder is you. One could easily tell that judging by your very confrontational posts on the other thread.
So here, let me alter the tread for you:
I'm not a huge fan of 4e, but I like some of the stuff in it, so I've grabbed it and converted it. I wonder if it's going to go the same way. For 4e players, do you think there's anything from Pathfinder you might nick for your own games?
Ok we don't know each other. Let me explain again. I currently run 4e, and white wolf. I play 4e, 3e, Rifts, Gurps and M&M along with a bunch of board games that I calll rp lite. I am not just a D&D fan, but a role playing fan.
Now you say my post are confrontational, maybe they are, but I jumped in to a thread to see the slling points and land right were I hate landing in a edtion war (albe it a small one) and yes I choose a side.
Now I also down loaded BOTH the alpha and beta of Pathfinder, and I found it lacking. I am hopeing threads like this can show me the saving grace. All I see is, well I will let Matthew say it better then I can.
If there was no 4e, there would be no Pathfinder.
Paizo's flagship is not the Pathfinder RPG, it's the Pathfinder Adventure Paths. The RPG exists because Paizo did not want to convert to 4e. They don't want their APs to use a rule set no longer in print, so they decided to print their own book, and while they were at it update a few things.
See I was looking through my conveson book for 3.5 and remember that it lasted all of 1 month before I said #%$@ it and bought the 3.5 books, becuse it is easier then cross refrenceing. I also remember the "evil corp" talk becuse it should have been just a new edtion, or it should be left alone, and eaither way it is way too soon.
Now I look at his and see basicly fighting thoughts...make it back compatable....fix the problems. Well you can't serve 2 masters, and I see them failing at both.
How ever Scribble is better at this then I seam to be:
Umm... I could be reading it wrong, but he seems to have specifically taken 4e out of the equation in this post.
He seems to be asking:
What is it about Pathfinder that makes it worth purchasing. From my point of view it seems to be somewhat at odds with itself. In one case it seems it's supposed to continu support for 3.5... In the other it seems to be about fixing some of the 3.5 knows issues.
1. Is it about being compatible with 3.5? If so then put through his question we seem to get:
What makes this worth buying for someone who already owns the 3e rule books? (Aside from one day yours might wear out.)
2. Is this about fixing issues with 3.5? If so then put through his question we seem to get:
What fixes new features does it enact that make this purchase worth "upgrading" to, rather then sticking with 3.5 (which has lots of source books, some of which cannot be updated in Pathfinder.)
In addition, aside from Pathfinder Vrs 3e, he also seems to just want to know in general, what makes pathfinder better then other RPGs entirely (not D&D or D20 related) that he could spend his money on.
I could be wrong though.
You are not wrong, you hit the nail on the head.
Keep in perspective that gamers jumping into 4e from 3.5e are potentially throwing away dozens of 3.5e books and "rebuying" a whole new set of D&D books for 4e.
or throwing away all the 3.5 books for path finder ones....6 of one half a dozen of the other...
Pathfinder is 3.5e revised. The core classes have been bumped in power level to coincide with the power levels of later released base classes and PrCs. Most of those and the books they are in won't need to be adjusted much or at all. Currently our game group is playing Pathfinder Beta until August release of the game and our DM is running the 3.5e Shackled City Campaign with little or no adjustments.
Inless a PC has and wants to play a warlock, a swordsage, a scout, a hexblade, or a Archivast. See none of those classes are out of balance by the base 3.5 book, but by upping the base book, they are now weaker...and don't even get me started on prestige classes...
Every 3.5 book, every feat, every class now must be weighed. Is this ok or does it need to be changed? Is the Binder one of those classes that was too powerful, or was it just right, but now too weak? What about shadowcaster? Warblade??
Whether picking up the Pathfinder core book or not will be entirely up to the individual. If you pick it up and like what you see you can use it along with all the wonderful Paizo support materials (modules, campaign setting, item cards, adventure paths, etc.), all your current 3.5e books and other 3e materials.
Except one problem. If I sit down to play pathfinder and my friend ross says "Can I play a Elan Warblade/Soul Knife" and my friend Bob says "Can I try Magic of Incarnum, but be a Golaith" What do I say?
A) Sure, but I need to rebuild the races, and classes
B) No they didn't update those rules so those 4 books don't count anymore
or c) Um yea, lets just hope there is no funky intermix problems...
And agian...Forget 4e, lets say WotC went out of buisness so no new 3.5 D&D books, but no new edtion eaither...what make this better then playing with what I have, or another system??