Pathfinder 1E Proposal - LEW with Pathfinder Rules

[renau1g]

So over in Talking the Talk there's been some discussion about a living Pathfinder or converting LEW to Pathfinder rules. Personally, I'm not super familiar with LEW, but thought I'd propose that LEW continue to use all the tremendous fan-produced material, but convert from 3.5e rules to the Pathfinder ones. All the locations are the same, gods are the same that are currently used here. There's an SRD for it so everyone can use one set of rules/source. It might drive a bit more traffic here and bring in some new blood. I'd hate to see all the work that's gone into it fade away.


http://www.enworld.org/forum/talking-talk/271165-lew-pathfinder-rules.html

 

[HolyMan]

If I could vote, (and I can't ) It would be a big YES! We have the basics and the outline what I think is happening to LEW is the system.

Now don't get me wrong here I am a big 3.5 supporter and I have been playing D&D from the beginning (well I never played Chainmail but I did play AD&D). And 3.5 is the best to date and PF is just the younger brother that was raised in a different decade. The same but getting all the new improved toys. (Nintendo rocked/ X-Box360 bites LOL)

And before anyone asks the question of how much work will this raise, I think we should ask how many LEW players are in favor of the change.

The map/history/gods/what has gone before all stays. All we should do is change the rule system we are using.

HM

 

[covaithe]

I don't mind PF; I see it as a slight improvement on 3.5.

It would be quite a lot of work, though, converting and checking all the characters. Even all the active characters. Skills alone have had enough of a revamp that I'd feel the need to start fresh.

Given my choice, I'd prefer to stick with 3.5 out of sheer laziness. But if there's a lot of excitement about switching to PF, I could probably be talked into it.

 

[HolyMan]

What if we were have people to start make new first level PF characters they could play as we did the work of making conversions for those who are higher lvl?

And ask for people to help check new characters, maybe a players helping players thread. So the characters can get a pre-lookover before they are submitted. And does anyone know if there are conversion rules already out there for 3.5 to PF?

Should do some brainstorming about things we would need and find people to help.

HM

 

[Trouvere]

No. Also, officially, irrevocably, NO.

I see no gain from wrecking the remaining active characters - I know for sure none of mine convert properly as intended to Pathfinder - and providing a barrier to re-entry for every past player who regains interest and wants to pick up their old PC again.

As for running existing 3.5 and new PF characters alongside one another... well, you just can't do it. They can't co-exist in the same adventures. You'd simply be hijacking LEW.

Is there really that much more interest in PF than 3.5? I suppose there probably is. It has a few more shiny bells and whistles. So, start a new Pathfinder living world. Fix the conceptual problems with Enworld, while you're at it. I'd even play in it.

 

[Maidhc O Casain]

Paizo published a Conversion Document. It's a free download.

I've not been involved in LEW, but would consider becoming involved with a switch to Pathfinder.

 

[Walking Dad]

Hi, I think the current judges should get a vote for this. The game judging (and taking a game over in the case of missing DMs) and the character approval is a lot of work. Would they continue to do it? Anyone else who wants to do it?

Conversion of the characters shouldn't be to hard in most cases:

- Skills (more easy actually)
- CMB / CMD
- HP (favored classes/improved HD)

Possible problems:

- No pathfinder psionics, yet
- Second ability bonus
- Different Point buy method

The conversion guide is free, but you need to log in:
paizo.com - Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Conversion Guide (OGL) PDF

Edit: Ninja-ed by Mowgly

 

[HolyMan]

We were thinking about a PF living world but like covaithe we are prone to laziness. Also would like to keep the world going.

My suggestion was to only play the new PF characters while conversion was going on. We are at a good place to try this, mostly all active LEW players have an open slot for a character. We run a few sewer tromping/cave crawling adventures, while ironing out the bugs.

And more and more PF games are making their way to the Playing the Game thread. Most 3.5 games are old ones that have been around a long time.

HM

 

[Walking Dad]

No. Also, officially, irrevocably, NO.

I see no gain from wrecking the remaining active characters - I know for sure none of mine convert properly as intended to Pathfinder - and providing a barrier to re-entry for every past player who regains interest and wants to pick up their old PC again.

As for running existing 3.5 and new PF characters alongside one another... well, you just can't do it. They can't co-exist in the same adventures. You'd simply be hijacking LEW.

Is there really that much more interest in PF than 3.5? I suppose there probably is. It has a few more shiny bells and whistles. So, start a new Pathfinder living world. Fix the conceptual problems with Enworld, while you're at it. I'd even play in it.

Any problem with using the same setting?

And no offense, but serious questions:

Who is still playing LEW? (I do, and I knew the ones from HolyMan's game.)

Why would they be wrecked?

...

And more and more PF games are making their way to the Playing the Game thread. Most 3.5 games are old ones that have been around a long time.

HM

The oldest 3.5 game I'm playing in (played the character from level 1 to 4) has just converted to Pathfinder.

 

[Trouvere]

Any problem with using the same setting?

It would feel a little derivative, no? I've gone through this before, though, probably ad several people's nauseam. The problem with LEW's Enworld is that the mapped local area is very large and very safe, as evidenced by the continued existence of old cities across it. All that nice world-building work contains the seeds of its own destruction. The local area is suitable for low level adventurers but must become either cartoonishly unrealistic or be changed beyond recognition (thereby becoming unsuitable for low level PCs) once we have a lot of higher level adventurers who need to fight terrible foes all the time. That's actually easily solvable, if high level PCs take advantage of their greater travel options, but would require mapping another area.

If you want my advice for a new living world: put a whacking great big wall across the middle of the local area. Base the adventurers in or near the wall. The low level PCs do their thing on one side of it; the higher level PCs gradually grow in confidence and venture to the other side, where the horrible things are. In either case, it's only a few days' journey to appropriate interesting challenges. Doesn't need to be a literal wall, of course.

And no offense, but serious questions:
Who is still playing LEW? (I do, and I knew the ones from HolyMan's game.)

A sadly small number of people. Could perhaps be turned around if we contacted (nearly) everyone on the inactive characters list and said "hey, remember LEW? We're dying. Feel like helping to save us by playing again?" Doubtful it could be turned around if we said "Hey, feel like spending a month entirely rewriting your old PC, assuming the concept even migrates, and waiting for new approval?" Yeah, right. They could as easily make an entirely new PC. And if we're going to start afresh, with a major loss of PC continuity, well, do it in a new world.

Why would they be wrecked?

Many reasons. Why is that so hard to believe? It's a different, even though closely related, system. Even the simple conflation of Listen and Spot to Perception screws up one of my characters - Keldar, who is slightly better than most at spotting things, but constantly has fragments of poems and songs circulating in his head, so almost never succeeds at a Listen check, quite deliberately. And who is about to take Human Paragon levels. And pick up a psionic cohort.

The oldest 3.5 game I'm playing in (played the character from level 1 to 4) has just converted to Pathfinder.

Well, great. But I don't see the relevance.

If you convert LEW to LPW, you've just reduced overall player choice, since now there's no 3.5 living world at all. If you add a new LW, then you're increasing choice. That's a better option, even if the result is that interest in LPW indirectly leads to the final death of LEW.