Pathfinder 1E What can 5e Give us that Pathfinder doesn't

[Hassassin]

PF does have baggage from compatibility with 3e that 5e doesn't need to have. Personally I wish 5e won't be burdened with 4e compatibility, but people who've invested more time and money will probably disagree.

 

[Hassassin]

If 5E can give me some of the feel of Pathfinder and old D&D, while maintaining the ease of use for a DM of 4E, I'd be a happy camper. (I'd like the default to be something like the inherent bonus system of 4E so you don't need to be draped with magic items by level 4/5...)

Decoupling magic items/wealth and character level would be a big plus.

I just wish they won't use the 4e math, which is inflated even from 3e/PF. In fact I wish they went the other way and tried to bring bonuses, hp, damage all down. If that means a 10th level character can't singlehandedly defeat 20-30 1st level ones, I can live with that.

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

Now the question is, what can 5e give me that Pathfinder doesnt already?

Well, what does Pathfinder NOT give you that you still want? What does it do that you wish it DIDN'T? If your answer is "nothing" then you should play PF and be happy. I don't play Pathfinder because although it made some changes I approve of it is still a direct descendant of 3E and thus still suffers from many endemic and systemic failures of 3E.

And how do you keep the idea of 4e around (make the game easier to teach surely is not a problem)?

Pre-3E versions certainly had some mathematical and mechanical stumbling blocks but one of their advantages was that a new player was not overwhelmed with choices out of the gate. Pick a race, a class, assign some ability scores, maybe choose a few spells but then you're off and gaming. As opposed to choosing from every race under the sun, classes, multiclassing options, prestige classes, examine 50 feats to find one that suits you, study 70 skills to determine which of them is best for your character to concentrate upon, spells from a half dozen books. All that while the player next to you complains that you're doing it wrong and screwing up HIS enjoyment because you suck at creating a good "build" that will fits what HE expects your PC to do.

Teaching 4E is no more difficult at its heart than teaching 1E ever was for example. Roll this to hit. Roll that for damage. The difficulty comes in a system that requires a new player to assimilate so much data before they can make INFORMED choices about the character they are creating.

I still find the spell system cumbersome and I'd love to see 5e ditch it for a point based system. I think you can keep the complexity in a less complex package.

Develop a better method for social interactions that combines rolling with role-playing.

I wish that there was an NPC generator for Pathfinder. It still is a pain to make my own NPCs.

See? You answered your own question. Those things, for you, are what 5E can give you.

 

[delericho]

Nothing. Nor will it give us anything that 4e, or 3e, or 2nd edition can't.

But that's fine. I don't want it to do something new. I want it to provide that same D&D experience, but to do it better.

Pathfinder is not the perfect game, nor is it the "perfect D&D". Neither is 4e, or any other iteration of D&D. There is room to improve.

That's what I want from 5e. I want it to be D&D... but better.

 

[Bedrockgames]

I liked 3e and really didn't care for 4e, but I did feel changes needed to me made for me to contniue to plat D&D. Never made the switch the to pathfinder, though I did play it. IMO 3e was too math heavy, catered too much to optimized styles of play, had too many many flavor elements (I could have done without stuff like dragon disciple, warlock, and wired class/race/prestige class combos. It a good core multi class system that for me jumped the shark. Also there were just too many rules. It really needed to be stripped down and streamlined. There were also some big balance issues. For me 4e went to far addressing these issues (particularly with how they changed spell casters), and went in some wild new directions I had no interest in. I think 5e is an opportunity to make an edition that fixes 3e in way people want but without making it into something totally new and different.

 

[Horacio]

I have been out of EN World literally for years, since before 4E. I bought 4E, like most of us, I've even played it,, heck, I've even liked it!

I've played Pathfinder, a lot, because even if I liked 4E, it never looked as D&D to me. So Pathfinder was the best solution for those moments of I feel nostalgic of 3E, of EN World, of the original Hivemind, of a world that doesn't exist anymore...

But the last years, I have found myself putting both 4E and Pathfinder aside, the first looking too videogamey, le second too crunchy to me. And I have felt in retro-gaming culture, playing lots of retro-clones. I don't like the system, too inconsistent, but I like the feeling.

So what can D&D 5E give me that Pathfinder can't ? A light yet consistent set of gaming mechanisms, easily extensible. And that elusive thing known as D&D spirit that make the game feel as D&D (something that 4E hadn't for me, and that Pathfinder only partially has).

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I try to be polite...
best way to make a rude post I guess... so I am really trying to be polite.

Pathfinder offer nothing than compatibility with 3.5. which was a great system. If WotC just sells 3.5 PHB´s, i guess they would still sell them.
So why should I invest in a game I already own (notice: similarities to 3.5 over 3.0).
And I really only found out about differences after years of playing 3.5 because I stumbled over them...

3rd edition also had its problems compared to AD&D and did many things better... so in the End, it is up to you to decide which way you like D&D most.

I currently like 4e most, but the main issues pointed out by haters are indeed at least partially existant...

So a 5th edition gives a new option... and if their goal is to encompass all editions, they would wisely not shut down their tools. And maybe even allow for the building of 3rd edition characters.

So the question is: what would you lose when a new edition is out: nothing.
What will you get: a version of D&D that is both fun for the DM and the Players.
(3.5. was only fun if you were low enough level... i can´t say too much about 4e here, as I also DMed only for heroic tier PCs... but it did not got harder if you ask me)

 

[JamesonCourage]

We have no idea what 5E can give you, because the game hasn't been designed yet.

Actually, while the game isn't finished, it's definitely started. So I'd say we can have some idea what it can give us, however shallow it is:

In December, Wizards of the Coast invited some retailers and reporters to playtest an early version of fifth edition rules at their headquarters in Renton, Washington. As part of that group, I teamed up with four other journalists to tackle a short fifth edition adventure, run by Mike Mearls.

Everyone participating in the playtest agreed not to discuss specific rule changes, or what the game looks like in its current state. At present, it’s still a rough prototype and subject to change, particularly after Wizards hears from fans during the playtesting process. But there are a few things I can tell you.
First of all, and least surprising: It’s pretty great to have Mike Mearls be your Dungeon Master.

Second, and most important: Wizards is on the right track.

I’m not a fan of fourth edition. I find the combat slow, the powers limiting, and the rules inhospitable to the kind of creative world-building, story-telling and problem-solving that make D&D great.

But so far, the fifth edition rules show promise. They’re simple without being stupid, and efficient without being shallow. Combat was quick and satisfying; we got through most of an adventure in just a few hours. And I get the sense that fifth edition will bring back some of the good complexity of previous versions, allowing players to create unique characters and new worlds.

Most of all, it feels like D&D, not a console video game, or an MMO, or a card game. That’s the first step towards bringing old players home.

“D&D is like the wardrobe people go through to get to Narnia,” says Mearls. “If you walk through and there’s a McDonalds, it’s like —’this isn’t Narnia.’”

So far, at least, the fifth edition rules ring true.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

First off - I am happy with Pathfinder. It is what I currently want for a game.

I will not be signing up for the 5e playtest - but that has more to do with time than anything else. The fact that they are making the playtest public is a huge step in the right direction.

What can they give that isn't in Pathfinder? Multiple systems for tracking NPCs and monsters. Some NPCs should be as fleshed out as PCs, but the Guards at the Gate can probably do with pertinent skills and stats only.

Hey! Don't you start!

Just the parts we need guys, I'm not saying that you're not fun.

Hans! This guy says we're fun!

The Auld Grump

 

[SkredlitheOgre]

Now the question is, what can 5e give me that Pathfinder doesnt already?

A new system of rules to learn?