D&D 5E Is 5E Special

I don't think PF2 is necessarily a good replacement for people that like 5E but want a little "more." They have superficial similarities but are quite different games. LevelUp is 5E with "more", and I would argue that 3.5 with a few house rules would be a better fit.
I was speaking to 4E fans about my PF2 suggestion, though I think its still a good suggestion for any RPG fan. The SRD makes it a very low investment to at least try.
 

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I don't think PF2 is necessarily a good replacement for people that like 5E but want a little "more." They have superficial similarities but are quite different games. LevelUp is 5E with "more", and I would argue that 3.5 with a few house rules would be a better fit.

Yeah, id say it really depends on their pain points and how much they like BA, or Magic Items not being worked into progression and stuff like that.

I will say though, we were hardcore 5e players between like 2015 and 2019 and it was exactly what the doctor ordered for just about all of my 5e players.
 

This is not true. PF2 has greatly silo'd leveling into basically a choice between 3 feats. Adjust your HP and pick spells if you got them. It appears daunting at first glance, but dive in and you will see level 1 is the most choices you will ever make going forward.

Edit; ninja'd by @The-Magic-Sword
This is true, do I need to copy and paste the levels? Its usually between 3-5 features, and some of those features are choices from options of around 3-6 things.
 


I already posted the progression of a fighter from 3 to 6 up thread, right out of my pathbuilder.
Only correction I have is its usually 2 things that you pick from lists of, which instead of 3 things, at the minimum. Here's the Sorcerer class table Sorcerer - Classes - Archives of Nethys: Pathfinder 2nd Edition Database

Like, the sheer amount of choice and options on odd levels plus always picking from at least two lists of things each level is a LOT MORE mechanical content then 5E. They are in no way comparable in terms of actual feature choice.
 

And that's not even getting into the massive tag system PF2E has, its huge list of conditions, the many differences in the action economy, and so on.

Like, saying play PF2E is like telling someone bored with chess to jump straight into 40K, and then pretending that both games are neck-n-neck in similarities.
 

And that's not even getting into the massive tag system PF2E has, its huge list of conditions, the many differences in the action economy, and so on.

Like, saying play PF2E is like telling someone bored with chess to jump straight into 40K, and then pretending that both games are neck-n-neck in similarities.
On paper PF2 can be beast to run for sure. Conditions card deck can help since most of them just impose a -1 penalty to the PC. Like the feats and leveling up its deceptively complicated, but easy to run with your ducks in a row. Also, Foundry makes it so simple to do all chargen, level up, and game mastering with automation. Everything is a simple click away. PF2 is a step up in difficulty, but I believe 5E players can handle it.
 

Chess actually requires more study, between it and WH, its absurd depth is why its still being innovated on.

But my group found pf2e largely easier to pick up than 5e-- a big part of that is that the conditions and tags make the system easier to reference because they reappear consistently throughout feats, and the choices are all bite sized so they stick out in the mind better. 3 action is more inuitive than explaining bonus actions and dashes, etc.
 

After a lot of tinkering with 5e, multiple campaigns worth of play, back to basics tests, discussions with my players, an attempt at a power neutral magic item system, banned feats, a small career as a homebrewer on unearthedaracana, an attempt at the rules in the back of XGTE, I am proud to report we finally fixed it (by switching to pf2e)

Edit: to clarify, i imagine the difference is that i play with players who push character optimization pretty far, fairly consistently.
I guess I just don't find 5E significantly better or worse than previous editions. That may not be saying much though. For example I threw Lollth (CR 30+) against a group of level 21 PCs in 4E. They curb stomped her without breaking a sweat.

In 5E I limit what the PCs can get and I'm kind of stingy on gold. Very few house rules required and I can threaten and engage PCs at all levels.
 

On paper PF2 can be beast to run for sure. Conditions card deck can help since most of them just impose a -1 penalty to the PC. Like the feats and leveling up its deceptively complicated, but easy to run with your ducks in a row. Also, Foundry makes it so simple to do all chargen, level up, and game mastering with automation. Everything is a simple click away. PF2 is a step up in difficulty, but I believe 5E players can handle it.
I don't think the game is overly complex, my point is and remains the same: the two games are very different, and one is a lot more nuanced than the other.
 

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