D&D 3E/3.5 3.0 to 3.5

[axp_dave]

We did the conversion and we re-built the characters from scratch. Some of the feats, skills, spells are different or even no longer exist. A character building strategy or feat progression may lose effectiveness in 3.5. Since the spells or feats have changed starting over makes more sense. Players will likely also take lessons over the last few years into their process making more effective PC's. Having stroner PcCs means the DM throw harder challenges.

David

 

[RigaMortus2]

My level 6 PAladin / Level 3 Wizard (Enchanter) Gnome never did recover from the 3.0 to 3.5 conversion. He never was quite the same again. Gnome's new favored class became Bard, which took away my True Strike + Power Attack + Spirited Charging goodness. I suppose I could have stayed Wizard (Enchanter) but then I would have the XP penalty. In which case, might as well take the levels in Sorc since I only needed a few choice spells and needed to cast them often... Nope, he never was quite the same after that... Wonder what ever happened to him?

 

[Veril]

This is a game, it's supposed to be fun. The players are unhappy about the change, as they were 'optimised' under the previous rules set. You are introducing a new rules set. What possible justification can you supply to not allow the players to optimise their characters, when you will be using the new rules set to optimise the NPC's?

Get the players on board about this. Get them to feel fully involved, and get them to buy in. Tell them that you have heard their concerns and think that it is only fair to allow them a full respecification of their characters. Let the players rebuild their characters from scratch, allow then to change anything about their characters they want.

Statistics, Money, XP, Magic Items, Equipment - all of this stays the same, everything else is up for grabs.

Also tell the players that in 3-5 sessions from now they will be allowed a limited re-tooling in negotiation with you, if they discover that they have made sub-optimal choices.

It's NOT about punnishing the players, it's about having fun in a game.

 

[Staffan]

My level 6 PAladin / Level 3 Wizard (Enchanter) Gnome never did recover from the 3.0 to 3.5 conversion. He never was quite the same again. Gnome's new favored class became Bard, which took away my True Strike + Power Attack + Spirited Charging goodness. I suppose I could have stayed Wizard (Enchanter) but then I would have the XP penalty. In which case, might as well take the levels in Sorc since I only needed a few choice spells and needed to cast them often... Nope, he never was quite the same after that... Wonder what ever happened to him?

By the RAW, you already had an XP penalty. In 3.0, the gnome's favored class was Illusionist, not Wizard.

 

[Chiaroscuro23]

Perhaps the best option is to allow a total rebuild. I say best not in the sense of fairest, but in the sense of causing the least trouble while making players happiest. For fairness, you should allow changes only to those things the players would not have picked had they been under 3.5 at the time of choice.

I would simply trust the players to be honest about which abilities these are. That's because I only game with adults I trust.

And there are feats, spells, et al that fit that mold. A sorcerer might never have taken Bull's Strength in 3.5 because it quickly becomes useless and he could have gotten Scorching Ray. Back in 3.0, Bull's Strength was a great choice, and there were no good 2nd level evocations. So let him switch it out.

Cheers,
C.