loseth
First Post
So, 4e went with a totally new version of D&D. That left Paizo saying, 'We'll make a new version of 3.5e, but we'll only fix the parts that genuinely didn't work, while making sure the new version is still compatible with the old.' I thought, 'Cool! No obsoleted libraries!' But then when I downloaded Pathfinder, it was IMHO* 10% fixing what was broke and 90% 'fixing' what wasn't. So, that got me to thinking: what REALLY needed fixing in 3.5e (i.e. 40-70% of all non-super-hardcore gamers complained about/had trouble with/disliked it) and could be fixed without disturbing backwards compatibility.
*Just my opinion--I'm sure everybody has their own opinion on Pathfinder, but that's definitely not what I want to discuss here. I'd prefer to keep the discussion fixed on 3.5 and what really, really needed fixing.
THE UPDATED LIST OF PROBLEMS
(Apologies—I have had to use my judgment in not including ones that a) seem like pet peeves rather than widely perceived problems or b) are widely perceived problems but do not appear to be easily fixable without compromising near-perfect backwards compatibility. Let me know if you think my judgment has erred)
--Wizards having nothing to do when they've cast all their spells appropriate to the situation
--People having trouble remembering 1-2-1 (YMMV)
--Statting up NPCs, including skill points too fiddly for DMs statting up monsters/NPS (but not PCs--most players seem to like the customization)
--Grappling
--Turning
--Calculating XP from CR
--AoOs too confusing/too many instances to remember
--Too many iterative attacks, contributing (along with SR, miss chance, crit confirmation, etc.) to too much die-rolling
--Players' turns taking too long to resolve due to multiple die-rolls often being required
--CoDzilla (though only if deliberately and expertly exploited)
--Infinite summoning (A summons B summons C summons...)
--Fighters not keeping up as the party level increases
--Scry-Buff-Teleport-Fly combo repeated ad nauseum, and campaign-breaking spells/magic in general (for some this includes resurrection et al)
--Identify
--XP for crafting
--buffing etc., especially remembering which buffs/effects/modifiers are affecting whom and for how long
--useless skills (use rope, craft [baskets], etc. YMMV)
--familiars and animal companions often crappy but time-consuming if used in combat
--save or die
--suckitude of multi-class spellcasters
--HP can vary too much due to fact that they are rolled (YMMV)
--Spell prep takes too long; spell-list resource management too cumbersome
--Necessity and ubiquity of munchkin magic items (Belt of Strength +3 etc.); inclusion of lots of magic items in the CR math
--DR as a primary focus of most combats past a certain level (golf-bag syndrome)
So I ask: What else REALLY needed to be fixed (i.e. really large numbers of players had trouble with it) and could EASILY be fixed without destroying backwards compatibility.
*Just my opinion--I'm sure everybody has their own opinion on Pathfinder, but that's definitely not what I want to discuss here. I'd prefer to keep the discussion fixed on 3.5 and what really, really needed fixing.
THE UPDATED LIST OF PROBLEMS
(Apologies—I have had to use my judgment in not including ones that a) seem like pet peeves rather than widely perceived problems or b) are widely perceived problems but do not appear to be easily fixable without compromising near-perfect backwards compatibility. Let me know if you think my judgment has erred)
--Wizards having nothing to do when they've cast all their spells appropriate to the situation
--People having trouble remembering 1-2-1 (YMMV)
--Statting up NPCs, including skill points too fiddly for DMs statting up monsters/NPS (but not PCs--most players seem to like the customization)
--Grappling
--Turning
--Calculating XP from CR
--AoOs too confusing/too many instances to remember
--Too many iterative attacks, contributing (along with SR, miss chance, crit confirmation, etc.) to too much die-rolling
--Players' turns taking too long to resolve due to multiple die-rolls often being required
--CoDzilla (though only if deliberately and expertly exploited)
--Infinite summoning (A summons B summons C summons...)
--Fighters not keeping up as the party level increases
--Scry-Buff-Teleport-Fly combo repeated ad nauseum, and campaign-breaking spells/magic in general (for some this includes resurrection et al)
--Identify
--XP for crafting
--buffing etc., especially remembering which buffs/effects/modifiers are affecting whom and for how long
--useless skills (use rope, craft [baskets], etc. YMMV)
--familiars and animal companions often crappy but time-consuming if used in combat
--save or die
--suckitude of multi-class spellcasters
--HP can vary too much due to fact that they are rolled (YMMV)
--Spell prep takes too long; spell-list resource management too cumbersome
--Necessity and ubiquity of munchkin magic items (Belt of Strength +3 etc.); inclusion of lots of magic items in the CR math
--DR as a primary focus of most combats past a certain level (golf-bag syndrome)
So I ask: What else REALLY needed to be fixed (i.e. really large numbers of players had trouble with it) and could EASILY be fixed without destroying backwards compatibility.
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