AD&D revised 2E [VS] D&D 3.5E

[Mark Hope]

Depending upon the campaign setting of course.

Totally. A Dark Sun elf is considered venerable after 100 years. That's assuming they don't get eaten by a cactus long before then...

 

[Aaron L]

If you value character customization at all, then 3rd Edition is by far the best choice between the two. With feats and the way multiclassing works, every person effectively builds their own character class.

 

[WhatGravitas]

If the adventurers are such clowns that they even have to roll for it, I'm sorry the fate of the kingdom is in their hands.

Right. Therefore they shouldn't roll for it, when it's trivial? Okay. 3rd edition accomplishes this by using "Take 10" and "Take 20". Only in combat, when every second is important - then they roll.

Furthermore, without the chance of failure and loss, where's the glory and heroism of prevailing?

@OP: But here you see typical argument. Essentially, if you can borrow the 3.5 books, fine and try the rules (perhaps with the SRD rules and some help). If they suit your style, fine. If you love the 2nd edition rules for whatever reason and favour them, fine.

Personally, I prefer the 3rd, but I've started playing with 3rd - 2nd edition looks like a mess to me, because... well... percentile rolls? Why using different mechanics for NWPs and other stuff. Initiative rules... don't get me started on this. I definitively prefer 3rd (and 3.5), because it is streamlined. Simplicity is the winner there: It's basically 1d20 + modificators. I can wing most rules-corner situations with the simple "+/-2 for favourable/unfavourable circumstances", handling most of it pretty well.

But ultimately, it's a matter of taste - so if you can, by all means, do it without investing too much, get a taste for the flavour of 3rd. If you like 2nd better, stick to it!

 

[DungeonmasterCal]

Please pardon the thread hi-jack, but Whizbang Dustyboots mentioned an upcoming "Rules Compendium"

What? When? How? Was there some upcoming products news I missed somewhere? I must know!


Thanks, and I now return you to your thread.

 

[Aaron L]

Elves aren't supposed to be bards. Just play an Elf (Classic) or Elven MU/Th (1e) who plays a musical instrument sometimes and sings his spells.

Ahhh, obtuse and convoluted explanations for nonsensical game rules, boy how I miss them.

"Why can't elves be Clerics, again?"

"Because the gods don't like them, now shut up!"

 

[Spell]

I don't know if someone else has already said this, but I have a simple suggestion: wait until the 4th edition comes out (it should be one or two years away).
If you like the new edition, you can directly switch to it, without having to pay the price of the core books once for the 3.5 and once more for the 4th.
If you DON'T like the 4th edition, you will be probably able to pick up a used copy of the 3.5 core books for very little. If you like even more what you're seeing, you can buy the rest of the books used or with a heavy discount. If you realise that the 2nd edition was better (as it is, in my opinion) you will have wasted way less money than you would today.

 

[Piratecat]

Let's nip this in the bud, shall we? Everyone, please don't hijack this thread to turn it into an argument about different rules sets. That's not going to be useful for the original poster, and it's not fun. Discussion of the original question is great; leaping into the thread to slam whichever incarnation of the rules you don't like isn't.

Thanks!

 

[KingKaddish]

Re:

Hello Again

First off, to [EVERYONE] who took time out of there fun netsurfing to answer my q's.

Thank You Everyone!


An to answer a few Q's that were put to me....

Ya, I am a vet DM/Player of revised 2E "with a few custom rules of my own". So I am very comfortable with the AD&D revised 2E rules.

BUT!...
I only have (4) 2E players... an only (2) of those can still play regularly anymore. But I recently found (4) MORE players who are 3.0/3.5E only, playing some campaign called Riddle of Steel.

...so I already agree with it being easier to find players for this rule system.


----------------


An to answer another... I [WANT] to start using the 3.5E rules. I tried 3.0... but because of my "as the conversion book commented".. [THINKING] in 2e... the book confused me alot an made me do more page flipping than playing/running durring the 2 adventures I tried in 3.0E. But I kept trying... An I STILL want to go for 3.5e now.

BUT! ...again.
My 2E players bluntly REFUSE to try 3.5E ANY more... an the thing that makes me want to stay revised 2E is that one of those 2 that still play is one of hte BEST [ROLE]players I have ever had in a session. ...he disdains dungeons to high hell, but that can be fixed with a little trickery on my part, lol. So kinda hate to loose him as a player... as he is "ALWAYS" the one that saves the rest of group when they all cant fig probs/traps/tricks out on adventures.

...anyone got any ideas on how to LURE him into trying 3.5? As I cant think of anything, as his unhappy 3.0 experinces kinda put him off from playing unless its in R 2E. He felt the rules were too restrictive an demanding to keep in your head at all times for ppl who are not familiar with the new system.




----------------



So it is said... I STILL dont use movement. My gaming groups are very loose in the movement part. I prefer a more fluid dramatic kind of movement with skill/ability checks to keep things balanced in a way I prefer.
But always "to myself" knowing how far (player X) can move his toon behind my screen, to keep things in check even more.
...I KNOW alot of you will disapprove of this... but it has worked in my adventures for over 11years... so I am gonna stay with it.

...that an I am not spending $1,000,000 on various minis/map materials, lol.

If that system I have used is a MAJOR part of the new 3.5E system. Please let me know.



----------------


An I had already been falling into that "you gotta get all the books you may need" trap...


Here is a list of [other] books I have already purchased...
====================================================================
(3.5) Rules Giftset with slipcover - Players,DM, Monsters book
(3.5) DM Deluxe Screen set
(?.?) Creature Collection 1
(3.0) Psionics Handbook -"eventually" will replace with new version.
(3.0) Epic Levels -which i intend to replace with [The Book of Immortals].
(D20) Mechamorphosis -big robots in my games.. were in 2e also...long story. lol


(3.5) Revised Big Eyes Small Mouth D20 - for the anime feel that my games always had in 2E.

(3.0-.5) World of Warcraft + Warcraft RPG books -" just cause I love its classes...an i am a player of the game. lol"

(3.0) EverQuest Roleplaying Game (all 3 core books) -for a magic with MANA system.. which was one of my custom rules back in my 2e games.

(3.0-.5) Ravenloft books (Core 3.0, monsters, gazetters, heroes/villains, arsenal)... as I have "EVERY" Ravenloft product ever released an was a GM of that when I started into the game.

(3.5) DragonMECH (all of them) - my current mech rules for my 3.5 campaign robots, an steam/tech gadets for my custom dwarf/gnome hybrid race



...an I "HAD"... intended to order these books also...




Monster manuals 2-5 -LOVE the new monster entries...+ the new art ROCKS! + having more monsters to throw at my players is always a good thing to have, if I can get 3.5 off the ground.

The Book of Immortals - for VERY HIGH end gaming... also, godlings were a part of my old campaign.

Libris Mortis - for undead playing in my campaign, also from past 2e version of my campaign.. BUT...which I noticed the NEW 3.5 monster manual took out of the respected undead monster entries...which SUCKS!

...but the only other I had even considered wanting was "[MAYBE]" the Airships D20 book, as my campaign already has them....but I had intended to treat them as boats but using a custom 3d movement setup... an use combat as with sailing ships


..other than that I didnt need/want any others...lol.. maybe the book of erotic fantasy... lol, .

 

[WhatGravitas]

...anyone got any ideas on how to LURE him into trying 3.5? As I cant think of anything, as his unhappy 3.0 experinces kinda put him off from playing unless its in R 2E. He felt the rules were too restrictive an demanding to keep in your head at all times for ppl who are not familiar with the new system.

Is it just refusal, or has he stated some kind of "real" reason? Any further information could help.

So it is said... I STILL dont use movement. My gaming groups are very loose in the movement part. I prefer a more fluid dramatic kind of movement with skill/ability checks to keep things balanced in a way I prefer.
But always "to myself" knowing how far (player X) can move his toon behind my screen, to keep things in check even more.
...I KNOW alot of you will disapprove of this... but it has worked in my adventures for over 11years... so I am gonna stay with it.

Fair enough.

...that an I am not spending $1,000,000 on various minis/map materials, lol.

If that system I have used is a MAJOR part of the new 3.5E system. Please let me know.

1) 3.5/3.0 emphasize a battlemap, i.e. there is nothing you cannot do on a battlemap. But you don't really need it at all. Personally, I only use full-fledged tactical combat for decisive encounters. But I don't have to.
2) Tactical combat profits from a battlemap (which can be an 1" grid with dices as monsters/characters)

(3.5) Rules Giftset with slipcover - Players,DM, Monsters book

Okay... here you have everything you need.

(3.5) DM Deluxe Screen set
(?.?) Creature Collection 1
(3.0) Psionics Handbook -"eventually" will replace with new version.
(3.0) Epic Levels -which i intend to replace with [The Book of Immortals].

3.0 Psionics? Don't touch it. I may be biased... but it is bad. Just bad. The 3.5 Psionics is great, but 3.0? Don't touch it. Especially psionic combat. The CC1 is nice, the Epic Level Handbook... Hohumm... no opinion.

(D20) Mechamorphosis -big robots in my games.. were in 2e also...long story. lol


(3.5) Revised Big Eyes Small Mouth D20 - for the anime feel that my games always had in 2E.

(3.0-.5) World of Warcraft + Warcraft RPG books -" just cause I love its classes...an i am a player of the game. lol"

(3.0) EverQuest Roleplaying Game (all 3 core books) -for a magic with MANA system.. which was one of my custom rules back in my 2e games.

(3.0-.5) Ravenloft books (Core 3.0, monsters, gazetters, heroes/villains, arsenal)... as I have "EVERY" Ravenloft product ever released an was a GM of that when I started into the game.

(3.5) DragonMECH (all of them) - my current mech rules for my 3.5 campaign robots, an steam/tech gadets for my custom dwarf/gnome hybrid race

Whoa, that's a lot of books. If you're running your first 3.5 game... don't use them, since they complicate stuff, and you've incorporated stuff into your 2nd ed game? Seems to be 2.75

 

[KingKaddish]

Re: Re:

Hi again

To answer ya Q.

Basicly says the 3.0 system is too complicated to learn. An says that he does not have the time to totally relearn yet AGAIN from 2e-to-3e an now from 3.0 -to- 3.5e.


--------------------


Well I dont use ALL of those books contents before ya go thinking that, I just use certain already intact and ready ot go systems provided in some of them.



For example...

Here is what I "ACTUALLY" use for adventures [now]....
--------------------------------------------
Core 3.5 HANDBOOKS
EverQuest core book -(magic chapters ONLY)
Big Eyes Small Mouth -for that anime "feel" to my adventures
Libris Mortis -for my undead played characters from previous 2e adv's in this campaign
Psionics handbook -wont now that I know its toxic, since its 3.0...just placed this one on replace ASAP....see bottom of this post please...




-------IF NEEDED-----------
Creature Compendium 1
Warcraft Monsters book
EverQuest Monsters book
+
Other monster books once I get them



---need later---
Book of Immortals - for epic lvl characters, which was a goal in my old campaign.




----- not used for adventures, just fun to look at ------

Warcraft RPG books... because I am a WoW nut since having played the Warcraft 3 pc game, lol, just for my book collection...just happens to be D&D related, lol.

"""ANYTHING""" else is not used except for certain items/spells to add to the campaign.
...I tend to spur of the moment shop alot..... I know... sad... [hangs head]





Psionics....
================================
P.S. ...if I do need a new Psionics book... which is the better to get...
Expanded Psionics Handbook -OR- Complete Psionic