Combining Post 3.x games?

[Sylrae]

'm familiar with Trailblazer, and I know what I'd like to take from it and add to my PFRPG Games.

Can sum up the strengths of some other d20 games, and mechanics from them that could be useful/interesting additions/modifications to the pathfinder system?

Widesweeping changes you can't implement mid-campaign are okay.

I'm okay with having to take the time to mesh things together so long as I'm gaining something from it.

So can someone tell me what these games do well that PFRPG doesn't do as well?

Everstone
Fantasycraft
Iron Heroes

The core of my game is still going to be PFRPG, but I'm okay with liberally making rules changes inspired by these other supposedly fantastic games.

Can someone give suggestions on which have things worth appropriating and tell me what they are?

 

[ValhallaGH]

Can sum up the strengths of some other d20 games, and mechanics from them that could be useful/interesting additions/modifications to the pathfinder system?

True20. Conviction (like action points, as the Incredible Hulk is like the Governator), Challenges (take -5 to the check, do something cooler / faster), alternative caster limitations. Some good stuff.
Dino-Pirates of Ninja Island. Seriously, it's a really neat True20 variant. Especially useful are Reputation as a resource that you can spend to alter NPC reactions to your character, Stunts in their retroactive glory, and potentially the dramatic time systems.

So can someone tell me what these games do well that PFRPG doesn't do as well?
...
Iron Heroes

Not being terribly familiar with Pathfinder, this will be difficult, but I'll try.
Iron Heroes does a (pretty) good job of a) making non-magic combat interesting, b) allowing non-magical PCs (not even magic items, let alone casting ability) to take on standard SRD challenges, c) making the players feel like their characters are extremely, ridiculously, bad ass; without destroying the DM's ability to challenge them.
It introduces a lot of ideas, options, and oomph. The following are in the base book (original or Revised).
It makes HP per level stable while still being variable (all PC HD are 1d4+Static + Con bonus; the Barbarian equivalent is 1d4+8 + Con, average 10.5 + Con).
It chained most feats to a "Mastery" system, that shifted prerequisites from ability scores and BAB over to Class and Level.
Feat abilities that may make you say OMGWTF?! or words to that effect, while still being balanced.
Challenges (like TB's Exploits, only for skills and combat).
Stunts: Want to do something outlandishly awesome, that has no rules support? Use the stunt rules and watch the fireworks.
Class features with unlimited uses per day, due to "building up" to them via the token pool mechanic.

The Mastering Iron Heroes book introduced a number of additional options, including what to do with money when you don't need magical baubles (wealth "feats"), Villain Classes for 4e-style monster generation, Zones (interactive, cool, and powerful environmental features), and Glory Points (similar to Conviction).

The Iron Heroes Players Companion expanded the options with a couple of new classes (including a decent caster class), more feats, and better write ups about Stunts, Zones, and Challenges.


Good luck.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

Not sure you can take the well designed stuff out of Fantasy Craft easily.

I was impressed that Fantasy Craft allowed large-sized characters at 1st level in a way that wasn't out of power with other characters.

The piece I most want to pry out from Fantasy Craft is the reputation/coin rules.

Coin can buy day to day things one might find out of the Aurora's Whole Realms Catalogue. And the book has a mini-Sears catalogue of fun stuff to buy!

Reputation is what characters purchase their "prizes" with, i.e. titles, contacts, favors, holdings, fortifications, staff and guards for your land, magic items with. Especially magic items. I seriously appreciate that magic items were demoted from a vital character power advancement mechanism into just being cool stuff you could get but just as easily lose and not upset adventure balance at high levels.

The Fantasy Craft rules for Campaign Qualities are rules-mechanical ways to accentuate campaign flavor. Excellent innovation.

I believe Fantasy Craft had their eyes on sweet spot of play better than Pathfinder's designers did. FC's guys placed the capstone ability of all classes at level 14, while still advancing up to 20. PF placed the capstone at level 20. The sweet spot has long been viewed at around 6th to 12th level, even still few campaigns played to the full 20 levels. But who wants to be getting the kewlest powers just as the campaign ends? Thus, FC places the cool power nearer to where players could achieve it when most campaign are winding down at the top end of the sweet spot, and for those that keep going on longer they have many more adventures to enjoy that rocking cool capstone power. I don't think this very smart design can be implemented into Pathfinder without wholesale redesign, though I wish they had the foresight to have done it too.