Converting your campaign to 3.5?

[Renaissance Man]

For those of you who are compulsively purchasing the 3.5 rules (you know who you are) - how are you planning to implement the changes in your campaign?

I play with a crew of three other guys, one of whom takes turns with me DMing. (Seperate campaign worlds.) I've already ordered the new books through Walmart (yes, I feel dirty); my fellow DM may or may not buy the books. Yet he feels quite strongly that we use a common set of rules for our respective games. Perhaps I can convince him to use the revised SRD?

My expectation is to implement the revisions in my own campaign, but I haven't yet decided how to do this: require that the players update their characters immediately? Wait until the next "level-up"? Finish up with the current campaign (presently at 19th level) a la 3.0, then start up a new campaign with the 3.5 rules? Can the PC revisions be implemented independent of other mechanic changes?

What are your plans for the transition?

 

[Olive]

Simply change them over I think. House rule as well go, but start more or less from 3.5 as is. Except I might keep using Monte's ranger (the BoHM one) for the one PC with ranger levels.

 

[Bloodstone Mage]

I'm converting to 3.5, that is, if I agree with the way the rules work. Otherwise, my campaign is staying 3.0, but I'll probably just pick what rules work and don't work for me.
I'm letting my players in my campaign whether or not to convert to 3.5. But they think that 'convert' means 'buy all of the 3.5 books', for some reason. Whenever I bring up 3.5, they automatically become prejudiced against it and take an offensive stance against me. I don't know why they do this, but I'm punishing them by converting to 3.5 without letting them know .

j/k

Cheers!

 

[Xeoble]

3.0 --> POOF --> 3.5

 

[Renaissance Man]

Yeah, I'm probably making a bigger deal out of this than it needs to be. But it's a bit worrisome: in the first place, my fellow DM isn't embracing the revision like I am. (Bloodstone Mage, you hit the nail right on the head.) And in the second place, converting 19th level characters might just be more bother than it's worth... it's not as though the changes will be called out in bold print or anything. There's a lot of details that'll need to be scoured.

What's this I've heard about a conversion manual? Does anyone have the details on that? Anything that would help mitigate the impact would be greatly appreciated.

 

[AmerginLiath]

In our campaign its simple. As a grandiose Dragonlance campaign that covers decades of time with a breakdown into mini-campaigns in a specific era of time (normally generational), we'll be beginning our next leg of the story after 3.5 and the DLCS comes out -- much like we began the current leg (just completed after a fashion with the defeat of the BBEG) with 3E in Summer 2000...

 

[apocalypstick]

Finish up with the current campaign (presently at 19th level) a la 3.0, then start up a new campaign with the 3.5 rules?

yes.

as for whether or not your buddy wants to take the plunge with you or not, it's his decision... until his players decide otherwise. same, of course, goes for you.

my group likes the idea of 3.5.

 

[Jhyrryl]

Stick with 3.0 for the 19th-level characters, but print out some SRDs for your players and get them thinking about their characters for that next campaign.

As for the different DMs doing different rules issue, I'd start the new campaign up under 3.5 with the understanding that if the players dislike the experience they're having, you'll switch back, but probably incorporating some of 3.5 as house rules. Chances are that you and your alter ego will find a good compromise.

 

[Bloodstone Mage]

What's this I've heard about a conversion manual? Does anyone have the details on that? Anything that would help mitigate the impact would be greatly appreciated.

Yeah, they're releasing a free conversion manual on the release date, much like what they did when 3.0 came out. I suggest everyone should stock up on them, too. A few months ago, I did a search for D&D stuff on eBay and people were selling the AD&D to 3.0 conversion manual for around $20 to $30. These things were free back in the day. Free!
I don't know. The 3.0 to 3.5 conversion manuals probably won't go for as much as the AD&D to 3.0 ones did. That is, unless, the 3.5 conversion manual has conversion guidelines for converting from AD&D to 3.5...

[wishful thinking]

Anyways, cheers!

 

[JoeGKushner]

I'm lucky as I'm not DMing right now but when I start again... it'll be 3.5.

We do have some characters that I'll switch over though. Some of the things I've already seen some of the other GMs in my group do. For example, the Power Attack with the two handed weapon or getting rid of Ambidexterity or Improved Feint.