D&D 3E/3.5 Curious about Pathfinder vs. 3.5E

[Water Bob]

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, don't turn this thread into a flame war.

This is an honest question. I'm curious about Pathfinder. I haven't played it. I've barely scratched its surface.

I'm interested in the ruleset, so here's my question: What is your favorite rule change that Pathfinder provides over 3.5?

 

[Crothian]

Pathfinder is not a change of big rule changes. It is more of a change of a 1000 small ones. So, It is really hard for me to just select one as there really are not that many single rule changes that really effect all of a game. I'd have to go with CMB and the CMD. They really do a nice job of taking combat maneuvers and making a simple way to do them all.

 

[Epametheus]

You don't hurt yourself by staying in a core class. I.e., you don't have to take a prestige class to be effective.

 

[Water Bob]

Pathfinder is not a change of big rule changes. It is more of a change of a 1000 small ones.

That's been my impression.

I'd have to go with CMB and the CMD. They really do a nice job of taking combat maneuvers and making a simple way to do them all.

Would you mind giving me the two second version on how these work?

You don't hurt yourself by staying in a core class. I.e., you don't have to take a prestige class to be effective.

Meaning, it's easy to multi-class?

 

[IronWolf]

Would you mind giving me the two second version on how these work?

A character has a Combat Maneuver Bonus which is the modifier to a d20 roll. A character also has a Combat Maneuver Defense which is your ability to resist a combat maneuver. If I am trying to trip you, I roll a d20 + CMB trying to beat your CMD. If I beat it, you get tripped. If I don't beat your CMD then you are not tripped.

Check out the d20pfsrd.com for more information:

Combat - Pathfinder_OGC

Meaning, it's easy to multi-class?

Meaning staying with a single class is not disadvantageous.

 

[Crothian]

Would you mind giving me the two second version on how these work?

Basically most (I say most it might be all I'm not 100% sure) special maneuvers like trip and disarm all use the same basic mechanics. CMB is combat maneuver bonus and CMD is combat maneuver defense. What I like is anything the player things of that is a bit odd and perhaps not initially covered in the rules you can just have them make a CMB check against an opponents CMD to see if it works. It's nice since in 3e most of those required special rules and they all worked differently.

 

[Water Bob]

CMB is combat maneuver bonus and CMD is combat maneuver defense. What I like is anything the player things of that is a bit odd and perhaps not initially covered in the rules you can just have them make a CMB check against an opponents CMD to see if it works. It's nice since in 3e most of those required special rules and they all worked differently.

So, in Pathfinder, if I want to attempt a disarm, I use my CMB to modify the roll and my opponent uses his CMD to defend against it. Is the CMB the same no matter what the maneuver?

If so, that seems a bit bland. I mean, why even describe your maneuvers if it's the same bonus. Why not just say, "I'm attempting a maneuver" and leave it at that.

3.5E does have different rules for things, but that also means that different characters can be skilled in different areas--not just a blanket modifier to all things attempted.

If that's the case, I think I like 3.5 better.

If the CMB is different depending on what maneuver is attempted, then I see the appeal--it's the same mechanic used for the same type of thing (combat maneuvers) but the bonuses are different depending on what you do.



Besides the CMB/CDM, what are the other rule tweaks that you like about Pathfinder?

 

[IronWolf]

So, in Pathfinder, if I want to attempt a disarm, I use my CMB to modify the roll and my opponent uses his CMD to defend against it. Is the CMB the same no matter what the maneuver?

Depends on whether you take feats to increase the CMB for certain maneuvers.

If so, that seems a bit bland. I mean, why even describe your maneuvers if it's the same bonus. Why not just say, "I'm attempting a maneuver" and leave it at that.

Probably the same reason one describes attacks with various weapons in different ways even though the attack bonus may be the same.

 

[Ahnehnois]

CMB is unequivocally the best thing that Pahfinder did; taking a broken and confusing array of things and unifying them into one simple, fair rule.

Beyond that, PF is sort of treading water. There are some changes for the better, some for the worse, some simply for the sake of change, and very few really big ones.

If the CMB is different depending on what maneuver is attempted, then I see the appeal--it's the same mechanic used for the same type of thing (combat maneuvers) but the bonuses are different depending on what you do.

If you take any feats (there are now improved and greater feats such as improved trip and greater trip) you get maneuver-specific bonuses. There are also still weapon-based bonuses for some things.

Besides the CMB/CDM, what are the other rule tweaks that you like about Pathfinder?

Wait, you want more? Okay. The acquisition of feats at every odd level (as opposed to every 3) is simple change that many had adopted as a houserule anyway. It evens out the overall leveling progression and grants a needed increase to the number of feats characters get.

Sorcerer bloodlines are the best of the class changes; they take what we had always assumed about sorcerers and give it mechanical relevance, and grant the class needed flexibility.

Archetypes are packages of themed alternate class features, many of which are very mechanically interesting-this is where many of the really new class mechanics are introduced.

 

[Crothian]

So, in Pathfinder, if I want to attempt a disarm, I use my CMB to modify the roll and my opponent uses his CMD to defend against it. Is the CMB the same no matter what the maneuver?

Assuming the character has not done anything to become better at particular maneuver.

If so, that seems a bit bland. I mean, why even describe your maneuvers if it's the same bonus. Why not just say, "I'm attempting a maneuver" and leave it at that.

You need to know what the outcome of a maneuver is going to do. A Trip does something very differently then disarm and bull rush is different from them both.

What makes it good is as DM you have the numbers right there on the monster sheet and the PCs sheet so it moves fast and you don't have to look up the different maneuver s because you haven't used it in the past three months and forgot how it works.