Does 3E/3.5 dictate a certain style of play?

[molonel]

Different systems for multiclassing humans and demihuman (demi?) races was also one of my absolute FAVORITE parts of 1st Edition, too!

Have I mentioned that?

 

[Philotomy Jurament]

Nope. See the quote from the PLAYER'S HANDBOOK above yours.[/b]

That quote applies to dual-classed characters, but not to multi-classed characters.

Edit -sheesh, I'm slow...

 

[Lalato]

I welcome anyone to actually read the rules in 1e and 2e and run a game with the rules as written. I bet you'll find that it's just as constraining as 3e albeit in a different way. And just like you could ignore the rules you didn't like back then, you can ignore the rules you don't like now.

--sam

 

[molonel]

Sure. And in any edition, you get better bonuses for having higher scores. Just say you rolled all 18s. And, hey, there isn't a reward for rolling a 5 on an attack roll....why not just say it was a 20? You can blame the game system for your cheating, if it makes you feel better, but that doesn't make the game system responsible.

The difference between having a 16 and an 18 strength to-hit or damage in 3rd Edition is +1. The difference between 16 and 18/00 in 1st Edition was +3 to-hit and +5 damage. Percentile strength made no sense, and it was a stupid rule that encouraged cheating on stat rolls.

 

[Storm Raven]

That quote applies to dual-classed characters, but not to multi-classed characters.

Yep, and since I was talking about an elven fighter/magic-user, the quote doesn't apply.

 

[Psion]

Different systems for multiclassing humans and demihuman (demi?) races was also one of my absolute FAVORITE parts of 1st Edition, too!

Hated it.

This was one of those "house ruled it away before 3e came along" things for me.

 

[Raven Crowking]

The difference between having a 16 and an 18 strength to-hit or damage in 3rd Edition is +1. The difference between 16 and 18/00 in 1st Edition was +3 to-hit and +5 damage. Percentile strength made no sense, and it was a stupid rule that encouraged cheating on stat rolls.

Sure. And in any edition, you get better bonuses for having higher scores. Just say you rolled all 18s. And, hey, there isn't a reward for rolling a 5 on an attack roll....why not just say it was a 20? You can blame the game system for your cheating, if it makes you feel better, but that doesn't make the game system responsible.

 

[Storm Raven]

The difference between having a 16 and an 18 strength to-hit or damage in 3rd Edition is +1. The difference between 16 and 18/00 in 1st Edition was +3 to-hit and +5 damage. Percentile strength made no sense, and it was a stupid rule that encouraged cheating on stat rolls.

To the point that UA essentially made cheating on stat rolls legal with the alternate stat generation system it provided.

 

[Raven Crowking]

To the point that UA essentially made cheating on stat rolls legal with the alternate stat generation system it provided.

I seem to recall that the UA alternate methods require DM approval. Do it on your own, it's cheating. Do it with approval, it's not.

 

[molonel]

To the point that UA essentially made cheating on stat rolls legal with the alternate stat generation system it provided.

I must confess, I don't even remember that.

Sure. And in any edition, you get better bonuses for having higher scores. Just say you rolled all 18s. And, hey, there isn't a reward for rolling a 5 on an attack roll....why not just say it was a 20? You can blame the game system for your cheating, if it makes you feel better, but that doesn't make the game system responsible.

Not just BETTER bonuses. Astoundingly better bonuses.

If you see percentile strength as sensible and good, then good on ya.

I thought it was stupid then, and I think it's stupid now.

But God knows, we can't have a 1st Edition advocate admitting that there were any problems with the system! Percentile strength? It makes perfect sense. Fighters are just ... stronger ... somehow ... than other people .... with the same attribute score. It was such a good idea it should have carried over into other stats. Wizards could have 18/00 Int. Clerics could have 18/00 Wis.