I'm considering dropping Pathfinder to return to D&D 2e.

[billd91]

I, too, believe that 3e made some nice improvements over 2e, but if I were to fall off the Pathfinder wagon, 2e is definitely the D&D I'd return to. There are a few things I would probably try to add to it including some elements of the skill system in 3e, probably more weapon proficiencies and some feat-like proficiencies to buy with them (see the green historical campaign setting for the Celts for more information if you're interested).

 

[DragonLancer]

2nd edition AD&D was just fantastic and if you go that route have fun.

 

[steeldragons]

Sounds fine.

If you like the treatment of skills and/or feats from Pathfinder so much, then bring 'em "back" to 2e with you (though I'd propose this is actually "moving forward"

Replacing the whole Non-weapon Proficiency system with Skills seems like it should be easy enough. Might be a bit of work to alter what the umpteen class "kits" receive for Skills...but if you just start with the base classes, it shouldn't be too tough.

Generally speaking, that goes for anything you like from PF. Just bring along and create your own "mash-up" with all of the grittiness, "feel" and mechanics from 1 & 2e with the whatever "slick/simplified" elements from PF you and your group enjoys.

Though honestly, if you have to transpose/transform more than, I'd say, 3 to 5 things...then it starts getting to the point of "why should I make this change at all". But if it's just a few elements, I don't see the issue. So, take the Skills & Feats,...you have 2 or 3 other things you really prefer about PF...if you have that many.

Have fun and happy 2e-ing.
-Steel Dragons

 

[zonetrooper1]

I ran 2E for years before 3E came out. Some things to keep in mind include:
- Uneven leveling between classes. I really enjoyed this change with 3E.
- Warrior classes really slow down their leveling rate when they approach mid-levels. And for straight fighters they even barely get anything when they level at that point.
- Wizards start out pretty worthless yet level very slowly. Then, once they finally start to get powerful they also start leveling quickly.
- Thieves level quickly all the time but never seem to catch up in effectiveness.
- Subsystems are not consistent with each other.
- Assumes you don't use a battle mat. I generally liked this, but switching back from 3+E might be challenging or confusing.
- Kits.

Sounds fine.

Replacing the whole Non-weapon Proficiency system with Skills seems like it should be easy enough. Might be a bit of work to alter what the umpteen class "kits" receive for Skills...but if you just start with the base classes, it shouldn't be too tough.

That's pretty much what I have planned. I never cared much for kits anyway. They always seemed to me to be a watered down version of the class it was based on.

I use a battle mat either way. I like to be able to visualize what is going on and the battle mat is a great tool to do this. I just don't care for the combat system and how distracting it is itself. We played all day Friday and half a day Saturday and somewhere in there the players forgot what the point of the adventure was in the first place. There was just way too much on their plate to even retain the point of the adventure. That's when I started thinking about switching in the first place.

The situation became so rules-heavy that I think we all stopped enjoying the game.

 

[Shazman]

I hope you don't have any players that like playing rogues because they probably won't enjoy being relegated into uselessness when you switch to 2E.

 

[suicidepuppet]

Start with 1e (or clone) and then house rule the hell out of it. That way stuff from OD&D is easy to use, 2e is just up the block and custom in the later stuff.There is so much stuff online, both old and new that blended with what you already have you can have a blast.

 

[Henry]

...Every time we sit down to play Pathfinder I keep feeling like something is missing. Like Pathfinder is just too polished or standardized for my taste.

I have a wealth of 2e stuff and there is even more material for it that I haven't played yet.

I am open for opinions and suggestions.

DON'T DO IT! FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT'S HOLY, DON'T DO IT!

Nah, just kidding, go ahead.

If:

1) You have plenty of material for it,
2) Your players are happy with it, and
3) You don't feel like you'd run out of inspiration quickly with it, then

by all means go for it, you don't need our help. I have played older D&D versions many times recently, and will continue to do so, because every version has its own feel, and it's fun to experience each once in a while. I actually had one player comment positively at a gameday about some of the cool and quirky things in AD&D she didn't get to see in the later editions she started with --like the Potion Miscibility Table. You just don't see that in Pathfinder, 3E, or 4E, for that matter.

 

[Glade Riven]

Play what you enjoy! Although if it's largly the combat system that annoys you, I honestly don't know what would stop you from use the 2E combat system with Pathfinder (but then, I'm not that familiar with how the 2E things work). I know when I DM, I'm constantly adjusting things (no matter what system) on the fly to make sure the battle has a good pace to it and it makes sense in the context of the adventure.

Were you running a published adventure or something you made?

 

[zonetrooper1]

Were you running a published adventure or something you made?

I ran them through D0 Hollows Last hope a while back and figured it would make since to go ahead and go into D1 Crown of the kobold king since it was next in succession. I modified the opening of the story slightly since they would have already been familiar with the town and D1 reads as though the characters have never been there. Other than that I ran it pretty much as written.

 

[zonetrooper1]

I hope you don't have any players that like playing rogues because they probably won't enjoy being relegated into uselessness when you switch to 2E.

I'm not sure I agree with that statement but I have to admit that I like the way they cleared up the back stab so its easier to determine when it was legal and when it wasn't.