Pathfinder 1E Interview With Pathfinder Editor-In-Chief James Jacobs


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-What might someone notice as the differences between Pathfinder and D&D 3.5?

I guess the biggest thing is that there are more options. We really tried to limit the changes to ones that were "additive" rather than taking things away. So now, if you play a sorcerer or a ranger or a bard or a fighter, there's just more choices to pick from. Characters are slightly more powerful as well—especially at lower levels, where we increased the power a bit to keep folks from being accidentally killed by random damage, to give characters a bit more survivability.
-Was there any point where you felt like 3.5 had "jumped the shark" or needed a redesign?

Not really... although there was certainly a point where I felt that the rules bloat made 3.5 so unwieldy that it needed a trim. Rather than redesigning the rules, I think it basically just needed to go on a diet—there were too many options and there was too much power creep going on, and things were getting just out of hand.
Huh?:confused:
 

I think you can simplify while still adding options. Streamline some of the clunky bits, for example (Grappling and Combat Maneuvers) while increasing options (Traits, include something interesting added to a class each level), etc. But I believe James is on these forums, so he might be available to answer any followup you'd like. :)
 


James is indeed on these boards!

When I say "more options," I mean that each class has more options. In 3.5, many classes already had a lot; clerics are a great example, in that a cleric of a god of fire and a cleric of a god of the sea, in being able to choose different domains, are going to end up being very distinctive characters. Characters like wizards and sorcerers can choose to focus in specific spells (although wizards are more fun in this regard since they gain something from such specializations), so an illusion using wizard is very different feeling than a conjuration using wizard.

But when you get to other classes, like the barbarian, the paladin, the monk, the rogue... and there's really only one "build." You can certainly make for cool differences when you roleplay, but statwise, your 15th level monk is going to be VERY close, if not identical, to everyone else's 15th level monk... skills and feats being the only way to customize these characters beyond their core abilities. With the Pathfinder RPG, there's more options for these characters as well to build a cool character that's your own.

Now... the second question points to something else entirely, although I do agree that, upon looking at both of those answers, I probably should have been more clear on the answering.

The "rules bloat" I was talking about was the proliferation of base classes, the expansion of magic systems and combat systems, and the sheer press of "splatbooks" as they're called. The Pathfinder RPG's a big book, yes, and it's got more options for players than the 3.5 PHB... but it's nothing compared to what happens when WotC puts out a dozen or so new rules expansions per year. Makes it hard for the GM to stay ahead of things and to design games and adventures that can challenge PCs properly if the PCs are getting new rules that take the game in (sometimes) drastic new directions every few months. THAT'S the rules bloat I was talking to here.

Basically, I categorize "more options for the core classes" and "More core classes and more combat variants and more spell variants" as two very different beasts. Specifically, "Magic of Incarnum" and "Book of Nine Swords" is where the "shark jumping" happened for me with 3.5

EDIT: Paizo will certainly be releasing new rules book expansions for the PF RPG... but discounting Monster books, we'll probably be limiting that release pattern to 2 per year rather than 12+. Our focus will remain on providing adventures, Adventure Paths, campaign supplements, and flavor-heavy products even after the PF RPG launches.
 

Thanks for the elaboration James. The Book of Nine Swords got a quick skim by me and I decided not to purchase it and immediately banned it at my table so as to preclude others in my group wasting their money on it and then be unable to use it. It remains the only universally banned 3.5E book in my games (the Epic Level Handbook is also banned, but it is 3.0E) - I mean explicit per encounter powers - blech (I despise powers defined in duration and frequency on the entirely metagame concept of the encounter - hopefully Pathfinder RPG will not go that route). I do ban other books for campaign-specific reasons, but only for the given campaign.

Do you realize that you are one of my favorite designers especially since your statements that balance in its strict interpretation, while important, can sometimes be overriden by interesting flavor and you proved your adherence to this by the new types of feats you introduced, where a character has to do things to earn the right to take them. :)
 

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