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Issue with "Core" 3.5?
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<blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 6466063" data-attributes="member: 4937"><p>If you stick to the core, and stay below 13th level, and your players aren't super optimizers with a desire to break the game, then 3.5 by and large plays really really well IMO.</p><p></p><p>Pathfinder didn't fix 3.5. They made a few innovations that are worth while, but by and large its just 3.5 with a sticker on it that says, "New and improved."</p><p></p><p>On the whole, I'd say that 3.5 is breakable out of the box because it handles high level play rather poorly and a smart spellcaster can simply outshine non-spellcasters at every level. But its more the case that it grew to big for its britches, because as the options for spellcasters proliferated and the oppurtunities to break the balance increased, it got to a point that you had to be deliberately trying not to break it rather than the reverse.</p><p></p><p>Personally, in most ways I feel 3.0 plays better than 3.5. Even core 3.5 broke more than it fixed.</p><p></p><p>My experience was more like:</p><p></p><p>Early 1e: This rocks.</p><p>Late 1e: You know, I think I'm outgrowing this. I'm getting tired of putting up with the problems with the rules.</p><p>2e: Err... that didn't fix things at all. I'm going to dip here and there for ideas, but I think I'll stick with what I got.</p><p>3e (1st impression): This rocks!!</p><p>3e (after some play time): Hmmm... this could use some tweaking.</p><p>3.5: Wait.... you made almost everything worse. Did you even play test these changes?!?!? I guess I'm going to have to house rule this....</p><p>500+ pages of house rules later: Ok, this rocks!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Celebrim, post: 6466063, member: 4937"] If you stick to the core, and stay below 13th level, and your players aren't super optimizers with a desire to break the game, then 3.5 by and large plays really really well IMO. Pathfinder didn't fix 3.5. They made a few innovations that are worth while, but by and large its just 3.5 with a sticker on it that says, "New and improved." On the whole, I'd say that 3.5 is breakable out of the box because it handles high level play rather poorly and a smart spellcaster can simply outshine non-spellcasters at every level. But its more the case that it grew to big for its britches, because as the options for spellcasters proliferated and the oppurtunities to break the balance increased, it got to a point that you had to be deliberately trying not to break it rather than the reverse. Personally, in most ways I feel 3.0 plays better than 3.5. Even core 3.5 broke more than it fixed. My experience was more like: Early 1e: This rocks. Late 1e: You know, I think I'm outgrowing this. I'm getting tired of putting up with the problems with the rules. 2e: Err... that didn't fix things at all. I'm going to dip here and there for ideas, but I think I'll stick with what I got. 3e (1st impression): This rocks!! 3e (after some play time): Hmmm... this could use some tweaking. 3.5: Wait.... you made almost everything worse. Did you even play test these changes?!?!? I guess I'm going to have to house rule this.... 500+ pages of house rules later: Ok, this rocks! [/QUOTE]
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