Pathfinder OGL/3.5 RPG system from Paizo

[Vigilance]

It seems to me that there are two completely different problems this addresses:

1. The desire to still have new adventures you could use with Relics & Rituals or Tome of Magic or Goodman Games Guide to Rakshasa or whatever with.

Will it do that though?

The Pathfinder Alpha looks as different from 3.5 as 3.5 was from 3e.

Given the time and expense companies like Goodman went to updating adventures from 3e to 3.5, because of a need to do so for ease of use, it looks like 3.75 won't provide nearly as much continuity as folks would like.

This to me is the problem with a 3.75 type solution.

Folks who are willing to update their game will likely go 4e. Folks who want continuity aren't looking for something that makes them do converions.

And the class changes alone look pretty substantial.

I dunno.

 

[Ripzerai]

Will it do that though?

I dunno.

I don't know either. All we've seen are the early playtest rules. It doesn't look nearly as difficult to convert 3.5 to 3p as 3.5 to 4e, anyway. And 3e vs. 3.5 wasn't a big deal either, in my mind - a 3.5 party can still fight all the monsters in the MMII right out of the book, and a 3.5 character can still use most 3.0 prestige classes.

The example you give, of Goodman Games, is an issue of companies needing to update to fit the new standard, which is a different situation from "what can I still use in preparing for my home game," where there's much more room for variance.

With 3p, a very simple statblock like "Sorcerer 10/Fighter 2/Eldritch Knight 5" still means essentially what it always meant, while in 4e you'd have to completely restructure the thing from the bottom up. A complex statblock (like Kyuss' in Age of Worms) would require changes if you wanted to make it 3p compliant, but the thing is, in a home game, it doesn't actually need to be compliant. If a NPC works slightly differently from the PCs, it's not a big deal. A 3p party could fight the 3.5 Kyuss and scarcely notice, while I don't think a 4e party could.

That's the distinction I'm trying to make. Yes, if Goodman Games wanted to convert all its adventures to the Pathfinder system, there'd be problems, and that's not a problem Pathfinder offers a solution for. But I think it does solve the two problems I mentioned. And I'm more concerned about the second, anyway.

 

[pawsplay]

Kickin' it not-very-new-school, ah yeah.

 

[Erik Mona]

I apologize if this has been posted and I missed it, but will Paizo be allowing other companies to officially support for the system via some sort of licensed logo (like d20)?

We're looking into this possibility. Nothing to announce yet, but it seems like a good idea to me!

--Erik Mona
Publisher
Paizo Publishing, LLC

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

I apologize if this has been posted and I missed it, but will Paizo be allowing other companies to officially support for the system via some sort of licensed logo (like d20)?

I was just going to say, I emailed Erik to ask about this possibility. I'm glad (and not at all surprised) I am not alone.

 

[DM_Jeff]

I was just going to say, I emailed Erik to ask about this possibility. I'm glad (and not at all surprised) I am not alone.

*taps fingers together ala Monte Burns*

"Excellent."

-DM Jeff

 

[pawsplay]

Looked it over, nice stuff. I might be interested in doing some Pathfinder stuff if the conversions don't become too difficult. That's kind of an issue with being almost-not-quuite-3.5: the mind can play tricks.

 

[trancejeremy]

I don't know either. All we've seen are the early playtest rules. It doesn't look nearly as difficult to convert 3.5 to 3p as 3.5 to 4e, anyway. And 3e vs. 3.5 wasn't a big deal either, in my mind - a 3.5 party can still fight all the monsters in the MMII right out of the book, and a 3.5 character can still use most 3.0 prestige classes.

As someone who stayed with 3.0 but still used 3.5 stuff, it really wasn't that hard to convert from 3.5 on the fly. Stat blocks would pretty much be used as is.

But the trouble with PF, at least the alpha, is it seems quite a bit different from 3.5 in some areas. Not as big as leap as 4e, but the skill list is dramatically different, not just having a few skills renamed.

And more importantly, it looks like the power level of classes is ratcheted up. Whereas 3.5 to 3.0, the classes were largely the same.

 

[Brennin Magalus]

Yeah. But the sky is made of candy.

And we didn't even have to beat it with a stick!

 

[FATDRAGONGAMES]

We're looking into this possibility. Nothing to announce yet, but it seems like a good idea to me!

--Erik Mona
Publisher
Paizo Publishing, LLC

Great news Erik. With many of the current 3.5 publishers in production limbo until next January it seems to be an excellent opportunity to shore up support for Pathfinder RPG.