shurai said:
Back when 3rd Edition was new, and I first learned about unified ability scores, unified dice & test resolution mechanics, a complete skill system, and the special ability system (feats), well, I knew D&D was taking a huge leap. Back in 2000, 3rd Edition changed everything by carrying roleplaying boldly forward into the mid-90s.
I was really excited about 3e back in 1999. AD&D 2e had some elements that I could never get the hang on, no matter ho long I played (hello, THAC0!). 3e, at the time, promised a simpler, more elegant, unified system.
However, there are now certain elements of 3(.5)e that I have grown to dislike:
- Skills and skill points (not all skills are equally useful, yet all have the same base cost; cross-class skills are too expensive [resource-wise] to be worth it [unless you're cross-classing in some already less-than-useful-skill]. The idea beyond skill points is wonderful, but the implementation, especially when creating higher-level characters, is not.)
- Over-dependence on magic items (the so-called "Christmas tree" effect): I loathe and despise it. High-level characters are just walking piles of magic items. The character itself, without his "toys" is virtually helpless against any appropriate CRs.
- The 15-minute adventuring at high(er) levels.
- Grapple rules. I've played a dedicated grappler druid for 13 levels (well, 8, actually, since he only became a grappler when he gained wild shape at 5th) and grapple rules always eluded me. The two clarifications on grappling by WotC haven't really helped.
- Over-dependence on ability scores. High ability scores were always more desirable in D&D, but in 3(.5)e that difference is so much more obvious. A character with 18 in his or her primary ability score is much better than the one with 14. This also makes classes that suffer from MAD (Multiple Ability Dependency; such as monks or paladins) much harder to play. [Incidentally, the wizard has proven himself as virtually the only SAD (Single Ability Dependency) character class in D&D -- he only requires a good Int score and a passable Con (and maybe Dex) score. Everything else is a dump stat. Thus, wizard is just about the only class that can afford an 18 in his primary stat with the 25 point buy method.]
Also, the enormous list of accessories complicated things further. Certainly, the amount of accessories and additional gaming materials for 3(.5) never approached insane amounts from 2e, but the content of the said accessories was different. In 2e, there wasn't really that much additional material that you could pick after character creation. You had your kit that could only be taken at character creation, and weapon and nonweapon proficiencies. That was, basically, it. The spellcasters could add new spells to their lists, and there were new magic items (but crafting even a simple scroll required at least one quest/adventure, and you couldn't [by the RAW] buy or sell magic items, so you were pretty much stuck with whatever your DM handed out).
The 3.5 accessories, OTOH, offer lots of stuff available to characters throughout their careers (feats, prestige classes, new magic items, and, of course, spells). Cross-referencing 14 different books just to create a character you want to play is rather tedious (yes, my example is [slightly] exaggerated, but you get the general idea]). Again, creating a character above 1st-level with that in mind can be really cumbersome.
And this brings me to NPC creation and monster advancement. It sucks, plain and simple. To challenge my highish-level group with a BBEG spellcaster, I have to spend an extraordinary amount of time on his creation. Even if I skip details that really won't be used by the said NPC (like most skills), selecting feats, spells and magic items takes too much time.
All this has made me dislike DMing. Back in 2e days, I DM fairly regularly, but with the 3e and it's inherent complexities and bookkeeping, I do it only occasionally, as a backup DM for the backup DM
That's why, while I really enjoyed 3.5 rules, I'm really looking forward to 4e.
