D&D 3E/3.5 What are the main changes from 3.5 to Pathfinder?

[Herremann the Wise]

...and how do those changes affect mixing & matching stuff?

I'm a busy guy... and I'm trying to piece together what system I'd like to run a campaign in. IOW, will I stick with 3.5Ed or would another game suit it better? Or would picking one as a core game to add bits and pieces from the other work the best?...

I think the greatest advantage Pathfinder offers is only felt if it is done without the mixing and matching. If you are still allowing a lot of 3.x stuff as well, then you are best off leaving it at 3.5 as all the subtle changes that have been made that truly affect mid to higher level playability will be blown out of the water. And I think it is the sum of these small changes combined with the restricting of rules/class/spell bloat that make Pathfinder a good "new" alternative. Otherwise you are more than likely better just to stick with the 3.5 kitchen sink.

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

 

[TheAuldGrump]

The biggest change, in terms of getting used to the new rules, is that characters get the same number of skill points at first level as they do at any other level. It used to be that if you were multiclassing with Rogue you should take Rogue at first level, to take advantage of the X4 skill points. With Pathfinder it no longer matters.

As far as 'Wow, I'm glad I changed!' goes it is the Sorcerer bloodlines, hands down. They are just plain cool.

The Auld Grump

 

[DumbPaladin]

I agree with Herremann. You risk combining 3.5 splatbook feats & spells with Pathfinder at your own peril, and potentially throwing your PF game out of whack. The balance seems to be there within PF, for now. There are conversion guides, but if I were running a PF game, I'd severely, severely limit the 3.5 feats and spells I allowed.

 

[Kvantum]

Not to toot my own horn... but my publishing company, Dreamscarred Press, released a Pathfinder RPG version of psionics - Psionics Unleashed. It's in my signature and there are quite a few places you can read informed reviews on if it's "good non-official" (Amazon, Paizo, RPGNow, and DriveThruRPG all have reviews on it by people unaffiliated with Dreamscarred Press).

Paizo won't be doing a set of Psionics rules until at least 2012, if not 2013, and they won't be using a PP system at all, even if they do release a set of psionics rules. Dreamscarred is the only way to go for a conversion of the 3.5 psionics rules to Pathfinder.

The fact that they're (IMO) a very well-done set of psionics rules is a bonus.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

As far as 'Wow, I'm glad I changed!' goes it is the Sorcerer bloodlines, hands down. They are just plain cool.

I really liked them when WotC introduced them to 3.X in ... um ... whichever book they did it in, as bloodline feats, I believe.

Pathfinder's version - incorporating it into the class from the get-go as a key feature - is a really nice evolution that's worked out fantastically, so far (we have a dragon-blooded half-orc sorceror in our group).

 

[Jeff Wilder]

pretty sure this was true in 3.5 as well.

It was. PFRPG simply clarifies this, as it does it a few other places.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I really liked them when WotC introduced them to 3.X in ... um ... whichever book they did it in, as bloodline feats, I believe.

Pathfinder's version - incorporating it into the class from the get-go as a key feature - is a really nice evolution that's worked out fantastically, so far (we have a dragon-blooded half-orc sorceror in our group).

Integrating bloodlines into the Sorc class was a HR I incorporated ASAP, and one of the the things that attracted me to Pathfinder.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

My reasons for asking are probably typical. As noted above, certain changes in the game reflect some of my favorite HRs.

However, the richness of the 3.X mine is alluring. Hands as Weapons from AU/AE for instance, which lets unarmed characters enchant their bodies; the 3.5 feat that lets you burn Turn attempts to grant fast healing in a radius effect; feats that let you re-channel spell energy into other effects (to name but a few)- all appeal to me.

Ditto elements like AU/AE's alternative spell component rules, or variable level spells.

Now, I could import what I want into 3.5Ed, but Pathfinder looks like it would need fewer alterations, overall. Or to put it differently, I'm thinking about making my "Ultimate 3.5 Ruleset", incorporating the best of the best, and Pathfinder looks like it may be the one that requires the least tweaking.

 

[tylermalan]

If I were starting Pathfinder as a DM, what are the books that I need? The main core rulebook and the bestiary book?

 

[Aus_Snow]

If I were starting Pathfinder as a DM, what are the books that I need? The main core rulebook and the bestiary book?

Based on my direct experiences and observations so far...

Yep. Precisely that pair.

There are always more books out there, have no fears about that. If you even were. Actually, for instance, I hear that the GameMastery Guide is pretty damn good, for, well, GMing advice and utility. I've even heard it compared - and not unfavourably! - to the AD&D 1e DMG, quite recently. And the Advanced Player's Guide ranks very well... primarily among players I presume. Oh, and the second Bestiary is doing well, and seems highly regarded. And so on.

Anyway. Those two really are all you need. Simple as that.