What changes from 3.0 to 3.5 should *not* have been made?

[Spatula]

True, but when a level 9 PC can completely ignore the defenses of a CR 18 creature with a 3rd level spell, it ceases to be damage reduction and becomes a nuissance.

There aren't any spells (Core) that reduce (or remove) a creature's SR, reduce its resistance to energy, or remove its immunities.

And there aren't any spells (core) that reduce or remove a creature's DR. Greater magic weapon gives one weapon (or 50 arrows) the ability to bypass DR, assuming the caster is high enough level. Which is great for whoever is using that weapon, but doesn't do much good for the rest of the party.

 

[Tzarevitch]

And there aren't any spells (core) that reduce or remove a creature's DR. Greater magic weapon gives one weapon (or 50 arrows) the ability to bypass DR, assuming the caster is high enough level. Which is great for whoever is using that weapon, but doesn't do much good for the rest of the party.

It lasts an hour per level and you can buy or make wands of it reasonably cheaply at high level. A sorcerer can trivially put it on nearly everyone in the party when they wake up in the morning. A rogue with a high-level wand can also do it. In 3.0 it was trivially easy to bypass DR is you bothered to prepare properly. We did it all the time.


Tzarevitch

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Any particular reason? I think the mechanics are quite well-handled, and have no problems with the flavor. Different strokes.

I like the 3.5 companions than the 3.0 companions, but IMO evasion and share spells is stepping on the toes of spellcasters. I can see why the latter is so important, though ... no one wants to heal your companion.

I mean cuase here in the real world we just have guns right, we don't have anything like claibers or any other way to judge the power of a gun, why would people in a fantasy world have ways to judge the power of their weapons.

My sword is 3 feet long, making it better than your sword. You do realize that magical guns don't exist, right?

 

[Vocenoctum]

It lasts an hour per level and you can buy or make wands of it reasonably cheaply at high level. A sorcerer can trivially put it on nearly everyone in the party when they wake up in the morning. A rogue with a high-level wand can also do it. In 3.0 it was trivially easy to bypass DR is you bothered to prepare properly. We did it all the time.


Tzarevitch

It's a good thing DR in 3.5 changed to broaden the DR system then, otherwise DR is just pointless.

 

[Saeviomagy]

I mean cuase here in the real world we just have guns right, we don't have anything like claibers or any other way to judge the power of a gun...

If you want to go that way, then the characters basically know nothing about their weapons.

Most peoples understanding (even supposed experts) of firearms is terrible. Big calibre gun, more stopping power, right? Knockback? Hydrostatic shock? Glazers? Most of this stuff is pure crap, most of the studies are critically flawed, and most gun owners don't know anything about their gun beyond how big the barrel is and where the bullets go.

So if you want to transfer that across to D&D fine. I'd suggest you start by removing every stat from the weapons section, and replacing the ones on the more expensive weapons with phrases like "hits harder!" and "greater stopping power" regardless of what the original stat was.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

Most peoples understanding (even supposed experts) of firearms is terrible. Big calibre gun, more stopping power, right? Knockback? Hydrostatic shock? Glazers? Most of this stuff is pure crap, most of the studies are critically flawed, and most gun owners don't know anything about their gun beyond how big the barrel is and where the bullets go.

I won't disagree that many people who own guns, particularly for self-defense, know very little about them. However I'm not sure I'd go with "most." A lot of gun owners in the US are hobbyists. Hunters and target shooters. My dad is such a one. He makes his own bullets. He takes apart his guns to clean and service them, himself. At the firing range he goes to, several of the regulars are also gunsmiths. These people's understanding of firearms is excellent, to say the least. And I'm not sure I'm ready to say that they are the minority by a large margin.

But let's assume that my dad and his buddies are in the minority. Even so, that means that there's a subset of weapon owners who can readily judge the strength of a particular firearm and/or bullet. They are the ones who use firearms weekly or even daily, and who may also know how to make them.

In a fantasy world this translates over to warrior-types, who may also have ranks in Craft (Weaponsmithing).

 

[Victim]

On the other hand, it'd be easy to understand and rate the magic bonus on weapons from an IC point of view. Detect Magic will break weapons into 3 categories of power. Comparision with GMW provides another way of testing the weapon's bonus. In 3.0, DR was pretty much impossible to bypass without a magic weapon. Summon different demons, whack them with the weapon, see if injury results. Not to mention the difficulty of making the weapon.

 

[dead]

I like to think of 3E as taking a pointed stick to the brainpan of tradition; it needed it.

3E is still steeped in tradition. I'd say 80 to 90 per cent is tradition.

You still have olde chestnuts of tradition like:

arcane/divine magic divide
classes like the monk, paladin, druid, etc.
alignment
short elves
Bigby's this-and-that; Mordenkainen's such-and-such

and the list goes on . . .

 

[Jeff Wilder]

On the other hand, it'd be easy to understand and rate the magic bonus on weapons from an IC point of view.

I'd think it'd be fairly trivial to test the sharpness and hardness of enchanted weapons. For example, I'd allow a skilled alchemist to create a range of acids to "etch test" magic blades.

As long as my players' PCs don't start calling it "my +2 longsword" in character, I'm quite okay with the PC knowing his +2 longsword is better than a +1 longsword but not as impressive as a +3 longsword.


Jeff

 

[Lord Pendragon]

As long as my players' PCs don't start calling it "my +2 longsword" in character, I'm quite okay with the PC knowing his +2 longsword is better than a +1 longsword but not as impressive as a +3 longsword.

I don't even mind IC use of the term "+2 longsword," unless I've given the players alternate in-game terminology to use. Sometimes I come up with something. Sometimes I just use the OOC term as the IC term to save time.