Your review of 3.5 after play-testing
- Thread starter Farland
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HellHound
ENnies winner and NOT Scrappy Doo
We've been playing 3.5 since the pre-release went out to the publishers, and it has been an improvement to our game.
The only issues the players had was the reduction in Haste (and they also agreed that it made things work better internally, just adding a Haste effect to a CR 15 creature made a DISTINCT difference in 3.0).
We were all happy with the reduced Buffs, as the all-day buffing was a purely new thing with 3.0, we were happy to go back to the buff spells NOT being mandatory "cast at camp" spells.
Everything else has been greeted with joy and acclaim by my players.
The only issues the players had was the reduction in Haste (and they also agreed that it made things work better internally, just adding a Haste effect to a CR 15 creature made a DISTINCT difference in 3.0).
We were all happy with the reduced Buffs, as the all-day buffing was a purely new thing with 3.0, we were happy to go back to the buff spells NOT being mandatory "cast at camp" spells.
Everything else has been greeted with joy and acclaim by my players.
JoeGKushner
Adventurer
Still playtesting actually.
In one campaign, I have a fighter based off Guts from Berserk named after one of the Japanese variants of his name, Gatts, and his Power Attack with his two handed sword is now more dangerous than ever before.
In another campiagn, I have an elf with no name who fights with a dagger and a longsword and now that the ambidextiery feat is folded into two-weapon fighting, he's a terror.
Thumbs up for me.
Only one screwed is my mage and not really because I thought Haste was 'cheap' and never used it and maybe my DM in that game was too smart but bluff spells always had a way of getting dispelled by the big boys and weren't really needed against the little ones.
We have been caught a few times by some of the changes, like the standard experience advancement now being the same as the FR version, the facing rules and some other things, but mostly, it's been cool.
In one campaign, I have a fighter based off Guts from Berserk named after one of the Japanese variants of his name, Gatts, and his Power Attack with his two handed sword is now more dangerous than ever before.
In another campiagn, I have an elf with no name who fights with a dagger and a longsword and now that the ambidextiery feat is folded into two-weapon fighting, he's a terror.
Thumbs up for me.
Only one screwed is my mage and not really because I thought Haste was 'cheap' and never used it and maybe my DM in that game was too smart but bluff spells always had a way of getting dispelled by the big boys and weren't really needed against the little ones.
We have been caught a few times by some of the changes, like the standard experience advancement now being the same as the FR version, the facing rules and some other things, but mostly, it's been cool.
RangerWickett
Legend
You want to know the only thing I dislike about 3.5? Druids only get one animal companion. Our PC Druid had an Eagle and a Wolf, and we just wish there'd been some way to cover having multiple companions. But we took a quick fix; I let the Druid freely awaken his Eagle, who took the name Kiir.
Mind you, this did cause a bit of distress for me when I realized the party now has a flying scout with a +12 Spot check that almost no one would be suspicious of, but it won't be hard to work around. And plus, the new animal companion rules are much more clear (and interesting! we now know how many things the wolf is trained to do).
Now, of course, there are things I wish they'd changed more, but that's what house rules are for.
Oh wait, there is one more slight beef. Why does the Satyr look like a bad-ass now? I mean, I love WAR's art for real bad-asses, but did we really need a bad-ass goatman with pan pipes?
Mind you, this did cause a bit of distress for me when I realized the party now has a flying scout with a +12 Spot check that almost no one would be suspicious of, but it won't be hard to work around. And plus, the new animal companion rules are much more clear (and interesting! we now know how many things the wolf is trained to do).
Now, of course, there are things I wish they'd changed more, but that's what house rules are for.
Oh wait, there is one more slight beef. Why does the Satyr look like a bad-ass now? I mean, I love WAR's art for real bad-asses, but did we really need a bad-ass goatman with pan pipes?
RangerWickett
Legend
JoeGKushner said:
What facing rules? What different XP rules?
Had our first game last week.
Went well, DR changes were the big thing we were exposed to, as well as character updates. The enchantress, who got screwed the most by the rule changes - SF, GSF, double extended buffs, haste, conjuration as prohibited school so poof goes Teleport, and a toad familiar (who is currently embedded in her skull - long story) - she was the biggest fan of the change. The Bard, who only lost the heinous damage he was doing as an archer with GMW and otherwise gained across the board, was the most resistant. Our cleric is the most unfamiliar with the d20 rules in general, so she was concerned about having to learn all new stuff. Fortunately her changes were light. The other two have custom prestige classes that didn't change, but they both were using my houseruled Ranger class, which was amazingly similar to the new Ranger class, so only minor tweaks there.
The new DR rocks. The only downside is that the party is out in the desert hunting demons and diabolists, so we had to retcon some shopping for cold iron weapons.
Went well, DR changes were the big thing we were exposed to, as well as character updates. The enchantress, who got screwed the most by the rule changes - SF, GSF, double extended buffs, haste, conjuration as prohibited school so poof goes Teleport, and a toad familiar (who is currently embedded in her skull - long story) - she was the biggest fan of the change. The Bard, who only lost the heinous damage he was doing as an archer with GMW and otherwise gained across the board, was the most resistant. Our cleric is the most unfamiliar with the d20 rules in general, so she was concerned about having to learn all new stuff. Fortunately her changes were light. The other two have custom prestige classes that didn't change, but they both were using my houseruled Ranger class, which was amazingly similar to the new Ranger class, so only minor tweaks there.
The new DR rocks. The only downside is that the party is out in the desert hunting demons and diabolists, so we had to retcon some shopping for cold iron weapons.
Lord Rasputin
Explorer
Well, I actually like the new haste. Came in handy this afternoon, speeding most of the party. The changes to animate dead are subtle but nice, and my necromancer could cast it before he hit 9th level (which he did not; he hit 9th level and then could animate the humanoids he helped kill to reach it).
I'm anxious to try touch of idiocy with my enchanter, though he has an Str 8 so he's not so good with melee touch spells.
As totally expected, the new ki strike makes it easier to play a monk, and doesn't hurt game balance one bit.
I'm anxious to try touch of idiocy with my enchanter, though he has an Str 8 so he's not so good with melee touch spells.
As totally expected, the new ki strike makes it easier to play a monk, and doesn't hurt game balance one bit.
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