Why is Pathfinder Eberron so populer?

[Hazzardevil]

There have been a huge number of pathfinder Eberron games recently, can anyone tell me why?

[Yora]

Eberron as a setting has a rather pulp feeling to it, as it was actually one of the main ideas behind its concept. It is also a low-level setting that is meant to be played in the 3rd to 8th level range.

And I think Pathfinder really shines in giving characters of these levels more exiting options. In D&D, a 6th level barbarian is like any other barbarian, with the 3 feats they have being the only thing that sets them apart. In PF, you not only get more feats, but also more class features that often include a wide range of options to chose from.

In D&D you have many options to individualize your character, but it takes quite some time until you have enough levels to do so. In pathfinder you can give characters an individual touch much earlier. Eberron is a setting for outrageous and slightly over the top characters and PF makes it a lot easier to make such characters even at very low levels.

[Psyren]

1) Eberron is fun.
2) Pathfinder is fun.

Hey, you got peanut butter in my chocolate!

[Krazzman]

Thanks to house Cannith, Guns are more justificably (??? did I wrote that right?) invented in eberron than any other setting. And! You could make yourself a level 6 Ninja with Leadership to get a Halfling Gunslinger that rides a Raptor.

(So gonna do that next time :D)

[Pilo]

In PathFinder, leadership is restricted to level 7+ : http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/general-feats/leadership---final .

[Yora]

Or you could be a ninja/expert with max ranks in Heal who rides a raptor!

[Dusk Eclipse]

Eberron as a setting has a rather pulp feeling to it, as it was actually one of the main ideas behind its concept. It is also a low-level setting that is meant to be played in the 3rd to 8th level range.

And I think Pathfinder really shines in giving characters of these levels more exiting options. In D&D, a 6th level barbarian is like any other barbarian, with the 3 feats they have being the only thing that sets them apart. In PF, you not only get more feats, but also more class features that often include a wide range of options to chose from.

In D&D you have many options to individualize your character, but it takes quite some time until you have enough levels to do so. In pathfinder you can give characters an individual touch much earlier. Eberron is a setting for outrageous and slightly over the top characters and PF makes it a lot easier to make such characters even at very low levels.

Eberron is perfectly playable even at high levels, you just need to get of Korhvaire, there are a lot of challenges for higher level characters, the giants in Xen'drik, the Dreaming Dark, the cults of the Dragon below, the agents of the Lord of Dust, the Dragons of Argonessen, etc. But yeah I agree with your overall analysis, I really dislike the low levels because everyone is the same and most of the neat tricks are still out of reach.

[Uin]

I, infact, run a Pathfinder Eberron game every week. Sharn is a wonderful place for a party to adventure through!

Dwarf Fighter
Human Sorcerer (Aberrant Dragonmark)
Human Rogue (Mark of Passage)
Elf Druid
Half-Elf Alchemist
Halfling Oracle

[Krazzman]

Ok, then you could be a Level 7+ Ninja with max ranks in Heal and leadership to get the Mysterious Stranger Gunslinger Halfling with a really big Mustache that rides on a Raptor called yoshi and speaks in a mexican accent.

That better?^^

[navar100]

Possibly it is more basic. They like the Eberron game world but prefer the 3E type rules rather than 4E. Pathfinder provides the continuing support WOTC abandoned.

[Yora]

But there is still a much larger number of 3rd Ed. books than PF books. When the number of options is what you want, PF is still laging way behind.

[Dusk Eclipse]

From what I'v seen most of these Eberron/Pathfinder games usually use both 3.5 and PF books. So lack of resources is not a problem.

[Krazzman]

They are not that far behind of options. They just have another point of approaching this. Instead of a ton of classes they use ACF's like a swashbuckling rogue instead of a swashbuckler class.

[Psyren]

But there is still a much larger number of 3rd Ed. books than PF books. When the number of options is what you want, PF is still laging way behind.

I still don't understand why anyone would play Pathfinder and voluntarily cut themselves off from their 3.5 material. It's really not that hard to convert whatever you want/need. And no matter how you look at the math, 3.P has more options than 3.5 or PF ever will.

Just by playing it in Eberron, you're already including 3.5 stuff anyway.

[Anarchy_Kanya]

In D&D, a 6th level barbarian is like any other barbarian, with the 3 feats they have being the only thing that sets them apart.
Not exactly true. 3.5 has more then enough ACFs and other options for a Barbarian to enable making a couple of quite different 6th level Barbarians. And feats can also be a big factor, maybe.

[Krazzman]

It might be the thing that some classes got buffed, this sometimes makes people excited. Some fall for the Illusion of it being more balanced, which is only partway true. Druids got right round nerfed but still stayed T1 while Fighters got a buff which also didn't change their position on the tier list.

Monk's don't have to be sucking anymore which is in fact a good thing but seeing the prerecs for monks to not suck anymore....jeah not sooo great.

That said...maybe it's the thing about it being the new Guy in town. I for my part want to ditch 3.5 because of the sort of already carved in stone opinions of my, if I look at the current development, former PnP Group.

A new thing might not be better but is more exciting, you get some things you know and learn some things.

Hope this explanation is sufficient.

[Yora]

Not exactly true. 3.5 has more then enough ACFs and other options for a Barbarian to enable making a couple of quite different 6th level Barbarians. And feats can also be a big factor, maybe.

Possibly, but how many people do actually have 18 Splatbooks that they use in their game? Of all the people I've ever played D&D with, I think only 1 in 5 actually has any books. With PF, you have one big book that offers a lot more options just as it is.

[Krazzman]

Possibly, but how many people do actually have 18 Splatbooks that they use in their game? Of all the people I've ever played D&D with, I think only 1 in 5 actually has any books. With PF, you have one big book that offers a lot more options just as it is.

+ really everything is ONLINE. In fact, you could play it without any book.

[Tanuki Tales]

One of the reasons I love 3.PF Eberron?

You can walk the streets of Sharn, Breland or several other well known cities and countries and not have to worry about more than a few weird/second glances. Only in certain areas by certain people are you going to be hunted and persecuted.


......

Did I mention that you're a Troll Bard?


Pathfinder makes Monster PCs far more viable than 3.5 ever did (that Troll Bard is an ECL 6 character instead of ECL 12) and Eberron as a setting is set up for allowing monsters to roam about as equal citizens because of continental powers like Breland and House Tharashk.

[Dusk Eclipse]

Possibly, but how many people do actually have 18 Splatbooks that they use in their game? Of all the people I've ever played D&D with, I think only 1 in 5 actually has any books. With PF, you have one big book that offers a lot more options just as it is.

Eh... my group tend to play with everything is on the table and between the five of us we were just missing around 3 Eberron books and some FR to have the whole 3.5 collection (and even some 3.0 books).

So maybe me and my group were an exception but we do exists :smallwink:


One of the reasons I love 3.PF Eberron?

You can walk the streets of Sharn, Breland or several other well known cities and countries and not have to worry about more than a few weird/second glances. Only in certain areas by certain people are you going to be hunted and persecuted.


......

Did I mention that you're a Troll Bard?


Pathfinder makes Monster PCs far more viable than 3.5 ever did (that Troll Bard is an ECL 6 character instead of ECL 12) and Eberron as a setting is set up for allowing monsters to roam about as equal citizens because of continental powers like Breland and House Tharashk.

Well... IIRC Monster roaming in plain sight are not killed on sight so that is a plus; but unless I am mistaken the common people still are wary of Monsters even cosmopolitan cities such as Sharn, heck even Goblins (which have an actual country) are at most second rate citizens.

But while I don't fully understand why some monsters are so popular (trolls for example) I do like the fact that PF made playing monstrous PC's easier.

[Tanuki Tales]

Well... IIRC Monster roaming in plain sight are not killed on sight so that is a plus; but unless I am mistaken the common people still are wary of Monsters even cosmopolitan cities such as Sharn, heck even Goblins (which have an actual country) are at most second rate citizens.

Depends on the country and the areas really. Monsters and goblinoids and such may not be as well trusted or as offhandedly ignored on the street as an elf or dwarf but they aren't hunted down by the city guard or strung up in the streets for just being a non-standard base race or monster.


But while I don't fully understand why some monsters are so popular (trolls for example) I do like the fact that PF made playing monstrous PC's easier.

It's the Regeneration and High Con score for me. I love me a good Regenerator *shrugs*

But yes, having a monster as a viable character choice and not a punishment for thinking outside the box is always a plus.

[Jeraa]

But there is still a much larger number of 3rd Ed. books than PF books. When the number of options is what you want, PF is still laging way behind.

WotC is a bigger company than Paizo, and was publishing 3.0/3.5 books for 8 years (I think). Pathfinder comes from a smaller company and has only been around 2 years (well, it was announced a year before that. So you could say 3 years). Of course there isn't as much material yet. Give it time, and there will be.