Difference between 3.5e and 3.0e?

[JKTrickster]

What are the main differences between 3.5 edition and 3.0 edition? I'm mainly asking from a spellcasters point of view. For example, is there anything different about casting spells? Are there any other significant rule changes that I should be aware about?

Also how do partial actions and standard actions work? This is really confusing. How does a 3.0 round look like compared to a 3.5 one?

Thanks for any help you guys can give! I"m playing a 3.0 game soon but I only have had experience with 3.5 edition. I couldn't find any info about 3.0 online so I decided to ask you guys!

[Dumbledore lives]

Well Haste gives you an extra standard action, so assuming you're a wizard it's pretty much necessary. Rangers had some changes, as did monks and the weapon rules changed, but none of that will really affect you if you're going spellcaster. Just watch for familiar spells with slightly different effects and you should be good.

May I ask why they're playing 3.0?

[dsmiles]

Well, for one, there's no more 'partial action.' I believe it was turned into the 'move action.'

In one round you get 1 of each: Standard, Move, and Swift actions. A reasonable number of 'Free' actions (as technically, they take no time and/or thought). And there's something about 'Immediate' actions that can occur on your turn or your opponent's turn, IIRC.

You can 'sell' your standard action for another move action (or swift action, but not both).

[Manateee]

Cover, DR, Animal Companions and Psionics are the big things.

Stay away from 3.0 psionics.

Beyond that, there's a huge list of minor tweaks, but things are more or less consistent for casters. But check how the ability enhancement and Haste spells work.

Also, I believe the same metamagic feat could be stacked multiple times, but I'm away from book, and it's been about a decade.

[GoatBoy]

Partial actions are what you are restricted to when slowed and what you get an extra of from haste. It can be either a move action, or a standard.

"Shapechanger" and "beast" were additional creature types, the former including phasms, doppelgangers, and lycanthropes, and the latter including any made up of either regular animals who are not found in the "real" world (eg. dire animals) or real world creatures who are now extinct (dinosaurs).

Burning hands was a transmutation spell.

Not many differences, but some of them were pure insanity.

3.0 is what the first Neverwinter Nights game used. I believe it still has a small but devoted fan base.

EDIT: Not the FIRST first Neverwinter Nights, but the first Bioware NWN title.

[deuxhero]

One other noticeable change is that Vorpal works on all critical and critical increases stack. Why they decided to nerf it twice in .5 I have no idea.

[Dumbledore lives]

One other noticeable change is that Vorpal works on all critical and critical increases stack. Why they decided to nerf it twice in .5 I have no idea.

Well decapitating on everything but a 1 was an issue.

[JKTrickster]

Sorry I wasn't clear but I'm trying to go from 3.5 BACK to 3.0 Edition. Yeah it's not the most standard change but the DM is running a 3.0 game so yeah.

How do Partial actions work? Can I cast a spell with my partial action? Can I cast a spell with my standard and then move right afterward?

Can I "move twice" with both my partial action AND the move that is a part of the standard action?

As a Wizard should I specialize? If so, in what?

[deuxhero]

Well decapitating on everything but a 1 was an issue.

Yes, but did they have to make two nerfs to fix the same problem?

[dsmiles]

Well decapitating on everything but a 1 was an issue.

Decapitation is on a 2, unless you don't play with critical fumbles. :smallwink:

[Hecuba]

Notable Changes:

Psionics was redesigned. Unless you're fully replacing other casting systems, I would heavily reccomend 3.5 Psionics over 3e
3e Bard was a 1 level class outside of casting: while the uses per day for bardic music were based on bard level, the available songs were based solely on skill ranks, making it a lucrative dip.
Action types were handled differently. It's generally a straightforward conversion. Generally, in 3.0, you have Move+standard or full round. Partial actions can be move OR standard, but not both. I would need to double check this to be certain though.
DR was +X based rather than material/damage type based (though there were some material based DRs set below the +X IIRC)

[mikau013]

Quicken spell was also nerfed in 3.5

[Wyntonian]

I believe there were also a goodly number more skills. Intuit Direction, Innuendo, a bunch of others.

[GoatBoy]

As a Wizard should I specialize? If so, in what?

Specialization is weird in 3.0, but the spell schools are still as imbalanced as they are in 3.5, I think. Evocation is still a good school to ban, followed by necromancy and illusion or enchantment, and never ban conjuraton or transmutation.

[nyjastul69]

Monster sizes were also changed. Some large monsters in 3rd occupied a 5' space but were 10' tall, such as a troll. Others were 5'x10' base, such as a horse. They were large tall and large long respectively. In 3.5 all large creatures occupy a 10'x10' space. As a caster some summoned creatures may be a different size in 3rd.

Edit: You might find the 3e SRD (http://www.opengamingfoundation.org/srd.html) helpful.

[JKTrickster]

Oh that was just what I needed! Thanks so much! I was taking forever to find something like that!

And thanks everyone for their replies!

A question about partial and standard actions. From the sound of it, does that mean I get to cast a spell twice :smallconfused:

Or does a fighter get to attack twice and move?

[nyjastul69]

Glad to be able to help. There might be better versions of the SRD out there, I linked to the first one I found.

A caster under the effects of haste, or anything else, that awards a partial action can indeed cast 2 spells per round. The standard action in 3e included an attack and move. From the SRD:

Action Types
Not an Action: Some activities are not even considered free actions. They literally don't take any time at all to do and are considered an inherent part of doing something else.

Free Action: A character can perform one or more free actions while taking another action normally. However, the DM puts reasonable limits on what a character can really do for free.

Partial Action: As a general rule, a character can do as much with a partial action as a character could with a standard action minus a move. Typically, a character may take a 5-foot step as part of a partial action.

Move-Equivalent Action: Move-equivalent actions take the place of movement in a standard action or take the place of an entire partial action. The character can normally also take a 5 foot step.

Standard Action: A standard action allows a character to do something and move that character's indicated speed during a combat round. A character can move before or after performing the activity of the action.

Full-Round Action: A full-round action consumes all a character's effort during a round. The only movement a character can take during a full- round action is a 5-foot step before, during, or after the action. A character can also perform free actions. Some full-round actions do not allow a 5-foot step.

Edit: I forgot to address the fighter question. A fighter would be able to attack twice and move if he had a partial action in addition to his standard action. You would get any combination of 2 moves and 1 attack, or 2 attacks and 1 move. It depends on when, and how, you use your partial. The move part of a standard action can be done before or after attacking and the partial action can be taken before or after your standard action. The partial action cannot be taken between the attack and move parts of your standard action though.

[JKTrickster]

What does one full round consist of? A Standard as well as a Partial? That doesn't seem to be the case but I wanted to be absolutely sure.

[nyjastul69]

What does one full round consist of? A Standard as well as a Partial? That doesn't seem to be the case but I wanted to be absolutely sure.

A round in 3.0 is a single standard action. Remember that a standard action includes a move or move equivalent action as well as an attack/casting. Partial actions come into play when you are limited in what you can do. During a surprise round or when slowed you are limited to a partial action only. In these two instances you could move/me or attack/cast, but not both. A partial action also come into play when one is under the effects of a haste spell. In this case you would get a partial action in addition to your normal standard action. I'll all but guarantee there are other instances of being limited to, or gaining a partial action. [Edit: in fact, there are]

A partial is not something that you normally choose. Rather, it is an action type mandated by the rules due to certain circumstances; hastened, slowed, readying an action (in 3.0 you ready a partial action), surprise, etc..

Another way to look at is a partial action in 3.0 is basically what a standard action allows in 3.5. The 3.0 PH describes it as a standard action minus the move/me element. I hope this helps a little more.

I can see how my previous post was not entirely clear. I was trying to illustrate how a partial action interacts with a standard action. I wasn't trying to imply that a partial is part of the normal round. It doesn't come into play very often. Understanding how it interacts with a standard is quite important though. I've e-mailed you as well.

[JKTrickster]

I'm so glad you cleared that up! Thanks!

And wait you emailed me?