Please help! 3.0 versus 3.5

[Nervous Twitch]

Hi all

I haven't role-played in a few years, but recently discovering Oots has inspired me to start running games again.

since I last played, this new-fangled 3.5 version of D&D has come out. As I already own the three 3.0 core source books and none of my players will own ANY of them (not even the PH), is it worth my while purchasing the upgraded versions?

(I've never even opened 3.5, so i have no idea how radical the changes are)

I welcome opinions!

[Morty]

Use SRD (http://www.d20srd.org). It's got almost everything from 3.5 books- and what it doesn't have didn't change from 3.0 to 3.5. Just check what have changed and what haven't.

[Khoran]

In addition to the SRD, there is a PDF on the Wizard Site that is a conversion guide that will show you how to use your 3.0 books to be useful for 3.5

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd%2Fdnd%2F20030718a

The two systems arn't that hard to convert.

[Matthew]

Indeed. Don't worry about upgrading. Pretty much all the information can be downloaded from the D20 Home Page in Word Document Format.

The changes are for the most part relatively minor. The Ranger got a bit of a spanking and the Skill List has been adjusted. Power Attack has 'gone crazy' and a number of other Spell and Feat adjustments have altered some of the nuances of the game.

Monsters have also been revised, though there are still a number of errors in Skill Point calculations and such. However, they remain largely the same old fare. There are some things you won't be able to lay your hands on (such as 3.5 versions of Illithids and Beholders) if you don't upgrade, but it's no great stretch to compensate.