3.5 Player Trying to Understand 5E

[T2D]

Hello~ So, I've never played any edition except 3.5E. Our DM recently decided to try 5E and we made new characters for a sort of test run.

I got confused on some things. Like as an example, in 3.5, once you hit a certain level your BaB would turn to something like +6/+1 as an example, so you'd have two actions for your turn, one a +6 and the other a +1. I was looking at the 5E tables and saw there's "proficiency" - Is that basically the same thing as base attack bonus? And I saw it went (for the one I was looking at at least) to +6, not anything like +6/+1 - Is that multi-action thing no longer a thing? That really tripped me up.

And a quick thing, if it goes well we'll be trying to convert our 3.5 characters to 5E. But my character was a lvl 7 Paladin multiclassing with lvl 5 Wilder. I didn't see Wilder OR Psion anywhere, were they taken out? That'd certainly hinder my conversion. Though I did see Warlock as a class, that's cool! And... Are prestige classes still a thing?

I also noticed there's sort of sub-classes. Cool!! But to me, all I'm seeing different is that the classes are more balanced. Other than that I'm not seeing a real difference between 3.5 and 5E. Then again, I'm not the one DMing... Am I missing something?

[Talamare]

When you make an attack
You determine your accuracy by adding your proficiency, and your modifier to a d20 roll

So if you're using an axe, with 16 str and you have +3 proficiency

You're at a +6 to hit, so you swing your axe. roll a d20, add 6. Ask if you hit AC

Some classes when they hit level 5 get a cool feature that state "When you use your Action to make an Attack, you make an additional attack"
Then instead of attacking once... you attack ... twice...

Fighters, Haste, Dual Wielding can give you more than 2 attacks per turn, but let's keep it simple.

5e is probably the simplest version of DnD of all time, don't over think it

[T2D]

Ah, thank you~ There's just so many mechanical bits and pieces in 3.5 I'm used to overthinking everything I guess. This certainly does seem simpler!

[Foxhound438]

your proficiency is added to all of you attacks if you're proficient with the weapon. At level 5 martial classes get extra attack, so you have 2 attacks with +3 +your ability mod for whichever attack. So for example a L5 fighter with +4 str will get 2 attacks, both at +7.

multi-actions are gone, you have your action, a bonus action, and fighters get action surge. Any bonus action option that lets you attack tells you exactly what to change, ie. two weapon fighting without the fighting style lets you attack but not add your stat mod to the damage of that attack. Otherwise it's just a normal attack.

if you house rule 5e enough it will end up looking like 3.5, but when you really read into things there's a few key differences, such as how attacks of opportunity work. 5e you can run circles around things all day, but if you take a 5 ft step back you'll be attacked.

psions are in development, so there's that.

A lot of prestige classes were put in as subclasses in 5e (such as the arcane trickster)

[CantigThimble]

I'm not sure if you got this or not but your proficiency bonus is applied to EVERYTHING you are proficient in (except armor), including saves and skills. Being proficient in a skill means you get that scaling bonus to it rather than just being able to spend skill points in it.

[Sir cryosin]

Hello~ So, I've never played any edition except 3.5E. Our DM recently decided to try 5E and we made new characters for a sort of test run.

I got confused on some things. Like as an example, in 3.5, once you hit a certain level your BaB would turn to something like +6/+1 as an example, so you'd have two actions for your turn, one a +6 and the other a +1. I was looking at the 5E tables and saw there's "proficiency" - Is that basically the same thing as base attack bonus? And I saw it went (for the one I was looking at at least) to +6, not anything like +6/+1 - Is that multi-action thing no longer a thing? That really tripped me up.

And a quick thing, if it goes well we'll be trying to convert our 3.5 characters to 5E. But my character was a lvl 7 Paladin multiclassing with lvl 5 Wilder. I didn't see Wilder OR Psion anywhere, were they taken out? That'd certainly hinder my conversion. Though I did see Warlock as a class, that's cool! And... Are prestige classes still a thing?

I also noticed there's sort of sub-classes. Cool!! But to me, all I'm seeing different is that the classes are more balanced. Other than that I'm not seeing a real difference between 3.5 and 5E. Then again, I'm not the one DMing... Am I missing something?
You get one action a round unless something grants you a bonus action. Your action can be used to take ( attack action which it tells attack with a weapon, then casting a spell action, dash action disengage, dodged, help, and hide, is what you can do with your action) the proficiency number that you saw. Is the number you add to any skills, tool or anything else that says you can add your proficiency bones to. Wilder I never played 3.5 so I don't know what it is but no its not. Psion will be out to play soon they are doing playtest for them right now.prestige classes I don't know

[JNAProductions]

There's one semi-official prestige class and a lot of homebrew prestige classes.

[ad_hoc]

The best thing you can do is forget everything about 3.5 and treat 5e as a brand new game. It will make learning it much easier.

And yes, it is very different, it is closer to 2e than it is to 3.x.

[Zevox]

Hello~ So, I've never played any edition except 3.5E. Our DM recently decided to try 5E and we made new characters for a sort of test run.

I got confused on some things. Like as an example, in 3.5, once you hit a certain level your BaB would turn to something like +6/+1 as an example, so you'd have two actions for your turn, one a +6 and the other a +1. I was looking at the 5E tables and saw there's "proficiency" - Is that basically the same thing as base attack bonus? And I saw it went (for the one I was looking at at least) to +6, not anything like +6/+1 - Is that multi-action thing no longer a thing? That really tripped me up.
Others have explained proficiency, so I'll just point out that making multiple attacks in a round is still a thing, but it's class-specific now. All martial classes (Fighter, Paladin, Ranger, Barbarian, and Monk) get Extra Attack at level 5, which lets them do two attacks whenever they use their attack action (so yes, they can move and do two attacks, unlike in 3e). Certain subclasses get this as well, namely the Valor Bard, Blade-Pact Warlock, and Bladesinger Wizard (which is from the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide). But other classes simply never get more than one attack per round, because they rely on other things for their damage (sneak attack for a Rogue or spellcasting for most of the rest).

In addition, Fighters specifically get Extra Attack more than once, gaining a third attack at level 11 and a fourth at level 20. But they're the only class that gets that. And multiclassing into multiple classes that give the feature does not stack, so literally only a high enough level Fighter ever gets that.


And a quick thing, if it goes well we'll be trying to convert our 3.5 characters to 5E. But my character was a lvl 7 Paladin multiclassing with lvl 5 Wilder. I didn't see Wilder OR Psion anywhere, were they taken out? That'd certainly hinder my conversion. Though I did see Warlock as a class, that's cool! And... Are prestige classes still a thing?
Psions weren't taken out, they just haven't been added back in yet. At this point all that exists for 5e are what's in the core rulebooks and the one additional book that was relatively recently released, the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide - and that book just added some subclasses, not entirely new classes. Psions were not part of the core rules, so they're not around yet. There are also playtest (sub)classes, including the "Mystic," a 5e take on the Psion/Psychic Warrior, which are available on WotC's website, but they're not finished products yet.

Prestige Classes are not a thing at this time, no. Many former Prestige Classes are now subclasses though - Arcane Trickster and Eldritch Knight are variations of Rogue and Fighter, for example. There is one playtest Prestige Class over on WotC's website, but again, it's not a finished product.

[Gwendol]

I also noticed there's sort of sub-classes. Cool!! But to me, all I'm seeing different is that the classes are more balanced. Other than that I'm not seeing a real difference between 3.5 and 5E. Then again, I'm not the one DMing... Am I missing something?

I strongly recommend you approach 5e as a new game. Don't try to fit 3.5 rules into it, as it will likely not be correct.

[Rhaegar14]

I strongly recommend you approach 5e as a new game. Don't try to fit 3.5 rules into it, as it will likely not be correct.

Yeah, lots of stuff works differently. 5 foot step is gone, move action is gone (you can just move your speed, broken up however you like, at any point during your turn), extra attacks work differently, saves work differently, a bunch of the spells work differently, multiclassing works a little differently, opportunity attacks for movement work differently (you only provoke if you leave a creature's threatened space; moving around within it doesn't provoke), flanking is basically gone, and feats work differently. You will see some of the things you like about 3.5e in there, but it's a different game and a lot of natural assumptions will be incorrect.

[Anonymouswizard]

First off, to talk about prestige classes, the intention is that their role for character building has been replaced by subclasses. The designers do want to put them back in but as far as I can tell they wnt them as more of a 'connection to the world' than as a set of abilities (I, for one, hope they are intentionally slightly weaker than normal classes to keep this idea going).

In regards to psionicps, there's no official final version, but there are two iterationps of the mypstic, a pspecial clapsps that attemptps to prepsent psionicps in a more fantapstical way than before.

[Inevitability]

Something you'll like: everything about 3.5 that made melee annoying is gone. You can move and 'full attack' in one turn, you can attack-move-attack, you can hit with more than one attack per turn even when fighting high-AC opponents, and you remain a viable character even at higher levels. Oh, and paladins actually get some decent magic.

If you want to keep the wilder flavor, multiclass wild magic sorcerer (the spell point variant from the DMG might be useful here) and take spells that could be refluffed as psionic powers.

[Anonymouswizard]

If you want to keep the wilder flavor, multiclass wild magic sorcerer (the spell point variant from the DMG might be useful here) and take spells that could be refluffed as psionic powers.

Hmm... If I regigged the spell list and made a few origins, I could rename the sorcerer 'psion' and 5e Dark Sun games get much easier...

[Daishain]

If you want the psionics in there and refluffing doesn't quite cut it, there is an incomplete psionic class available, it contains aspects of the psion, wilder, and psionic warrior. Look up the Mystic among the Unearthed Arcana articles. Two versions out there, the more complete and better balanced among them goes up to level 10.

EDIT: just looked it up, find it here (http://www.adnd3egame.com/documents/Psionics_and_Mystic_V2.pdf)

The mystic has two subclasses for now, Awakened and Immortal. Immortal would fit your concept a bit better.

Bear in mind that since it is incomplete/in testing, it is entirely up to your DM whether or not to allow its usage.

While you're at it, something else to ask the DM would be about psipoint/spellpoint transparency. Since the mystic uses a psipoint pool that follows the same progression as the spellpoint variant rule, it is entirely reasonable to use spellpoints for your paladin levels, and rule that your progression there stacks with the same from the Mystic (using the normal rules for multiclassing spellcasters). This gives you one simplified resource pool to work with and puts pally/mystic and pally/sorcerer on the same level in terms of how your abilities work together. I've done this for other combinations at my table and it has worked quite well.

[eastmabl]

In regards to psionicps, there's no official final version, but there are two iterationps of the mypstic, a pspecial clapsps that attemptps to prepsent psionicps in a more fantapstical way than before.

I'm imagining Donald Duck saying this.

That's all.

[brainface]

If you want to keep the wilder flavor, multiclass wild magic sorcerer (the spell point variant from the DMG might be useful here) and take spells that could be refluffed as psionic powers.
Great Old One warlock can also have a very psionicist feel, with at will telepathy, detect thoughts, that sort of thing.