I want to run RHoD, but I've never played 3rd edition!

[Mad Max]

Just like the title says. I've wanted to run Red Hand of Doom for a while now, and I've decided to try for it this summer, but I've never played 3rd edition. I have played Pathfinder a handful of times, but never higher than 4th level, and I have run a lot of 5th edition.

What advice would you have for a 3rd edition newbie who wants to do this? Are there any modifications or house rules you'd suggest to make it run smoother? Any classes I should avoid? Should I change anything about the adventure?

[Venger]

check out the handbook (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?171284-The-3-5-Red-Hand-Of-Doom-Handbook-for-DMs-Major-spoilers!-WIP-PEACH!) it'll give you the information you need to get started

if you understand the basic mechanics of pathfinder, then 3.5 isn't hugely different, so you should be fine.

[Kelb_Panthera]

Venger is right. PF and 3.5 have mostly the same underlying mechanics so you actually have played some 3.5 without knowing it, in a sense.

If you've GM'd 5e successfully, then all you really need to worry about is familiarizing yourself with the module and you should do fine.

Just one, minor concern: are any of your players long-time 3.5 vets?

[Goaty14]

Just one, minor concern: are any of your players long-time 3.5 vets?

Correction: Are any of them optimizers and/or powergamers? Even if they don't know the ins and outs of 3.5, one of them still might invariably show up with a druid + natural spell.

[Kelb_Panthera]

Correction: Are any of them optimizers and/or powergamers? Even if they don't know the ins and outs of 3.5, one of them still might invariably show up with a druid + natural spell.

That's what I was getting at. Didn't want to scare the guy if it wasn't likely.

[Nifft]

Correction: Are any of them optimizers and/or powergamers? Even if they don't know the ins and outs of 3.5, one of them still might invariably show up with a druid + natural spell.

Yeah, quite true. (But honestly I don't consider Natural Spell to be inherently game-breaking. It's just too obvious a choice. The game-breaking options are all about how you use it.)

Anyway: it's not like you need to "be a vet" to do some basic googling and pick a bunch of well-known game-breaking options.

Basic internet skills + the will to break the game = a broken game. No experience necessary.


@Mad Max - Start low-ish level (2-5), talk with your players about what could break the game, get their buy-in for whatever power level you all collectively decide to use, continue talking as they level up, and help them stay within that power range.

[BWR]

I would start with a pre-RHoD game. Have everyone start at 1st level and just let them adventure normally until they are high enough level to start RHoD. It will really help you get a handle on the system and the party before you start a campaign that may need some tweaking to work for you.

[Kelb_Panthera]

I would start with a pre-RHoD game. Have everyone start at 1st level and just let them adventure normally until they are high enough level to start RHoD. It will really help you get a handle on the system and the party before you start a campaign that may need some tweaking to work for you.

This is not a bad idea.

Maybe start with a slightly toned down "Barrow of the Forgotten King."

[Godskook]

Scourge of the Howling Horde is a great lead-in adventure module for RHoD, iirc. Been a *LONG* while since I ran that one.

[Faily]

I know a lot of people have done Sunless Citadel as a level 1 game, and then moved to RHoD later.

Also, it's totally fine to run RHoD as a Pathfinder adventure. I've done it once and I'm doing it again now for another group.

[Mad Max]

Thanks for all the replies so quickly! For those of you asking, I'm still gathering a group, but most of them will be from the local Pathfinder club.

I really like the idea of running a prequel adventure to feel out the system and establish a power level. I've already seen some ideas, but does anyone have a suggestion about a good published adventure for this?

I'm also a little intimidated by the quadratic wizards problem. Is that going to be a big issue in RHoD? If so, is there a way to make sure any martial players aren't left out?

[Kelb_Panthera]

I'm also a little intimidated by the quadratic wizards problem. Is that going to be a big issue in RHoD? If so, is there a way to make sure any martial players aren't left out?

There's no way to know until you've got players that have already made their characters and begun play.

Most likely it won't. It's rare enough for all the pieces of a proper master wizard (or other primary caster) to come together in any given group.

[Elkad]

I'm also a little intimidated by the quadratic wizards problem. Is that going to be a big issue in RHoD? If so, is there a way to make sure any martial players aren't left out?

Fighters and Samurai? Or Warblades and Crusaders and uberpouncing Barbarians?

The better martials will do fine. If for some reason they neglect to bring bows, encourage them (by having hobgoblins kite them with their own bows in early encounters) to fix that. They'll need them vs strafing dragons and such.
Casters can't really start breaking things early (till L9ish anyway). At Brindol, they'll run out of spells if they aren't careful. Which just leaves the last act for them to really change things, and again there may be time pressure (plus they may be using their high-level slots on Teleports and such).

And of course it depends on how your casters build. They may be just fine.