Pathfinder - Worth It?

[AtlanteanTroll]

As people know (or so I presume), Christmas is coming up. I have recently started a new campaign, and am becoming intriuged with Pathfiner. And, as we aren't far in at all yet, it'd be easy to convert my players. Is it worth it to buy a Pathfinder Guide? Why is it better? Is it easy to convert? If I don't buy the bestiary, can I still use monsters from my Monster Manual?

[Starbuck_II]

As people know (or so I presume), Christmas is coming up. I have recently started a new campaign, and am becoming intriuged with Pathfiner. And, as we aren't far in at all yet, it'd be easy to convert my players. Is it worth it to buy a Pathfinder Guide? Why is it better? Is it easy to convert? If I don't buy the bestiary, can I still use monsters from my Monster Manual?

Yes, you could use MM creatures. Note that there will be conversions required.

Polymorph (and its extended family Alter Self) has been changed: it is now Stat bonus not full Stat exchange.
So Druids can't dump Str in Wild Shape.

Instead of Grapple/trip/sunder checks (and so on) you have to work out CMD (Defense) and CM (whatever the attacking one was).

Simpler to figure out bonus, but they also lowered the normal bonuses (size gives less now, feats give les bonus) so harder to achieve sometimes.

I can't say better: but I can say it gives more abilities to each class (well, except Bard has rd/music instead of daily. This means less rd in comparison sadly since music last till stopped in 3.5. And Barb now has to work out Rage/rd instead of rage/day).

I personally just use PSRD instead of buying primary book:
http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/
And PSRDd20
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/

I say Adanced Player's Guide is best book to buy: it has lovely alternate class features that seemed to me worth it.

[klemdakherzbag]

Pathfinder is worth it if you dont have much invested into 3.5, or have more liquid assets than I do.(In which case, pm me for the address to send me money:)

Personally, I didnt have any 3.5 material so I bought into Pathfinder and have found that most of the material is compatible with 3.5 if you take the time to make sure it is compatible.

[Aron Times]

I'll be the first to voice dissent and say that you're better off getting 4e. Pathfinder isn't different enough from 3.5 to justify its cost, and it's nowhere near as streamlined and balanced as 4e.

[Yuki Akuma]

In my completely unbiased opinion that is in no way coloured by the fact that Paizo's forum is filled with a bunch of jerks, I shall say that no, it isn't.

It's sold as a 'fix' for D&D 3.5 without actually addressing half the things that needed fixing and nerfing things that didn't need to be depowered.

[DeltaEmil]

I'm pro-4th edition and find it superior to any incarnation of 3.x.

However, pathfinder does have a free srd.

So, if money's an issue, and you find normal 3.5 to be somewhat lacking and want to go , you can have 3.75 (or pathfinder, in this case). And if you don't like it, you can still go back to 3.5, until you have the money for 4.x, which might or might not be to your liking.

[Show]

I tried it, but it just didn't seem to satisfy. Perhaps it was just the campaign, but there is something missing. Very little was changed, and since my DM didn't allow 3.5 material except on a very select basis, I had few feats to choose from. It was painfully agonizing.
It is probably just a matter of opinion, though.

[RebelRogue]

It's really just a bunch of houserules, it seems. More options for players (some look cool), but not what it promised to be as far as I can tell. I haven't played it, though, just looked through some of the rules. Personally, I think I'd just stick with ordinary 3.5 (or go 4e).

[Psyren]

It's worth it if people around you play. If not, skip it.

However, their psionics are shaping up nicely (thanks to the wonderful ministrations of the DSP crew) so I'm leaning towards them more by the day.

[Enix18]

I would definitely recommend Pathfinder. I've been playing v3.5 for a few years and have invested a ton of money into supplements and gaming accessories, but this didn't make the switch very difficult at all. The fact is that v3.5 and Pathfinder are completely compatible. Many things require a bit of conversion, but the conversions are very simple to do, so you can still use any and all of your v3.5 material.

As other people have said, it does not fix the many balance issues that v3.5 had. If balance is all you really want then you can go to 4e, but however much I enjoy the new system I cannot deny that it's much slower and offers many fewer options than a good game of Pathfinder. My gaming group doesn't have any optimizers or power gamers, just a bunch of people there to have fun, so the lack of a remedy for all the balance issues wasn't really a problem at all. We just enjoyed the fact that Pathfinder brought plenty of new ideas and new energy to our D&D games.

If you want to, you could try using the Pathfinder SRD (which is free to access online) as a means to test run the rules before deciding whether or not to invest your money into them. However, in my opinion, Pathfinder is without a doubt worth every penny—it's certainly helped to reinvigorate my gaming group.

[Grifthin]

Pathfinder is fantastic. We switched from 3.5 to pure pathfinder earlier this year and it's one of the best changes we could have made. I've now bought all the pathfinder books and i'm very happy I did.

[Typewriter]

A long time ago I started a thread detailing some of the changes from 3.5 to PF. I never completed it, but you may want to take a look anyway:

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showt...ght=pathfinder

NOTE: Make sure not to post in that thread as it is very old, and would be the very definition of thread necromancy.

Short answer: My group loves it. We tried going to 4th edition, and now I have 100 dollars in 4E books that I use as paper weights.

In the core PF game we have more options available to us. In overall 3.5 we had more options, but it got to be too much of a hassle to maintain, especially with Wizards putting out so many books that unbalance each other. So far PF has had two 'player' books, with a third on the way, and they seem to work well with each other. Haven't seen any feats come out that totally unhinge things from the previous.

[Ragitsu]

Very much worth it.

[FelixG]

Totally worth it. It made me happy after 4E was utterly depressing.

and the Advanced Players Guide is a great book, it has many fun options in there

[Saph]

Here's a guide on what's changed.

It's worth having a look at - there are several minor improvements from 3.5, and it's a fairly well-designed system.

[Amiel]

I really recommend Pathfinder, especially if you like reading well-written fluff; I've thoroughly enjoyed all the PF supplements I own to date, and each has been exceedingly well developed and designed, and crafted with a fresh perspective on tired old traditions.

The mechanics aren't bad either; all of PF core is available within the PRD, so I'd recommend purchasing the Advanced Player's Guide as has been suggested, and the Pathfinder Chronicles supplements, now known as the Pathfinder Campaign Setting line of supplements.

[TalonDemonKing]

I find that Pathfinder has strong improvement for melee types; esp for core classes. Alot of cool stuff around; Sorcerer bloodlines, Barbarian rage powers, rogue tricks, fighter's get a specific pool of feats to grab from. The advanced players guide is cool too.

[Foryn Gilnith]

It's worth it if people around you play. If not, skip it.

This is the fundamental point. Pathfinder is great, 3.5 is great, and I haven't played 4e but everything I see from reliable internet sources suggests that it's great. Play whatever lets you connect with your local gamers.

[Zeta Kai]

It's worth it if people around you play. If not, skip it.

This is the best answer so far. No one can tell you what you local gaming scene is like unless they're right there with you, in the trenches so to speak. I know places where 4E is a joke & 3.X is the only game in town, & other spots where 3.X is all but forgotten & 4E has become the default. There are gaming scenes where Pathfinder is the banner of the new gaming paradigm, & other places where even mentioning Paizo will get you the stink eye. The base is more thoroughly broken than it has been in years, with no sign of reunification in sight.

For my two cents, I'd say that PF is worth a look, but don't invest in it until you have determined whether it's right for you & your players. Dip you toes in, see how the waters feel, & if you like it, then take the plunge. No one's making you dive in, so go at your own pace, & stay near the shore until your ready to swim (to drive the analogy into the ground).

Also, don't be afraid to houserule & homebrew, regardless of your chosen system. The only set of rules that is perfect for your group are the ones that you made yourself.

[warmachine]

Pathfinder addresses balance problems a bit but fails to address the fundamental problem of Linear Fighter, Quadratic Wizard. IMHO, the real strength of Pathfinder is the published campaigns.

[Sception]

PF is like going from 3.0 to 3.5 - enough is the same that they can claim it's compatible, but enough has changed that it isn't really true. Some of the changes to the game are improvements, but to me it's not worth cutting yourself off from the wealth of content available for 3.5.

Like any rpg, it's value is entirely dependant on your access to good natured gamers who play it. If the gamers in your area play 3.5, don't bother. If they play 4.0, don't bother. If they play WoD, don't bother. But if they play pathfinder, then it's an ok game. I prefer 4e for balance, or 3.5 for its wealth of player options, but PF is still a decent game.

[Tetsubo 57]

I'll be the first to voice dissent and say that you're better off getting 4e. Pathfinder isn't different enough from 3.5 to justify its cost, and it's nowhere near as streamlined and balanced as 4e.

And we're off the rails...

[Tetsubo 57]

I own a *lot* of 3.5 books and I love Pathfinder. I also like a lot of the third party stuff I have read for Pathfinder. If you love D&D, I consider PF a must have.

[elpollo]

It depends. If you're purely switching to try and balance 3.5 then no, it's not. If you're switching to play a 3.X incarnation that is still being supported and has new material offered then yeah, it probably is. I personally haven't bothered - 3.5 has more than enough material for me, especially with the various homebrewers around, and I prefer to write my own campaigns.

[Elfin]

Personally, I don't find Pathfinder all that great; it's slightly more balanced than 3.5, but not by all that much. While the published campaigns are great, as far as rules go I'd just take what you like from the PF SRD. If you're looking for a really balanced system, try 4e - it really isn't too bad, even though it doesn't run much to my taste.

[molten_dragon]

Add my name to the list of people saying it isn't worth it. It didn't fix enough of the problems with 3.5 to be worth the money just as a fix, and it isn't different enough to stand on it's own.

[Nero24200]

If you're willing to homebrew a little, stick with 3.5. It has it's problems, but so does Pathfinder, it just has different problems.

[LordBlades]

I'm also of the opinion that Pathfinder isn't really worth it. It's not a bad game per se, but it just isn't different enough. It fixes some problems 3.5 had, but not enough of them (and it adds it's own brand new set of problems) to be called a better game.

[true_shinken]

Personally, I don't find Pathfinder all that great; it's slightly more balanced than 3.5, but not by all that much. While the published campaigns are great, as far as rules go I'd just take what you like from the PF SRD. If you're looking for a really balanced system, try 4e - it really isn't too bad, even though it doesn't run much to my taste.

The OP never mentioned any balance issues.

I am planning on buying Pathfinder books myself. Lots of my friends have already converted to it, even. Pathfinder has more material, mostly compatible with the game I like the most and they write fluff quite well. So I suggest you really do give it a go. WotC is not publishing 3.5 anymore, so if you like 3.5, Pathfinder is your best choice, specially since finding 3.5 books is becoming very difficult (it's almost impossible here in Brazil, at least).

[DisgruntledDM]

You can still use the old MM, but keep in mind, the PC classes are more powerful in Pathfinder, with all their new abilities and such.

Also, if you liked Kits from 2E, the Advanced Player's Guide basically brings them back.

Honestly, If I'd known of Iron Heroes before I bought Pathfinder, I woulda bought IH instead, but that's just because I love low-magic games.