System question: 5e or PF

[JMS]

Hello, friends of the Playground. I have a dilemma:
I’m in a Gumdo school and want to start up a D&D game (that includes PF). The problem is that while Path of War is perfect for a martial arts focused game, only me and the Master have any experience with 3.5 systems, while almost all know 5e. The question I have is this: More familiar 5e, or More thematic PF + Path of War?

[Rhedyn]

Hello, friends of the Playground. I have a dilemma:
I’m in a Gumdo school and want to start up a D&D game (that includes PF). The problem is that while Path of War is perfect for a martial arts focused game, only me and the Master have any experience with 3.5 systems, while almost all know 5e. The question I have is this: More familiar 5e, or More thematic PF + Path of War?

It's more important for the GM to know the rules than the players.

That being said, 3.5 and by extension Pathfinder is one of the most complicated RPGs. Someone use to how 5e does it may find PF way too complicated.

I personally do not have any confidence that 5e will be fun for your group or your kind of game, so I would lean towards trying to overcome the learning curve.

[Man_Over_Game]

5e does a lot of things right, but non-magical melee combat is NOT one of them. It's fairly dull to be a mundane melee combatant when the rules are built around superpowers,

I also don't feel that Pathfinder is the perfect solution, due to how complex it is. You might have better luck using another system that's specialized towards Martial Arts. There are plenty, and Google is your friend.

[Kurald Galain]

That depends entirely on your playstyle.

Broadly speaking, PF is about (a) Specialist characters, (b) Extremely high amounts of customization, (c) Mid-level characters are vastly more powerful than at low level, and (d) the game is primarily built to be a world simulator; whereas 5E is about (a) Generalist characters, (b) Some customization, (c) Mid-level characters are only slightly more powerful than at low level, and (d) the game is primarily built to be easy to play.

[zinycor]

I blieve any of those would be allright, at the end DnD is DnD.

[Psyren]

"Gumdo?" Google says that's some martial arts thing?

You can run either system. 5e won't have any PoW-style mechanics really, but you can just use really flamboyant descriptions in conjunction with the regular rolls.

[JMS]

"Gumdo?" Google says that's some martial arts thing?

You can run either system. 5e won't have any PoW-style mechanics really, but you can just use really flamboyant descriptions in conjunction with the regular rolls.

Yeah, it’s a Korean Sword-using martial art.
I think PF, unless everyone else in the group wants 5e (At least 7 of the 9 people at the last class play 5e, with one more out that day, compared to 2 with 3.5 experience)

[The Kool]

There's a question you can ask them if they're all familiar with 5e. Do they like the parts where they get to customize the rules parts of their character, and adjust numbers and stuff to make their character more fun/unique? If yes, then good, because PF has a LOT more of that. If no, well... see above.

[JMS]

There's a question you can ask them if they're all familiar with 5e. Do they like the parts where they get to customize the rules parts of their character, and adjust numbers and stuff to make their character more fun/unique? If yes, then good, because PF has a LOT more of that. If no, well... see above.

Looks like it’ll be up to the future group. I thought this would be the advice.

[The Kool]

Looks like it’ll be up to the future group. I thought this would be the advice.

Don't get me wrong, 5e is a terrible system to mechanically represent the style of combat you're after. PF is better, but not by a whole lot. I second the motion of seeing what else is out there. I just use that question to see whether they'd even enjoy playing PF, or if it should be cut from the list early.

[2D8HP]

Speaking only for myself, I've played some 0e D&D 1e AD&D, B/X D&D, and 5e - but no other versions of D&D or Pathfinder, and for 3e/3.5/or PF if the DM/GM makes a simple Fighter "build" for me, or if my PC was a low level Ranger I'd gladly play (but not more complex classes), but if I had to memorize a bunch of Feats, Spells, or other abilities instead of learning slowly in play, I'd be more reluctant - that's true of 5e as well, if I had to start as say a 10th level Wizard I'd bail.

At first level in both 3.5 and 5e Ranger looks the easiest to me, with Fighter a close second in 5e, but further back in 3.5 because of the need to choose a Feat.

[Psyren]

PF is better, but not by a whole lot.

I think PF+Path of War would be pretty good at it though. Heck, you could do a whole campaign with no spellcasting and just initiators and still cover the major roles like healing and BFC.

[JMS]

I think PF+Path of War would be pretty good at it though. Heck, you could do a whole campaign with no spellcasting and just initiators and still cover the major roles like healing and BFC.

Yeah, if I went PF, I'd just say: "No 9ths, no summoner, (Occult is unlikely to see play), Path of War and attached (So, Psionics and Akashic are open for Raja and the Psionic Initiators), Recommended classes are the core PoW 8, any archytyped classes into PoW, and Magus, though many of those are complicated in play." I feel like PF is a good fit, If I help during char creation - so less "let's build, here is the PFSRD!" and more "You want to play a ninja, great! Hidden Blade Rogue, Stalker, or Harbinger?" and make the character effective on an idea.

[Rhedyn]

Fudge had a decent chapter on martial arts.

GURPS 4e has a whole book devoted to martial arts and combat goes second by second.

[ZenoForce88]

I personally would say 5e. Because it is so easy to learn and go. As someone who was only familiar with 3.P it took me less than an hour to learn the mechanics(once I was willing to give it a chance)

What most people call "Less Customizable" I call freeing. Sense for the most part 5e separates Mechanics from Fluff. It goes from "I need these three feats to do X" to just being able to do it through description of your action and a decent standard roll.

And sense everyone else 8s, in suppose I'll jump off the bridge as well, and suggest my favorite system for Martial Arts glory: Tenra Bansho Zero.

Though it may be more over the top in style then you're looking for.