Hola all. Massawyrm here.
Well, this has been a long time coming. Two years ago this weekend, Wizards of the Coast announced that they would be abandoning their Third Edition (3.5) ruleset for a new, shiny fourth edition. A lot of us were pissed…to say the least. Two months later, I had an early version in my mitts and discovered what many later would find out – that Fourth Edition was pretty awesome. But not everyone had a chance to see it right away – leading to ten months of waiting, bitching and ultimately internet flame wars. It was an ugly time for gamers. What followed was a schism, a great crack in the gaming community between those who were eager to see what a new system of Dungeons & Dragons would be like; and those who vehemently opposed the notion.
But when someone inside the corporate hierarchy at WotC began dragging their feet on the new version of the Open Gamin License, all hell broke loose. Longtime developers, many with loyal business partnerships with WotC were left out in the cold. Unsure as to whether they would even be able to make 4E products, they faced a tough choice: wait it out and cross their fingers or move on to something else. Paizo waited as long as they could, then moved on…by standing in place. They decided to feed the market created by the growing schism and do something we had never before seen in the gaming world – picking up where Dungeons & Dragons left off. They were going to continue making third party 3.5 products.
But what was crystal clear to WotC developers was not lost on Paizo – 3.5 had a lot of issues. As I’ve written about numerous times, gaming evolves; and what is cutting edge in the year 2000 may not hold up to the revolutions within the community by 2008. 3.5 didn’t hold up. Nothing has amused me more than listening to the raving idiots who scream otherwise, backing up their opinions with “No, it works idiot. You just have to houserule it.” When you houserule things, you’re changing the rules. Because they don’t work. Well, PATHFINDER, Paizo’s answer to 4E is finally here. And it is the ultimate in 3.5 houserulings.
WHAT WAS WRONG?
The biggest problem with 3.5 was one of level scaling. The powers, abilities and spells of various levels were not properly scaled from one level to the next. Thus you had a slow lethal crawl from levels 1-4, hitting a bump in power at 5th level as spellcasters got access to many of their core spells, again at 6th as players took on prestige classes, then smooth leveling until about 12th level, after which the entire system broke down. From level 13 on, most fights were single-sided slaughters with the players mopping up a room full of demons in three turns – or monsters too tough for the players to even avoid a TPK without running on turn 1. While it is true that a very talented and knowledgeable Dungeon Master with tight reins on what abilities the players had access to could provide a nice smooth climb through the higher levels, it was a tough balancing act even for them. DMs without a lot of free time to plan and memorize their players abilities were at a complete loss, especially if they allowed their players to use anything in a published WotC source.
The second major problem was with Prestige Classes. There was almost no reason in many cases not to take them. A few classes were tempting to play up to level 20, but not many of them. Some classes, like the Sorcerer, virtually required multi-classing to keep up with the rest of the group – and even then, they were often just mobile artillery platforms without much flavor. Smart players could use prestige classes in the right combinations to break the system entirely, creating bizarre mixes of abilities to create super beings that outmatched and outperformed any and every other player in the party. Not to mention the monsters.
Lastly, the final major problem was the balance between the classes. Some classes were just better than other classes. They could out damage, outlive and out skill other players at the same level. Playing a Cleric meant rarely doing anything for yourself and usually meant standing behind the fighter to stand him back up again after he fell – when you aren’t keeping him standing in the first place.
Outside of that, most everything else considered a problem is a matter of opinion. Some people LOVE the complexity, utility and customizability of 3.5. To them, things like opposed rolls, multiple damage types and confirmation rolls for Critical Hits aren’t speed bumps – they’re features. And for those folks eager for a souped up, somewhat tinkered with 3.5 (what some are calling 3.75), I’m here to report that you are probably going to love what they’ve done with PATHFINDER.
THE UPS
First of all, PATHFINDER is less of a rule book and more of a textbook. Weighing in at 576 pages, it combines both a Players Handbook with a Dungeon Masters Guide in a neat little package sure to deal 1d8 damage from those with Weapon Proficiency: Tome. There’s a lot of material here, with almost no fat to speak of. Someone once quipped that PATHFINDER is 3.5++, and I would agree. This isn’t a low level, light magic game. People who want gritty, Hyborian-esque adventure need not apply. This game is powerful, with all of the weaker classes beefed up to meet the power level of their mightier companions.
The first big-up I’ve got to give to the Paizo boys is that they made many of the unattractive classes pretty sexy. I NEVER wanted to play a Cleric (and sadly did for a few adventures) in 3.5. But here, the new improved Cleric gets a great ability called Channel Energy which allows them to heal/harm (depending on their alignment) in a 30’ burst around themselves. The healing begins at 1d6 at level 1 and improves 1d6 every 2 levels thereafter (up to 10d6 at level 19). The kicker is that they can do this 3 + CHA MOD times a day, meaning that the weakest Cleric can throw 4 down a day, while well built clerics will be dropping 7-8 of these easy. Even at level 1. What does that mean? It means there’s more room in the spell book for offensive and tactical spells and less need for cure spells…unless you just want to be a seemingly endless supply of cures. Better spell choice means more versatility and less chasing around the tank.
Meanwhile, my personal favorite 3.5 class, the Sorcerer, got a big boost from a lot of the old DRAGON MAGAZINE Bloodline material. Each Sorcerer chooses a bloodline at character creation and gets free (usually non-offensive) spells to add to their spellbook, as well as a number of special bloodline related powers and metamagic that make each sorcerer you can play very different from the next. And they finally earn their extra spell level retardation behind the Wizard, who, by the way, gets all sorts of new advantages based upon his spell school choice.
But not only are these classes beefier, they get abilities that make them more survivable and useful at levels 1-4. Wizards don’t need to pull out the crossbow so quickly, as they have access to a few innate spell-like abilities. Fighters and Barbarians get something new and special at EVERY LEVEL. And combined with the Clerics new ability, the party should have an easier time staying alive to fight some of the scarier low level threats.
There are a number of new spells and feats, mixed in with all of your old favorites – and the feat progression has been changed to happen on odd numbered levels to prevent the old 6th level super beef up followed by the possible 7th level total lack of improvement. Yes, that means Fighters get a new feat EVERY LEVEL. Not to mention all their new goodies like Bravery and Armor/Weapon Masteries.
There are plenty of other nice rule tweaks as well. My favorite is that dying is no longer when your hit points reach a flat -10. It’s now –CON, making Constitution and even sexier choice when it comes time to stat up a character. Lots of rules are smoothed out, spell wording tweaked for clarity and balance and it overall has a similar feel to the big 3.5 cleanup of the initial 3.0 rules.
And of course all this comes in a nice tidy package with the trademark Paizo art. When it comes to art, Paizo is second to none – even WotC. The pieces are evocative, stylish and give you that “I want to play THAT,” vibe every time you look at it. Paizo is also great at keeping a steady stream of material in release – both on shelves and digitally – so there are always new game aids, adventures and supplements to pick up.
THE DOWNS
Well, the biggest problem with PATHFINDER is the most obvious one: it’s still 3.5. If you had issues with 3.5, or found it overly complicated, this won’t change your mind any. It will still be prone to the same abuses and broken combinations that plagued the last days of 3rd edition and is almost burdened right out of the gate by the sheer volume of compatible material a player might draw from. That said, with the rebirth of the game, it is easy for a DM to simply state that PCs can only draw from new Paizo products while he keeps that treasure trove of material to draw from himself for the adventures.
The other major downside is that since the book is so big and includes so much, they’ve had to pare down the wording and explanation of a number of things. The upside to that is passages that get right to the point of the rules. The downside is that it requires something of a working knowledge of 3.5 in order to jump in. There were a handful of things I had trouble locating in the book – for example starting hit points for a character – that anyone who had played 3rd edition would know, but newbies might have a hard time grasping or finding.
THE VERDICT
PATHFINDER is not a game that is very beginner-friendly. But it is a very good game. While I have often spoken of my issues with the 3.5 system, it is a game I enjoyed playing for almost a decade. This is a great revamp of that system and something that was a real pleasure to sift through. There is no doubt that a lot of love went into this book from a number of people that know the game; it is reflected in every carefully written passage of the book. If you are a 3.5 gamer, there is no reason this book should not be in your collection and might become your preferred way to play.
The PDF for this game goes on sale TODAY at 5pm right here at the Paizo store for the ridiculously low price of $10 and hardcover copies will be available for sale this weekend at GENCON for $50. I’m very curious to see how this book is received. It was a bold idea and was executed in the best way possible – with a lot of class. It’s definitely worth a look.
Until next time friends, smoke ‘em if ya got ‘em.
Massawyrm
Got something for the Wyrm? Mail it here.
Or follow my further zany adventures on Twitter.
THE UPS
First of all, PATHFINDER is less of a rule book and more of a textbook. Weighing in at 576 pages, it combines both a Players Handbook with a Dungeon Masters Guide in a neat little package sure to deal 1d8 damage from those with Weapon Proficiency: Tome. There’s a lot of material here, with almost no fat to speak of. Someone once quipped that PATHFINDER is 3.5++, and I would agree. This isn’t a low level, light magic game. People who want gritty, Hyborian-esque adventure need not apply. This game is powerful, with all of the weaker classes beefed up to meet the power level of their mightier companions.
The first big-up I’ve got to give to the Paizo boys is that they made many of the unattractive classes pretty sexy. I NEVER wanted to play a Cleric (and sadly did for a few adventures) in 3.5. But here, the new improved Cleric gets a great ability called Channel Energy which allows them to heal/harm (depending on their alignment) in a 30’ burst around themselves. The healing begins at 1d6 at level 1 and improves 1d6 every 2 levels thereafter (up to 10d6 at level 19). The kicker is that they can do this 3 + CHA MOD times a day, meaning that the weakest Cleric can throw 4 down a day, while well built clerics will be dropping 7-8 of these easy. Even at level 1. What does that mean? It means there’s more room in the spell book for offensive and tactical spells and less need for cure spells…unless you just want to be a seemingly endless supply of cures. Better spell choice means more versatility and less chasing around the tank.
Meanwhile, my personal favorite 3.5 class, the Sorcerer, got a big boost from a lot of the old DRAGON MAGAZINE Bloodline material. Each Sorcerer chooses a bloodline at character creation and gets free (usually non-offensive) spells to add to their spellbook, as well as a number of special bloodline related powers and metamagic that make each sorcerer you can play very different from the next. And they finally earn their extra spell level retardation behind the Wizard, who, by the way, gets all sorts of new advantages based upon his spell school choice.
But not only are these classes beefier, they get abilities that make them more survivable and useful at levels 1-4. Wizards don’t need to pull out the crossbow so quickly, as they have access to a few innate spell-like abilities. Fighters and Barbarians get something new and special at EVERY LEVEL. And combined with the Clerics new ability, the party should have an easier time staying alive to fight some of the scarier low level threats.
There are a number of new spells and feats, mixed in with all of your old favorites – and the feat progression has been changed to happen on odd numbered levels to prevent the old 6th level super beef up followed by the possible 7th level total lack of improvement. Yes, that means Fighters get a new feat EVERY LEVEL. Not to mention all their new goodies like Bravery and Armor/Weapon Masteries.
There are plenty of other nice rule tweaks as well. My favorite is that dying is no longer when your hit points reach a flat -10. It’s now –CON, making Constitution and even sexier choice when it comes time to stat up a character. Lots of rules are smoothed out, spell wording tweaked for clarity and balance and it overall has a similar feel to the big 3.5 cleanup of the initial 3.0 rules.
And of course all this comes in a nice tidy package with the trademark Paizo art. When it comes to art, Paizo is second to none – even WotC. The pieces are evocative, stylish and give you that “I want to play THAT,” vibe every time you look at it. Paizo is also great at keeping a steady stream of material in release – both on shelves and digitally – so there are always new game aids, adventures and supplements to pick up.
THE DOWNS
Well, the biggest problem with PATHFINDER is the most obvious one: it’s still 3.5. If you had issues with 3.5, or found it overly complicated, this won’t change your mind any. It will still be prone to the same abuses and broken combinations that plagued the last days of 3rd edition and is almost burdened right out of the gate by the sheer volume of compatible material a player might draw from. That said, with the rebirth of the game, it is easy for a DM to simply state that PCs can only draw from new Paizo products while he keeps that treasure trove of material to draw from himself for the adventures.
The other major downside is that since the book is so big and includes so much, they’ve had to pare down the wording and explanation of a number of things. The upside to that is passages that get right to the point of the rules. The downside is that it requires something of a working knowledge of 3.5 in order to jump in. There were a handful of things I had trouble locating in the book – for example starting hit points for a character – that anyone who had played 3rd edition would know, but newbies might have a hard time grasping or finding.
THE VERDICT
PATHFINDER is not a game that is very beginner-friendly. But it is a very good game. While I have often spoken of my issues with the 3.5 system, it is a game I enjoyed playing for almost a decade. This is a great revamp of that system and something that was a real pleasure to sift through. There is no doubt that a lot of love went into this book from a number of people that know the game; it is reflected in every carefully written passage of the book. If you are a 3.5 gamer, there is no reason this book should not be in your collection and might become your preferred way to play.
The PDF for this game goes on sale TODAY at 5pm right here at the Paizo store for the ridiculously low price of $10 and hardcover copies will be available for sale this weekend at GENCON for $50. I’m very curious to see how this book is received. It was a bold idea and was executed in the best way possible – with a lot of class. It’s definitely worth a look.
Until next time friends, smoke ‘em if ya got ‘em.
Massawyrm
Got something for the Wyrm? Mail it here.
Or follow my further zany adventures on Twitter.
THE VERDICT
PATHFINDER is not a game that is very beginner-friendly. But it is a very good game. While I have often spoken of my issues with the 3.5 system, it is a game I enjoyed playing for almost a decade. This is a great revamp of that system and something that was a real pleasure to sift through. There is no doubt that a lot of love went into this book from a number of people that know the game; it is reflected in every carefully written passage of the book. If you are a 3.5 gamer, there is no reason this book should not be in your collection and might become your preferred way to play.
The PDF for this game goes on sale TODAY at 5pm right here at the Paizo store for the ridiculously low price of $10 and hardcover copies will be available for sale this weekend at GENCON for $50. I’m very curious to see how this book is received. It was a bold idea and was executed in the best way possible – with a lot of class. It’s definitely worth a look.
Until next time friends, smoke ‘em if ya got ‘em.
Massawyrm
Got something for the Wyrm? Mail it here.
