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Post by DoogBoort on Apr 27, 2014 15:29:20 GMT
Hey guys, novice tabletop gamer with a few questions.
Subject: Are there any major differences between Pathfinder and regular DnD? I only ask because i'm currently in a campaign locally with some friends and its my first campaign and were playing Pathfinder.
Playing online: Since there's so few people on this site i'm guessing we wont be so fortunate to all be living in the same area (or even the same country). So I'm kinda grinding my head over how to make playing online as similar as playing local. I personally would prefer if we used voice chat (maybe even video chat). Also whomever takes the role of GM should probably figure out how to portray the map for the rest of the players.
Planning a game: If anyone is interested in starting up a online campaign just reply and we'll mull it over. Also if there are people here who have no experience in setting up a character i could probably help you get started up since i've done it three times already in the span of one campaign (fuck you GM).
So yeah, really want to start up a campaign if anyone's interested. It's probably gonna take a while to get everything set-up but that's DnD for you. And as i said i would prefer if we used a more personal form of communication . Texting events and such is going to take YEARS.
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Post by ibinoth on Apr 27, 2014 16:19:33 GMT
On the difference between Pathfinder and regular D&D: depends which edition you're refering to, really. Pathfinder is basically a rehash of D&D 3.5, where they've fixed some issues (and added some issues). It adds a lot more "heroics" in a way, making you feel like a very powerful guy when you play.
I guess the biggest differences are: There's a thing called "Combat Manuever" attack and defense, which is your ability to grapple, trip, disarm and bull rush opponents. I'm not entirely sure how it differs from D&D, but it's there.
Casters aren't useless at low levels after using their 2-3 spells for the day. They have abilities that allow them to continue being useful despite exhausting their spell supply, mostly thanks to cantrips and oriors (0th level spells) having infinite charges.
Can't say much about its likeness to 4.0, as I've only barely touched it. I hated the lore of it so much that I couldn't make myself play. :X
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Post by z49203 on Apr 27, 2014 20:50:36 GMT
Ok lets see here, I've been running both with 3.5 and PF for a while now so let me state the differences that I've seen:
-In Pathfinder there are much less 'Empty Levels', meaning no matter what class you play at every level up you should be getting a new thing to play with, a tool to add under your belt. Compared to 3.5 where you could go from lv 5-6 and the only thing you gain is a BaB point. While this isn't inherently better it means that you will have many more options and are generally more powerful than an equally leveled 3.5 character of the same class.
-Cantrips and Orisons: In Pathfinder each spell casting class has an ability that lets them use their 0lv spells any number of times per day, while not important at higher levels it means that at level 1 you dont run up fire your 2 spells and then you're done for the day.
-Balance changes, In Pathfinder it is a bit more difficult to create a perfect character compared to 3.5. However it does not mean there isn't a way to build a powerful character, Pathfinder tends to encourage having a bit more Jack of all trades look on characters (The skill system represents this a bit more than 3.5) and encourages DMs to create encounters with many ways to solve them due to each character having the option of being proficient in many many more things than 3.5 (This heavily depends on the DM and has various levels of success, as it does in any RPG).
-Streamlining, both of these systems are relatively clean to use in terms of when to roll and do what action however PF goes along the lines of consolidating skills that work well together under one skill. This in turn means that with PF there are generally less rolls for actions (Hide and Move silently for example are combined into Stealth, you roll 1 Stealth check compared to rolling a hide and move silently check)
In regards to map making and online play, there are a few ways to go about it. For maps you have tools like Roll20 (An interactive map manager) which provide real-time feeds of the map to everyone, or you could have a grid with movable tokens that the DM holds to and repost when needed (Generally once a round). With online play there are 2 ways I've handled it, voice chat over something like skype and text based over a forum board like RPGcrossing. Each of which has their place, Voice tends to have faster play but is more restrictive in terms of time and availability, while text generally is slower it allows for people with full schedules to join in as well.
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