Sunday, October 4, 2009

Savage Pathfinder Apocalypse!

I started playing Dungeons & Dragons at a very young age and have been playing for over 20 years. I stopped playing after 3.5 edition came out because I spent so much money on 3rd edition stuff and got tired with the system. Then 4th edition came out, which I'm not at all interested in. Of course, my RPG of choice nowadays is Savage Worlds, but a friend of mine started a game with the RPG that has become the spiritual successor to 3.5, Pathfinder. Paizo Publishing, who were once known for publishing both Dungeon and Dragon magazine, released the Pathfinder line of supplements and game aids for 3.5. When WoTC decided not to support 3.5 anymore to pursue 4th Edition, Paizo decided to revise and update the 3.5 rules. Pathfinder has been called version 3.75. So what do I think of Pathfinder? Well, I still prefer Savage Worlds, but Pathfinder is actually pretty good. The thing I like most is the addition of new abilities to existing classes. In 3.5, being a fighter didn't give you a lot except for a bunch of feats - no special abilities. Pathfinder made being a fighter cool again (being a fighter was always kinda cool, but now it contends with playing a ranger or a barbarian). I also like the campaign so far. My character is a barbarian that was born and raised in an affluently decadent society, but political intrigue had brought about the assassination of his parents and he was sold into slavery. He escaped and found solace in a barbarian tribe who raised and trained him to fight. Now I do like the improvements they made to 3.5, but the system is still d20 and it retains some of the things I'm not big on. When we did combat, we were slowed down by all the numbers. Plus I was never a big fan that Armor Class is used to determine if a blow hits or not. I preferred the Star Wars RPG from WoTC that made armor reduce damage. Nonetheless, it is better than 3.5. If you are a big fan of 3.5, then you owe it to yourself to pick up Pathfinder. I still prefer Savage Worlds, but this is a good RPG for D&D fans.

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