The title says it all. Post what you think is wrong with Pathfinder and we will fix it.
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Pathfinder 1E So what do you think is wrong with Pathfinder? Post your problems and we will fix it.
- Thread starter ForeverSlayer
- Start date
Ezequielramone
Explorer
There is not enough time to play all you want (?).
Does this come from another post?
Does this come from another post?
Serendipity
Explorer
Feats, presumption of incompetence (e.g. unless you have feat chain X trying to do X is pretty much doomed to failure), spamming of powers at every level of advancement for practically every class, general bloat.
Not looking to fix it, I just don't play it (any longer). I do however use and appreciate some of their less rule intensive sourcebooks (much like 4e, Pathfinder is a great source of ideas for lighter systems).
edited to add I think a 'fixed' pathfinder or 3.5 to my satisfaction would likely resemble Blood & Treasure, perhaps enough that I'd just play that were I so inclined to play an iteration of D&D that's semi-current.
Not looking to fix it, I just don't play it (any longer). I do however use and appreciate some of their less rule intensive sourcebooks (much like 4e, Pathfinder is a great source of ideas for lighter systems).
edited to add I think a 'fixed' pathfinder or 3.5 to my satisfaction would likely resemble Blood & Treasure, perhaps enough that I'd just play that were I so inclined to play an iteration of D&D that's semi-current.
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Savage Wombat
Hero
I've never minded the "if you don't like 10+ level play, don't play that" style. But I do mind that, until you get to the high levels where magic becomes campaign-damaging, magic items are still pretty boring. If you devote a large portion of a treasure to a weapon, you might be able to get a +2 weapon.
the disparity of scope between full casters and everyone else is highly jarring. for the most part you're either a sword-swinger (or slightly glorified version thereof) or you're telling reality to sit down while the adults are talking.
classes on a conceptual level. some, like the wizard, are supposed to encompass a wide variety of character archetypes while others, like the barbarian and monk, are pretty obvious in what they're going for.
feats are a mess, conceptually and in practice. they cover a wide array of things from simple skill ups, making certain assumed normal techniques useable or opening entire new uses of existing resources.
skills are too granular and most characters don't get enough points to be seen as skillful. it also takes a while before you get your skills up high enough to be successful with a good consistency.
weapons as a whole are pretty boring, with them basically just being a venue for dX worth of damage. the weapons are, for the most part, a slight variation of damage dice, damage type and weight in any given category.
magic doesn't really have a limit or any real concept beyond some superficial elements and how it's cast. stuff is often either extremely mundane or magic and magic seems to be capable of doing anything and everything with a little tinkering.
magic items, especially weapons, don't feel magic. a slight bonus to your hit and maybe a minor damage effect doesn't really make it feel "magic" then again, i grew up with the mythological stories of Excalibur, Mjölnir & Caladbolg.
classes on a conceptual level. some, like the wizard, are supposed to encompass a wide variety of character archetypes while others, like the barbarian and monk, are pretty obvious in what they're going for.
feats are a mess, conceptually and in practice. they cover a wide array of things from simple skill ups, making certain assumed normal techniques useable or opening entire new uses of existing resources.
skills are too granular and most characters don't get enough points to be seen as skillful. it also takes a while before you get your skills up high enough to be successful with a good consistency.
weapons as a whole are pretty boring, with them basically just being a venue for dX worth of damage. the weapons are, for the most part, a slight variation of damage dice, damage type and weight in any given category.
magic doesn't really have a limit or any real concept beyond some superficial elements and how it's cast. stuff is often either extremely mundane or magic and magic seems to be capable of doing anything and everything with a little tinkering.
magic items, especially weapons, don't feel magic. a slight bonus to your hit and maybe a minor damage effect doesn't really make it feel "magic" then again, i grew up with the mythological stories of Excalibur, Mjölnir & Caladbolg.
Tequila Sunrise
Adventurer
LFQW. Alignment restrictions and other legacy quirks. Pretending to be a world-sim, but achieving no more believability than any other D&D edition/clone.
The thing that makes PF so problematic for some gamers is the same thing that makes it so popular with others: It's a clone of 3.5e, with the same fundamental structure. And as is clear to anyone who reads any of the periodic 'PF 2e' threads over on the Paizo forums, fixing one fan group's problems with PF creates problems for other fan groups.
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RangerWickett
Legend
My biggest problem is that it wants a rule for everything. Instead of just saying, "This is a magic item, so it costs, . . . eh, 5000 gp," it has a complex formula. On the designer side -- both for writing adventures or just making stuff as the GM -- it's too complicated.
Yes, obviously a staff that can cast 3 spells is more valuable than one that just casts 2, but . . . who cares? A 5e-style bounded accuracy would allow the system to stop being so scared of making stuff 'too good.'
Ditto the complexity of monster design, the HUGE number of spells and feats, and so many types of modifiers.
The aesthetic of Pathfinder delights me. I love that there are tons of world-based flavor options. Like, I saw a guy who designed a . . . witch/monk, I think it was? He used his evil white witch beard to grapple people and them strangled them. Awesome. But he had to look through probably 15 books to find a way to do that, instead of just having one feat that says, "You can grapple with your beard, and you can use your Int or Wis modifier instead of Strength."
Fixing this stuff to my satisfaction would have to be a whole new game. I dunno; are PF players at all interested in a 2nd edition?
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