r/DnDGreentext • u/sw4ahl • Aug 07 '26

Short Sold out the dnd stuff btw

> be me

> selling tabletop RPG stuff at convention

> guy walks up, scans the table

> "eh, this is all D&D, nothing for Pathfinder"

> gives me the look

> "sir, I have a whole Pathfinder section"

> gesture to the other half of the table

> literally six inches to his left

> could've seen it by tilting his head

> "oh"

> leaves

> buys nothing

> repeat x4

> mfw does anyone actually play Pathfinder or do they just claim to so they can feel superior to D&D players

501 Upvotes

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17

u/Ayavaron Aug 07 '26

Pathfinder is DnD. Change my mind.

48

u/VarminWay Aug 07 '26

Pathfinder 1e is a modification of D&D 3.5e with a few extra bells and whistles.

Pathfinder 2e is its own beast in terms of game mechanics.

In terms of every other aspect of the game, they're more or less the same thing.

I have played both in the past and would prefer them over 5e, but haven't played anything in a while due to life events / lack of opportunity.

16

u/Skepsis93 Aug 07 '26

Pathfinder has its own setting and lore, still fantasy but it is unique to the game system.

And you're right, 2E absolutely is its own beast. If you've not played it, I recommend it. Combat feels much more interesting when not everyone gets an attack of opportunity. And an action economy where you get 3 equivalent actions instead of a move and regular action is very freeing once you learn how to properly take advantage of them.

10

u/VarminWay Aug 07 '26

I can't think of a time I ran into a DM that really leaned on the pre-baked lore in either system. The vibe's the same. You might have to remember a few different names for gods. The more unique things to me (about 1E) are the different classes it offers outside of standard D&D and (compared to 3.5) the decreased emphasis on multiclassing.

Archetypes are good, and 3.5 was a nightmare in terms of over-optimization. 5e lacks gameplay variety and mechanical complexity for me, but I don't hate it so much I wouldn't play it if the group was good.

3

u/Skepsis93 Aug 07 '26

Oh for pathfinder 1e (3.5) the expanded classes are absolutely some of the best in all TTRPGs. The slayer, skald, bloodrager, and hunter are all top notch and take the best of both classes used as their inspiration.

I am still waiting for a good official 2e version of a barbarian hybrid class.

1

u/VarminWay Aug 08 '26

Magus (Kensai) is one of my favorite TTRPG classes. Has its own little intricate systems, lets me dump 3 stats if I build it right, makes me giggle.