What are you doing to convert to 3.5? [Archive] - Wizards Community

What are you doing to convert to 3.5? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
avatarolt
07-03-03, 08:31 PM No, not what new dice rolls you get. How are you handling those new dice rolls? I assume some people who are currently playing campaigns plan on converting to the 3.5 rules. Do you really expect to wake up one morning and have everything simply "change"? ;)

I'll lead off. I play a Druid who just made 4th level. Among other features, his current animal companions include 4 well trained black-footed ferrets from the Orient. (The character's background includes a 30 year [elf] jaunt in the Orient studying herbalism from ancient practioners...those of you who followed the "intoxication" thread might already assume that's where he obtained the cannabis fetish). My character looks to this herbalist as a sort of mentor, so of course I've written another letter: what can I do now that I've matured in my needs?

I plan on releasing the ferrets into my rudementary grove I'm building. After a discussion with the DM, it's been decided that I'm to be allowed a sort of "mail-order" service from my Oriental friend for this new animal companion (thus reducing the number of animals travelling with me to one). A panda (using the stats as a Black Bear w/o the swim ability but w/opposable thumbs, again agreed upon by the DM) should be shipped by (hopefully) this weekend's campaign.

Of course, knowing the DM personally, I've noticed she's carrying around a 3rd party book about boats & piracy. I assume I'm not getting the panda easily. I also look forward to trying to explain a panda to the people in the city -- or possibly even having to retreat into my grove for longer periods of time. I'll miss the ferrets though -- they were an awesome gimmick for the stoner druid.

I've already started memorizing "Summon Animal I" and "II" and casting it regularly as to get a feel for it. I've started roleplaying the points I'll be putting into Diplomacy after Intuit Direction is combined with Wilderness Lore (YAY!).

I'm not a powergamer or a roleplayer. I'm just trying to learn how to do this with art as opposed to when I tried it in middle-school and things always ended in party members killing and stealing from one another.

I'm having fun. :)
Mr. VanderMeer
07-04-03, 06:00 AM Well, I have to say, if a character in my campaign had ferrets as animal companions, he would not have to give them up. 3.5 or not! I would work my way around that somehow.

Other things, like the diplomacy thing, I think you are handling very well. I am not yet considering those things, until I actually have 3.5. Then I will find a way to incorporate it.

I am more worried about the ranger though. I have a girl who plays one. I think she would rather be a good archer than a two weapon fighter. That means a total revision for 3.5e. Don't know what I'm going to do yet, but I'm sure I'll figure something out.
Urorath the Forsaken
07-04-03, 11:53 AM I'm sticking to base 3e. I believe I can handle anything I might need to for my PCs personally. I don't feel I need any class revisions: the normal versions are fine except for the Ranger, Sorcerer, and Fighter, which I use the Monte Cook Ranger and custom Sorcerers and Fighters(my Sorcerer currently just has some new abilities, but as I find time I'll likely give it a spellcasting system that is similar to that of the ELH). I have to admit that all of the things that have been presented look nice, including the supposed more powerful Pit Fiend, but I'm happy with my 3e DMing.
avatarolt
07-04-03, 01:25 PM Just out of curiousity, why would you disallow ferret companions? They're "animals" and according to the MM1 use the same stats as a weasel. They're easy to train and since they were 1/2 a hit die a piece, I had 4 of them. Obviously I was shortchanging myself as far as combat goes, but they had their uses. What criteria would you have used to deem them "acceptable" or "unacceptable?"
Mr. VanderMeer
07-04-03, 04:43 PM why would you disallow ferret companions

We should ask you. Does your DM make you do it?

I would not disallow them. Even if the rules say differently. They're only rules.
avatarolt
07-04-03, 04:57 PM No, not really -- but it's extremely difficult to get an advancement table on a small horde of ferrets, and I've pretty much determined an empty backpack can really only hold 4 at most.

But anyhow, I'm making the conversion because we've agreed that we like the changes, for the most part. When we actually see the books, maybe we'll house rule something...but the animal companion is now an impressive beast...that you don't have to keep throwing away. That was the goal for the ferrets in the first place...it was 2hd less that I could bring along, but *eventually* I could grab something bigger. With the advancement now, you severely hamstring yourself accordingly.

I think it will be easier to forge a relationship with a single animal instead of four anyhow. Maybe I'm a novice powergamer or what have you, but the change made sense to me.
Pongolyn
07-07-03, 11:03 PM I'm the DM running the campaign...and no, I haven't disallowed the ferrets...if I did I'd probably be pretty silly for canning them and allowing the panda instead! ;)

The main problem I had with the ferrets is that 3.5 doesn't really have any provisions for multiple animal companions, nor does it cover weasel/ferret advancement (and really, how much can you advance a ferret without awakening it or giving it stats that defy its physical size and characteristics?). The druid and I came up with the panda after a session of brainstorming, and as it more or less fits the "black bear" mold that the druid is entitled to have according to the rulebooks, I'm a lot more confident in the panda's ability to play by the rules than four separate companions, small though they may be.

It's also a lot easier to roleplay one beast than four, especially if they're small animals. The ferrets were risking being continually upstaged by the party, the NPCs, and the other animal companion.

Finally, 3.5 implies pretty strongly that animal companions, unlike familiars, are intended to be fighting animals, and at 4th level a druid ought to have a companion that has a better chance than four ferrets at keeping their master alive when the baddies come calling.

I'd have let him keep the ferrets if that's what he wanted but a single larger animal just seemed to fit in better with minimum rule adjustment. I'm not opposed to breaking rules in the books by any means, but I'm not yet confident enough in my 3.5 skills to be able to take the hard road with four ferrets when a panda makes everyone involved just as happy.

Pongo
horndgod
07-07-03, 11:40 PM Keep in mind that according to 3.5E druids can spontaneously sack spells for a Summon Nature's Ally of equivalent level, so you don't actually need to memorize it.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
avatarolt 07-03-03, 08:31 PM	No, not what new dice rolls you get. How are you handling those new dice rolls? I assume some people who are currently playing campaigns plan on converting to the 3.5 rules. Do you really expect to wake up one morning and have everything simply "change"? ;) I'll lead off. I play a Druid who just made 4th level. Among other features, his current animal companions include 4 well trained black-footed ferrets from the Orient. (The character's background includes a 30 year [elf] jaunt in the Orient studying herbalism from ancient practioners...those of you who followed the "intoxication" thread might already assume that's where he obtained the cannabis fetish). My character looks to this herbalist as a sort of mentor, so of course I've written another letter: what can I do now that I've matured in my needs? I plan on releasing the ferrets into my rudementary grove I'm building. After a discussion with the DM, it's been decided that I'm to be allowed a sort of "mail-order" service from my Oriental friend for this new animal companion (thus reducing the number of animals travelling with me to one). A panda (using the stats as a Black Bear w/o the swim ability but w/opposable thumbs, again agreed upon by the DM) should be shipped by (hopefully) this weekend's campaign. Of course, knowing the DM personally, I've noticed she's carrying around a 3rd party book about boats & piracy. I assume I'm not getting the panda easily. I also look forward to trying to explain a panda to the people in the city -- or possibly even having to retreat into my grove for longer periods of time. I'll miss the ferrets though -- they were an awesome gimmick for the stoner druid. I've already started memorizing "Summon Animal I" and "II" and casting it regularly as to get a feel for it. I've started roleplaying the points I'll be putting into Diplomacy after Intuit Direction is combined with Wilderness Lore (YAY!). I'm not a powergamer or a roleplayer. I'm just trying to learn how to do this with art as opposed to when I tried it in middle-school and things always ended in party members killing and stealing from one another. I'm having fun. :)
Mr. VanderMeer 07-04-03, 06:00 AM	Well, I have to say, if a character in my campaign had ferrets as animal companions, he would not have to give them up. 3.5 or not! I would work my way around that somehow. Other things, like the diplomacy thing, I think you are handling very well. I am not yet considering those things, until I actually have 3.5. Then I will find a way to incorporate it. I am more worried about the ranger though. I have a girl who plays one. I think she would rather be a good archer than a two weapon fighter. That means a total revision for 3.5e. Don't know what I'm going to do yet, but I'm sure I'll figure something out.
Urorath the Forsaken 07-04-03, 11:53 AM	I'm sticking to base 3e. I believe I can handle anything I might need to for my PCs personally. I don't feel I need any class revisions: the normal versions are fine except for the Ranger, Sorcerer, and Fighter, which I use the Monte Cook Ranger and custom Sorcerers and Fighters(my Sorcerer currently just has some new abilities, but as I find time I'll likely give it a spellcasting system that is similar to that of the ELH). I have to admit that all of the things that have been presented look nice, including the supposed more powerful Pit Fiend, but I'm happy with my 3e DMing.
avatarolt 07-04-03, 01:25 PM	Just out of curiousity, why would you disallow ferret companions? They're "animals" and according to the MM1 use the same stats as a weasel. They're easy to train and since they were 1/2 a hit die a piece, I had 4 of them. Obviously I was shortchanging myself as far as combat goes, but they had their uses. What criteria would you have used to deem them "acceptable" or "unacceptable?"
Mr. VanderMeer 07-04-03, 04:43 PM	why would you disallow ferret companions We should ask you. Does your DM make you do it? I would not disallow them. Even if the rules say differently. They're only rules.
avatarolt 07-04-03, 04:57 PM	No, not really -- but it's extremely difficult to get an advancement table on a small horde of ferrets, and I've pretty much determined an empty backpack can really only hold 4 at most. But anyhow, I'm making the conversion because we've agreed that we like the changes, for the most part. When we actually see the books, maybe we'll house rule something...but the animal companion is now an impressive beast...that you don't have to keep throwing away. That was the goal for the ferrets in the first place...it was 2hd less that I could bring along, but eventually I could grab something bigger. With the advancement now, you severely hamstring yourself accordingly. I think it will be easier to forge a relationship with a single animal instead of four anyhow. Maybe I'm a novice powergamer or what have you, but the change made sense to me.
Pongolyn 07-07-03, 11:03 PM	I'm the DM running the campaign...and no, I haven't disallowed the ferrets...if I did I'd probably be pretty silly for canning them and allowing the panda instead! ;) The main problem I had with the ferrets is that 3.5 doesn't really have any provisions for multiple animal companions, nor does it cover weasel/ferret advancement (and really, how much can you advance a ferret without awakening it or giving it stats that defy its physical size and characteristics?). The druid and I came up with the panda after a session of brainstorming, and as it more or less fits the "black bear" mold that the druid is entitled to have according to the rulebooks, I'm a lot more confident in the panda's ability to play by the rules than four separate companions, small though they may be. It's also a lot easier to roleplay one beast than four, especially if they're small animals. The ferrets were risking being continually upstaged by the party, the NPCs, and the other animal companion. Finally, 3.5 implies pretty strongly that animal companions, unlike familiars, are intended to be fighting animals, and at 4th level a druid ought to have a companion that has a better chance than four ferrets at keeping their master alive when the baddies come calling. I'd have let him keep the ferrets if that's what he wanted but a single larger animal just seemed to fit in better with minimum rule adjustment. I'm not opposed to breaking rules in the books by any means, but I'm not yet confident enough in my 3.5 skills to be able to take the hard road with four ferrets when a panda makes everyone involved just as happy. Pongo
horndgod 07-07-03, 11:40 PM	Keep in mind that according to 3.5E druids can spontaneously sack spells for a Summon Nature's Ally of equivalent level, so you don't actually need to memorize it.