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D&D Rules
T3KN0D
Registered User new member
Registered User new member
the last few comics have gotten me interested in D&D. does anybody have a link to a site or something that has all the rules, or a guide or something that will teach me how to play?
If i had a quarter for every time i had a nickel...id have 5x as much theoretical money. 8-)
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I, however, prefer 3.5 and variations. Piazo publishing, which published Dragon magazine towards the end of its run, has kept up the gaming license for that version. They have published a updated and "patched" version of the 3.5 rules called Pathfinder RPG (lame, i know). the Beta to the Pathfinder RPG setting and rules is availible for download, free, in PDF, at www.paizo.com.
4.0's combat system i find to be a little more like a board game as opposed to a more open-ended RPG structure. But thats neither here nor there. Look into the WotC intro, see if thats something you would dig and want to spend the money on. Also check out the BETA pathfinder series. It all depends on what style you prefer, but both have their merits.
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/insider/characterbuilder
3rd edition basically unified the disparate systems in 2nd edition into central mechanics, added special abilities called "Feats" and muddied the combat waters by adding Attacks of Opportunity. An edition called "3.5 edition" which further streamlined and unified the game was released, and most people play this edition as it "feels more true to classic DnD" or other somesuch justification. 3.5 is a good system, but 3.5 and 4th are completely different (and most folks think this is either a good thing or a bad thing). One big thing about 3rd edition was that the rule set was made open-source (called "d20"), and can be found here:
http://www.opengamingfoundation.org/
The link has all of the rules and none of the background, so it will be confusing to put the mechanics into an in-game context.
The difference between 3rd edition and Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 2nd edition is less pronounced than the jump from 3rd to 4th. 2nd edition suffers from a lot of "table lookups" (each class has separate tables for XP and leveling... yikes!), but it has a LOT of background literature and conventions which still dot the current DnD landscape. The main thing in 2nd edition is to wrap your mind around the concept of Thac0 (To Hit Armor Class of 0).
You will hardly find anyone that plays the original AD&D any more. You may be able to find these books in your local public library (I know that I can find them in mine). It's an interesting old relic, but vastly confusing and probably not ideal for your first time reading/gaming experience. Speaking of public libraries... see if your local library has the books available to check out. That's a free way to learn about the games.
If you are a big fan of computer RPGs, Neverwinter Nights and Icewind Dale II both use a variation of 3rd edition rules. Baldur's Gate (I and II, but not Dark Alliance), Icewind Dale I, and Planescape Torment all use a variation of 2nd edition rules.
This being said, the absolute best way to dive into RPGs is to do just that... get a group and dive in! All of the gaming groups that I've known are friendly to new players and love to teach the new players how to play the game. You can find several groups that play online here at Penny Arcade forums, even.
And what I meant about Paizo continuing 3.5 - they actively publish under the 3.5 open gaming license.
So there will continue to be a ton of literature, settings, modules, shit like that, even though 4.0 is the new DnD IP.
For anyone with a passing interest in DnD 3.5, Paizo has actually become quite decent.
Good luck with your DnD search for truth!
That said, 4E is generally easier to learn, but since there are only a few books out for it right now, there's not too much variance in what you can do.
I was going to suggest this.
If your group agrees, I would bring a laptop just for this.
Makes looking up things much faster
Also there are some "dice rolling" programs, that works well too and other programs for character sheets, etc.
I like the books, pencils and real dice, it feels more "real" to me,
but some groups I've played with using laptops for some of the "math drudgery" of it.
I would recommend the pathfinder books, but I'm not sure if they've been 'officially' released or if they're in alpha or beta or whatever.
Most folks compare it to either Tactical Miniatures or WoW... to this I say, "why not?" Why shouldn't a RPG cull good ideas from other games? Some things just work better, and maybe those ideas will work better for DnD, too. Give it some time. I will say that the new DnD is much more amenable to online play, which is a bonus for me (since I've been playing almost exclusively online for about 5 years).
I personally think that 4.0 is a turn for the better (mostly because it imitates a game that I actually like, Earthdawn), but I wouldn't buy into a new IP until it has a couple of years under its belt. 3rd edition just has so much more content than any of the other editions, and it has the one DnD setting I can stomach (Eberron). I'm still a FASA/Talsorian fan, but I appreciate Pen and Paper RPGs in general.
The main point I would convey is that given both 4th edition and 3.5 edition, 4th edition is more newbie friendly. It is also the game that is being played in the podcasts, and probably appealing to the OP because of this.