Whether to invest in Pathfinder or 5e

[Ripskreig]

Hi guys,

I'm tossing up whether to invest in Pathfinder or 5e on FG.
I'm wondering if they are both supported equally, or whether one is better supported than the other, i.e. whether official 5e rule books and adventures generally contain more automated features (including drag and drop NPCs, feats and items) and whether there is more work for the DM to do in setting up and running a pathfinder game. You get the idea.
Be very grateful for your insights.

Cheers
Rip.

[damned]

Hi Ripskreig

Welcome to Fantasy Grounds.
What do you have the most experience at? What do you enjoy the most? Do you already have a group you run games for?

I dont play Pathfinder but these are my observations...

5e is a simpler game than Pathfinder in that PF has far more character options.
The 5e implementation on Fantasy Grounds is better than the Pathfinder one but that in no way suggests that Pathfinder is a slouch.
The license for Pathfinder is still pretty new so much of the planned content is still underway whilst all the official D&D books/adventures are already on Fantasy Grounds.
I think it will only be a matter of a few more months before there is more official Pathfinder content on Fantasy Grounds - because there is so much more Pathfinder material out there. More bestiaries, more character options and way more adventures.

So... if you already have a group and a preference... Id probably stick with it.
Otherwise 5e is the easiest to recruit for and the easier to learn.

[celestian]

Other than what damned had mentioned you might want to look at the cost of the content as well. To my curious eyes it looks like the 5E content is less expensive over all that PF... at least on the adventures front.

Although I just looked at a few big adventures and when I saw the pricetag I was shocked a bit so perhaps it's not all of them. (Curse of the Crimson Throne and Rise of the Runelords).

That said I think if you buy the books from Paizo you also get a code to get the FG module ? Check into that I've only seen mention of it so no clue if it's entirely true.

[kwarner1986]

As a pathfinder player, if you are looking for longevity. I would go with 5e as it is much newer than pathfinder. Pathfinder while it will be around for quite a while still, it's is likely going to start transitioning more to Starfinder.

As far as the fun factor and diversity is concerned. You can create over 1,000 characters in pathfinder and no two will be the same, ever. You don't have that feeling in 5e yet. It will get there with content release.

[Myrdin Potter]

You get a price reduction if you own the Pathfinder PDF, but only if you have it registered on the Paizo site.

[Ripskreig]

All really helpful responses, thanks guys.

My group have played 3.5e for about 3 years in recent times, and AD&D prior to that for decades.
We've been at it since high-school and are now in our mid 40s - where on earth did the last 20 years go.
Last time we convened, sadly just over a year ago, we were in the bowels of Rappan Atthuk, with 2 members left alive of a 5-man group. The scout and the pscionicist. All the useful people - Tank, cleric and off-tank dps - all dead. Was a very exciting point! =). Good times.

FG gives us a chance of getting back together to play, now that we're all time poor and live in different places.

The pathfinder adventure paths look really exciting and match with the complexity of play and narratives we enjoy and are used too - I've been eyeing them off for years..
However I fear our ability to manage all of PFRPG detail with FG because unfortunately we're all very time poor now.
Perhaps in time to come, it will be as well supported as 5e.

The 5e modules, I'm not especially impressed with? On reading through the reviews, I think we've played through all almost of them, or 'very' similar ones, in prior AD&D incarnations.
There are one or two which look unfamiliar, but not a lot unique going on there as far as I can tell.
Nonetheless those will probably fit with our time limitations.
Perhaps I should ask on the 5e forums for some recommendations.
Perhaps you guys have some recommendations too?

[damned]

I dont think that Pathfinder lags terribly behind 5e and it is the 2nd best supported ruleset in terms of features.
The Adventure Paths are a big selling point particularly for a group like yours that has played all the older D&D stuff.

Just because there are 1001 character classes you dont have to use them - and put the onus of knowing their character and its abilities back on your players....
Im running Curse of Strahd right now and the players are enjoying it - but it is a rewrite of earlier materials...

[Full Bleed]

Just to do some Pathfinder "defense" here...

1) Pathfinder support isn't going to be "transitioned" to Starfinder. Starfinder support, however, will likely be increasing. They are different genres, so one does not displace the other.

2) The Curse of the Crimson Throne and Runelords Anniversary Editions may be more expensive than some of the 5e offerings, but you're getting more material, too. Those are collections of the 6 modules that make up the entire path. For example, the Crimson Throne hardcover edition clocks in at 478 pages... Runelords--428. I think the 5e adventures are clocking in at 96-256 pages. So it's not an apples-to-apples comparison on price.

3) If you enjoyed the 3.5 "complexity of play" then Pathfinder is an easy transition and will be most familiar (as it is often referred to as 3.75e.) 5e is, arguably, less complex (though I consider it "pseudo simplicity") and a significantly different system from the games you've mentioned. For example, take a look at the "long" and "short" rest rules in 5e and see if that is the kind of thing you believe will improve your game. You can see the 5e Combat rules here.

[ddavison]

Whatever you choose, start out at 1st level again and you'll have an easier go at it as you learn how to most effectively play on Fantasy Grounds as you go.

[Full Bleed]

2) The Curse of the Crimson Throne and Runelords Anniversary Editions may be more expensive than some of the 5e offerings, but you're getting more material, too. Those are collections of the 6 modules that make up the entire path. For example, the Crimson Throne hardcover edition clocks in at 478 pages... Runelords--428. I think the 5e adventures are clocking in at 96-256 pages. So it's not an apples-to-apples comparison on price.

I know I'm responding to my own post here, but there is one other additional value of the Pathfinder purchases not easily compared to 5e purchases through FG. When you buy them here you get the PDF "free" from Paizo. It's pretty convenient to be able to put the PDF of a module on a phone or tablet.