Character as Black Box: 3.5, Pathfinder, and 5e walk into a game...
This is not a 'which system is better' post.
So, we all know Pathfinder is essentially a clone of 3.5. By removing dead levels and different racial bonuses, a Pathfinder character might be slightly more powerful than an equivalent 3.5 character. I haven't played 5e yet, but it look like it runs on basically the same engine, with somewhat streamlined numbers. (I'd discuss 4e, too, but I haven't even flipped through it.)
But even 5e seems to be 99% identical in the weapon and spell list, and how stuff works. An 18 in an attribute translates to a +4 mod.
DM/GM asks for an attack roll. Player responds with 1d20+whatever. If you move, it's probably 30ft. if you're not short.
So...if the player doesn't ask stupid questions and the GM doesn't look at the character sheet, a GM would really have no way of knowing if a player is playing in a 3.5 game using 5e rules. Or vice versa or any combination of the above.
Would it break a game if you did?
What would happen if a GM was running a d20 game, and three players were using three different systems for their characters? What would have to happen in-game for a player to know with certainty that that other guy is definitely not using the same rules as I am?
So, we all know Pathfinder is essentially a clone of 3.5. By removing dead levels and different racial bonuses, a Pathfinder character might be slightly more powerful than an equivalent 3.5 character. I haven't played 5e yet, but it look like it runs on basically the same engine, with somewhat streamlined numbers. (I'd discuss 4e, too, but I haven't even flipped through it.)
But even 5e seems to be 99% identical in the weapon and spell list, and how stuff works. An 18 in an attribute translates to a +4 mod.
DM/GM asks for an attack roll. Player responds with 1d20+whatever. If you move, it's probably 30ft. if you're not short.
So...if the player doesn't ask stupid questions and the GM doesn't look at the character sheet, a GM would really have no way of knowing if a player is playing in a 3.5 game using 5e rules. Or vice versa or any combination of the above.
Would it break a game if you did?
What would happen if a GM was running a d20 game, and three players were using three different systems for their characters? What would have to happen in-game for a player to know with certainty that that other guy is definitely not using the same rules as I am?