Re: Back in Black, baby!
5e is a streamlined version of 3.5, for better and for worse.
Pros:
The +2/-2 mechanic is replaced by having either Advantage or disadvantage.
D&D runs faster and is simpler.
All classes have some access to magic through certain subclasses.
They reduced the number of spells (ex. Cure/inflict wounds spells) into one spell line that changes if you upcast it so you have more room for other spells to cast.
Bards have access to levels 7-9 spell levels.
Barbarians now get resistance to bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage when they rage instead of the person pitifully low and slowly increasing DR.
Clerics get channel divinity abilities besides the turn undead that they can recharge on Ashley rest. Turning undead is faster and quicker than in 3.5.
Wizards who specialize no longer have to pick schools of magic that they are prohibited from using.
No more universal magic school for wizards.
Specializing in magic schools grants new abilities and ways to alter your spells instead of +1 spell slot per level.
Paladins can choose paths that don’t force them to be LG.. They run the range from are LG through CE.
Sorcerers (and only sorcerers get access to metamagic options for their spells.
They reduced multiple spells into one (the six Animal’s buffs are now just one spell).
For casters who memorize spells, you can just memorize spells and not have to fill out which spell slot you memorize it, so it’s more flexible.
They reduce the number of skills, and got rid of skill points, so you don’t have to remember which class gave you which skill proficiencies and what the maximum number of skill points is for your level.
Prestige classes are baked into the major classes, and you don’t have to worry about meeting any of the various extraneous requirements (like having the right number of skill points, a certain save amount, etc.
Feats are optional, but because there are so few of them they can really impact your character and how they play.
Short rest healing with Hit Dice and full healing after long rests enables parties to play without someone feeling pressured into playing a cleric.
Casters with cantrips are more useful, as they can cast 0-level spells practically forever, so the class can do things other than fire crossbow bolts at enemies after they run out of spells.
Cantrips also level up with you, which is super useful, so even at higher levels you can do some damage.
They remove the limitless character attribute bonus, so having a higher # in an attribute means a lot more. With 20 max attribute (24 if you are a 20th level barbarian or have access to magic items). Having a cap for enemy attributes also means that as you level up, you won’t have to keep cranking your primary stats to incredibly high numbers to keep up with enemies.
Most Martial characters (ir classes with a martial bent) get Extra Attack instead of dwindling Base Attack Bonuses a they level up. No more fiddling around with +15/+10/+5 to hit. At 15th level, for example, you would have +4 proficiency bonus and + # from your appropriate stat (ex +5) modifier and attack threes times with that same number (+9).
Higher HD for wizard and sorcerer. D6s instead of d4s.
No more level adjustments! You can play races like Minotaur or bugbear without losing class levels.
Backgrounds are more important as they usually give you flat out proficiencies with skills instead of just mostly being fluff.
Fewer books released = more info and options in every book. Also more affordable.
Alignment is simplified, and class alignments are dropped, so paladins, bards, monks, barbarians, warlocks, etc can now play in a wide variety of alignments
The concentration mechanic makes classes that can use spells to buff others more like of a tactical decision. You can’t just put on five buffs at the beginning of a fight and overpower your enemies. Do you want bless, +1d4 to attack rolls? Magic weapon for more damage? Haste for +2 AC, an extra action and advantage on dexterity saves?
Getting back up from 0HP is easier because you can’t drop to negative HP totals. Also, there are death saves (50/50 chance for success) instead of trying to roll below 10 /100. Also, rolling a 20 gives you 1HP and you can get back in the fight. Rolling a 1 counts as two fails for death saves, and you have to get three successeso or fails for a definitive answer on living or dying, instead of potentially bleeding out into one turn at a time.
Weapons now have properties like versatile (some 1h weapons can be wielded in 2h to increase their damage Die up a size)
Some Weapons have the finesse property so you can decide to choose either Str or Dex for to-hir bonuses and damage.
Heavy armor has strength requirements (ex 13), and if your character meets them, your character can move without movement penalties.
Cons:
Druids got nerfed with their wildshape abilities.
Shield categories (tower, heavy, light, buckler) are gone. Shields only exist in one category and provide a +2 AC bonus.
They got rid of the Colossal and Colossal+ size categories, though creature can still be that size.
Bard’s inspiration has a higher range (d6->d8->d10->d12) but are limited to inspiring one creatures a fewer number of times per day.
Bards no longer need ranks in performance skill to use their bardic inspiration abilities.
Clerics no longer automatically get heavy armor proficiency, only light, medium & shields.they also start with simple weapons & get other weapon & armor proficiencies based on subclass,
The sheer number of 3.5 splat books with spells, templates, classes, races, skills is enormous from official sources, and if you add third party books you have thousands of possibilities to choose from (if you have access to all of them, which most people do not).
Also, the cost to get a complete collection of just first party books is nuts, and adding in splat books you will spend thousands of dollars.
Also, the first 3.5 d&d session usually consisted of talking with the DM to see what books, web articles, home rules, and more were so you could build an appropriate character. Nothing like thinking of creating a fighter in a espionage game, or a social butterfly in a dungeon crawl.
I miss damage resistance with #s, like Fire resist 30. You have resistance to fire damage, vulnerability, immunity or just take damage from ITV
Small characters get disadvantage to wield weapons with the heavy or two handed properties.
Exotic weapons are much rarer and are split into simple or martial weapon groups.
Weapon crit ranges are now automatically when you roll a 20 only, the only way to get a larger crit range is to take either the hexblade subclass of warlock (which only affects one target at a time) or champion subclass of fighter,
