D&D 3rd and 3.5th Edition

Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition
Created by	Wizards of the Coast
Published	2000
Genres	Fantasy
Dice	d20, d12, d10, d8, d6, d4

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The 3rd edition, and "Revised 3rd Edition" (commonly called 3.5e) of Dungeons & Dragons were the games that introduced the D20 System, and the original keystone of the Open Game License.

The changes compared to the previous editions were massive, and included:

• Standardising skill rolls;
• Changing to-hit rolls to be comparable to skill rolls;
• Introducing the attribute modifier system (which still remains standard in most D20 games) ;
• Introducing Feats;
• Introducing Attacks of Opportunity.

3.5s changes were relatively minor, some rebalancing the game, and some adding unnecessary complexity. In particular, 3.5e changed all game measurements from "feet" to "squares", implying mandatory play using miniatures.

3.5th Edition was also the basis on which Pathfinder 1st Edition was developed.

Benefits

• Substantially clearer and easier to learn and play than previous editions D&D.

Problems

• The Build: D&D 3rd Edition marked the first stage at which it was beneficial to plan out your entire character at level 1 and merely fill out the character as they levelled. While doing so was not compulsory, not doing so would be a substantial disadvantage as many character options were extremely weak except in regard to later options they made available, often in a non-intuitive way.
• The Spiked Chain: in 3rd Edition, Spiked Chains had no minimum attack range, and could be used to create an overly powerful Fighter build based on tripping opponents and using attacks of opportunity.

d20 systems

13th Age • Dungeons & Dragons (3rd and 3.5 Edition, 4th Edition, 5th Edition) • Gamma World • Lancer • Level Up • Mutants & Masterminds • Pathfinder (1st Edition, 2nd Edition), Shadow of the Demon Lord