After investing time creating a 4 PC adventuring party, for D&D 3.0; I realize there's no way in Haydes as a DM, that I'd invest that much time into creating NPC's.
Thus, i wouldn't be running any 3rd Edition derivative the way it was intended.
At least with Pathfinder; I could keep a copy of the NPC Codex at the table, and riff off of it.
Greetings!
*Laughing* Yeah, the time-consumption of character creation--even for NPC's--is kind of a "Hidden Flaw" that may be overlooked initially, but which grows exponentially over time, of course dependent on the number of characters to be created, but also their character class level, and whatever campaign significance they may have.
Imagine sitting down as the DM, and setting out to create three NPC 6-member adventuring parties in which to populate an upcoming dungeon or wilderness adventure that the player characters are going to be getting into. Say, one NPC party is Level 6, one party is Level 8, and one party is Level 10.
There were times when I looked at a *stack* of what? 8 or 10 game books for making characters. Races, Classes, Prestige Classes, Skills, Special Features, Magical Spells, Magical Items, and Mundane Gear. With all of that stuff scattered over the 8 or 10 relevant books.
I loved D&D 3E for many years, but...damn, you know?
Then, of course, I had 6 players. Imagine how much time--and how many books each of them wanted to consult--to level up their primary characters, and two or three Henchmen characters *each*?
Semper Fidelis,
SHARK