When comparing Dungeons & Dragons v3.5 / Pathfinder RPG vs Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth, the Slant community recommends Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth for most people. In the question“What are the best tabletop RPGs?” Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth is ranked 1st while Dungeons & Dragons v3.5 / Pathfinder RPG is ranked 29th. The most important reason people chose Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth is:
Some of the most terrifying parts of this game is when you have to run away and make quick decisions about where to go or how to slow down those in pursuit.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Enormous pool of source material
The D&D v3.x family was published under an Open Game License which encouraged third-party material. Two editions later, there is still a thriving market creating new 3.5-compatible resources.
Pro Actively supported via Pathfinder RPG
When Wizards of the Coast discontinued D&D v3.5 development in favor of 4th Edition, Paizo took advantage of the Open Gaming License to publish an updated revision of the 3.x rules under the title Pathfinder RPG, which is still their flagship product. Notably, Pathfinder RPG has consistently outsold 4th Edition.
Pro Modular system encourages creativity
The D&D v3.x family is designed around building characters, monsters, magic items, etc., from small simple pieces. For each piece, any of countless others can be substituted, allowing near-infinite customization and variety.
Pro Many easy to comprehend books and other resources
Pro Perfect balance of DM storytelling and deeply granular rules.
All of the deep-dive rulebooks provide the option for endless complexity - go as far as you want, and you'll never run out of opportunities. However, the basic mechanic of "roll a d20 and add your bonus" is simple enough that the DM can tell stories, create worlds, and build adventures with their party.
3.5e is the perfect edition.
Pro Time sensitive chase sequences
Some of the most terrifying parts of this game is when you have to run away and make quick decisions about where to go or how to slow down those in pursuit.
Pro Crazy story-line
Slowly uncover the mind bending story, which is a reimagining of Lovecraft's 1936 novella, The Shadow over Innsmouth.
Pro Great stealth
Sneaking around is a necessity in this game, and is done well for it's time.
Pro Faithful to the mythos
Very faithful to the mythos overall. The narrative does an excellent job weaving the best of Lovecraft work together in a coherent story that is an absolute delight to play through.
Cons
Con Encourages character optimization outside of play
With so many options available to the player, and the almost unlimited ability to combine them, certain "character builds" are patently superior to others. Players who spend a lot of personal time poring over the rules can often create characters so powerful that players who don't optimize feel useless in games with those who do.
Con Casters are significantly more powerful than non-casters
Con Detailed simulation slows down gameplay
Due to countless situational modifiers, players and DM alike have to put a great deal of thought into decisions about position, order of actions, etc., to the point that six seconds (one combat round) of "in-game time" frequently takes half an hour or more of play time.