Changelings & Conversions

[bat]

Hello all!
Long time gamer, on and off with this game (I remember buying Melee from the Johnson-Smith catalog and then played GURPS 2e and some 3e) mostly of D&D from the old school (I write the Ancient Vaults & Eldritch Secrets blog) and I bought the Dungeon Fantasy box set, companion and GM screen recently to run at a local bar that has asked me to run a game (it was going to be Zweihander or DCC, but I think this is easier to teach and just run) and I have a couple of questions...

1) I would like to run a changeling race as a player option, and monster option, similar to the creatures in Symbaroum. Any advice? I would like them to have different drawbacks as a race, not the same ones (like salt, cold iron, some can sleep in their altered shape, some cannot, etc)

2) I have seen suggested conversions for challenge levels with 3.0+ games, how about converting spells, magic items and monsters from the B/X, Holmes, etc era? Since my blog consists of these things I'd of course like to use some.


Any information, advice, and mild derision is appreciated.

[Gnomasz]

Originally Posted by bat

1) I would like to run a changeling race as a player option, and monster option, similar to the creatures in Symbaroum. Any advice? I would like them to have different drawbacks as a race, not the same ones (like salt, cold iron, some can sleep in their altered shape, some cannot, etc)

I'm not sure what you mean by a changeling. If it's something like a werewolf that controls it's change, I suggest pricing each form like druidic Beast Flight and keeping each form not-to-capable, so no bears and stuff like that. For the drawbacks, I'd suggest including Vulnerability (Monsters, p. 14) in the animal forms and/or Phobia for the basic race. If you want more capable forms or more detail, you'd need GURPS, not just DFRPG.

2) I have seen suggested conversions for challenge levels with 3.0+ games, how about converting spells, magic items and monsters from the B/X, Holmes, etc era? Since my blog consists of these things I'd of course like to use some.

I'm unfamiliar with the games you mention, so I can't give anything specific, but I suggest comparing the average attributes and skills and the maximums. For example, in DFRPG you usually have ST between 10 and 25. If in the other game those thresholds are similar, you keep it one-to-one. If not, you make it proportional.

[sir_pudding]

Dungeon Fantasy has the races it lists, for more you need full GURPS (and, I think, the other forum). It definitely doesn't have the rules for shape-shifting, other than the Beast Flight ability for Druids.

[bat]

Thank you for the information. As the type of shapeshifter is the fey type that assumes different humanoid forms I will go seeking the book that might help.

Thanks again!

[JMason]

For a Monster, I'd just say that it take the new form (so whatever stats that race/monster has) and maybe keeps the same IQ and skills (maybe some other traits like Magery if that applies). No need to use points and find trait values for a monster. Just treat this as a more powerful version of "Alternate Form" (Monsters p9).

As for a PC race... I'm going to assume that this is going to exceed the typical racial cost by quite a bit, and is probably not suitable for a player race.

If you still want to do it... you'll need GURPS. You could probably create one with just the Basic Set, but Pyramid #3/45: Monsters has a Changeling template for GURPS Monster Hunters that might be of some use.

[bat]

Thank you for the reply, I will look into this issue of Pyramid and see if it is worth trying out. :D