Stats for D&D spells in a Fantasy game?

Blind Mapmaker · 10-25-2011, 09:53 AM

I think converting a setting can work very well as long as you keep to the spirit of the things you are converting.

D&D offers, for example, spells that deal only a little bit of damage, but can be cast very quickly. You should make a couple of those to give players more options à la Magic Missile, Burning Hands etc. The clerical party buffs you mention are another thing that's missing in GURPS. Those can be restricted by only giving them to divine casters. Another thing are good (but not complete as in GURPS Resist Fire) protection spells. Making a non-variable Magic Armor spell that gives DR 2 and cost two energy per minute goes a long way of placating old Dungeons & Dragons expectations. Whatever you do don't go to closely into D&D details.

Having said that I agree with the other posters that getting a whole group of D&D fans convert to GURPS by giving them basically GURPS D&D is probably problematic. If there are some among them who have been chafing at D&D's restrictions this might work, but if they are comfortable with their system and you are the driving factor for converting then it would probably better to try something D&D can't do like modern day, hard SF or super heroes.

I am currently GMing a GURPS Forgotten Realms group that has two avid D&D players and they're fine with it, although there are some things they don't like (mainly combat length, relatively low attributes and bad defaults). It works fine, though, since there are other players who would never play D&D and some who just don't care.

I think the easiest way to please the D&D crowd is to give them a lot of options that are in tune with the campaign world you're playing in and can only be gained by fulfilling some prerequisites. D&D players in general love planning out their characters in advance. Another way to tempt them might be to play a "traditional" fantasy game, but with really in-depth character backgrounds and motivations which can all be expressed in GURPS terms.

10-25-2011, 09:53 AM	#11
Blind Mapmaker Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Mannheim, Baden	Re: Stats for D&D spells in a Fantasy game? I think converting a setting can work very well as long as you keep to the spirit of the things you are converting. D&D offers, for example, spells that deal only a little bit of damage, but can be cast very quickly. You should make a couple of those to give players more options à la Magic Missile, Burning Hands etc. The clerical party buffs you mention are another thing that's missing in GURPS. Those can be restricted by only giving them to divine casters. Another thing are good (but not complete as in GURPS Resist Fire) protection spells. Making a non-variable Magic Armor spell that gives DR 2 and cost two energy per minute goes a long way of placating old Dungeons & Dragons expectations. Whatever you do don't go to closely into D&D details. Having said that I agree with the other posters that getting a whole group of D&D fans convert to GURPS by giving them basically GURPS D&D is probably problematic. If there are some among them who have been chafing at D&D's restrictions this might work, but if they are comfortable with their system and you are the driving factor for converting then it would probably better to try something D&D can't do like modern day, hard SF or super heroes. I am currently GMing a GURPS Forgotten Realms group that has two avid D&D players and they're fine with it, although there are some things they don't like (mainly combat length, relatively low attributes and bad defaults). It works fine, though, since there are other players who would never play D&D and some who just don't care. I think the easiest way to please the D&D crowd is to give them a lot of options that are in tune with the campaign world you're playing in and can only be gained by fulfilling some prerequisites. D&D players in general love planning out their characters in advance. Another way to tempt them might be to play a "traditional" fantasy game, but with really in-depth character backgrounds and motivations which can all be expressed in GURPS terms.