The Definite d20/D&D Conversion thread

[Jürgen Hubert]

Keep in mind that we are not attempting to replace the original sources - you will still have to get these to understand what these monsters are. We also aren't attempting to copy the texts verbatim.

WotC might find something to object in any case and send a cease-and-desist to me (as I am the site admin), but are unlikely to do so - fan works have traditionally been given a lot of leeway as long as a standard disclaimer is included (like it is here). The only exception is Palladium, who thinks that conversions invalidate their copyrights or something.

So keep my guidelines in mind and we should be fine - and if we aren't, it will be my responsibility to do something about it.

[Jürgen Hubert]

Originally Posted by Faolyn

ETA: How do I get it so there's a place to email/PM me? I see that there's something like that on other people's pages.

If you mean your Wikidot user account, you can do that by inserting

[[*user wolfwere]]

Others would have to insert their own user names.

If you want to include your email, you can enter something like:

[support@example.com email me!]

For more on Wikidot coding convention, see this page, which is referenced at the bottom of each "edit" window.

[Jürgen Hubert]

OK, based on Laughing Man's templates and my further comments here is how I would do
Dwarves (52 points)

Spoiler:  

Size Modifier: -1
Attribute Modifiers: HT +1 [10].
Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: Basic Move -1 [-5]
Advantages: Dark Vision [25]; Extended Lifespan 4 [4], Resistant (Magic, +3 to resistance rolls) [10], Resistant (Poison, +3 to HT) [5].
Perks: Can intuitively know the depth underground [1], Resistant To Knockback 2 (+2 to ST for knockback purposes only) [2]

Elves (47 points)

Spoiler:  

Attribute Modifiers: DX +1 [20], HT -1 [-10].
Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: Per +2 [10].
Advantages: Extended Lifespan 5 [5], Less Sleep 4 [8], Magery 0 [5], Night Vision 3 [3], Resistant (Immunity to supernatural “sleep” effects) [5].
Perks: Trance instead of sleep

Gnomes (15 points)

Spoiler:  

Size Modifier: -1
Attribute Modifiers: ST -1 [-10], HT +1 [10].
Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: Basic Move -1 [-5]
Advantages: Acute Hearing +2 [4], Extended Lifespan 3 [3], Night Vision 3 [3], Resistant (Illusions, +3) [5], Speak With Animals (burrowing creatures only -60%, 3 Uses/day -20%) [5].

Half-Elves (15 points)

Spoiler:  

Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: Per +1 [5]
Advantages: Extended Lifespan 1 [1], Night Vision 4 [4], Resistant (Immunity to supernatural “sleep” effects) [5].

Half-Orcs (10 points)

Spoiler:  

Attribute Modifiers: ST +1 [10], IQ -1 [-20]
Advantages: Dark Vision [25]
Disadvantages: Social Stigma (Second-Class Citizen) [-5].

Halflings (19 points)

Spoiler:  

Size Modifier: -2
Attribute Modifiers: ST -2 [-20], DX +1 [20]
Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: Basic Move -1 [-5]
Advantages: Acute Hearing +2 [4], Luck (Defensive -20%) [12], Extended Lifespan 1 [1], Fearlessness +1 [2], Silence 1 [5]

Changelog:

Dwarves: Added "Can intuitively know the depth underground", and "Resistant To Knockback 2" perks, replaced Magic Resistance with Resistant (Magic).
Elves: Added "Trance instead of sleep" perk
Halflings: Added Silence 1, reduced ST to ST -2 (they are really short, after all...)

Any further comments? Otherwise I'd put them up at the wiki...

[Laughing Man]

Originally Posted by Jürgen Hubert

Changelog:

Dwarves: Added "Can intuitively know the depth underground", and "Resistant To Knockback 2" perks, replaced Magic Resistance with Resistant (Magic).
Elves: Added "Trance instead of sleep" perk
Halflings: Added Silence 1, reduced ST to ST -2 (they are really short, after all...)

Any further comments? Otherwise I'd put them up at the wiki...

Half-Elves have Night Vision 4, which should be adjusted to 3, I guess. Then there are still a few details, like the resistance to enchantments from elves or the innate spell-like abilities from gnomes. The former is easy with Resistant, the latter maybe not so.
Question is: Do we care? I would suggest we add the resistance to enchantments for elves, since it's probably a really cheap advantage and leave out the innate spell-like abilities of the gnomes :)

edit: Oh and I am at work, which is why I don't make the changes myself right now :)

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Jürgen Hubert

Any further comments? Otherwise I'd put them up at the wiki...

Add a comment about how you're doing extended lifespan, since elves don't have 5 levels of extended lifespan, they have 5x human lifespan, but on the other hand 5 levels of extended lifespan would cost 10 points, so the point cost looks fine.

I'd give Dwarves the Giant Weapons perk, they pretty consistently use human-sized weapons. They're also extremely heavy for SM -1 (average dwarf is 4'2" but 165 lb...).
I'd consider giving Elves skinny. The average elf is 5'0" and 110 lb.
Gnomes and Halflings are pretty close to SM -2, and should almost certainly be a different SM from dwarves -- average gnome male is 3'5", 45 lb, average halfling male is 3'1", 35 lb.
Halflings don't have luck in the SRD, though they do have +1 to all saves.

I'd consider giving gnomes racial magery 0 and some racial innate spells.

[Laughing Man]

Originally Posted by Anthony

Add a comment about how you're doing extended lifespan, since elves don't have 5 levels of extended lifespan, they have 5x human lifespan, but on the other hand 5 levels of extended lifespan would cost 10 points, so the point cost looks fine.

Five levels of extended lifespan here cost only 5 cp, because I used PK's house rule for flavor traits when I edited those templates. It is under "House Rules" on www.mygurps.com, I think. Other than that it works just like in the Basic Set.

Originally Posted by Anthony

I'd consider giving gnomes racial magery 0 and some racial innate spells.

Yes, that would be very fitting, since they originate from the world of the feys. At least in Pathfinder :)
If you have the time, feel free to add those innate spells :)

[Laughing Man]

On a different note, do you, Jürgen Hubert, want a unified magic system for both, arcane and divine spellcasting? Or do you prefer a different approach for each?

I, personally, would prefer different approaches. I always wanted to try out Divine Favor ;)

[Jürgen Hubert]

Originally Posted by Laughing Man

On a different note, do you, Jürgen Hubert, want a unified magic system for both, arcane and divine spellcasting? Or do you prefer a different approach for each?

I, personally, would prefer different approaches.

I think something based on the Dungeon Fantasy clerics would work well for this conversion as well.

Standard arcane and divine spellcasting has always been fairly intercompatible in D&D, and I'd like to keep it this way. Of course, nothing stops others from writing up their own variants...

[Kuroshima]

Originally Posted by Jürgen Hubert

I think something based on the Dungeon Fantasy clerics would work well for this conversion as well.

Standard arcane and divine spellcasting has always been fairly intercompatible in D&D, and I'd like to keep it this way. Of course, nothing stops others from writing up their own variants...

Some of us already have :-)

Now while I love your work, I must ask, why not use Dungeon Fantasy as a baseline, and build on it? I believe that you are reinventing the wheel for many things. DF15 already provides for lower level adventurers (I see the 125 point templates as roughly equivalent to first level adventurers while the 62 point ones are equivalent to 0 level ones or first level npc classes).

[Faolyn]

Originally Posted by Jürgen Hubert

I think something based on the Dungeon Fantasy clerics would work well for this conversion as well.

Standard arcane and divine spellcasting has always been fairly intercompatible in D&D, and I'd like to keep it this way. Of course, nothing stops others from writing up their own variants...

I created a level-based magic system for DF a while back. I haven't had too much opportunity to use it because my DF game is fairly sporadic, but the guy who's playing the wizard seems to like it.

I also did a thing on D&Dish sorcery for GURPS as well. If you like, I can put these both on the wiki.(Actually, anyone who wants to look at these and give my their opinion/criticism before I do so, please--I'll gladly take any input.)