Conversion [Archive] - Wizards Community - Pages Merged by Solauren

Conversion [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
DarkSyde1369
05-10-07, 05:02 PM Hey, all! I'm just here to try and find out one thing:

How do I convert characters/creatures from 3rd edition (v3.0 or v3.5) over to 2nd edition (ones that don't already exist)?
RobbyPants
05-10-07, 05:10 PM Do you mean like races and classes that didn't exist? My 2E is pretty rusty, so I can't give you any specifics now, but try using the old 3E conversion manual, and work backwards.

For things like THAC0, look at the BAB:

BAB 1/1 - Use a 20, 19, 18, 17, 16... progression for THAC0
BAB 3/4 - Use a 20, 20, 19, 19, 18... progression or a 20, 20, 20, 18, 18, 18, 16... for THAC0
BAB 1/2 - Use a 20, 20, 20, 19, 19, 19, 18... progression for THAC0

For something like a monk's bonus to AC, reference the Wis score against the Dex chart for the new AC bonus.

Feats will be fun (as they no longer exist).

Socerers will probably be a lot like wizards, with more spells per day. They probably don't need a big change. You'll have to get rid of zero-level spells.
Malruhn
05-10-07, 06:30 PM DarkSyde, if I might offer a friendly word of advice...

I played 2nd Edition for 22 years - until I finally was tricked into trying 3.5 - I never even TOUCHED 3.0.

All of the house rules I used in 2nd Ed are gone - I threw away THREE 1.5" 3-ring binders with sheet protectors full of "how to do this" and "new rules for that"... because they are all taken care of by 3.5.

Come over to 3.5. All of the base ideas you have devloped will path over - it is jsut some game mechanics that have changed... and changed for the better.
DarkSyde1369
05-11-07, 01:53 PM DarkSyde, if I might offer a friendly word of advice...

I played 2nd Edition for 22 years - until I finally was tricked into trying 3.5 - I never even TOUCHED 3.0.

All of the house rules I used in 2nd Ed are gone - I threw away THREE 1.5" 3-ring binders with sheet protectors full of "how to do this" and "new rules for that"... because they are all taken care of by 3.5.

Come over to 3.5. All of the base ideas you have devloped will path over - it is jsut some game mechanics that have changed... and changed for the better.

Sorry, I CAN'T STAND 3.5. I'm 2nd ed to the end. I'm currently trying to collect as many 2nd ed books as I can. I just need to find a way to convert some things like creatures and other races (such as the lillend and irda, etc.) over to 2nd. Unfortunately, I don't have the 2nd to 3rd conversion charts, so I can't "reverse engineer" them.
Tempest Stormwind
05-11-07, 02:00 PM They don't work in reverse, either. You see, 3.5 is modular and logical, while 2e is not.

The only way to throw the new edition into the older is to make **** up as you go. You play 2e, you're used to this.
Optimized_Commoner
05-11-07, 03:12 PM irda

IIRC the Irda existed in 2nd ed. Possibly in the dragonlance campaign setting, but don't hold me to that. My memory of 2nd is getting very shaky these days.
Cantuse
05-11-07, 03:17 PM They don't work in reverse, either. You see, 3.5 is modular and logical, while 2e is not.

The only way to throw the new edition into the older is to make **** up as you go. You play 2e, you're used to this.

QFT
tankschmidt
05-11-07, 04:00 PM It shouldn't be too hard because in 2nd ed., we have a lot fewer restrictions to deal with (i.e. the make stuff up comments above). Characters who aren't multiclassed are easy to convert, and you're probably best off to build them up again from the bottom. Stange classes like barbarian, swashbuckler, or ninja can be handled with kits. If the character has a particular skill maxed out in ranks, let them grap the appropriate NWP. I'm not saying you can do it in ten minutes, but each PC should take under an hour, depending on their level.

For multiclassed characters, let's play fast and loose here -- convert the concept of the character. Remember you still have the option to multiclass and dual class in 2nd edition. If neither of those options fits, look to some kits. If you don't like the kits, take a look at the optional section towards the beginning of the DMG. You can build your own class from scratch to fit the concept. Remember: since you don't have to constrain each class to the same experience advancement table, you have a lot more options open.

What about monstrous characters? The Complete book of Humanoids has got you covered. If you don't have one anymore, I'm sure you can find it for cheap online.

Let me end with a little advice, if your players are used to 3.x, you might want to consider waiving the ability score restrictions for classes and races and eliminating the racial level limits.

You might also find this forum useful: http://boards1.wizards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=54

You're not alone in being dissatisfied with 3.x! Good luck and let us know how it goes.
tankschmidt
05-11-07, 04:06 PM I forgot to mention converting monsters in my above post. I'd start out by comparing the monster you want to convert to an existing one in 2nd edition. Since monsters don't have to follow the same rules characters do, tack on any abilities you want. You might need to lower some to hit bonuses (or raise some THAC0's!) and lower (or raise!) the armor classes to correspond with the smaller numbers you tend to get with 2nd ed. Again, since you are no longer constrained by the CR system, you have to judge how much experience a monster is worth. If you're willing to put the effort into playtesting, more power to you, but I'd just set the exp and treasure type by comparing to similar monsters. Since you don't have so many rules to follow, you just have to "massage" it into the existing collection of monsters.
Sumodawg
05-11-07, 04:24 PM Dark, what do you want to convert? I got about 35 2nd ed books and am in the process of doing a 2/3 ed campaign. Email me and I'll be glad to help you out.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
DarkSyde1369 05-10-07, 05:02 PM	Hey, all! I'm just here to try and find out one thing: How do I convert characters/creatures from 3rd edition (v3.0 or v3.5) over to 2nd edition (ones that don't already exist)?
RobbyPants 05-10-07, 05:10 PM	Do you mean like races and classes that didn't exist? My 2E is pretty rusty, so I can't give you any specifics now, but try using the old 3E conversion manual, and work backwards. For things like THAC0, look at the BAB: BAB 1/1 - Use a 20, 19, 18, 17, 16... progression for THAC0 BAB 3/4 - Use a 20, 20, 19, 19, 18... progression or a 20, 20, 20, 18, 18, 18, 16... for THAC0 BAB 1/2 - Use a 20, 20, 20, 19, 19, 19, 18... progression for THAC0 For something like a monk's bonus to AC, reference the Wis score against the Dex chart for the new AC bonus. Feats will be fun (as they no longer exist). Socerers will probably be a lot like wizards, with more spells per day. They probably don't need a big change. You'll have to get rid of zero-level spells.
Malruhn 05-10-07, 06:30 PM	DarkSyde, if I might offer a friendly word of advice... I played 2nd Edition for 22 years - until I finally was tricked into trying 3.5 - I never even TOUCHED 3.0. All of the house rules I used in 2nd Ed are gone - I threw away THREE 1.5" 3-ring binders with sheet protectors full of "how to do this" and "new rules for that"... because they are all taken care of by 3.5. Come over to 3.5. All of the base ideas you have devloped will path over - it is jsut some game mechanics that have changed... and changed for the better.
DarkSyde1369 05-11-07, 01:53 PM	DarkSyde, if I might offer a friendly word of advice... I played 2nd Edition for 22 years - until I finally was tricked into trying 3.5 - I never even TOUCHED 3.0. All of the house rules I used in 2nd Ed are gone - I threw away THREE 1.5" 3-ring binders with sheet protectors full of "how to do this" and "new rules for that"... because they are all taken care of by 3.5. Come over to 3.5. All of the base ideas you have devloped will path over - it is jsut some game mechanics that have changed... and changed for the better. Sorry, I CAN'T STAND 3.5. I'm 2nd ed to the end. I'm currently trying to collect as many 2nd ed books as I can. I just need to find a way to convert some things like creatures and other races (such as the lillend and irda, etc.) over to 2nd. Unfortunately, I don't have the 2nd to 3rd conversion charts, so I can't "reverse engineer" them.
Tempest Stormwind 05-11-07, 02:00 PM	They don't work in reverse, either. You see, 3.5 is modular and logical, while 2e is not. The only way to throw the new edition into the older is to make **** up as you go. You play 2e, you're used to this.
Optimized_Commoner 05-11-07, 03:12 PM	irda IIRC the Irda existed in 2nd ed. Possibly in the dragonlance campaign setting, but don't hold me to that. My memory of 2nd is getting very shaky these days.
Cantuse 05-11-07, 03:17 PM	They don't work in reverse, either. You see, 3.5 is modular and logical, while 2e is not. The only way to throw the new edition into the older is to make **** up as you go. You play 2e, you're used to this. QFT
tankschmidt 05-11-07, 04:00 PM	It shouldn't be too hard because in 2nd ed., we have a lot fewer restrictions to deal with (i.e. the make stuff up comments above). Characters who aren't multiclassed are easy to convert, and you're probably best off to build them up again from the bottom. Stange classes like barbarian, swashbuckler, or ninja can be handled with kits. If the character has a particular skill maxed out in ranks, let them grap the appropriate NWP. I'm not saying you can do it in ten minutes, but each PC should take under an hour, depending on their level. For multiclassed characters, let's play fast and loose here -- convert the concept of the character. Remember you still have the option to multiclass and dual class in 2nd edition. If neither of those options fits, look to some kits. If you don't like the kits, take a look at the optional section towards the beginning of the DMG. You can build your own class from scratch to fit the concept. Remember: since you don't have to constrain each class to the same experience advancement table, you have a lot more options open. What about monstrous characters? The Complete book of Humanoids has got you covered. If you don't have one anymore, I'm sure you can find it for cheap online. Let me end with a little advice, if your players are used to 3.x, you might want to consider waiving the ability score restrictions for classes and races and eliminating the racial level limits. You might also find this forum useful: http://boards1.wizards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=54 You're not alone in being dissatisfied with 3.x! Good luck and let us know how it goes.
tankschmidt 05-11-07, 04:06 PM	I forgot to mention converting monsters in my above post. I'd start out by comparing the monster you want to convert to an existing one in 2nd edition. Since monsters don't have to follow the same rules characters do, tack on any abilities you want. You might need to lower some to hit bonuses (or raise some THAC0's!) and lower (or raise!) the armor classes to correspond with the smaller numbers you tend to get with 2nd ed. Again, since you are no longer constrained by the CR system, you have to judge how much experience a monster is worth. If you're willing to put the effort into playtesting, more power to you, but I'd just set the exp and treasure type by comparing to similar monsters. Since you don't have so many rules to follow, you just have to "massage" it into the existing collection of monsters.
Sumodawg 05-11-07, 04:24 PM	Dark, what do you want to convert? I got about 35 2nd ed books and am in the process of doing a 2/3 ed campaign. Email me and I'll be glad to help you out.