Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 blake_marlowe Dec 29, 2014 8:52:25	i have along running 4e game that i wish to convert to 5. this is a homebrew setting, low magic and low in fantasy elements. the players are all onboard for the conversion, whew.   we're converting due to ongoing frustrations related to time spent in the encounters. our encounters typically take 3 hrs to complete.   converting NPCs and critters is less problematic to me than the daunting prospect of converting the PCs. they're 16th level in 4, so bringing them in at 11 in 5 seems sensible. but what to do re: gear? they all have christmas tree syndrome!   also, are there any other considerations or known issues of which i should be aware?
#2 DM_HEEGZ Dec 29, 2014 9:23:45	that will probably be the hardest part. you should probably sit down with your players and a 5ed PHB and go over how they want to handle the transition.
#3 blake_marlowe Dec 29, 2014 13:33:05	i definitely agree it should be collaborative. it's a hard thing to accept reduced stats but that's gonna be necessary. ditto the gear. am hopeful that a consensus driven decision will ease the sting.
#4 Nivek_Loneshadow Dec 29, 2014 15:14:33	with gear 4e Christmas Tree syndrome is more like the bulbs keep going out.  I really hated how magic items were done in 4e.  Far fewer items in 5e will still make them feel they are getting more out of their gear here.   What classes are they?  Yes Level 11 seems like a good idea with an important milestone in 5e and it will help in getting that extra attack or special like the Rangers Evasion.
#5 BRJN Dec 29, 2014 15:30:42	You may want to retire the current PCs and start with new characters.  Maybe the newbie heroes are inspired by the tales of their forefathers...
#6 blake_marlowe Dec 29, 2014 17:23:10	@nivek: they're a versalord, laser cleric and cunning bard. they have 2 NPCs traveling with the party, a great weapon fighter and a rogue.   @BRJN: not an option.
#7 Koga305 Dec 29, 2014 18:06:34	Just decide what the most memorable bits of the characters are and keep those. Laser cleric should work fine as a Light Cleric and the Bard ought to be okay as a College of Wit bard. Warlords are a little harder to convert, but with a Battlemaster Fighter and the right maneuvers you should be able to keep some of the essentials (have a look at the Inspiring Leader feat as well!). The character may morph into a more frontline fighter, less party buffer type character though. Great Weapon fighter and rogue should be really simple - go Champion for an easy-to-run NPC on the Fighter.   As for magic items, I'd suggest figuring out which items are the most beloved by your players and converting those over, maybe aiming for 2-3 permanant items per character. Remember, +1 weapons and armor are the standard in 5E, with +2 being equivalent to a very powerful weapon while +3 is reserved for legendary/amazing artifacts like a Holy Avenger. Some weapons may not even need a bonus if their effect is powerful and consistent enough (have a look at the Flame Tongue in the DMG for an example). Also remember to consider attunement for any items not from the DMG.
#8 blake_marlowe Dec 30, 2014 11:43:06	all good points, koga. thanks!
#9 sleypy Dec 31, 2014 9:29:08	The warlord is likely to be the one that is going to be most unhappy.  The character concept roleplay wise can be captured in battle master, but if the mechanically are important he might rather go with a bard from the college of valor. If being a magic-user isn't an option he is kind of out of luck.   Since magic items are not assumed in the math you could techincally just use the 4e magic items with a few tweaks. I would probably let them pick a weapon, armor, wonderous item and one additional item of their choices. Let one of them pick one to be +2 and have the rest be +1.   Off-Topic: Some people have selective memory. 4e is neither the first nor the most notable edition to suffer from christmas tree affect.