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T O P I C    R E V I E W
Diffan Posted - 03 Jul 2017 : 16:16:34
So I'm creating this thread in an effort to help people take current characters and 'port' them over to another edition of Dungeons and Dragons. Sometimes this is a confusing task, sometimes things don't seem to "fit" right, and other times it's just a lengthy process that requires a strong knowledge of a particular system or how to recreate that feel with a new system.

There's a long standing tradition in D&D that you hold onto your character for sessions, campaign to campaigns up through the years to even decades! And yet hear comes another edition of the game that messes it all up. You want to play that character again but the group wants to change over and you'd rather not start all over again with a new PC (assuming the DM is cool with 'porting' old ones).

So here's where I chime in. For starters, I can help convert characters ranging from AD&D 2e up through 5e. There will be differences, especially in terms of numbers like attack bonus, hit points, etc. but the general premise will remain. Approximation is the key word here. I'll provide some examples below to show you what I mean. Also if you want to convert them yourself and just need some advise on deciding what class fits the character thematically, or what sort of options are better for fulfilling a particular niche I'll help any way I can.

For starters, there's a little handy PDF that Wizards of the Coast provided found HERE for an overview of how to convert an old character to 5e and what the expectations should be when converting it there. But I'm doing one better, I'll convert to multiple editions (though I'm not good at converting TO 2e, just from it).

Couple points of Concern:
Epic Levels. For starters, 3e is ridiculous when it comes to converting up or down and 5e doesn't have anything remotely like it. If you want to convert your Human Wizard 27/archmage 5/fatespinner 4 from 3.5 to 5th....you're going to be disappointed with the results. Same with going from 4e to 5e, Epic Destinies are just beyond the scope of what 5e is trying to accomplish "rules-wise".

Prestige Classes. Well 5e doesn't have much here (they un-officially have just 1 in Unearthed Arcana) so it'll have to be either taken in the form of a sub-path of a class, Background, or maybe even just relegated to flavor overall.

Homebrewed Items. You could make just about anything you wanted in terms of magic items with 3rd Edition. A +3 flaming distance adamantine javelin with a lesser crystal of return is TOTALLY a thing. Not in 4e and certainly not in 5e. Again, key word is approximate!!

So as promised here's an example of a character taken from multiple editions and "converted" to another.

3.5 Edition

CONNOR; CR 1
hp
11 (1 HD)
=============================================================================
Male Damaran human fighter 1
LN Medium humanoid
Init +2; Senses Listen +1, Spot +1
Languages Common, Damaran
=============================================================================
AC 19, touch 12, flat-footed 17
(+4 armor, +2 Dex, +3 shield)
Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +1
=============================================================================
Speed 20 ft. (4 squares) in scale mail; base 30 ft.
Melee shortspear +3 (1d6+2/x2) or
Melee heavy spiked steel shield +3 (1d6+1/x2) or
Melee shortspear +1 (1d6+2/x2) and heavy spiked steel shield +1 (1d6+1/x2) with Agile Shield Fighter
Ranged shortspear +3 (1d6+3/x2)
Base Atk +1; Grp +3
=============================================================================
Abilities Str 15, Dex 14, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8
Feats Agile Shield Fighter*, Improved Shield Bash, Shield Specialization (heavy shields)
*: Bonus fighter feat
Skills Climb +0, Intimidate +3, Jump -2, Swim -8
Possessions scale mail, shortspear, heavy spiked steel shield, adventuring gear.

4th Edition

CONNOR; Level 1 Fighter
Medium natural humanoid, human (Damaran)
=============================================================================
HP 29; Bloodied 14; Initiative +2
Surge Value 7; Surges per day 11
AC 19, Fortitude 17, Reflex 15, Will 12; Passive Perception +11
Speed 5 (25-ft.)
=============================================================================
Standard Actions
=============================================================================
(M) Spear (weapon) * At-Will
Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +8 vs. AC
Hit: 1d6 + 4 damage, and Connor marks the target until the end if his next turn.

(R) Javelin (weapon) * At-Will
Attack: Ranged 10/20 (one creature); +8 vs. AC
Hit: 1d6 + 4 damage.

(m) Shield Feint (weapon) * At-Will
Requirement: must be wielding a shield
Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +8 vs. AC
Hit: 1d6 + 4 damage, and Connor gains a +3 power bonus to the next attack roll made against the target before the end of his next turn. Connor also marks the target.

(m) Tide of Iron (weapon) * At-Will
Requirement: must be wielding a shield
Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +8 vs. AC
Hit: 1d6 + 4 damage, and Connor pushes a target 1 square if it is no larger than one size category larger than him. He can then shift 1 square into the space the target left. Connor also marks the target.

(m) Shield Bash * Encounter
Requirement: must be wielding a shield
Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +6 vs. Reflex
Hit: 1d10 + 4 damage, and Connor pushes the target 1 square and knocks is prone. When charging, Connor can use this power in place of a melee basic attack. Connor also marks the target.

(m) Villain's Menace * Daily
Attack Melee 1 (one creature); +8 vs. AC
Hit: 2d6 + 4 damage, and Connor gains a +2 power bonus to attack rolls and a +4 power bonus to damage rolls against the target until the end of the encounter. Connor also marks the target.
Miss: Connor gain a +1 power bonus to attack rolls and a +2 power bonus to damage rolls until the end of the encounter.
=============================================================================
Triggered Actions
=============================================================================
(m) Combat Challenge
Trigger: An enemy marked by Connor shifts or makes an attack that doesn't include him as a target.
Attack: (Immediate Interrupt): Melee 1 (triggering enemy); +10 vs. AC
Hit: 1d6 + 4 damage and the target and the target's speed is reduced to 0.
=============================================================================
Skills Athletics +9, Endurance +5, Heal +5, Intimidate +4
Str 18 (+4); Dex 14 (+2); Wis 13 (+1)
Con 14 (+2); Int 10 (+0); Cha 8 (-1)
Alignment Unaligned; Languages Common, Damaran, Giant
Equipment scale mail, spear, heavy shield, javelins (3), adventuring gear, 5 gp.

5th Edition

CONNOR
Medium humanoid (human [Damaran]), lawful neutral

Armor Class 18 (scale mail, shield)
Hit Points 12 (1d10 + 2)
Speed 30 ft.

Str 16 (+3); Dex 15 (+2); Con 14 (+2); Int 11 (+0); Wis 13 (+1); Cha 9 (-1)

Saving Throws Str +6, Con +4
Skills Athletics +6, Intimidate +1, Perception +3, Survival +3
Senses passive Perception 13
Languages Common, Damaran, Giant

Second Wind. As a bonus action, Connor can regain hit points equal to 1d10 + 1. He must complete a short or long rest to use this feature again.

ACTIONS

Spear. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 1d6 + 3 piercing damage or (1d8 + 3) piercing damage if use with two hands to make a melee attack.

REACTIONS

Protection.
When a creature Connor can see attacks a target other than himself that is within 5 feet, Connor can use his reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. He must be wielding a shield.

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