Official ICE Forums
Systems & Settings => Rolemaster => RMC/RM2 => Topic started by: mfvdd on April 12, 2011, 09:04:27 PM
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(How to convert Monsters, Characters/NPCs & Items...From D&D to RM?)
I've read a lot of forum posts regarding conversion between systems and there does NOT seem to be any definitive conversion method.
Some D&D monsters have counterparts in RM (ex. goblins, hobgoblins - are in most fantasy rpgs), but others like bugbears (I know what they are in D&D) or
vargouille, there are no direct equivalents in RM.
So I'm back to my original question - How to convert Monsters, Characters/NPCs & Items...From D&D to RM?
I've played both D&D and RM, love RM system - do NOT like D&D system. The one major thing RM lacks , are adventures written for it. So I've been trying to
convert D&D modules to RM. (D&D's strengths are a lot of adventures and monsters) (RM's strength is an awesome, realistic system)
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We play a Greyhawk RMFRP game as do others on this board. You'll likely find a FR game as well.
Since these games have different mechanics from D&D, you might not convert 1:1 and be totally happy.
But you can get to a happy medium.
My old as dirt D&D stuff doesn't go beyond 2.0 and most is 1st ed.
That's as far as I want it to go, so I can't convert from anything higher.
Converting items can be a bit tricky.
My experience is that D&D items are generally more powerful than average RM items.
Most spells cast from items won't be above 10th lvl. It takes an incredibly powerful caster (to work these awesome 20th lvl spells, every day for the entirety of creation. RM casters should be a few levels higher than the spell they are casting just to be confident.
Casting doesn't blow off your head in D&D if you fumble. In fact, there is little to no chance of casting failure as long as your Int is adequate.
Everyone has a system, but IMHO, a 3rd lvl character in RM is a 1st lvl character in D&D. In our games, we start play at 3rd lvl.
Greedy Mage Syndrome:
Magic items with cool abilities must be Attuned. This skill is much easier to learn if you're a Mage. Under RM normal rules, those who Attune to items get experience. But only the Mage can really afford to buy Ranks in Attunement...
Also, most of the Items found by PC's were of Essence. Now there is little to no chance for the Thief who happened to pick Channeling as his realm to Attune to treasure.
This forced me to go through and ask, who made item "x", why and what was their realm of power? This helps flesh out the campaign but does take more work. There are a ton of 2-bit magic items in most D&D modules. Go through and make a history and Realm for each one. It's going to matter when your players start casting spells to discern use. Maybe the Mage can only cast Detect Essence and the Mystic can only Detect Power... They might never find out the powers of a Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch.
Treasure:
Assume a silver standard. Make everything the module states in "gold pieces" to be in silver... and then maybe cut them in half. Greedy players whine but bored rich characters are spoiled.
Creatures:
The vargouille (Penanggalan?) sure looks like a disembodied head from Creatures & Monsters. Bite, nausea, etc.
Is there something specific that you want to convert?
My game may be totally different from yours, but I'll help if I can.
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I'm using a short adventure "A Dark and Stormy Night". There is a 'bugbear zombie', I have played AD&D I know what a Bugbear is, but there's NO equivalent in RM. I wish there was a standardized & definitive conversion method to convert any of the 'monsters' from D&D to RM. I want to able to 'monstermanual' and convert those moonsters to RM.
I do like your take on the 'Greedy Mage Syndrome' in regards to items being attuned that would be some interesting game play.
Treasures in D&D are very generous, it feels 'Monty Hall' to me. I agree that there would be a reduction per 'silver standard'.
Creatures: I overlooked the 'disembodied head' in CM, I'll use it as a template for the vargouille.
providence13; How would you convert a bugbear? Maybe I'll get some inspiration. EX: http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Bugbear_Zombie (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Bugbear_Zombie)
Thanks for your time
Attached is a stat conversion pdf I found. Do you think this is accurate? Need feedback.
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Vulfen is pretty close, though perhaps they're better Gnoll analogues.
Actually, they're medium sized creatures, with no bite or claw attack, so the bugbear zombie is fairly easy to convert.
It's a zombie, with a slight variation in appearance. . .I'd use either the Zombie or the Class II created undead, perhaps fiddle around with the level slightly (using the rules in CT or CM for adjusting monster level).
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Bugbears ala 1979 are large (7+' tall) hairy goblins. Really strong with thrown spears and able to "surprise" 50% of the time.
IMHO, the Scrug orc should do fine. Give it +10 on MM bonus and make it MD/MF instead of SL/MF because they are described as moving very quickly and with great stealth. Giving them a few Ranks in Stalk and Hide wouldn't hurt.
60' Infravision easily converts to Nightvision, but they don't suffer penalties during the day.
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Attachment:
I posted an attachment to my forum post, but I don't see it. I want to get your takes on the conversion data...
I seem to remember seeing, in one of the RMC books there were guidelines to convert from D20 system to RM.., if anyone knows in which book that info is , please post.
Below is the url to the attachment
http://www.the-gaming-resource.com/documents/Conversion-Guidelines-for-Rpgs.pdf (http://www.the-gaming-resource.com/documents/Conversion-Guidelines-for-Rpgs.pdf)
I checked out the 'bugbear' in the different editions of D&D - AD&D that the creature appears in. Between 1st ed & 2nd ed, little difference; the biggest difference occurs between 2nd ed & 3rd ed (major - creatures are more powerful) & 3rd ed & 4th ed only slight difference.
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My apologies as I missed the attachment, and all attachments must be approved first.
In this case, I am somewhat hesitant to approve the attachment for inclusion on the ICE forums due to the amount of rules specific content that is included for other systems. Your URL link should suffice to provide access for forum members so I will be denying the file attachment.
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http://www.ironcrown.com/ICEforums/index.php?topic=3082.0
This chart works well for me. Still, it might need a bit of tweaking to fit into your game world.
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Come to think of it, I never really liked the idea of magic items that work simply because they're magic. HARP's list of exceptions for the need for attunement makes sense.
Also, the advice in here will help me convert NPCs and monsters to the RM-similar system HARP.
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For me, the hard conversions are the more complicated creatures like beholders.
Start with an eye entity, chop off the wings and skin like a rhino.
Add a Med to Large Bite..
But then do you assign spell powers or entire Lists?
It was probably created with the Amalgam Lists, but
I'm thinking of making it Mentalism.
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I think 1:1 mapping of the spells would be truer to the original, but whole lists would be more rolemastery.
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Beholder eyes are more like built-in wands than spell-casting. I'd keep the individual powers. Or rather, I did, as the Beholder was one of the very few AD&D monsters I thought worth converting to RM.
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It has been MANY years since I've posted and not sure if this thread is even still alive... but I am converting my entire party from 3rd Ed. D&D to RMC... is the 'chart' that's refered to below available some place???
Please and thank you!
http://www.ironcrown.com/ICEforums/index.php?topic=3082.0
This chart works well for me. Still, it might need a bit of tweaking to fit into your game world.
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Yes
https://www.scribd.com/document/13674164/Conversion-Guidelines-for-Rpgs
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Yes
https://www.scribd.com/document/13674164/Conversion-Guidelines-for-Rpgs
Thanks for posting that. I do love to raid the monster manual.
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Tim Dugger once wrote a guide. I have this link (https://www.scribd.com/document/82474435/Dugger-D20-to-Role-Master-Conversion) but someone here may have the document (I don't think Tim is still reading the forums...) and may want to upload it here or in the Vault.
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Depending on which version of D&D you are wanting to convert from, there is a conversion note in the Creatures & Treasures #1400 ( greenish cover with a medusa ). On page 92 there are notes for converting AD&D to RM, as well as conversion rules from Runequest as well.
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thank you all very much!
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Depending on which version of D&D you are wanting to convert from, there is a conversion note in the Creatures & Treasures #1400 ( greenish cover with a medusa ). On page 92 there are notes for converting AD&D to RM, as well as conversion rules from Runequest as well.
I don't think anyone is using AD&D 1st edition any longer! :p
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Depending on which version of D&D you are wanting to convert from, there is a conversion note in the Creatures & Treasures #1400 ( greenish cover with a medusa ). On page 92 there are notes for converting AD&D to RM, as well as conversion rules from Runequest as well.
I don't think anyone is using AD&D 1st edition any longer! :p
I prefer 2nd AD&D myself, none of the other editions have kept my attention long enough. My group is currently taking a break from ICE games at the moment for a change of pace, so I am currently giving 5th edition a try. It is a bit simple for my taste.
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My group still plays AD&D 1st ed. 8)
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We are also playing 5e (alternating with RM), and i have to say I am not a big fan of 5e. It is as the earlier poster said, too simple for me. There is very little depth to the system, while at the same time much of the complexity that it does have is needless.
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We're playing 5e, too. I like it, but agree that it's far too basic at times and complex at others.
Characters don't have nearly enough options available in some ways. A typical character has fewer than five skillsmand they rarely go up by an appreciable amount. Learning something new is especially difficult. Magic users uses are either stuck knowing very few spells or forced to only use a few different ones per day.
This rigidity forces other complexities. There are way too many playable races leading to wacky parties. Our current party is goblins, some sort of weird goblinlike creature, two robots, a dwarf, a variant human, and a vanilla human. Every single one of us is a different character class ranging from fighter to artificer.