Converting 2nd/3.5 stuff to 5th

[Dark_Ansem]

I was wondering, do we already have criteria for converting Spells, Items, NPCs from AD&D / 3.5 to 5th?

[Kyutaru]

It's just homebrew stuff. Stick to the guidelines of the edition, which keeps all the numbers "normal". Buff-stacking doesn't work because of concentration requirements or lack of literal stacking rules. Stats are capped at 20. If you start converting spells and equipment, you're really going to have to tone down most of it to fit in line with the 5e idea that bigger numbers aren't what we want to see so much as more options to do things in combat, and even that's been toned down for casters with their severely limited spell slots.

You can pretty much take 2nd stuff almost exactly the way it is. For 3.5e you'll need to swing the nerf bat a few zillion times before it becomes acceptable.

[Dark_Ansem]

really? but NPCs won't surely work.. or the attribute cap has been reintroduced?

if not.. it's time for some Planescape Torment \Baldur's Gate conversions :P

[Kyutaru]

really? but NPCs won't surely work.. or the attribute cap has been reintroduced?

if not.. it's time for some Planescape Torment \Baldur's Gate conversions :P

Players now have an attribute cap of 20 while monsters can go up to 30.

The main thing that won't work with NPCs will be the THAC0. You'll need to give them an attack bonus similar to a monster of their equivalent level. Level 1 characters have a +1 bonus while level 20s only have as +6 bonus, so it's very tame compared to previous editions.

Also the saving throws don't exist anymore so you would just have to pick two or three ability scores that the monsters will have "advantage" on.

[BRKNdevil]

somewhere in the DMDnDBasic pdf says that monsters get their prof. bonus to all saves. the Prof. bonus depending on the CR of the creature. Page 4 me thinks.

[Dark_Ansem]

simpler edition, but still very weird.

then again, imagining the ability score progression is not exactly the most difficult thing in the world...

30-31 +10
32-33 +11
34-35 +12
36-37 +13
38-39 +14
40-41 +15
42-43 +16
44-45 +17
46-47 +18
48-49 +19
50-51 +20
52-53 +21
54-55 +22
56-57 +23
58-59 +24
60-61 +25

and so on...

no mention of prestige classes either in the news, right?

I wonder how the Sarrukh would be converted in this edition... I am VERY curious :P although, probably not possible, since they get MASSIVE attribute bonuses.

[rlc]

Buff-stacking doesn't work because of concentration requirements or lack of literal stacking rules.

well, no. it's not a lack of rules, it's that rules specifically say that buffs don't stack.

[Dark_Ansem]

Let's Start with something simple...

RAVEL'S FINGERNAIL
(Unique, Artifact)
Damage: 2-7 Piercing
Enchanted: +2
Special: 2-12 Poison Damage
THAC0: +2
Speed: 1
Weight: 1
Proficiency: Edged
Not usable by Priests

it's a dagger in the data files, so unless I am mistaken that gives it a base 1d4 of damage... but having a special formula like that gives it a 1d6+1, right?
I've yet to see enhancement bonus or equivalents of THAC0, so nothing on that.

Poison: 2d6, seems pretty obvious
THAC0: +2 = Attack bonus +2, maybe?


5E!

Ravel's Fingernail (Unique, Artifact)
Damage: d6 + 1
Special: 2d6 poison
Attack Bonus: +2

how to continue?

[Kyutaru]

Speed is irrelevant in the new editions because weapons swing on the same initiative values now.

Weight remains the same and applies to encumbrance.

Proficiency is by weapon type, and this one would count as Dagger - Simple so just about everyone can use it proficiently.

Not usable by Priests is replaced with "Causes horrible pain when held by a Cleric".

[SaintRidley]

somewhere in the DMDnDBasic pdf says that monsters get their prof. bonus to all saves. the Prof. bonus depending on the CR of the creature. Page 4 me thinks.

Not quite. Monsters who are proficient in saves will have that noted in their entries with their bonus to a specific save being noted. If the monster is not proficient, it's just their ability modifier and the save is not specifically noted in their entry.

[Dark_Ansem]

or, to keep more in line with the rules, the dagger could be 1d4 + 2?
or artifacts can have their unique formulas?

how am I going to implement that Enchanted: +2?

[Kyutaru]

or, to keep more in line with the rules, the dagger could be 1d4 + 2?
or artifacts can have their unique formulas?

how am I going to implement that Enchanted: +2?

Ravel's Fingernail is only a dagger because of proficiencies and usage. It's actually a more lethal knife than a normal dagger, and if I remember Torment correctly, it was bigger too. So think of it more like a shortsword that can be used "like a dagger". The standard formula 1d6+1 is fine.

The enchanted +2 is the attack bonus. More on magic items will be available when the Dungeon Masters Guide is released, so right now we can only make our own monsters and NPCs.

[Dark_Ansem]

it will never be out soon enough :D thanks!

[T.G. Oskar]

One of the playtests had items that allowed you to break the cap of 20 on ability scores, but only by replacing those scores with the given one (and all of them are odd numbers, starting at 19). The Belt/Girdle of Giant Strength had one for each of the giants, each scaling up to the Giant with the highest Challenge, which granted Strength 27 IIRC. Thus, most ability score-boosting items would work on the same regard; rather than add to your score, they replace your score, and may allow it to exceed. There is already precedent of a class that allows you to exceed the ability score cap as its capstone; the Barbarian lets you have 24 Strength and 24 Constitution, in addition to granting you a +4 bonus to each score.

Most 2e items rarely exceed (from what I know) the +3 enhancement mark, so it shouldn't be difficult to trespass them. Other such items might not have the same properties; the only weapon to be (extra)officially updated is the Dagger of Venom, and its effect deals a pretty high amount of poison damage to the target.

Monster-wise, it all depends on the Challenge (Rating) of the creature. The monster's Challenge (Rating) determines its proficiency bonus, with all creatures under Challenge (Rating) 5 having a +2 bonus, and then gaining a +1 increase to their proficiency bonus every 4 levels afterwards (up to Challenge 30, topping at +9). HD is easier: it's based on size and not on monster type; size is no larger than Gargantuan (and those get d20s for Hit Dice). As for ability scores and Challenge Rating, that has to be played by ear (so to speak): most ability scores start scaling back well before 25, nearly all monsters lack proficiencies in skills or saving throws unless they're extremely important to the creature (you'll notice less than half of all monsters have proficiency in skills, most of those being Perception and/or Stealth, and probably less than a tenth have proficiency in saving throws). The best rule of thumb is to find a similar monster and tweak it a bit; if the additions make it too powerful, raise its Chalenge by 1 or 2; if the changes make it weaker, drop the Challenge similarly. Very rarely the monster will gain or lose proficiency bonus because of it.

The best bet is to wait until the DMG is released, since it has rules to create new monsters, spells and magic items. That should work well to translate previous items to the new format.

[Dark_Ansem]

again, it can never arrive soon enough :)
any chance they'll issue official conversion guidelines? look at those pesky undead that, until now, had no constitution score and instead now (more reasonably) have one...

[Dark_Ansem]

Dungeon Master's Guide IS out!
It does provide guidelines more or less for everything, except the actual creation of entirely new monsters, templates and classes, however... or I am mistaken?

Still enough for the creation of Artifacts, and for adding class levels to monsters (Ravel, for example?). No epic level progression tho. And re-reading the MM, I realized that lich is no more a template...

[pwykersotz]

Dungeon Master's Guide IS out!
It does provide guidelines more or less for everything, except the actual creation of entirely new monsters, templates and classes, however... or I am mistaken?

Still enough for the creation of Artifacts, and for adding class levels to monsters (Ravel, for example?). No epic level progression tho. And re-reading the MM, I realized that lich is no more a template...

Creation of brand new monsters is definitely a thing. Look around the page 270 area. I'm AFB, so I don't have the exact page numbers.

[Dark_Ansem]

Oh right, but it's based off editing an existing one... but many thanks :D

[Jeraa]

Speed is irrelevant in the new editions because weapons swing on the same initiative values now.

Weapon speed is now a variant rule in the 5e Dungeon Masters Guide.

[Dark_Ansem]

Weapon speed is not a variant rule in the 5e Dungeon Masters Guide.

aye, but it's variant :P