Khaiel
2015-12-19, 08:03 AM
Anima BF to Pathfinder adaptation
First things first, what the hell is Anima Beyond Fantasy (ABF from now on)? Well, it is an Spanish renaissance fantasy RPG with some steampunk thrown in it. It has references to anime, video games, tv series, films, books and many other sources and yet its setting (the world of Gaļa, because Gaia was too mainstream) has an unique feeling to it.
The good thing about the game is that its system is incredibly versatile. However that comes with a lot of complexity. And while it is certainly not as bad as people say, you really have to read everything carefully and do a step by step character before making a character. Combining this and the fact that the game is not really well known, it is quite hard to find players to run it in a PbP format.
So I asked myself, why not try to do a little conversion to d20?
It wasn't long before I thought of Pathfinder. While I haven't played Pathfinder as much as 3.5e, I think Pathfinder would be the best choice. The main problem would be some classes would need working on them, and some prestige classes would have to be made from scratch, and that is why I ask for help in this community.
I haven't yet started on the crunchy things, but I have been wrting down some ideas that need to be considered (and around which I'm trying to do things in my spare time).
In ABF there is no separation between divine and arcane magic. Or to be more accurate, there's only arcane, and magic is not Vancian, instead spells cost "Zeon", of which you have a pool that regens a bit each day. Another thing is that anyone can potentially use magic, but it is incredibly rare. This might be problematic, but after thinking about it for a while, the Midnight setting has something like this. There is Spell Energy, a feat that lets you get some spells independent of your class and a Channeler class that replaces all spellcasting classes and gets different benefits depending on its "Magic Tradition."
The way its spell list works is also very much alike how ABF spellcasters get their own spells (at certain levels, a Channeler can get access to a new school of spells thanks to a feat). Maybe I would have to reduce its BAB to make it consistent with ABF (Channelers get 3/4 BAB, while Wizards, the pure spellcasters of ABF are basicly defenceless without magic, so maybe reduce its BAB to 1/2 and give it something else in return?)
Summoners also get their own class in ABF, and they are half spellcasters in that game, so maybe in return for their reduced BAB a new Magic Tradition could be created that gets some of the PF Summoner class features. Or maybe they can be made into a prestige class for Channelers that loses some spellcasting but gets the summoning.
Another point are Magic Items. While Magic Items are less common in ABF than in D&D or Pathfinder, they are still way more common than in Midnight (that, and the fact there are non magic equivalents to +1, +2 and +3 weapons). And while WBL is non existant in ABF, I understand that Pathfinder needs it. So I thought of maybe reducing WBL and using a sort of Heroic Path from Midnight. Heroic Paths grant some benefits that would usually be granted by Magic items, giving you a new one every level. So maybe giving a benefit every two levels up to the benefits that Midnight characters would get at level 10 wouldn't be a bad idea to counter less common magic items.
And while there is no divine magic in the setting, there are gods and godlike entities that give benefits to people who sync with them. Keeping sync is quite difficult, but the benefits are many, so maybe giving those who keep this sync a second Heroic Path would not be extremely broken. These benefits would be lost if sync is broken, and keeping that sync should be hard and sometimes put the character into dangerous situations.
For reference, Heroic Paths usually give you +1 to one stat at level 1, 5, 10, 15 and 20, and some SLAs or feats on all other levels, like Charm Monster 1/day at level 3 and giving you an additional use at level 8, stuff like that.
First thing first, no spellcasting classes, the Channeler would be the only spell casting class with the exception of Prestige Classes. Second, while Prestige Classes are not a thing in ABF, some of the benefits characters can acquire would fit best as Prestige Classes rather than as Feats. Third, there are Psychic Powers, and although ABF's system for them is much better than D&D's, it will have to do.
For Base Classes I though:
Channeler (Midnight, might need some tweaking)
Psion (D&D, will need some tweaking I believe)
Psychic Warrior (D&D, will need some tweaking I believe)
Alchemist (PF. Maybe? I'm not sure. The fluff fits, but the crunch... Not so much).
Cavalier (PF. It fits, so why not?)
Barbarian (PF)
Fighter (PF)
Monk (PF)
Wildlander (Midnight, fits much better than Ranger)
Rogue (PF)
Gunslinger (PF)
Samurai (PF, fits with ABF's Paladin and Dark Paladin classes)
Ninja (PF, fits with ABF's Shadow Class)
Swashbuckler (PF)
Brawler (PF)
Investigator (PF)
For Prestige Classes:
Druid (Midnight)
Haunted One (Midnight)
Smuggler (Midnight)
Warrior Arcanist (Midnight)
Arcane Archer (PF)
Arcane Trickster (PF)
Dragon Disciple (PF)
Duelist (PF)
Loremaster (PF)
Pathfinder Chronicler (PF)
Shadowdancer (PF)
(Witch and Summoner would make nice PrCs if tweaked a bit)
Adapting some of the Psionic PrCs would be nice.
Some setting specific PrCs would be needed.
PrCs that grant +1 level of spellcasting class would instead count as Channeler levels for the purpose of max level of known spells, bonus spells and bonus spell energy. In those levels where they get the +1 to their spellcasting class they would get one extra known spell of any school and level they can cast and +1 to their maximum spell energy.
So for now the thing is: Would you make changes to the Channeler and Wildlander to bring them more in lane to PF classes? What about the Psion and Psychic Warrior? What do you think about making the Witch and Summoner Prestige classes? How would you do them?
Right now I'm working on races, but those I mostly have under control (and will post them as soon as they are finished).
First things first, what the hell is Anima Beyond Fantasy (ABF from now on)? Well, it is an Spanish renaissance fantasy RPG with some steampunk thrown in it. It has references to anime, video games, tv series, films, books and many other sources and yet its setting (the world of Gaļa, because Gaia was too mainstream) has an unique feeling to it.
The good thing about the game is that its system is incredibly versatile. However that comes with a lot of complexity. And while it is certainly not as bad as people say, you really have to read everything carefully and do a step by step character before making a character. Combining this and the fact that the game is not really well known, it is quite hard to find players to run it in a PbP format.
So I asked myself, why not try to do a little conversion to d20?
It wasn't long before I thought of Pathfinder. While I haven't played Pathfinder as much as 3.5e, I think Pathfinder would be the best choice. The main problem would be some classes would need working on them, and some prestige classes would have to be made from scratch, and that is why I ask for help in this community.
I haven't yet started on the crunchy things, but I have been wrting down some ideas that need to be considered (and around which I'm trying to do things in my spare time).
In ABF there is no separation between divine and arcane magic. Or to be more accurate, there's only arcane, and magic is not Vancian, instead spells cost "Zeon", of which you have a pool that regens a bit each day. Another thing is that anyone can potentially use magic, but it is incredibly rare. This might be problematic, but after thinking about it for a while, the Midnight setting has something like this. There is Spell Energy, a feat that lets you get some spells independent of your class and a Channeler class that replaces all spellcasting classes and gets different benefits depending on its "Magic Tradition."
The way its spell list works is also very much alike how ABF spellcasters get their own spells (at certain levels, a Channeler can get access to a new school of spells thanks to a feat). Maybe I would have to reduce its BAB to make it consistent with ABF (Channelers get 3/4 BAB, while Wizards, the pure spellcasters of ABF are basicly defenceless without magic, so maybe reduce its BAB to 1/2 and give it something else in return?)
Summoners also get their own class in ABF, and they are half spellcasters in that game, so maybe in return for their reduced BAB a new Magic Tradition could be created that gets some of the PF Summoner class features. Or maybe they can be made into a prestige class for Channelers that loses some spellcasting but gets the summoning.
Another point are Magic Items. While Magic Items are less common in ABF than in D&D or Pathfinder, they are still way more common than in Midnight (that, and the fact there are non magic equivalents to +1, +2 and +3 weapons). And while WBL is non existant in ABF, I understand that Pathfinder needs it. So I thought of maybe reducing WBL and using a sort of Heroic Path from Midnight. Heroic Paths grant some benefits that would usually be granted by Magic items, giving you a new one every level. So maybe giving a benefit every two levels up to the benefits that Midnight characters would get at level 10 wouldn't be a bad idea to counter less common magic items.
And while there is no divine magic in the setting, there are gods and godlike entities that give benefits to people who sync with them. Keeping sync is quite difficult, but the benefits are many, so maybe giving those who keep this sync a second Heroic Path would not be extremely broken. These benefits would be lost if sync is broken, and keeping that sync should be hard and sometimes put the character into dangerous situations.
For reference, Heroic Paths usually give you +1 to one stat at level 1, 5, 10, 15 and 20, and some SLAs or feats on all other levels, like Charm Monster 1/day at level 3 and giving you an additional use at level 8, stuff like that.
First thing first, no spellcasting classes, the Channeler would be the only spell casting class with the exception of Prestige Classes. Second, while Prestige Classes are not a thing in ABF, some of the benefits characters can acquire would fit best as Prestige Classes rather than as Feats. Third, there are Psychic Powers, and although ABF's system for them is much better than D&D's, it will have to do.
For Base Classes I though:
Channeler (Midnight, might need some tweaking)
Psion (D&D, will need some tweaking I believe)
Psychic Warrior (D&D, will need some tweaking I believe)
Alchemist (PF. Maybe? I'm not sure. The fluff fits, but the crunch... Not so much).
Cavalier (PF. It fits, so why not?)
Barbarian (PF)
Fighter (PF)
Monk (PF)
Wildlander (Midnight, fits much better than Ranger)
Rogue (PF)
Gunslinger (PF)
Samurai (PF, fits with ABF's Paladin and Dark Paladin classes)
Ninja (PF, fits with ABF's Shadow Class)
Swashbuckler (PF)
Brawler (PF)
Investigator (PF)
For Prestige Classes:
Druid (Midnight)
Haunted One (Midnight)
Smuggler (Midnight)
Warrior Arcanist (Midnight)
Arcane Archer (PF)
Arcane Trickster (PF)
Dragon Disciple (PF)
Duelist (PF)
Loremaster (PF)
Pathfinder Chronicler (PF)
Shadowdancer (PF)
(Witch and Summoner would make nice PrCs if tweaked a bit)
Adapting some of the Psionic PrCs would be nice.
Some setting specific PrCs would be needed.
PrCs that grant +1 level of spellcasting class would instead count as Channeler levels for the purpose of max level of known spells, bonus spells and bonus spell energy. In those levels where they get the +1 to their spellcasting class they would get one extra known spell of any school and level they can cast and +1 to their maximum spell energy.
So for now the thing is: Would you make changes to the Channeler and Wildlander to bring them more in lane to PF classes? What about the Psion and Psychic Warrior? What do you think about making the Witch and Summoner Prestige classes? How would you do them?
Right now I'm working on races, but those I mostly have under control (and will post them as soon as they are finished).