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Guinea Anubis
2008-06-19, 07:52 AM
So for a weekend project I was thinking about converting Tomb of Horrors over to 4e. Since I own the original module I was going to update that rather then the 3.5e one put out by WotC in 05.

I was hoping that someone here could give me tips on converting, since this will be my first try at it. After I get done I will post it here to see what everyone thinks.

Drammel
2008-06-19, 02:13 PM
I'm actually running a quick and dirty conversion of Tomb of Horrors today, but from 3.5 to 4th as I wanted a smaller conversion gap.

I'd say the best thing about Tomb of Horrors is that it is actually pretty easy to convert. It is a thinking man's dungeon which means that an awful lot of the traps and pitfalls are relevant or need very minor tweaking. Your best friends will be Perception and Thievery DC's, with a few other skills thrown in for flavor. Just remember you can award experience from bypassing or otherwise diabling traps. Not all of the traps have equivalents in the DMG, but there are enough that are similar that you can wing it pretty well. In some cases (ex. Misty Doors) it might be better to go will the skill challenge outlines, rather than treating them as traps.

Monsters were hard for me because there were more than a few that reqiured looking up the customization rules. Let's face it, it's a new system and my mind is still getting boggled by little things like how two-weapon fighting works. Trying to recreate the exact feel of the monster isn't as hard as adjusting it's difficulty. It just takes a little patience to get used to the rules on monster roles, elites, solo, and so forth.

That's my take on converting and that was on an overnight job and probably more than a few oddly difficult monsters. I'm sure you'll be able to produce something much more impressive. The biggest obstacle isn't the original material it's getting used to 4th edition.

Tough_Tonka
2008-06-19, 11:06 PM
I remember playing the 3.5 Tomb of Horrors and finding it was easily beaten by the my wizards overland flight and our druids monkey summoning. I imagine in 4ed players might actually have to use their wits instead of magicing their way through it.:smallsmile:

Starbuck_II
2008-06-20, 12:56 PM
Monsters were hard for me because there were more than a few that reqiured looking up the customization rules. Let's face it, it's a new system and my mind is still getting boggled by little things like how two-weapon fighting works. Trying to recreate the exact feel of the monster isn't as hard as adjusting it's difficulty. It just takes a little patience to get used to the rules on monster roles, elites, solo, and so forth.


Well for monsters, first make a list of type of monster put out.
Than think about what they do (abilities), how they do it (describing/naming abilities), and how they are used (role).

A. Now, are they meant to be fought by themselves? same level Solo or higher level elite works.
B. Are they meant to be fought by with help from other monsters?
Same level Elite or multiple standard or lots o' minions.
C. Do they Swarm: Standard or minions or even a standard swarm creature.

Like Dragons in 3.5:
they were usually either fought alone or with help; they were Same level elites or Higher level elites or Same level Solos.

The Necroswanso
2008-06-20, 01:12 PM
Traps are easy.
If the DC is above 10, simply subract 10, and use the remainder as the traps attack against their defense.
If it's above twenty, subtract twenty, and add half again for the attack. Such as a DC27 trap, turns into a +10 against the target's defense.
This may not always work as an easy fix however.