Converting Geneforge, Avernum, etc. to D&D D20 Rules
| Author | Topic: Converting Geneforge, Avernum, etc. to D&D D20 Rules |
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Apprentice
Member # 6526
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written Saturday, December 17 2005 14:25
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This is something that just occured to me. Has anyone converted any of SS's games or such for D&D use? I for one would be interested in seeing how the Shaper converted. I still play D&D when I have the opportunity, though it has been a while, and having Jeff's creations to use as PC classes and NPCs would be an interesting addition. Posts: 9 | Registered: Tuesday, December 6 2005 08:00 |
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BANNED
Member # 4
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written Saturday, December 17 2005 14:27
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You'd probably just make up an imaginary pool of "essence" based on level and "shaping" abilities, and then use essence points to make creations as seperate characters. (You might want to make "archetypal" creations if your players really want to have 6-7 lizards following them around at all times.) -------------------- * Posts: 6936 | Registered: Tuesday, September 18 2001 07:00 |
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Apprentice
Member # 6526
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written Saturday, December 17 2005 14:34
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That would make sense to have an essence pool (similar to "mana points" in some RPG systems). Also, The possibility to make Prestige Classes (To the D&D illiterate, Prestige Classes are additional classes that add to your Characters abilities, providing new specializations and such) can be too tempting for any creative soul to pass up. Also, when you think about the different races in Avernum, it would be interesting to see what a person could invent (A Slith Battlerager, for example). Posts: 9 | Registered: Tuesday, December 6 2005 08:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Saturday, December 17 2005 14:44
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Ziabatsu's half-finished d20 conversion. There was another attempt elsewhere, but it's gone now. —Alorael, who doesn't see how Avernum needs much in the way of conversion. The setting is different, and vahnatai need to be detailed (if you can't find cat people and lizard people, you failed Google 101), but mostly its generic fantasy in a setting that needs description, not mechanics. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
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Apprentice
Member # 6526
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written Saturday, December 17 2005 14:51
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Thank you! This is exactly the type of info I'm looking for. I'm thinking of trying to convert the Shaper Class myself. I'm wondering if I should make it a Base Class or a Prestige Class connected to arcane spellcasting. Posts: 9 | Registered: Tuesday, December 6 2005 08:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 2984
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written Saturday, December 17 2005 15:46
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quote:I seem to remember that there were special circumstances surrounding the other site being taken offline. Was it discussed here, perhaps? And there is a quite detailed entry on the Vahnatai, largely written by who is probably the top source on them where fan canon is considered, ie Drakefyre. I'll leave it as an exercise to the reader to find that entry. :P -------------------- Encyclopaedia Ermariana • Forum Archives • Forum Statistics • RSS [Topic / Forum] My Blog • Polaris • I eat novels for breakfast. Polaris is dead, long live Polaris. Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair. Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00 |
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Infiltrator
Member # 5991
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written Saturday, December 17 2005 16:33
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a spidweb game transformed into a dnd game would rock seeing as how im a spidweb and dnd fan -------------------- George Bush is a Nazi - Eric Cartmen I'm not as think you stoned I am Visit the RIFQ Forums Posts: 462 | Registered: Tuesday, June 21 2005 07:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Saturday, December 17 2005 18:04
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If you're referring to the semi-Spiderweb game with odd alterations that was taken offline after its creator realized that it was an object of interest to the world at large, yes. But I wasn't thinking of that. There was a project on a forum for a while that was trying to do more or less the same thing as Ziabatsu. It didn't get too far, stuck around without any changes for years, and disappeared sometime. The group behind the effort was the Psychosomatic Response Team, I think. —Alorael, who was able to Google up a few more aborted efforts, but none of them got anywhere. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
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...b10010b...
Member # 869
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written Saturday, December 17 2005 18:07
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quote:Yup. The designer of the other set of rules showed up and started explaining himself. Apparently the site was intended as a reference for a gaming group, and he wasn't even aware it was available outside his university's intranet. -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00 |
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Shake Before Using
Member # 75
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written Saturday, December 17 2005 19:48
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Yeaaaaaah. As far as I can tell, most of Exile and Avernum's stuff would be just a few new races, monsters, and magic items. Geneforge would have its three Shaper classes, and a few new races, a whole bunch of new monsters, and some new base and magic items. EDIT: I'd go with making the Shapers base classes, too. [ Saturday, December 17, 2005 19:49: Message edited by: Imban ] Posts: 3234 | Registered: Thursday, October 4 2001 07:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Saturday, December 17 2005 20:21
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If you're not trying to preserve the Spiderweb ability to do everything to some extent, which isn't really what d20 is good at anyway, you get three easy classes. The Guardian is a fighter of some sort (not necessarily the class of that name), the Agent is your pick of spellcasters, and the Shaper probably does need to be built from scratch. If you want to reflect the three tiers of ability a little better, the Shaper is still whatever you make, the Guardian is some fighter approximation with minimal Shaper abilities tacked on, and the Agent is a mix of fighter and spellcaster, a hybrid that has been designed to death by just about everyone. —Alorael, who can see how this would be problematic if you're trying to to use these three classes and only these three. That's always a problem when trying to adapt something most emphatically not designed for pencil and paper. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
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Apprentice
Member # 6526
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written Monday, December 19 2005 09:08
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Well, I guess I just like the thought of creating new stuff for the D&D game (as it was my first exposure to Roleplaying of any stripe, I started when 2nd Ed. was in full swing), and doing such a project would be an homage to Jeff and Spiderweb Software. Oh, as a P.S. in my conversion I would have to work a level/point system for Geneforge in order to stay true to the game. [ Monday, December 19, 2005 09:10: Message edited by: The Baird ] Posts: 9 | Registered: Tuesday, December 6 2005 08:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 2984
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written Monday, December 19 2005 12:13
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quote:That suggests the site could be still in existence, but is now soundly behind bars within said intranet. -------------------- Encyclopaedia Ermariana • Forum Archives • Forum Statistics • RSS [Topic / Forum] My Blog • Polaris • I eat novels for breakfast. Polaris is dead, long live Polaris. Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair. Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00 |