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Friday, October 30, 2020

Cross System Conversions

     I like mixing and matching between multiple systems, genres and milieus, as my various random encounter tables will show.  One of the things I have somewhere is a sheet of paper detailing my cross system AC conversions.  But I can't find it so I'm going to rebuild it with a little help.

     My basic approach for conversions has been to use armor description as the starting point, if you know what chainmail is in AD&D and Runequest, then you can figure out the rest of the armor classes from there.  And since monsters are rated on the same scale as humans (at least for all the systems I can think of); the process is to look at the table I just derived and assign the appropriate AC.

    THAC0, %to hit, attack roll - whatever you want to call is more subjective for me.  Usually, I'll look for a comparable monster in the system I'm converting to and peg the attack roll to the comparable.   Take for example, the 'Great Kommata', a gigantic Martian flying beast from Space 1889: it has two attacks Talons and Drop (rocks).  Comparable is a Roc from AD&D, two 3-18 attacks at 18HD.  Add in a rock attack like a stone giant throwing, but can only hit one character.  Presto, all I need to run a combat encounter with one.

     Converting to Chivalry & Sorcery is a bit different, as I all have to do is select the appropriately sized attack form, say 'MLB' or Monster Large Bite and it gives me the attack rolls against every armor class.  

     Magic is either a spell for spell translation to the target system or I need to define the effect in the target system.  For example, "Crumble Wall" in Warhammer FRP is  similar effects to "Transmute Rock to Mud", the stone dissolves into sand instead of collapsing into mud.  The description is different, but the effect and therefore the level is really the same. 

    This shouldn't be a surprise to the grognards, system conversion has been around since at least the AD&D DMG, right there starting on page 113 where they give conversions for Boot Hill and Gamma World to AD&D (The text mentions both Metamorphosis Alpha and Gamma World, even though Jame Ward wrote both, they use different armor scales).

   What I didn't realize until I was looking the the C&S Saurians book, which I was sure I'd reviewed last year, but haven't, is this little gem.


     Look at that conversion from D&D and Runequest to C&S.  Of course, the Runequest conversion is handwaving the difference between bronze and iron armor in RQ (iron is 1.5x as strong); so I'd take it with a grain of salt.  Still it's a good reason to rebuild my AC conversion table that I've misplaced.

 

Description   From AD&D  C&S ACKS WFRP MA GWRQ
Banded Plate ACKS, C&S, AD&D 4 4 5 1 4 4 5
Brigantine / Brigandine C&S, RQ7 3 3 1 5 7 5
Chain Mail ACKS, AD&D 5 5 4 1 4 6 5
Chain Mail Hauberk C&S 4 7 5 1 4 5 5
Chain Mail Shirt C&S, WFRP, RQ 5 5 4 1 4 6 5
Chain Mail Shirt & Plate Cuirass C&S 2 9 6 1 3 6 5
Cuirbolli RQ 8 2 2 0/1 7 8 3
Cured Hide MA, GW 7 3 3 0/1 5 6 3
Duralloy Shield MA +4 +4 +4 +1 1 +4 16
Energized Armor GW -4 15 14 3 -6 2 14
Full Carapace MA, GW 5 5 4 1 3 4 5
Full Plate C&S 1 10 7 1 2 4 6
Furs or SkinsGW 8 1 1 0/1 7 8 2
Hardened Leather Cuirass C&S 8 1 2 0/1 7 8 2
Heavy Furs or Skins MA 8 1 1 0/1 7 8 2
Heavy Scale Armor RQ 6 4 3 1 5 7 5
Heavy Shield C&S +1 +2 +1 +1 6 +1 12
Hide & Fur ArmorACKS8 1 1 0/1 7 8 2
Inertial Armor GW -4 15 14 3 -6 2 14
Lamellar Armor ACKS 4 4 5 1 4 4 5
Leather Armor ACKS, AD&D 8 1 2 0/1 7 8 2
Leather Jack/ Jerkin WFRP 8 1 2 0/1 7 8 2
Light Scale Armor RQ 6 4 3 1 5 7 4
Light Shield C&S +1 +1 +1 +1 6 +1 8
Linen Armor RQ 8 1 2 0/1 7 8 2
Mail Coat & Hose C&S, WFRP 4 7 5 1 4 5 5
None AD&D 10 0 0 0 8 10 0
Padded Armor AD&D 8 1 2 0/1 7 8 2
Partial Carapace MA, GW 7 3 3 1 6 6 5
Piece Metal Armor GW 5 5 4 1 3 4 6
Plant Fiber Armor MA, GW 7 3 3 0/1 5 6 4
Plastic Armor GW 0 11 9 3 -2 3 10
Plate Armor ACKS, AD&D, RQ 2 9 6 1 2 3 6
Plate Cuirass C&S, WFRP 3 6 5 1 4 5 6
Power Scout Armor GW -4 15 14 3 -6 2 14
Powered Alloy Armor GW -4 15 14 3 -6 2 14
Powered Assault Armor GW -8 19 18 4 -10 1 18
Powered Attack Armor GW -8 19 18 4 -10 1 18
Powered Battle Armor GW -4 15 14 3 -6 2 14
Powered Plate Armor GW 0 11 9 3 -2 3 10
Ring Mail ACKS, AD&D 7 3 3 1 5 7 4
Scale Mail ACKS, C&S, AD&D 64 3 1 5 7 4
Shield ACKS, AD&D, WFRP, GW +1 +1 +1 +1 6 +1 12
Shield of Non-metallic Substance MA +1 +1 +1 +1 6 +1 8
Soft Leather C&S, RQ9 1 1 0/1 7 9 1
Splint Armor C&S, AD&D 4 3 3 1 5 4 4
Studded Leather AD&D 7 3 3 1 6 7 5
Superior Chain Mail C&S 4 8 5 1 4 5 5
Thin Metal Armor MA 5 5 4 1 3 5 4
None AD&D 10 0 0 0 8 0 8
None AD&D 10 0 0 0 8 0 8
None AD&D 10 0 0 0 8 0 8
None AD&D 10 0 0 0 8 0 8
None AD&D 10 0 0 0 8 0 8
None AD&D 10 0 0 0 8 0 8
ACKS - Adventurer, Conqueror, King:  Ascending armor class
AD&D - Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Descending Armor Class 
C&S - Chivalry & Sorcery: Ascending Armor Class
GW - Gamma World: Descending Armor Class
MA - Metamorphosis Alpha: Descending Armor Class, starts at 8
RQ - Runequest: Armor absorbs damage rather than setting the target to hit.  Also the armor can vary by body part, i.e. you can wear a plate cuirass and have only soft leather on you legs.  Note, I hand waved the difference the system makes between bronze and iron armor.
WFRP - Warhammer Fantasy Role Playing: Armor absorbs damage rather than setting the target to hit.  Also, the armor only protects certain body parts. Leather is rated 0/1, as it only absorbs damage from blows where the damage is <=3.  If the damage is 4 or greater, all of the damage affects the character.

Converting RQ and WFRP armor to other systems, I'll use the highest value provided. 
 

3 comments:

  1. Bronze in RQ is the bones of gods, and not our bronze.
    All of the metals in Glorantha are weird.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Glorantha is weird. That is to say it is a beautiful portrait of the mind from which it sprang.

    ReplyDelete