D&D 4E Converting 4E to Al-Qadim

If I were trying to convert 4E stuff to Al-Qadim (for flavor), and I were trying to convert some weapons to Arabic flair, how would I convert Great Sword, Bastard Sword, Long Sword and Short Sword?

Great Scimitar, Khopesh, Scimitar and Katar?

I'm probably not the best person to answer, but as I'm working on an Al-Qadim-related class right now I'll try to answer.

In terms of common use? What you have there might be a good guideline, however very large knives and machete-like blades are common enough in the setting that I'd leave in short swords and daggers, and you should be able keep the katar as a superior melee weapon. Its popularity in some regions could be attributed to a lot of those people taking the proficiency feat for it. "Popular" doesn't necessarily mean easy to use. The existence of the Katar or Bundi Blade in some regions didn't preclude the existence of equivalent-sized blades with a traditional grip.

Also, a falchion is probably close to a Great Scimitar in effect if you want to simulate it: a two-handed high crit weapon.

The cutlass might also be a good substitute for European swords, as well. It is listed as a new weapon in the 2nd edition Arabian Adventures sourcebook. They seem to have it as comparable to a short sword in damage in 2e.

I'm sure a lot of additional weapons that might be suitable for Al-Qadim will be in the Adventurer's Vault coming out in September.

Do you have any more general questions or comments, cause I'm pretty interested in this project.


Did you catch the Al-Quadim shout out in the DMG?

huh

there was a reference to FR - Al-Qadim?

I saw the Sigil one, so we know it still exists in 4E...

Sanjay

Well, I busted out my old Arabian Adventures book and looked up the weapons, and they did list a great 2-handed scimitar, it would just take converting to 4E (maybe making equivalent to great sword).

I haven't made it through the DMG yet, but I'll keep a look out for the shout out to Zakahara.

BTW, we're calling our land Zahala (not to be almost stealing the name or anything), and it's going to be a desert land, where our Eladrin city is located.

Now that I have found my copy of Arabian Adventures, I believe I'm going to sit down and try to convert all of the kits to classes.

For fighters we have:
Askar - all warriors would be appropriate
Corsair - fighters/paladins
desert rider - all warriors would be appropriate
Faris - all warriors would be appropriate (especially paladin since it's a church based kit)
Mamluk - all warriors would be appropriate
Merc. Barbarian - all warriors would be appropriate

For Wizards
Elemental Mage
Sha'ir - being worked on already, may just "borrow" that one
Sorcerer
Ajami

For Rogues
Sa'luk
Barber
Beggar-thief
holy slayer
matrud
Merchant-rogue
Rawun - a bard type class

Clerics
Pragmatist
Ethoist
Moralist
Hakima
Kahin
Mystic

Anyone willing to lend a hand would be much appreciated.

Honestly, I leafed through the 2nd edition reference last night, and I think you could do almost all of these kits as build options / recommendations. Much as you say above with the martial classes, "all warriors would be appropriate."

Skill selections, multiclass feats, and skill training feats allow almost all of them. With the help of a few additional feats.

I'd recommend some new Channel Divinity feats for the three degrees of faithfulness to doctrine - ethoist, moralist, and pragmatist - that reflect their level of authority within their religion that are taken instead of coming up with new Channel Divinity feats for each god or faith. It works especially well because clerics are "made" in 4e by religious ritual, rather than having the ongoing support of a god for their activities. It makes sense that if the church is imbuing their representatives with power, they'd give them something that reflects their philosophy and degree of authority or appeal to the masses.

One simple way to do this might be with skill boosts through Channel Divinity: moralists might have a Channel Divinity feat that gives them a once per encounter bonus to their next History or Intimidate check (being the most traditional, inflexible, and 'hellfire and brimstone' type clerics), a pragmatist might have a similar bonus to their next Insight or Streetwise (being the "clerics of the common folk), and an ethoist might have it to Heal or Religion (being the clerics that tend to the needs of the church and its patrons.)

Sample partial write-up of the feats to accompany cleric build options:

Channel Divinity: Cleric of the People (Pragmatist)
You travel among the common people to spread the word of your faith, and are rewarded by having the ability to understand the lifestyle and needs of the people better. You can increase the benefits of this sympathetic understanding of the common people with your divine powers.
Daily * Free Action
Benefit: Once per day, you can activate Channel Divinity to gain a +5 divine bonus to your next Insight or Streetwise skill check.

Channel Divinity: The Weight of Doctrine (Moralist)
You are a member of the most militant wing of your church's faith, and have no problem crushing the will or the reputations of those who commit heresy and blasphemy with the weight of historical fact or strong-arm tactics. You can add your divine powers to the strength of your unwavering faith in the literal interpretation of your church's doctrine.
Daily * Free Action
Benefit: Once per day, you can activate Channel Divinity to gain a +5 bonus to your next History or Intimidate skill check.

Channel Divinity: Keeper of the Faith (Ethoist)
You are one of the priests that maintains the infrastructure of your religion, seeing to it that sermons are given, the flock is reasonably well cared for, and the day-to-day business of the church is preserved. Your can call on your divine powers to help in your duties.
Daily * Free Action
Benefit: Once per day, you can activate Channel Divinity to gain a +5 bonus to your next Healing or Religion skill check.

Note: add language to make them mutually exclusive... if you take one, you can't have the other two.

Then just provide description; skill, ability and power recommendations along with one of these feats as recommended, and you've got your Pragmatists, Ethoists, and Moralists.

Feats and Builds is how I would make it work as well.

Of course the other question to ask is how you fit specific 4E classes into the setting, should you want to.

The Warlord looks like a good fit. Personally, I'd slot the Mameluke as a build underneath the Warlord. Maybe the Barbarian Mercenary as well. Anything professional and relatively heavily armored.

The Warlock is more interesting. I think most of the Pacts could work. Though I don't know about the Fey Pact. But it's not really going to get any good kits from the old set. It's just going to be its own thing.

I suppose you could develop an elemental court. Let the Warlocks be the specialized Elementalists where wizards are the more generic sorcerors.

It would fit with the semi-religious theme of the elementalists in the original setting.

Dr. Strangemonkey said:

Of course the other question to ask is how you fit specific 4E classes into the setting, should you want to.

The Warlord looks like a good fit. Personally, I'd slot the Mameluke as a build underneath the Warlord. Maybe the Barbarian Mercenary as well. Anything professional and relatively heavily armored.

The Warlock is more interesting. I think most of the Pacts could work. Though I don't know about the Fey Pact. But it's not really going to get any good kits from the old set. It's just going to be its own thing.

I suppose you could develop an elemental court. Let the Warlocks be the specialized Elementalists where wizards are the more generic sorcerors.

It would fit with the semi-religious theme of the elementalists in the original setting.

Click to expand...

Only problem w/ making wizards the sorcerers is that sorcerers get 2 elements instead of 1. I would be more in favor of making the warlock into the sha'ir build (as discussed below).

Yeah, feats and builds does seem the easiest way to do it to me as well. I may take the B09S and try to convert some of those powers to 4E as well (Desert Wind would fit in well w/ Al-Qadim).

Askar build could include: fighter or ranger
Corsair build could include: fighter, paladin, warlord
Desert Rider build could include: fighter, ranger, warlord
Farisan build: paladin only (says they are holy warriors)
Mamluks: fighter or warlord
Mercenary barbarian: fighter or warlord

Elemental mage build: powers/feats specific to each element - wizard or warlock
Sha'ir build: being done by someone else, I'll just "borrow" it, if that's ok! Actually a warlock would actually work well here. Make a "gen" pact or something along those lines, instead of demons/devils/fey, they are descended from djinnis, efreets, etc.
Sorcerer: would get powers/feats for 2 elements - wizard or warlock

I honestly think that the wizard class wold be better for elemental mage and sorcerer though.

Sa'luk, Barber, Beggar-thief, matrud and merchant-rogue would all be good for rogues.

A holy slayer I could see open for a rogue and/or a paladin (if played correctly).

Rawuns could be rogue or warlord (it is actually a bard kit, and would be best fit into a bard class, which there is one available on the boards).

All the cleric kits would be available to clerics (duh).

I think the hardest part will be deciding what new powers (if any) to create for a given build and what feats to assign/create/steal.

Perhaps each could be created as a paragon path as well (or instead)?