[Pimping]Dark Sun conversion

This is just a post where I'm pimping my attempt at converting Dark Sun to 3e. The thing itself is happening over at the Conversion forum, but I figured I'd post an announcement here in case someone is interested but doesn't read that forum regularly.
So far I have two threads there: Dark Sun conversion manifesto and Dark Sun races.

Feel free to comment!

I know about athas.org. That's part of the reason I'm doing this. I think they got a lot of things wrong, mainly in that:
1. They consider the novels more important than the game books, and
2. They consider maintaining 3e sensibilities to be more important than maintaining a Dark Sun feel (which shows itself the most in the way divine spellcasters are treated - clerics get 3e-style domains rather than different spell lists).

But I won't reiterate the manifesto here.

Funny,

I am working up a conversion also. I use the Athas.org stuff as a starting point (and I'm considering submitting mine to their project when I'm done).

But, you might not like mine:

1) I've never read the books, but I'm using my collection of DS game materials

2) I definitely emphasize 3E feel. I started with races and trying to balance the races (even Athas.org's) with the core rules is ridiculous. So I have decided to use a system like Monte Cook's racial levels (I need to ask Monte if it is okay to use the concept of racial levels, I suspect it is okay due to release of the core classes with racial levels by some of his acquaintances).

The statistics emphasized in DS are powerful and the abilities of certain races are way better than some feats. I just believe that game balance is as important as flavor. It is very hard to reconcile the two elements (and to know what to cut and what to keep). But I've done my best and I'm almost done with the racial levels.

My conversions emphasis is: Dark Sun feel balanced with 3E rules. Since there are many people who know the 3E rules, I want them to be comfortable. Then I want them to pick up the Dark Sun feel. I'll probably have to do a classes section, since I think those are out of line with the core rules as well.

-E

Erratic K said:

My conversions emphasis is: Dark Sun feel balanced with 3E rules. Since there are many people who know the 3E rules, I want them to be comfortable.

Click to expand...

That's OK. I think that's the reason the athas.org conversion looks the way it does too. To be totally honest, I think that might be the way to go for an official conversion (though even so, the domains approach to clerics is totally wrong )

However, I'm making my conversion mostly for home use, and sharing it on the off chance someone else might like it. Thus, I don't need to worry overmuch about Dark Sun newbies.