Arcana Evolved question

Does Arcana Evolved have rules for using AE spells, races, and classes in a normal D&D game? How about the other way? Rules for using standard PHB spells, classes, races, etc. in AE?

Not rules per se, but guidelines. I think they're the same as the ones from the Player's Guide for Arcana Unearthed. The guidelines are more about using D&D stuff in AE than the other way around.

Ya, it is more about importing in then exporting out. But having used the books side by side (PHB and AU) it really is not that hard.

The rule of thumb is basically "The AE class uses Arcana Evolved and the PH class uses the Player's Handbook." If you want to go a little bit beyond that, lots of people have mixed the non-magic using classes just fine. Most DMs decided to use one XP chart, and either give everyone a bonus feat so that everyone's getting the same amount to start, or reduce the AE PC's bonus starting feats by one, but then have them use the PH chart for XP.

I think that the AU classes are a little underpowered compared to their PHB relatives. I keep for the moment the PHB rogue with 1/2 feats to start, and AU's classes with 2/3. This is enough to keep the balance (so like one of the variations varianor indicates : classes follow the basic rule tenets of the book they are coming from, in terms of feats, but all follow the AU's XP chart).

The same can be done for other classes, like say ranger, fighter, bard (supposing bards and rangers use MCAU spells). Other classes like clerics, druids, wizards, sorcerers are perhaps too dependant on the magic system of the PHB. Does anyone out there use BOTH magic systems in the same setting ?

I've used both magic systems.

The magister tends to have more veristility and ability than even the sorcerer but both worked well.

Most fighters tend to be more powerful than warmains due to their accessing feats like improved weapon focus and improved weapon specialization, both of which seem to come far latter in the game in AE.

I use for the moment the AE classes, plus the Bard of the Complete book of eldritch might (fitting the rules of AE perfectly, with the additional feats), plus the PHB rogue (with one feat less, see previous post).

For the fighter, I see perfectly what you mean, Joe. I wouldn't use it in a AE environment, personally. Warmains and Unfettered are quite enough.

The Ranger has little to no appeal to me when compared to the Totem Warrior. The Paladin is by essence unplayable, and replaced well by some types of Champions. I don't see why I would use arcane and divine magic in a AE environment, so I let the Cleric and Wizard aside. The Greenbond is way better than the druid to represent the mystic animist, to me at least. The Monk is redundant compared to the Oathsworn.

I'd be willing to use the sorcerer of CBoEM in addition to the bard I already use. Would be nice I think. The dragons' return in AE provides an opening for using it in the Diamond Throne. The Barbarian of the PHB could also be used I think.

These are just my opinions, of course.

They fit together well, using the general guideline Varianor described.

It's even simple to use both magic systems. The only tricky thing IME is deciding what to do about truenames, since they're an important concept in AE magic, but don't exist in D&D. There are three basic approaches. 1) D&D characters have truenames and know them, and AE magic works normally. 2) D&D characters are all unbound. This choice seriously weakens many AE spells. or 3) Ignore the concept of truenames. This makes the AE characters slightly more powerful than they would be in pure AE, but not more powerful than D&D spellcasters. The spells that require truenames in AE have similar effects to their non-truename D&D equivalents, and many are less powerful; the truenames were just added to give the setting a different feel.

Thanks for the replies. However, I thought that Monte Cook had a document somewhere detailing AU conversions for 3.5 SRD spells, complete with write-ups for heightened and diminished effects for all the PHB/SRD spells. Is that document part of AE, or is it a downloadable PDF somewhere?

Or am I just hallucinating the whole thing?

A number of 3x style spells from his own products have conversion notes, but SRD stuff has only been fan-converted. There was a thread in this forum some months back about that.

Converting spells is pretty easy. Deciding which spells should be converted is the trickier part.