D&D 4E 4E conversions of 5E

[Mondaynightgamer]

Anyone who still plays 4E converting any of the new 5E adventures to 4E? If so, care to share thoughts and ideas?

 

[Scrivener of Doom]

I am a fan of Lost Mine of Phandelver but I am just about to finish a Neverwinter-based campaign so I cannot imagine going back there for a while. If I did, it would definitely be a part of my plans. I love that adventure.

I'm stealing bits of Princes of the Apocalypse for an upcoming campaign I will set in Underchasm (an area of the post-Spellplague Realms in the south) and I might steal bits from the Rage of Demons adventure for something I have planned in the FR Demonlands of Impiltur, Great Dale, and Narfell. (I keep meaning to post some PotA 4E conversions on my blog: maybe I will just put them here instead?)

But Tyranny of Dragons? Not interested... although it would make a really good Eberron campaign if you own Dragons of Eberron.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

I am a fan of Lost Mine of Phandelver but I am just about to finish a Neverwinter-based campaign so I cannot imagine going back there for a while. If I did, it would definitely be a part of my plans. I love that adventure.

Huh, I found Phandelver to be dull as dust. It was pretty much 100% predictable standard fare. It was a little bit non-linear, perhaps, but not that much. In any case I'd want much more interesting and dynamic encounters in a 4e game. There were some areas in Wave Echo Mines that COULD have gotten interesting, but nothing much really HAPPENED.

 

[Morrus]

Huh, I found Phandelver to be dull as dust. It was pretty much 100% predictable standard fare. It was a little bit non-linear, perhaps, but not that much. In any case I'd want much more interesting and dynamic encounters in a 4e game. There were some areas in Wave Echo Mines that COULD have gotten interesting, but nothing much really HAPPENED.

That's part of a good conversion. Not just replacing monster stats (that's easy), but redesigning encounters for different base-level system assumptions. 4E is quite tactical, while Phandelver assumes no minis, for example.

 

[Scrivener of Doom]

Huh, I found Phandelver to be dull as dust. It was pretty much 100% predictable standard fare. It was a little bit non-linear, perhaps, but not that much. In any case I'd want much more interesting and dynamic encounters in a 4e game. There were some areas in Wave Echo Mines that COULD have gotten interesting, but nothing much really HAPPENED.

I prepared a series of about 18 blog posts where I expanded on LMoP so I tend to conflate my enthusiastic expansion with the adventure's content when calculating my enthusiasm. After all, if it got me motivated to type all those blog posts, it must be pretty good.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

I prepared a series of about 18 blog posts where I expanded on LMoP so I tend to conflate my enthusiastic expansion with the adventure's content when calculating my enthusiasm. After all, if it got me motivated to type all those blog posts, it must be pretty good.

My disgruntlement, if it even rises to that level, was just that they didn't DO much with it. The mines for instance were what? Just a very vanilla dungeon crawl. No ore carts, no cave-ins, no big secrets, nothing. In fact it seemed like they were pretty much unworthy of the effort that anyone was going to to find them.

The goblin castle? It was some goblins and bugbears and such. Nothing about them was particularly exciting or unique. We had some tough fights, various sneaking around, etc. The locations themselves really were exceedingly mundane and didn't even manage to exploit some obvious tropes that would have added some excitement.

 

[Jhaelen]

in other words, it was exactly like any of the classic 1e adventure modules

To the OP: Just like 1e adventure modules, converting 5e modules is usually not worth the hassle. You might as well create a new adventure from scratch (and it will likely be a much better adventure for it).

 

[Scrivener of Doom]

(snip) (and it will likely be a much better adventure for it).

IME, the process of converting Pathfinder adventures/APs to 4E products something better than the original (and I type that as a Paizo fan).

My skinniest conversion yet from 1E to 4E was reducing G1 The Steading of the Hill Giant Chief into a single massive encounter.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

in other words, it was exactly like any of the classic 1e adventure modules

To the OP: Just like 1e adventure modules, converting 5e modules is usually not worth the hassle. You might as well create a new adventure from scratch (and it will likely be a much better adventure for it).

It does vary based on the module of course. Classic 1e adventures tend to have a number of characteristics that don't translate well. The maps are usually pretty cramped, consisting of limited size static encounter areas linked with 'tunnels' of one sort or another. This is particularly true of lower level modules, B2 for instance is a terrible 4e module, the combats all turn into static slugfests. This was the problem with 4e's H1 module too. The situations are not dynamic, so its very hard to produce skill challenges of any worth, obviating half of the system. Most of them are also pretty linear, which again obviates a lot of the SC system and skill system. Since 1e has no skill system at all its adventures are also tuned to either rely on a single character with thief skills, or simply fall back on combat, searching, and puzzle-solving as the only really supported activities. Higher level modules tend to be a little more open, terrain-wise, but are still largely static environments with obstacles strictly designed to challenge spell-casting creativity. Perhaps a nod is given to RP potential now and then, but not too many had real depth of story.

While some of the situations and ideas in various classic modules are pretty interesting you have to essentially draw new maps, add interesting decision points and dynamic elements, plus all the actual conversion of monsters, traps, etc, construction of unique terrain elements, etc etc etc. By that point you've essentially written an entire adventure from scratch.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

While some of the situations and ideas in various classic modules are pretty interesting you have to essentially draw new maps, add interesting decision points and dynamic elements, plus all the actual conversion of monsters, traps, etc, construction of unique terrain elements, etc etc etc. By that point you've essentially written an entire adventure from scratch.

It sounds like "conversions" of modules from 1e to 4e would be better phrased as "4e adventures inspired by 1e adventures." Sorta like the difference between a historical film/biopic and a docudrama/"based on true events" film. Both are about historical things, both give consideration to an interesting person or event in history. But one focuses on being as accurate as possible even if it means being less "compelling," while the other focuses on telling a gripping story even if that requires a greater degree of dramatic license. Both are entertaining, both are important parts of cinema (and studying history, for that matter), but they're different enough that trying to pass one off as the other is likely to fail.