Converting 3.5e back to 3e

[Bulldogc]

3. Class abilities and skills - since a number of skills have been folded into Survival, what do I do to characters and PrCs that have ranks in the Survival skill.

worst case just let them reassign skill points(take their total skill points, any skills that havent changed stay the same and any other points can be reassigned as they wish.)

 

[Voadam]

I mainly play with people who refuse to switch to 3.5e. In fact they want nothing to do with 3.5e! Since every d20 product written since June has been written for 3.5e, this leaves me with the uncomfortable task of converting everything if I want to use any newer product. I recently traded in some books and brought the Dawnforge Campaign setting. I haven't read through it thoroughly yet, but it looks awesome. However, I have the difficulty of converting it back to 3e before using it.

Some of conversions will be pretty simple such as changing feat and skill names. Others are more difficult such as classes, spells, and monsters. Is there anywhere I could find good advice on the differences between the editions, and perhaps away to convert between the two?

The Wizards of the Coast website has a free pdf conversion document for going from 3.0 to 3.5 so reverse engineering should not be a problem.

Classes. Most are no problem for conversions, however rangers are significantly different now focusing on bows half the time, and paladins are different in their powers with more smiting and poke-mounts, druids get spontaneous spells (which is easy to drop) and monks are mechanically different with their flurry of blows.

You could have certain NPCs belong to NPC only exotic classes (a different order of monks or paladins).

You could not convert them and bluff your way through what is going on.

You could convert as you need but 3e ranger archers are not that good unless they multiclass.

For monster DR I'd look reverse engineer from the conversion guide. It is generally an easy switch to make. Also there is no rule in 3.0 prohibiting new monsters from using a new type of DR (the one in 3.5). The number of feats and skill points are minor issues as far as gameplay effects, I wouldn't bother to convert them unless you were doing savage species characters.

Spells, look in the conversion guide for a list of changed spells and school changes (teleports are now conjuration, etc.) you will have to extend the duration of buffs that are based off of bull's strength, etc. Use the 3.0 PH or srd (at www.opengamingfoundation.org/srd.html ) as many minor details of every other spell got changed.

 

[Janx]

just out of curiosity, exactly WHERE on WoTC's site is the conversion guide.

All I found was the one for Living Grayhawk.



Janx

 

[Ylis]

I mainly play with people who refuse to switch to 3.5e. In fact they want nothing to do with 3.5e! Since every d20 product written since June has been written for 3.5e, this leaves me with the uncomfortable task of converting everything if I want to use any newer product. I recently traded in some books and brought the Dawnforge Campaign setting. I haven't read through it thoroughly yet, but it looks awesome. However, I have the difficulty of converting it back to 3e before using it.

Some of conversions will be pretty simple such as changing feat and skill names. Others are more difficult such as classes, spells, and monsters. Is there anywhere I could find good advice on the differences between the editions, and perhaps away to convert between the two?

Mwahahaha! I am one of those evil people! To me, there's no point in switching...I mean, they'll come out with 4.0 soon, and then everything will be upgraded again...might as well just wait...

Fortunately for me, I've managed to skip this problem by not buying anything for 3.5. (Un)Luckily for me, I've run into lovely financial problems and can't afford to get anything for RPG, soooo...I'm pretty much stuck in 3.0, whether I had wanted to be or not.

As for where to find conversion info, I'd say look to the SRD....

 

[CRGreathouse]

just out of curiosity, exactly WHERE on WoTC's site is the conversion guide.

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/20030718a

 

[Painfully]

WotC never put out a "conversion" manual. It's more like a list of things they changed (without specific details) so they could sell their 3.5e books. If you have 3.0 and you use this update, it won't leave you, "up to date" with 3.5e by a longshot.