D&D 4E Converting Iron Heroes to 4E

[Triangleman27]

Just something to keep myself occupied until June. The most serious challenge I currently foresee is changing the clunky token system to the new Per Encounter/Per Day resource system.

I'm currently retooling the Expanded Masteries. It goes like this:

By default, all classes have a Feat Mastery rating equal to 1/3 their level. However, each class receives a bonus toward one or two types of Masteries. For example: the Archer gets +2 to Projectile Mastery (so he can have access to Level 2 Projectile feats right out of the box) and +1 to Defense Mastery. He would have to wait until Level 3 until he can get access to the other Feat Masteries.

Any advice for this undertaking is greatly appreciated.

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

What kind of conversion are you trying to do?

My own temptation would be to let characters switch over to 4E appropriate classes and then plug and play the system features I liked.

Let's see:

Archer -> Ranger

Armiger -> Fighter, maybe Paladin or Warlord

Berzerker ->

Executioner -> Rogue, Brutal

Harrier ->

Hunter -> Warlord

Man-at-Arms -> Warlord or Fighter, Maybe Paladin

Thief -> Rogue, Charismatic (Cleric?)

Weapon Master -> Ranger or Fighter

Magic-User -> Warlock or Wizard


And that's where you'd be.

Oddly enough, the Berzerker is petty much yer text book Martial Controller - lots of damage to lots of little guys.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Just something to keep myself occupied until June. The most serious challenge I currently foresee is changing the clunky token system to the new Per Encounter/Per Day resource system.

I'm currently retooling the Expanded Masteries. It goes like this:

By default, all classes have a Feat Mastery rating equal to 1/3 their level. However, each class receives a bonus toward one or two types of Masteries. For example: the Archer gets +2 to Projectile Mastery (so he can have access to Level 2 Projectile feats right out of the box) and +1 to Defense Mastery. He would have to wait until Level 3 until he can get access to the other Feat Masteries.

Any advice for this undertaking is greatly appreciated.

I would have gone the opposite way - trying to converting the 4E resource management to the IH resource management. Probably streamlining token gathering and so on.

Otherwise; I have the feeling that there is no real need for Iron Heroes 4E. I think there were two major points to IH
1) Introduce Resource Management for non-spellcasters
2) Reduce Magic (item and spells) dependency of characters

1) has already been done in 4E.
2) has been promised as being very easy to do in 4E. (Remove +X items, instead give characters extra pluses at given levels, like +1 to all defenses, armor class, attacks and damage every 4 levels).

The only thing you might need are more classes if you want to go totally non-spellcasting.

 

[Charwoman Gene]

Mearlsgasm

 

[Irda Ranger]

My own temptation would be to let characters switch over to 4E appropriate classes and then plug and play the system features I liked.

This. The only "conversion" you really need to do is run 4E "as is" but with "Humans Only", "Martial Only (Warlock Optional)" and "Unaligned Only." If you want to play in the IH setting you might throw Tieflings in as a racial choice. Lastly you strip out magic item assumptions, which Mearls has indicated the DMG explicitly provides guidelines for.

The only Iron Heroes class that doesn't have a "good enough" analogue in D&D 4E yet is the Berserker. Based on what we know it seems all the others can be modeled pretty closely with the classes as written. If WotC doesn't provide a Martial Barbarian shortly I fully expect that a 3rd party publisher will.

Whether you'll need to create rules for Combat Stunts and Skill Challenges remains to be seen.


EDIT: Charwoman Gene, your sig is missing an apostrophe. "We're"

 

[Charwoman Gene]

EDIT: Charwoman Gene, your sig is missing an apostrophe. "We're"

Bah.

were gonna play it, like we were gonna play 4e but instead we played GURPS

 

[smathis]

One aspect that I think would be more difficult regarding 4e IH is the Backgrounds. IH's background traits allowed players to select from a menu of talents for their character to essentially create their own races on the fly.

I think it would be more of a challenge to implement this in 4e. As far as character class conversion, I don't see that as too big of a deal. Most of the classes would become separate talent trees for the existing 4e classes.

But races have more depth in 4e (meaning you get racial abilities continually over the lifecycle of your character). I don't know how I'd do that in 4e IH.

But I'm definitely interested in an IH-ish 4e game. I've already started brainstorming on the setting. Once I get the Martial Powers book later this year, I think the final pieces of the puzzle will fall into place.

 

[Xethreau]

One aspect that I think would be more difficult regarding 4e IH is the Backgrounds. IH's background traits allowed players to select from a menu of talents for their character to essentially create their own races on the fly.

I think it would be more of a challenge to implement this in 4e. As far as character class conversion, I don't see that as too big of a deal. Most of the classes would become separate talent trees for the existing 4e classes.

But races have more depth in 4e (meaning you get racial abilities continually over the lifecycle of your character). I don't know how I'd do that in 4e IH.

But I'm definitely interested in an IH-ish 4e game. I've already started brainstorming on the setting. Once I get the Martial Powers book later this year, I think the final pieces of the puzzle will fall into place.

I was just thinking about that as well. Exept, I don't think it will be too hard to do at all. Just a little creative thinking and some work will be all it takes; it is very doable, IMO.

I was thinking that all you really have to do is look at the available races and "break them down" into their components, and allow for picking a number of these various attributes from different categories. Then, you might still have feats based on them. For instance, perhaps you chose the background aspect of your character that gives him Resistance to Cold 5 + 1/2 his level; you might be able to pick a feat that expands this "cold environment" aspect of your character.

 

[Triangleman27]

I would have gone the opposite way - trying to converting the 4E resource management to the IH resource management. Probably streamlining token gathering and so on.

Otherwise; I have the feeling that there is no real need for Iron Heroes 4E. I think there were two major points to IH
1) Introduce Resource Management for non-spellcasters
2) Reduce Magic (item and spells) dependency of characters

1) has already been done in 4E.
2) has been promised as being very easy to do in 4E. (Remove +X items, instead give characters extra pluses at given levels, like +1 to all defenses, armor class, attacks and damage every 4 levels).

Ok. How about starting every encounter with an 'Action Token Pool' that can activate all types of token-based powers. This pool starts at 3 at level 1 and increases by 1 every level divisible by 4. Powers typically cost 1 or 2 tokens while especially powerful ones could be Dailies. Each class has different ways to regain tokens in the course of combat.

And as 4E already doing what Iron Heroes did, the game wont be out in two months anyway and IH seems more of a better ruleset for low-magic, dark fantasy settings a la Conan and Berserk.

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

And as 4E already doing what Iron Heroes did, the game wont be out in two months anyway and IH seems more of a better ruleset for low-magic, dark fantasy settings a la Conan and Berserk.

Yeah, I may still go third party, Weapons of the Gods say or Spirit of the Century, but for the moment Iron Heroes is looking like my next two months.