D&D 4E Savage Tides 4e

[Lensman]

I am planning on converting the Savage Tide Adventure Path to 4e for my next campaign but I am worried about the level differences between 3.5 and 4e. Savage Tide would normally take a character from 1st to 20th level but 4e runs from 1st to 30th level. I know that I will have to do some creative converting but what about those 10 extra levels? Do you think I will have to come up with extra content to get my players enough exp to reach 30th level by the end of the campaign?

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

It looks hard to predict for now. Advancement in 4E is supposed to be a little bit faster, but I am not sure if you can cover the levels 1-30 of 4E as fast as the levels 1-20 of 3E.

You'll have to look at how you transform the encounters, and whether you can squeeze out some extra encounters. I fear that you might run into the opposite problem - some encounters might need to be expanded to fit the 1 monster per PC paradigm of 4E, and this can lead to you combining encounters.

Maybe the skill challenges and the quest rules will allow you to smuggle some extra experience point into the game.

But you don't have to feel forced to go all 30 levels. I agree it would be nice (especially with the Epic Destinies), but it's not required.

 

[Ximenes088]

I wouldn't try to stretch it to 30. The playstyle of 21-30 is shaping up to be very different from that of the paragon tier, and if the 3.5 epic destinies are any suggestion of how things will work, I think the power boost is apt to be too much. It's worth remembering that the 3.5 adventure path never went epic, either- a 20th level 3.5 character is not at all the same in terms of ability as a 30th level 4e character.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I wouldn't try to stretch it to 30. The playstyle of 21-30 is shaping up to be very different from that of the paragon tier, and if the 3.5 epic destinies are any suggestion of how things will work, I think the power boost is apt to be too much. It's worth remembering that the 3.5 adventure path never went epic, either- a 20th level 3.5 character is not at all the same in terms of ability as a 30th level 4e character.

I haven't played it to the end yet, but from the spoilers I wasn't able to avoid, the end might still be fitting for a 4E epic campaign. But you might be right, stopping around level 20 isn't that bad either. If the group continues, you might want to have an epic level expansion of Savage Tides, though.

 

[Rechan]

3e:
13 encounters per level x 20 levels = 260 encounters.

4e:
10 encounters per level x 30 levels = 300 encounters.

Not a huge difference in the grand scheme of things.

 

[Seule]

I'd convert it as you go along, to whatever level your characters are at. Don't feel that you have to force them to be any given level, and see what level they are when the campaign finishes.
It looks like 4e monsters are way easier to power up and down, so this should be pretty easy.

--Penn

 

[Rechan]

Also, don't feel afraid to take a monster in the 4e MM and change its description.

Mearls in his Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil game converted an unspecified monster into a water elemental that drown you. Supposedly this monster can hit you and choke you, and he just changed the fluff text/damage type.

 

[WhatGravitas]

The biggest question is: How will the rituals look like? The endgame of Savage Tide will change a bit, if the players have less transport magic.

Cheers, LT.

 

[Vael]

I wasn't a big fan of Savage Tide in the later episodes anyway post "Tides of Dread", especially the after "Serpents of Scuttlecove". That said, most of the adventures after "Serpents of Scuttlecove" seem quite suitable for epic tier ... I don't think you'd have to stretch much to make Savage Tides work for 1-30. My advice would be to stretch the lower levels out a bit more.