Using Star Was SAGA Rules with D&D 3.5

[JohnSnow]

The magic system needs a complete rewrite to be Saga-compatible. As do all the magically-based class abilities.

Other than that, the conversion is almost trivially easy. If you were feeling ambitious, you could even go through D&D's base classes (all 83!) and turn their class abilities into Talent trees. Then, making any class is just a question of picking the talents you want. Some D&D classes would require multiclassing. Ranger, for example, is a magic-using fighter/scout.

You might have to slip in a class to represent well-educated characters in a medieval world. Personally, I hope Fourth Edition goes this route.

Magic aside (and I admit that's a BIG aside), it's honestly not that difficult.

 

[Asmor]

Needs to be fleshed out a bit, but I think this works as a good skeleton framework for spells:

Spell talent tree
Arcane Spontaneous Caster: You may cast level 1 arcane spells spontaneously. You know only a limited number of spells, however.
Arcane Preparation Caster: You can cast level 1 arcane spells by preparing them.

Add in analagous divine talents as well...

Extra spells
Prerequisites: Arcane Spontaneous Caster, Arcane Preparation Caster, Divine Spontaneous Caster or Divine Prepared Caster
You may cast second level spells as granted by one of the talents which are the prerequisites for this talent.
Special: This talent may be taken multiple times. Each time it is taken, you may apply it to the same or a different casting talent; your maximum spell level of the chosen talent increases by one. You may not apply this talent to a casting talent in which you can already cast 9th level spells.

This works really well because you get talents every other level, and you gain spell levels at every other level as well (except that spontaneous casters have to wait 3 levels to get second level spells, but that's the exception and I think it's not overpowered to ignore it... Sorcerers are generally considered underpowered anyways)

Actually, thinking about it, it might even work if you have the extra spells talent apply to all of those feats simultaneously. It sets you back a level on spell development if you take a second talent, so at level 5 for example when you get your third talent you can cast level 2 spells of 2 different types instead of level 3 spells of one type, and you couldn't cast level 9 spells until level 19.

As for spell DCs, that's fairly simple. Instead of adding 10 and having the target make a save, you roll 1d20+spell level+ability mod against the target's appropriate defense.

 

[Wrathamon]

I would use the saga rules Baby Samurai mentioned above, keep the D&D classes the same for the most part and replace the skill system w/ TRUE20 and the magic system w/ TRUE20's or True Sorcery.

 

[Asmor]

Thinking about it, there is one major problem with my approach to spells as talents...

Specifically, it ties up all the character's talents and prevents them from gaining other cool abilities.

Maybe it'd be better to have talents which allowed access to spells of a certain level... For example, Minor Spellcasting allows you to gain spells of up to level 3, Spellcasting lets you gain spells of up to level 6, and Major Spellcasting lets you gain spells of up to level 9. You still need to follow the tables for the appropriate class to determine when you get the different spell levels, and how many you can use.

 

[Aegir]

I think a Saga Edition spell system would be best handled as force powers are in SWSE: far more limited spell base, but they're per encounter, not per day. You can use a conversion of Force Training for gaining spells, Spellcraft checks in place of UtF for casting, and possibly talents from a wizard/sorcerer class to expand on the theme, either by increasing the spell levels available (broken down into 0-1-2, 3-4-5, 6-7-8, and 9 by itself, with the first available to anyone who has "Magic Sensitivity"), or levels could be removed from the equation entirely, just have spells require a certain base Spellcraft DC to use, and then the Wizard/Sorcerer class can offer talents that give bonuses to Spellcraft.

After all, spell levels in this system are largely useless, save DCs aren't needed (if you crack their defense they don't save, if you don't, they do), and you can just make the higher level spells harder to cast (by requiring a certain base Spellcraft).

Of course, alot of this breaks down if you intend to use D&Ds magic system, but if you don't, then its all very easy to balance.

 

[Wraith Form]

Guess I'm not sure why you couldn't have the Force be the magic system in a fantasy world....?! *shrugs*

 

[Magus Coeruleus]

Has anyone posted a list of the force powers from the SWSE book? It would be interesting to know what's there and to use them for guidance on how magic spells would work under a similar, encounter-based system. In addition to all of the telekinetic stuff, I assume there are powers that similar to common D&D buffs, haste, and of course force lightning should give a sense of what evocations would be like.

 

[Flynn]

I think a Saga Edition spell system would be best handled as force powers are in SWSE: far more limited spell base, but they're per encounter, not per day. You can use a conversion of Force Training for gaining spells, Spellcraft checks in place of UtF for casting, and possibly talents from a wizard/sorcerer class to expand on the theme, either by increasing the spell levels available (broken down into 0-1-2, 3-4-5, 6-7-8, and 9 by itself, with the first available to anyone who has "Magic Sensitivity"), or levels could be removed from the equation entirely, just have spells require a certain base Spellcraft DC to use, and then the Wizard/Sorcerer class can offer talents that give bonuses to Spellcraft.

After all, spell levels in this system are largely useless, save DCs aren't needed (if you crack their defense they don't save, if you don't, they do), and you can just make the higher level spells harder to cast (by requiring a certain base Spellcraft).

Of course, alot of this breaks down if you intend to use D&Ds magic system, but if you don't, then its all very easy to balance.

A possible suggestion here would be to create a new spellcasting chart that represents the odd levels of the old chart (1st, 3rd, 5th, etc.), and then let spellcasters spend a talent to gain their new spellcasting levels. Caster level is tied to the chart, as well.

Alternately, you could scavenge the spellcasting talents out of Grim Tales, but that will give you a grim and gritty, low magic campaign.

Hope that helps,
Flynn

 

[jodyjohnson]

improved damage to level...20HD bear ouch!

The damage bonus is only from Heroic class levels.

Creature levels and non-herioc levels don't count.

 

[jodyjohnson]

-Half character level as bonus damage on attacks.

-The skill system.[/B]

Edit -- Removed for just being plain wrong.