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Can you convert 3.5 DnD Characters to hero system Characters

I hear ya: learning a new system is a chore.

If there's any specific help you would like in converting the character I'd be happy to help. But better yet if you post on the HERO games board you will be inundated with helpful suggestions and mechanical builds, usually more than one for every construct you're after.

Things to ask your GM about include: Active Point Limits (this limits how powerful an attack/defence/spell/etc is.); average damage classes; average defences and of course how many character points you will get to spend. Also find out how the magic system will work (is it Variable Power Pools, Multi-Powers, each spell bought individually.) After that the details shouldn't be too hard to work out.

cheers.
 

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Ditto all that!

Plus, I think you'll find that it is very possible that once the GM sets up his overall campaign structure, the HERO system will be as much a toolbox for you as it was for him. I've been playing the game since the very first edition- on both sides of the screen- and I'm always finding different ways to model things.
 

I am looking forward to learning Hero system. I think it would be the perfect system to run my Xena style Ancient fantasy Greek game. I tried to run it using a D20 supplement and it didn't have the feel I was going for.

I will most likely have a lot of questions Saturday after we get together to convert characters.
 

I was running a similar style game a year or so back. Everyone's character was the scion of one of the classical gods. Depending on the godly ancestor I allowed characters to beyond the characteristic maxima and purchase certain powers. For e.g. the scion of Hermes was allowed to buy his speed up to 5; everyone else in the campaign was limited to 4 maximum.

It worked well. The heroes were Heroes! and they plowed through mooks with ease. The fights against the big bads were sufficiently epic to make things feel right.
 



Hey Elfwitch.
Did that HERO game get up and running?

After a delay we converted our characters tonight. The fighter was very happy he ended up with a much stronger character. The druid was okay she lost a few things but is okay with what she got. My character the wizard/dread necromancer got gutted. I lost my familiar, I lost the ability to scribe scrolls, make alchemist items. And create any magical item creation. I lost most of my skills. I used to be the knowledge person now I have three knowledge skills magic, the fey plane and the ether plane. I lost my competency with a bow. And I lost the versatility of being a wizard to become what is essentially a warlock. Sure I can cast all day long but only a few spells I have four and one is a very limited telekinesis to mimic mage hand. Dread Necromancers have the ability to every round cast charnel touch a touch attack for 1D6 of damage and it goes up slowly as you level. I hate my character and plan to suicide as soon as possible. I am now a boring one trick pony who summons dead and that is all I can do because to afford that I had to take in a way that I if I try and do anything else they disappear. I can do a drain spell to effect their strength ala ray of enfeeblement and I have a very limited mind control to suggest one person to go to sleep.

In my opinion it is better to start over then try and convert which can lead to miserable unhappy players.
 

[COMMENT][/COMMENT]Let me ask this: do you do your conversion solo, or with the GM's help?

I mean, I know from past experience both how it is possible to have your PC gutted in the conversion, and also that it doesn't have to be that way.

But without knowing some more about the campaign- total build points, how much can come from disadvantages, limits on particular Disads, and other campaign rules- as well as the details on the PC you're trying to convert, I can't help much.

For instance, did you use any Power Frameworks like Multipowers, Elemental Controls or Variable Power Pools? Those can be great tools for modeling Vancian Casters and some of their special abilities, especially on a budget.
 
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[COMMENT][/COMMENT]Let me ask this: do you do your conversion solo, or with the GM's help?

I mean, I know from past experience both how it is possible to have your PC gutted in the conversion, and also that it doesn't have to be that way.

But without knowing some more about the campaign- total build points, how much can come from disadvantages, limits on particular Disads, and other campaign rules- as well as the details on the PC you're trying to convert, I can't help much.

For instance, did you use any Power Frameworks like Multipowers, Elemental Controls or Variable Power Pools? Those can be great tools for modeling Vancian Casters and some of their special abilities, especially on a budget.

The GM worked with all of us. We had 75 points to work with. With disads we got up to 120. He did use some multipowers and he did elemental controls with the druid. I also took a ton of restrictions like I have to have both hands free to make gestures, I have to concentrate, use incantations, and if I am restrained in any way I can't cast.

He had me spend 62 in stats. I am not sure why my intelligence is high I don't understand the role that plays in the game at all. So far from what I understand strength seem very important.

My character was made in 3.5 she was second level she one level specialist wizard necromancy and one level dread necromancer. We rolled for stats and I ended up with two 18, 10, 15, 12, 13 , 16. My stats looked like this str 10, dex, 16, con, 15, int 18, wis 12, chr 18. I had one of the highest dex in the party and I also took improved initiative and got a initiative boost from my familiar so most of the time I went first of the party. Now according to the GM I will most likely being going after the other players who have higher dexes. The fighter now has more skills than I do because he didn't have to spend any on magic. He is taking over the role of knowledge person which makes no game sense since he was raised by a blacksmith in a tiny hamlet and I was educated from a young age at a magic school. I used to have ranks in history, arcana, planes, ancient languages , nobility and royalty. Now I now have 2s in knowledge magic, knowledge fey plane, knowledge ether plane.

Because my character was a necromancer and could summon undead he had me take the power summon which is very expensive that alone took most of my spell budget. Then we created sleep which was based on the power mind control it can also be used as a charm spell and later if I build it up a dominate spell but it is not an area effect spell any longer. Because I had used mage hand a lot we used telekinesis to build similar thought it is a little better because I can lift 100 kilos. We also used the power drain to mimic the ray spells that hit stats so I can choose to drain strength, dex or intelligence.

Then to mimic my bestow curse he linked the spell drain with heal so I can suck some life force off to heal myself. The spells themselves are not bad, and dread necromancers cast as sorcerers from a limited list. But I wanted more versatility so I multiclassed with wizard. I lost all my cantrips which I had a lot I can no longer detect magic, read magic, prestidigitation, detect poison to name a few.

Wizards in DnD are not that transferable to the Hero system I can see that. Since intelligence is the primary stat for a wizard it helps with getting more skill points it also adds bonuses to knowledge skills rolls. A high intelligence in Hero does not get you more skills. Some skills like alchemy costs fortune in Hero because according to the GM is also allows you to make potions. Wizards get for free scribe scroll another thing that is kind of expensive to mimic wizards get free familiars that level with us and do things again you can do it in Hero but it costs you have to sacrifice something else. Then wizards can in time with luck know every spell in the books they just have to chose wisely every day what they memorize. There is no possible way that I can see to do that in Hero. DnD wizards which so many people hate are really there own thing and a huge DnD trope.

Mages in Hero seem to more along the lines of classical mages like Gandalf which is not bad. And I don't have a problem with it it is the same as Shadowrun which I love.

I am upset because when I pointed all this out to the GM he does not get that my new character is nothing like the character I have been playing and I would rather retire her and bring in a new character concept. He thinks I am upset that I am no longer a tier 6 character and the fighter is now my equal. None of that is true. I get that he really does not enjoy DnD and thinks it is to easy to munchkin and that wizards make everyone else just henchmen. But I don't powergame if I did I certainly would not have taken two of the most powerful schools as my forbidden schools. I would not be multiclassing. Nor would I be casting my wizard spells in armor and sometimes losing them.

I would be happy to design a different character since hedge magic witchcraft is the most common in our lands in the game I would build a witch type caster. I would not have her background one of education.

But since he is being stubborn I will just play and wait my opportunity to have my character die in a hopefully heroic way. I don't know why DMs make a player who is unhappy with their character keep playing it. I don't do that as a DM even if it is a pain to fit anew character in.
 

Are any of your spells in a Variable Power Pool or Multipower?

Here's why: with those, you dump a bunch of points into them, and each individual power only costs a few points into them. The Limitations on the VPP or MP apply to the big point dump AND the slots.

So...just going from memory, you'd have a VPP or MP with limitations like Gestures, Components, can't be cast while wearing armor, etc. Since your PC is Vancian, you'd have the Limitation "Can only change spell slots after 8 hour rest" and "Can only change spell slots with spell book (Obvious, inaccessible focus)." Memorization should be limited by slots per day per spell level, just like D&D- remember, though, that your slots won't automatically be linked to your stats. Together, that should make for a sizeable power base for not a bunch of points.

The points in the base VPP would determine the maximum power of any spell within it. Break your spells up by level by limiting the maximum active points. Say...5 for cantrips, 15 for 1st level spells, going up 10 -15 points per spell level after that.

All that applies to the wizard spells- make a similar VPP or MP for the Dread Necromancer spells, but without the limitation on changing the slots, since you can cast any one of those freely.

Adding spells to the spellbook might require a skill check.

Scribe Scroll would be another VPP, built much the same way, but with the additional limitation that it can only be a spell you know.

Strength in HERO isn't important for a caster...I'd probably keep that score unaltered from the 10STR base. And 62 points on stats seems a bit high in a 120 pt campaign.

Take combat skill levels- only works with your VPP- to boost your accuracy and/or damage.

Off the top of my head, I don't remember how I'd do Familiars.
 
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