Character Conversion to 3.5

[szilard]

Also, look at Elf Paragon if you are going for a more complicated build - Something like Fighter 2/Wizard1/Elf Paragon 3/ (prestige class of your choice: Abjurant Champion, Bladesinger, Eldritch Knight, Spellsword, etc.) X would work.

-Stuart

 

[Kae'Yoss]

I'd have to disagree, I've played a character who has converted from 2e to a 1e homebrew, to vampire the masquerade, to 3e, to 3.5. I don't regret it all and I'm glad I've been able to play the same character.

Wait, you went from D&D to Vampire and back again? How? Didn't anyone take notice at the fact that the troupe consisted of a Gangrel, a Toreador, and an Elf with a big armour and a two-handed sword? I think that might break the Masquerade.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

One thing I have to say about conversion by some conversion manual: Don't. You'll end up with a very weird party made of even weirder characters.

That doesn't mean you should forget about the old characters, though. All I'm saying is: Take a look at the new rules and the possibilities open to you, think about the character and what defines him, and re-create the character with the new rules and the guidelines set by the party and/or DM.

That will often be much neater, and maybe even a better representation of the character.

 

[Voadam]

Wait, you went from D&D to Vampire and back again? How? Didn't anyone take notice at the fact that the troupe consisted of a Gangrel, a Toreador, and an Elf with a big armour and a two-handed sword? I think that might break the Masquerade.

My character was a good human fighter switched class to mage. He had a blood feud with another PC who was an evil human switched class OA barbarian, cat priest (complete priest handbook) wu jen (complete Wizard Handbook) and they both ended up almost killing each other multiple times. Both were big world/dimension travellers with a curse that kept bringing them together even if they had separated to different worlds.

The storyteller converted them both to VtM as NPCs. The wu jen was turned into a vamp and was the sire of the Tremere in our coterie who was played by the same player who used to play the wu jen. My mage followed him and became a hunter in Chicago, the Gangrel in our coterie had him as a flaw. Traded in robes for a trench coat and only pulled out his staff of thunder and lightning when he was doing big ambushes on the vampires.

I didn't play my mage in VtM, I just ran from him after he used magic to crash the helicopter our coterie was in when we rescued the city's prince.

Later in the 1e homebrew campaign he almost made a side trip into a shadowrun game run by the same DM.

 

[Remathilis]

I can also suggest the KNIGHT PHANTOM from Eberron's Five Nations. It might take some flavor gutting to get it to work, but its a good PrC

BONUS: its online for free: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20050706a&page=4

 

[Tetsubo]

I had a 1E 26th level Ranger Lord that I loved. I have a hand drawn portrait of him on my office wall. I've often considered converting him to 3.5 but the tasks just seems like such a huge undertaking. I also don't think I could capture the character properly... it took six years to make him...

He had more magic items then an entire 3.5 party...

 

[Delta]

We're talking original D&D here.... (where there was no distinction between race and class, and most classes had a progression of 36 levels)

Actually, I think you're really dealing with "Basic" D&D (what many of us call "BXCM D&D" or "Rules Cyclopedia D&D"... it's the only one with a 36-level cap: http://www.acaeum.com/ddindexes/setpages/expert.html).

"Original D&D" is properly the white-boxed set of booklets (http://www.acaeum.com/ddindexes/setpages/original.html).

 

[Herzog]

Ah, yes, Rules Cyclopedia D&D.

Maybe there should be an official list of short hand references to all the different versions.

For me, everything before AD&D 1e is 'OD&D', and I don't like to use the term 'Basic' as it might confuse others in thinking I am referring to one of the new 'trimmed down' versions of the game.

For all the others: thank you for the input.
As I stated earlier, converting the 'feel' of a character is much more important then the actual powers of the character. Nevertheless, the character focussed on both magic and combat quite heavily, and for now we're going with the duskblade.

This conversion has been on the planning list for about 3 years now.
The longest hiatus I ever head, in the longest running campaign I have ever run.
Now, I'm actually glad it took me so long, since I have a much better grasp of the rules, and that is indeed VERY necessary for these kind of conversions to succeed.

Herzog

 

[S'mon]

I considered making it a Fighter 1/Wizard 7 (did I mention it's a lvl 8 character?).
However, I used the Weapon Mastery optional rules in OD&D, and I'd like to re-introduce that in some way in 3.5. Best option so far is Weapon Specialization, but that requires fighter levels.....

If you want to stick to 3.5 RAW I would just give him Weapon Focus and if appropriate Power Attack, PA is the big increase-damage feat in 3e.

Re levels, an Elf-8 in OD&D should translate to 9th level in 3e, I suggest F1/Wiz8. That way he loses no spellcasting levels and gains Fighter proficiencies, his +5 BAB isn't too bad, not much below a Cleric of similar level, so he can fight if necessary as well as spellcast. In mithril chain shirt his Arcane Spell Failure chance is pretty small, or he can cast Mage Armour/wear bracers.

 

[RFisher]

I'd have to disagree, I've played a character who has converted from 2e to a 1e homebrew, to vampire the masquerade, to 3e, to 3.5. I don't regret it all and I'm glad I've been able to play the same character.

Great! Let me add 1 to the "didn't regret" column...divide by "did regret + didn't regret"... Yep. Still can't recommend it. (^_^)

Maybe there should be an official list of short hand references to all the different versions.

Well, it's certainly not official, but here's mine. Based heavily on my experience at DF. In practice what I use has probably drifted some since I made that.

(& it doesn't include distinctions for oD&D v. oD&D+Supplements, 1e v. late 1e+UA/*SG, 2e v. 2e+, &c.)