D&D 5E Conversion to the metric system - how do YOU do it?

[Morrus]

Just say each 5' square is 1m, and halve all lb weights to get kg. That's really all you'll ever need. Much, much easier than you think it is.

 

[Pickles JG]

I wish they had gone with a fantasy unit of measurement say Fathoms which are 5-6' or 2m & akso the same size as squares on the grid.

 

[Roadkill101]

Snarky answer, I use an online conversion site.
Long ago in the mid-nineties, I wrote a home-brewed heartbreaker for my own personal use having become dis-enchanted with D&D. I decided I wanted to use mini's for tactical situations and I decided to use the metric system as it's base10. It turned out that 3 meter's equals 9.8 feet where 0.8 feet equals 9.6 inches which is roughly 2.5 inches (6.3 cm) shy of 10 feet. Therefore I ended up with 10'x10' dungeon square equaling a 3m X 3m grid on the battle mat, where a typical medium sized humanoid occupies a 1m square with reach into adjacent squares (or two squares in the case of a larger reach style weapon like the ever popular two-handed sword). The whole 5' step grid has never felt right to me and I continue to use the metric system for distance when using a battle mat, but draw my maps using the 10' square.

 

[ShadoWWW]

I usually count:
5 feet = 1.5 m
1 pound = 0.5 kg
1 gallon = 4 l

 

[Klaus]

Hey guys! I'm really looking forward to trying out D&D 5e as soon as it's available here in Sweden. One thing that nags me a bit is the use of non-metrics in the system, since I've only DMed swedish games before that always use SI-units.

So... how do you convert D&D to the metric system? Some rough estimates that can be applied? Ways to think about distances and weights? I want to be able to run it TOTM-style, but have a hard time thinking in feet and lbs, especially on the fly.

Thanks

These are approximations for ease of calculation:

3 feet = 1 meter
1 mile = 1.5 kilometer
2 pounds = 1 kilogram
1 gallon = 4 liters

D&D maps tend to be divided in 5-foot squares. You can either convert them to be 1.5 meter squares or take a cue from the Star Wars Saga RPG and round up so that each square is 2 meters.

 

[TerraDave]

In many ways 3ft=1m is a better scaling (and I like calling it a pace).

It fits better with oversized minis that have become the norm. Its probably a more natural scaling for melee distances. It gives you more space in cramped interiors, including old school modules, where instead of say a (then 10 foot) square is 2*2 you say it is 3*3, which can makes those a lot more interesting. Things like movement, given the very short round, probably feel more natural...

There are probably some others.

 

[Halivar]

Oh! Oh! I have a solution! Let's just call it "squares"!

/duck

 

[Ruzak]

Just make sure you convert spell ranges & areas precisely so they remain realistic.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

ADnD and 3.5 used the 5ft = 1,5m conversion here in germany.

So 60ft equals 18m darkvision for example.

If you are not raised with those odd scores I would advise you to use 60ft = 20m on the bigger scale and 5ft = 1,5 or 2m on the smaller scale, although I think 2m is a bit much for a person standing around.

But actually, at short distances you can just use 5 feet. It is quite a good old fashioned unit in my opinion (sorry americans) that fits with my imagine of a medieval setting.

 

[Thaumaturge]

But actually, at short distances you can just use 5 feet. It is quite a good old fashioned unit in my opinion (sorry americans) that fits with my imagine of a medieval setting.

No need to apologize. We all agree. We just have a really good LARP going.

Thaumaturge.