Converting WH40K to d20...

[Storyteller01]

I'm not wanting to convert it for play reasons. I'm trying to get an idea of power levels, so I'm looking to convert it to a system I have some understanding of. New to WH40K and all...


Your basic human has 3's across the board, with the exception of wounds and saves. Space Marines have 4's, and they're bred to go far beyond humans. Can crush a skull barehanded, spits acid, survive wounds that would kill a normal man several times over, and what not.

If marines gain such a boost from one point, how do creatures like lictors or genestealers with 5' and 6's for strength and initiative compare? Are these comparibly near epic?

 

[Doghead Thirteen]

I suggest comparing the basic and maximum human stats.

Basic:

M WS BS S T W I A Ld Int CL WP
4 3 3 3 3 1 3 1 7 7 7 7

Max:
M WS BS S T W I A Ld Int CL WP
4 6 6 4 4 3 6 3 9 9 9 9

... or at least that's how it looks in 1st edition...

Basically, take the base human stats (they haven't changed) and compare them to the Human Major Hero stats, or the highest you can find for each stat in the rulebooks you have access to. This should give you difference percentages for each stat.
You can work that differential from there; for example, a boltgun injures a base-stat human on four rolls out of six. And so forth.

My gaming group have made the basics of a 40k conversion for our private roleplaying system, for a Space Marine-centred campaign my brother runs. Some noodling around and you can get it to actually feel like the original 40k source matierial. It makes a beauty of a blowing-off-steam secondary campaign.

 

[Gort]

It really depends if you're considering fluff space marines or crunch space marines.

Fluff space marines are superhumans, capable of taking on many enemies single-handed.

Crunch space marines are better than normal humans, but a normal human equipped the same as a space marine would be fairly comparable, since much of their power comes from better guns and armour.

 

[Aus_Snow]

Isn't there a 40k RPG coming out soon?

Not sure if that would be any use to you. Probably not d20, I'd say. But still. . .


edit --- OK, looks like "soon" means early '08 ( link ).

 

[Storyteller01]

Might help, but from what I understand it isn't d20.

 

[Doghead Thirteen]

Isn't there a 40k RPG coming out soon?

Not sure if that would be any use to you. Probably not d20, I'd say. But still. . .


edit --- OK, looks like "soon" means early '08 ( link ).

My suspicion is that the system will be similar to Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay or Inquisitor.
I've been involved in an Inquisitor roleplaying campaign. The game system is D100 based and sincerely top-heavy.

For converting 40K to another game system, a copy of first edition and a bit of though is a far better substitute. That said, I'll be keeping an eye on this 40kRPG thing; thanks for the link.

 

[GQuail]

I'd been looking forward to the new 40K RPG: sorry to see it's been delayed. :-(

I dunno if D20 is the best way to do it, rather than using a modded Rogue Trader or WFRP. Just as WFRP is not D&D in vital ways that make it more "Warhammer", I dunno if just taking D20 Future is the way to go. For one thing, combat in Warhammer battle and roleplay has always been pretty brutal... perhaps enforce a pretty low Massive Damage Threshold, ala D20 CoC?

If I did do a D20 WH40K, then as noted elsewhere, I would concentrate on the stats than the fluff and go from there. (Much of the fluff could be described as propaganda anyway) I did something similar recently with WFRP where I compared the stats for monsters like Orcs, Ogres, giant Rats etc to D&D equivilants to use that as a rough guide to converting the stats. It's an art, not a science, but the best way to go. I think current Orks have WS 4, BS 2, which means their melee to-hit should be similar to a Marine but their ranged definately at a disadvantage.

Psionics can be duplicated using the various magic & psionics systems in existence already. In particular, Binders have struck me as an interest way to portray Chaos God-related weirdness, with the right vestiges. Following on my earlier D20 Cthuhu point, their sanity casting rules might help mimic some of the dangers of the Warp.

I'd strongly reccomend, where possible, using 1st edition 40K as your base for this, as it's mental stats are more detailed and may fill the RPG needs you have more. (And finer differences like troop movement speeds will also benefit an RPG where it doesn't help the current wargame.)

 

[Storyteller01]

Not looking to play it as d20. My 'nids army is doing better than expected. I'm just trying to get an idea of overall power levels.

 

[Doghead Thirteen]

'm just trying to get an idea of overall power levels.

Imperial Guardsman = US Marine.
Lasgun = M16.

To work things across, that's about all you need.

A space marine is about equal to Arnie in 'Predator' when you get down to actual comparison between rulesets. All those acid-spit type powers are fluff as far as the ruleset goes.

40K is, at current, a naff wargame. It's got some seriously cool stuff in it's background (thus my love of Rogue Trader and WH40k Dawn of War) but the game system itself does not scale in comparison to the fluff. You're best to take the fluff descriptions, use the stats of a Guardsman to baseline things, and take it from there.

The more Rogue Trader you can get, the better.

 

[Toben the Many]

Someone's done alllllll the work for you. Warhammer 40k in d20:

http://www.geocities.com/skrittiblak/

There you are.