Here's That Official Conversion Document You've Been Waiting For!

There's a short official conversion document on the official D&D website. "We’re sometimes asked for advice on converting things from previous editions of D&D to fifth edition. The following PDF, penned by Chris Sims, gives advice on converting characters and adventures, along with the elements that go into them, such as spells, monsters, and treasure." It's 4 pages long, and covers converting player characters, adventures, and treasure from various previous editions. (thanks to Terradave for the scoop).

As the introduction mentions, it is short (the treasure section is four paragraphs in length). As the document says, "Conversion of D&D material is more art than science. The aim of conversion is to arrive at something that feels like the older-edition version, rather than at an exact replication."

Click here for the official conversion document.

Some conversion examples include:

• 5E characters are two-thirds of 4E character levels.
• Modifiers less than +4 are ignored; those of +4 or more use a trait, proficiency, or advantage.
• Ability scores above 20 become 20.

Also of interest is a Monsters By Type list. "Sometimes you want to see a list of all monsters of a certain type. Perhaps you’re the DM building an undead-themed adventure, or you’re the player curious to know which elementals or fey your character can summon. The following PDF is for such times. It lists every monster from the Monster Manual by type and includes a creature’s challenge rating and any tags, such as shapechanger, that the creature might have."

The conversion document has been anxiously - and often impatiently! - awaited for a while now. Its long delay was apparently due to a key staff member being on jury duty (this is the same delay cited for any third party licensing stuff). Mike Mearls said back in March that it would be at least another 4 months (it was!)

There are also, of course, many fan-created conversion documents and tools.

[h=4]Original Post[/h]
Not sure if this is what people have been waiting for, but a 4 page conversion document has been posted for 5E. Quite general.

Also, monsters by type and compiled resources.

http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/rules-references-october-2015

 

[EthanSental]

Glad it was released if only to start a new thread about how lacking it is and replace the usual posts of jury duty and how it's never coming out.

I agree with Aaron, Rem, and SD - it wasn't really needed but glad they did create one for those that were asking for it.

 

[AaronOfBarbaria]

No edition got specifics; I'm as lost as to how to convert a 32nd level BECMI Elf to 5e now as I was then.

Even if the editions did get specifics, you wouldn't likely have had much help with that character in particular since optional/house rules had to be involved just for it to exist.

I've been converting BECMI Elf characters as a few things, depending on what sort of BECMI Elf character was. The standard Elf class as Eldritch Knight/Wizard multiclass with the split being equal levels of each class until fighter 3, then add more wizard levels until around 10th. At that point, using a bit more fighter or wizard to represent the choice presented in the Elves of Alfheim book to be either an "Elven Lord" or an "Elven Wizard" (or whatever terms were used, I forget).

Any Elf characters that were the special tree-mage type I convert as land circle druids, any elf characters that picked the right sort of spells and playstyle I convert as rangers, and the Shadow Elf Shaman I convert as a light domain cleric, sometimes multiclassed with wizard (depending on the spells the character typically prepared).

One thing that I disagree with in the official document, however, is considering BECMI level to translate at a 1:1 ratio with everything above 20 being counted as 20. It makes more sense to use the level conversion rate from the Rules Cyclopedia, which is a 1:1 ration for levels 1 through 12, but every 3 BECMI levels beyond that point map to 1 level (13-15 equals 13, 16-18 equal 14, etc.).

 

[Barachiel]

I never understood the point of conversions from such an extremely different edition. It works for people that do not care so much about story, consistency, and verisimilitude. For those that do, it ruins a game when suddenly the racial traits, abilities, magic, and the way your magic items worked suddenly change/disappear.

"Hey, remember when Johan the Cavalier used to charge his foes and devastate them with a flurry of attacks simultaneously? Whatever happened to that? He kinda stopped."

"Oh it is weird. Why, I noticed the famous Tattooed Monk, Hayana, used to perform supernatural abilities based on her tattoos but they all went inert. Just normal ol' tattoos now."

"Hey, what happened to my Strength? I had managed to get as strong as old dragons, now suddenly I cannot get as much stronger in Strength as an ogre?"

It's simply best to start from scratch. I don't see how conversions are necessary.

 

[Remathilis]

Even if the editions did get specifics, you wouldn't likely have had much help with that character in particular since optional/house rules had to be involved just for it to exist.

Yeah, bad example; there were rules for that in the Rules Cyclopedia, but they were optional; I kinda blocked level limits out of my head.

 

[DEFCON 1]

This is another one of those times where people's demands for "official" WotC-approved documentation and rulings produce information that pretty much anyone could have (and did) create for themselves over a year ago.

At some point folks will finally come to the realization that the stuff people are making and posting to the downloads page here is just as usable and workable as the stuff WotC is making. So you don't need to impatiently wait for WotC to produce something you want... you already have access to a worthwhile version of it on any number of websites and can download it immediately.

 

[Stan Shinn]

I haven't done the math yet, but it will be interesting to see how their quick-conversion math stacks up against the math I came up with last year:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Byr-i7lu1I5IQUswaFVmMzZUdjg/view?usp=sharing

I use a table instead of a simple formula. Mine is still very quick to do though!

-- Stan (aka Dwilimir)

 

[Azzy]

If I have any complaints, it's that less verbiage was spent on monster conversion than I'd like. And that's mostly in regards to what seems to be a convention of giving low Hit Dice creatures from alder editions more HD (like goblins, orcs, etc). I would have liked a sentence or two dealing with providing an appropriate HD boost and its rationale.

Still, that's more a nitpick than anything.

 

[FJP]

Supper, but no meat.

Some may have missed the point. I'm not saying things can't be adjusted, but as a Guide to doing it, I felt it was weak.

It should have (IMHO) given specific examples of how to do things. It just sort of said here are some things you might need to go figure it out. That's not a guide.
As I predicted, other people have good examples of how to account for things, but they weren't in the article. That's my complaint.

4 pages for systems that had volumes of material? With an introduction that's not even a page per version.
Considering the change to a 'bounded accuracy' system, and the compete change in how skills are focused, it could take quite an effort to move characters over and preserve their 'feel'.

The 4 page guide could have been replaces with the sentence. "The older versions can be migrated, just compare the abilities and stats and fit them into the new guidelines." One again, that's not a guide.
Nope I stand by weak.

To be fair, it is called a short guide. I'll hope for a longer more 'official' process'.

 

[FJP]

I'm trying to avoid the situation that develops when people don't really agree on 'house' rules and then characters and campaigns are not easily transferable among group GM's.
My group only agree to try 5 on the condition that we use only 'official' material.

 

[FJP]

True enough. We probably wouldn't transfer characters. Monsters and modules mostly so I probably should simply focus on those aspects.