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

 

[TerraDave]

The way the thread is displaying for me it looks like TerraDave is thanking himself for the scoop! Hilarious

Ya, when I did that, I saw it differently. Including in the forum.

Computers these days.

 

[Morrus]

Well, it's that or close Terradave's thread and start a new one. People get upset by that, so promoting them and editing them is the only way to go!

 

[TerraDave]

Well, it's that or close Terradave's thread and start a new one. People get upset by that, so promoting them and editing them is the only way to go!

Thanks!

Though I think I saw it mid-move or something, but its all good.

 

[FJP]

Very disappointing for <=2ed conversions. I dont think the author has played a <=2Ed game for a long time.
I read it as mostly 'Take you best guess at this. It's different'. Oh and ignore most things less than +3/4.

Disappointing too in the few area of specifics. No exceptional strength bonus adaptation? Really? Always, the Fighters we've had with 18+ strength are defined by the extra damage that they do and to ignore that is doing a great injustice tho pre 3 editions.
Not a word about compensating for losing Thieving abilities? Also Really? What about thieves built around being the trap finders with Find/Remove & Open Lock or infiltrators built around Hide in Shadows and Move Quietly ?
How do adjust for specialty wizards?
A few suggestions for specifics on these and other obvious details would have been appreciated.
At least for pre-3. The subtleties of the +1 and +2's and other little things were important in 1ed and 2ed and to just ignore them shows a large indifference.

Sorry, Very weak. A token effort. I'm sure better ones will pop up, but lacking a detailed 'official' version is very disappointing especially considering how many 1/2ed people the 5th edition finally drew back in.

 

[AaronOfBarbaria]

No exceptional strength bonus adaptation? Really?

Yes, really. The purpose of exceptional strength was to give fighter-types what was essentially a class feature of "you do more damage with weapons." That is handled by things outside of the ability score itself in 5th edition, and thus is not at all necessary.

Not a word about compensating for losing Thieving abilities? Also Really?

Another time where the 5th edition system covers what is lost in another way (proficiency, expertise, and the other skill-check related rogue class features) and thus doesn't actually need to "compensate" for anything.

How do adjust for specialty wizards?

You mean besides have them be a wizard of the appropriate arcane tradition, or a sorcerer or warlock if those classes fit better? What other "adjust" to you perceive as being needed?

Sorry, Very weak. A token effort. I'm sure better ones will pop up, but lacking a detailed 'official' version is very disappointing especially considering how many 1/2ed people the 5th edition finally drew back in.

As one of those many 1/2ed people, I have to say that I think you are overestimating how much detail is actually needed in conversion... but then, I also completely disagree that even as much detail as was in this brief document was needed, since I've been happily and easily converting anything/everything I felt like since picking up the DMG.

 

[Remathilis]

Disappointing too in the few area of specifics. No exceptional strength bonus adaptation? Really? Always, the Fighters we've had with 18+ strength are defined by the extra damage that they do and to ignore that is doing a great injustice tho pre 3 editions.

Well, the good thing is that rather than determining your bonus to damage based on an 18+ Str, they get class features this time.

Not a word about compensating for losing Thieving abilities? Also Really? What about thieves built around being the trap finders with Find/Remove & Open Lock or infiltrators built around Hide in Shadows and Move Quietly ?

Rogues get proficiency in all the major areas of Thieving; if you want a specialist put Expertise in Thieves Tools and Perception. Infiltrators get Stealth and Acrobatics.

How do adjust for specialty wizards?

Look under "Wizard Traditions". All 8 specialists are accounted for.

A few suggestions for specifics on these and other obvious details would have been appreciated.

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.

At least for pre-3. The subtleties of the +1 and +2's and other little things were important in 1ed and 2ed and to just ignore them shows a large indifference.

Most minor bonuses were replaced with proficiency or advantage. The goal is to get older stuff in 5e's mechanics, not port older D&D mechanics to 5e.

 

[Shadow Demon]

Very disappointing for <=2ed conversions. I dont think the author has played a <=2Ed game for a long time.
I read it as mostly 'Take you best guess at this. It's different'. Oh and ignore most things less than +3/4.

Disappointing too in the few area of specifics. No exceptional strength bonus adaptation? Really? Always, the Fighters we've had with 18+ strength are defined by the extra damage that they do and to ignore that is doing a great injustice tho pre 3 editions.
Not a word about compensating for losing Thieving abilities? Also Really? What about thieves built around being the trap finders with Find/Remove & Open Lock or infiltrators built around Hide in Shadows and Move Quietly ?
How do adjust for specialty wizards?
A few suggestions for specifics on these and other obvious details would have been appreciated.
At least for pre-3. The subtleties of the +1 and +2's and other little things were important in 1ed and 2ed and to just ignore them shows a large indifference.

Sorry, Very weak. A token effort. I'm sure better ones will pop up, but lacking a detailed 'official' version is very disappointing especially considering how many 1/2ed people the 5th edition finally drew back in.

There is no adjustment for classes and races that are actually in the 5e Player's Handbook. These are guidelines for character and race concepts that color outside those lines. So, no there isn't anything for exceptional strength or specialty wizards, you just use the appropriate class from 5e PH.

For the most part, this conversion document is mostly for late 2e through 4th. Just about everything from 0e/1e is in core 5e. This document is basically addenum to your understanding of what is already known from the 5e DMG. The quick conversion part with DMG is really all that is needed to use the older-edition adventures with 5e which is really the point of the document.

 

[Stan Shinn]

Very confused by the language on determining what CR level a 1st edition modules maps to. Let's say you have the 1st Edition module "Slave Pits of the Undercity" (A1) which was for characters levels 4–7. Here's what the new WOTC Conversion document on p. 4 says:

"The first task is to select an adventure of the appropriate
level for your player characters. Characters of a level in the
middle of a suggested level range are likely to find the most
challenge with the least overt risk of excessively difficult
encounters. In any case, adventures along the lower and
middle parts of the level spectrum work better with quick
conversion."

Does the conversion document indicate this module is appropriate for level 4 or 5, and that level 6 or 7 characters would find the module too easy?

My general sense based on memory of various conversions I've done is that 5th edition maps to 1st edition something like this, where D&D 5th Ed. characters are about two levels higher than 1st Edition characters once you hit 4th level:

1st Ed. PC | 5th Edition PC
--------------------------------
1st Lvl | 1st Lvl
1st Lvl | 2st Lvl
2nd Lvl | 3rd Lvl
2nd Lvl | 4th Lvl
3rth Lvl | 5th Lvl
4rth Lvl | 6th Lvl
5th Lvl | 7st Lvl
6th Lvl | 8th Lvl
7th Lvl | 9th Lvl
8th Lvl | 10th Lvl
9th Lvl | 11th Lvl
10th Lvl | 12th Lvl

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

 

[TerraDave]

Well, the good thing is that rather than determining your bonus to damage based on an 18+ Str, they get class features this time.
....

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.

...

10th level EK/10 level wizard (or 6/14)?

And if someone really did have (higher) exceptional strength, I would probably let them have the 19 or 20.

 

[Jester David]

Holy crap, it's NOT vaporware?!