D&D 4E How easy do you think it will be to steal 4E elements to use in your 3.x game?

[Olaf the Stout]

I'm not planning on getting into 4E straight away, although I plan to do so eventually. I was wondering though if I might be able to steal little bits of the 4E rules to use in my 3.5E game.

For example, the vision and lighting rules in 3.5 aren't that great in my opinion. I'm hoping that 4E will have some better rules that I might be able to use.

Obviously some parts of the game will change so much that you won't really be able to use them with the older ruleset. Spells, for example, look like they are changing quite a bit. However there are many other areas that I think will be similar enough to still be compatible.

So what rules, if any, do you think you might be able to "steal" from 4E to use in your 3.xE game?

Olaf the Stout

 

[Gundark]

it's too early to tell, without seeing some actual mechanics.

The question remains. At what point are you stealing so much that you might as well be playing 4e? Or will you be playing 4e and stealing from 3.5?

 

[Dice4Hire]

I am sure that many if not most people will be playing a slight hybrid of both, but from what I have sen the two are not going to be really compatible.

But then again, I am one who thinks 4E will be as different from 3x as 3.x was from 2E.

And 2E and 3.x cannot co-exist in the same game.

Though I am sure some house rules will come up, especially for things like grapple , which have not worked since 3.X came out.

 

[Minicol]

And 2E and 3.x cannot co-exist in the same game.

QUOTE]

How so ?

Rules wise strictly speaking, yeah.
But : I adapted 1.0 and 2.0 adventures and monsters for years with no problms whatsoever.

If you want it, it can be done, you need not limit yourself to the rulesbook.

One of the problems I have with 4.0 is that i think it will be harder than the 2.0 => 3.0 to convert, and I am not interested in trying.

 

[Olaf the Stout]

it's too early to tell, without seeing some actual mechanics.

The question remains. At what point are you stealing so much that you might as well be playing 4e? Or will you be playing 4e and stealing from 3.5?

I think the fact that the adventures I want to run are 3.xE means that, to begin with at least, it will be easier for me to steal from 4E, rather than update a whole heap of stat blocks.

Olaf the Stout

 

[Jack99]

I am sure that many if not most people will be playing a slight hybrid of both, but from what I have sen the two are not going to be really compatible.

But then again, I am one who thinks 4E will be as different from 3x as 3.x was from 2E.

And 2E and 3.x cannot co-exist in the same game.

Though I am sure some house rules will come up, especially for things like grapple , which have not worked since 3.X came out.

I think a minority will be playing a hybrid after just a few months. Most will have switched. People bitch and complain, but eventually, most people fall in line.

However, it is way to early to speculate on how easy it will be to adapt rules. But generally speaking, I am quite sure that a good part of the rules will be adaptable in some form.

 

[Jhaelen]

So what rules, if any, do you think you might be able to "steal" from 4E to use in your 3.xE game?

I can tell you, once I know, what the rules are

I'll probably still be playing 3.5 for quite a while after 4E hits the stores. If there are any rules that can be easily plugged into the game while making my life as a DM easier, I'll do it. Otherwise I won't and simply start a new campaign with the pure 4E ruleset when old one's finished.

 

[Li Shenron]

I think the level stretch will prevent most adaptation attempts.

Certainly spells will not be back-portable at all...
New classes or class changes will not work alongside the 3e ones.
Races maybe, if they will be a 30-level progression parallel to the class.
Skills probably, as long as you use the 4e DCs as well.
Saving Throws are a bit tricky, since they will be tied to spells also.
Magic items I guess no...

Anything specific in mind that you're looking forward to use?

 

[amethal]

I've stolen their "points of light in the darkness" idea for my new 3.5 homebrew.

I might like to steal the skill system as well, assuming its better than 3.5 but is actually workable in a 3.5 game.

 

[freyar]

A number of other people mentioned an interest in a hybrid system, too. I'd bet that there's a fairly long thread on it once the 4e rules come out (esp the SRD). My feeling is that some specific rules from 4e will be easy enough to adapt to 3.5 (just slot them in the right spot) but that converting stats/monsters, etc, will be much easier from 3.5 to 4e than the other way round.