OSR How Would You Convert WHFRPG to OSR?

[Retreater]

My groups are moving more and more to OSR systems and away from trying out "new" systems. Not to mention we're also playing on VTT that aren't ideal for teaching new systems and implementing ruleset idiosyncrasies. A goal I've had for a few decades is to run Warhammer Fantasy's well-regarded "Enemy Within" campaign, and I've started collecting the 4e WHFRPG's revised books. Only problem is, I don't see us being able to play it in that system. (I GMed a handful of sessions using that ruleset before moving players and the pandemic broke up the group.)
What would be some easy to implement rules changes - if any - to give OSR systems a Warhammer feel? My gut-reaction is that we limit non-human PCs to reflect a more humanocentric world, maybe allow being reduced to 0 HP having a critical injury chart instead of instant death, put in some kind of roll mechanic for magic. I'm thinking that AC can maybe work the same way, even though it wouldn't be as DR - it just makes a low roll be a non-hit.
What do experienced WHFRPG and OSR GMs think?

 

[Flamestrike]

Play WHFRP 1E. It's already OSR.

The systems/ themes and genre just dont carry over.

It's not like its a hard game to learn. Percentage based, and you roll race, career (class) and skills at random.

You can have your Rat catcher with his small angry dog up and running in no time.

 

[Retreater]

Play WHFRP 1E. It's already OSR.

I can appreciate that to you and me that it is easy enough. But not for my potential players who are struggling already with learning OSE or Swords and Wizardry, having to move to a completely different ruleset, hoping that the VTT can handle things, not having access to the rulebooks, relearning the expectations of play, etc. I would rather put the work on me than on them.

 

[JiffyPopTart]

Warhammer allows for humans, dwarves, elves, and halflings so you should be mostly good there.

The big change is with how wizards are treated. In OSR entry level wizards are garbage, in WFRP any wizard is awesome.

I'd say if using the BECMI style rules you have all wizards use the elf class, and have mundane elves use the human class with modifiers to make them elfy.

I'd probably also make custom spell lists for the colors of magic and be prepared to add a bunch of spells to make up the gaps of missing basic powers.

 

[Flamestrike]

I can appreciate that to you and me that it is easy enough. But not for my potential players who are struggling already with learning OSE or Swords and Wizardry, having to move to a completely different ruleset, hoping that the VTT can handle things, not having access to the rulebooks, relearning the expectations of play, etc. I would rather put the work on me than on them.

It's not exactly a hard system (its roll percentile under a skill for 99 percent of it) and not knowing the rules/ monsters/ what things do is part of what makes the OSR experience the OSR experience.

To convert 5E into WHFRP would be monumental.

You'd largely have to re-do all the classes.

For casters, you'd keep the Wizard class (remove Druid, Warlock, Cleric, Sorcerer, Bard) and decide what spells from the various Winds of Magic (which now replaces the Arcane School) go where. In addition to the Winds, you want Necromancy, Chaos and High magic as well.

Break all spells into Universalist magic (everyone can cast) and the rest into one of the 7 Winds of Magic. When you select your Arcane school you get access to those spells as well.

Pyromacy get all the fire spells (hellish rebuke, fireball, wall of fire etc). Green mages get Druid spells, Light get Aburation and healing magic etc etc

Spells can be cast at will, but require a roll of some sort or trigger a check on the Winds of Magic table (causing anything from exhaustion, to burnout for the day, to mutations, to daemonic possession to being sucked away into the void).

Give them proficiency in a martial weapon instead of Arcane recovery, and make up some class features for the other Winds (Pyromancy = Evocation, Necromacy can stay the same, Light magic is Abjuration, Green magic is Druid stuff etc).

That's your biggest job.

From there, Fighter, Barbarian and Rogue can pretty much remain as is. Be selective with subclasses - Cavalier, Champion, Swashbuckler, Berserker, Thief, Assassin, Scout etc are all fine and fit with the theme. Eldritch Knight and similar, less so.

Monks dont really exist (outside of Nippon but it would be very out of genre to have one).

Paladins and Rangers dont really have a role either. They can all go. Monster Slayers Rangers do make decent Witch Hunters though, and Paladins can fill in as Imperial Knights of Sigmar.

That leaves you with 4 classes (but plenty of subclasses) plus maybe Rangers and Paladins.

You can create your own Subclasses as well (Troll Slayer Barbarians, Imperial Knights, Elven Blademasters etc)

From there, you probably want a Critical hit chart of some kind (to simulate the brutality of the genre).

From the DMG use Slow natural healing variant rules, and gritty realism variant rules, as should Firearms (and the Gunner feat). Maybe also the Sanity rules.

Good luck man. It's monumental.

 

[Retreater]

To convert 5E into WHFRP would be monumental.

Nah, the plan would be to convert to something like BECMI or OD&D.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Were I to do this, I would start by looking at what creates the feel of Warhammer Fantasy for me, of the "Grim and Perilous World." I think you're on the right path with having zero HP being some sort of critical injury, or even going so far as to roll on that for a nat 20. The corruption of magic is another thing. If you didn't want to use Warhammer's, DCC RPG has some pretty good rules for that. You'll also need firearms rules, but there a plenty of those for all sorts of OSR flavors.

The biggest barrier, though, is the career system. For me, that's a major part of Warhammer, and arguably the most work to transpose to something like OSE. It's just not Warhammer without a Ratcatcher with a Small But Vicious Dog. One easy hack would be to (again, going back to DCC RPG), use their zero level character creation rules (minus the funnel). It's not quite the same, but it'll be close-ish.

One thing I might play with is changing the starting gold to starting silver, while keeping the cost of gear the same. This will drive home that it's a more hardscrabble world, when a fighter starts out with a dagger, leather, and wooden shield, because that's all that they could afford.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

I would just get the roll20 or foundry module for it that does most of the work for you. It will be easier to teach if you don't have to do a lot of the little fiddly things.

 

[Don Durito]

Hasn't it already been done?

Ted Dead Rats.

 

[Retreater]

I would just get the roll20 or foundry module for it that does most of the work for you. It will be easier to teach if you don't have to do a lot of the little fiddly things.

Unfortunately I don't have faith in its implementation on Roll20 (which we use). Plus I'd have to convert over all the adventure content since the module isn't available there. So I'm thinking it's best to take the story and characters and jettison the rest of the rules.