D&D 4E Iron Heroes for 4e?

[DeathMutant]

Anyone know or care to speculate if Iron Heroes will ever be converted to be more compatible with D&D 4e? I'm just now getting into IH, which is a shame since it came out in 2005, but am very interested in D&D 4e too. I'll be running a low-magic, high-action game set in Hyboria (Conan's world) and IH seems perfect for it but I don't want to miss out on the 4e "improvements" (faster play, streamlining, simplifications, etc.) either.

 

[Vascant]

No one has seen the GSL to know if it would even be possible...

 

[Mouseferatu]

Given that IH was entirely Mike Mearls' baby, and that Mike's a major player on the 4E design team, I don't imagine he'll feel the need to bother.

But I've been wrong before.

 

[WyzardWhately]

Anyone know or care to speculate if Iron Heroes will ever be converted to be more compatible with D&D 4e? I'm just now getting into IH, which is a shame since it came out in 2005, but am very interested in D&D 4e too. I'll be running a low-magic, high-action game set in Hyboria (Conan's world) and IH seems perfect for it but I don't want to miss out on the 4e "improvements" (faster play, streamlining, simplifications, etc.) either.

Well, IH is Mearls' baby. Mearls is also writing 4E. This obviously doesn't preclude such a thing (look at Monte Cook), but I also wouldn't be surprised if he made a noncompetition agreement with WotC. Now, those aren't absolute, but you'd also have to question whether his economic prospects are better staying with them or going back out on his own to make IH2.

 

[DeathMutant]

I knew Mr. Mearls originally wrote IH but I was under the impression that Adam Windsor is the current owner of the IP. Anyway, even if there is no official conversion planned it is something I would hope someone else, fans or otherwise, might be working on to save me the time from doing it myself. Either way, I'm still looking forward to 4e.

 

[Irda Ranger]

I knew Mr. Mearls originally wrote IH but I was under the impression that Adam Windsor is the current owner of the IP. Anyway, even if there is no official conversion planned it is something I would hope someone else, fans or otherwise, might be working on to save me the time from doing it myself. Either way, I'm still looking forward to 4e.

This is correct. Adam can be found over at the Iron Heroes forum on Monte's boards. There was some speculative talk back when 4E was announced as to what Adam would do, but he took a reasonable "wait and see" attitude on the subject. Since he's a one-man operation I doubt he's ponying up the $5K to be an early adopter, but that's a guess; I haven't heard that from him.

I suspect that the only "Iron Heroes Conversion" you'll actually need is (1) adding +1 per 4 levels to all stats that 4E assumes magical items for, and (2) otherwise playing 4E with no magic items and just Fighters, Rogues, Rangers and Warlords. Magic users would be NPCs who mostly rely on Rituals.

 

[frankthedm]

4E really will shine for a PsIron Heroes set on Dark Sun. Add the bonuses expected from items to stats, and replace the expected "Secondary effect" magic items with psionic p0wahz.

 

[Nikosandros]

I suspect that the only "Iron Heroes Conversion" you'll actually need is (1) adding +1 per 4 levels to all stats that 4E assumes magical items for

What do you mean? That, for example, a melee combatant should get a bonus to strength to compensate for the missing magical weapon?

 

[Irda Ranger]

What do you mean? That, for example, a melee combatant should get a bonus to strength to compensate for the missing magical weapon?

From the magic item article, and comments from mearls, we know that magical items of a certain bonus are assumed in the rules. We don't know what exactly, but probably +X (where X = Level/4) to Attack, AC, Defenses, and maybe damage. Also critical hits are effected somehow (no details though). Once you factor that into basic class leveling, you can probably remove 99% of the magical items in the game.

Certain other adjustments may also prove necessary, just in case some form of Flight and magical perception (like True Seeing) are also assumed. But mearls' basic comment was that removing magic from 3E to make Iron Heroes was really, really hard; while removing from 4E would take 20 minutes.

 

[Incenjucar]

4E really will shine for a PsIron Heroes set on Dark Sun. Add the bonuses expected from items to stats, and replace the expected "Secondary effect" magic items with psionic p0wahz.

Even has the added benefit of working with the fact that DS characters are more powerful than standard.