Spell Conversions from D20 to True20

[Urizen]

Previous True20 discussions about powers got me to thinking. Could you do away with True20 Powers and simply convert D20 spells? I tried it, and I think it could work really well (In fact, I smell an RDP supplement coming up.).

Here’s a few low level spells converted to the True20 system. They are very rough, and I encourage people to provide feedback.

Note on Power Checks: I have worked up a rough formula for determining the Power Check Difficulty for a given spell. Spells have a base difficulty of 10 +4 every other spell level. So a level 1 spell has a power check difficulty of 10, a 3rd level spell is 14, 5th level is 18, etc.

Mage Armor
Conjuration: Maintenance, Fatiguing
Level: Adept level 1
Power Check Difficulty: 10
Casting Time: Standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Creature touched
Duration: See description
Applicable Saving Throws: Fatigue Save, Difficulty 10 +Half Adept level, rounded up.

Description:The Adept creates an invisible but tangible field of force surrounds the subject of a mage armor spell, providing a +1 bonus to the target's defense plus an additional bonus equal to half the character’s adept level. Mage Armor must be maintained by allocation one point of conviction to its continued use as per maintenance rules in the True20 Adventure Role-playing game. Mage Armor is fatiguing, requiring aWill save with a difficulty of 10 + half the character’s Adept Level, rounded up.

Magic Missile
Evocation: Fatiguing
Level: Adept Level 1
Power Check Difficulty: 10
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Target: See description
Duration: Instantaneous
Applicable saving Throws: Fatigue Save, Difficulty (10 +Half Adept level rounded up, +1 per additional target)

Description:A missile of magical energy darts forth from your fingertip and strikes its target, dealing +1 points of damage.
The Adept must make a power check at a difficulty equal to 15 plus the number of Missiles being shot. The missile(s) strike unerringly, even if the target is in melee combat or has less than total cover or total concealment. Specific parts of a creature can’t be singled out. Inanimate objects are not damaged by the spell.
You gain an additional missile every two Adept levels beyond 1st,—two at 3rd level, three at 5th, four at 7th, to a maximum of 5 at 9th level. If you shoot multiple missiles, you can have them strike a single creature or several creatures. A single missile can strike only one creature. You must designate targets before you make a Power Check.

Spell Name: Fireball
Evocation [Fire]: Fatiguing
Adept Level: 3rd
Power Check Difficulty: 14
Casting Time: 1 Standard action
Range: Long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level)
Target: 20-ft.-radius spread
Duration: Instantaneous
Applicable saving throws:Fatigue Save Difficulty (15 +Half Adept level rounded up), Reflex (Difficulty 15+ half Adept Level, rounded up)

Description: A fireball spell is an explosion of flame that detonates with a low roar and deals +2 Damage per caster level (maximum +10) to every creature within the area. Unattended objects also take this damage. The fireball sets fire to combustibles and damages objects in the area. It can melt metals with low melting points, such as lead, gold, copper, silver, and bronze. If the damage caused to an interposing barrier shatters or breaks through it, the fireball may continue beyond the barrier if the area permits; otherwise it stops at the barrier just as any other spell effect does.
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I need to think some more on how to balance Adept Spell progressions, though I suspect it might be exactly like d20. The major modification would be that the adept only gains feats every other level rather than every level.

Let me know what you think.

 

[Vigilance]

I think I'd make each type of spell (evocation, enchantment, illusion) require a feat, and keep the one feat per level paradigm.

 

[Urizen]

I think I'd make each type of spell (evocation, enchantment, illusion) require a feat, and keep the one feat per level paradigm.

So, if you want to take evocation spells, you need to have the "evocation" feat?

Hmm. Could be interesting.

How many spells would you gain access to per level? That's the issue I'm looking at right now, because using an unmodified D&D spell progression table gives the True20 adept many more spells than a normal adept would have access to (granted, True20 Powers are able to mimick many D&D spells) per level. But this unbalances the adept in relation to the warrior and expert if he can still continue to take one feat per level.

One option that's been proposed on the T20 boards is a more True20-ish approach might be to create a feat called Sorcery. Sorcery gives you 2 levels of D20 spell progression at a time, and can only be taken once per two levels, thus using up 1/2 the Adept's feats if they want to keep up.

 

[Vigilance]

Well, I don't think you'd need spells per day.

You're making a casting check it looks like, so the spell might not work.

You're also making a fatigue save, which will limit your spellcasting much more severely than spells per day.

You've basically outlined a cross between the True 20 magic rules and my Legends of Sorcery magic rules.

Chuck

 

[Urizen]

Good Points.

I need to think on this some more.

I'm still not sure I like the small number of spells an adept would get in comparison to a D&D wizard.

Even if the wizard takes every spell type feat to increase his choices in spells, he's not going to have that many feat slots left for spells, and that's not even including supernatural feats such as empower or widen power.

 

[Kunimatyu]

You're using the technically correct dice conversions for your spell damage, which makes them way too powerful for a system like True20 where damage saves don't automatically increase.

You may want to try adding +2 to damage every time the dice double, ie:

1d6 +2
2d6 +4
4d6 +6
8d6 +8
16d6 +10

Or you could streamline it a bit to the following conversion:

1d6 +2
2d6 +4
5d6 +6
10d6 +8
20d6 +10

Your current way seems right on paper, but try it versus a few PCs and you'll see what I mean.

 

[Kunimatyu]

Good Points.

I need to think on this some more.

I'm still not sure I like the small number of spells an adept would get in comparison to a D&D wizard.

Even if the wizard takes every spell type feat to increase his choices in spells, he's not going to have that many feat slots left for spells, and that's not even including supernatural feats such as empower or widen power.

The smaller number of powers is one of the things that keeps a True20 adept relatively balanced with a fighter-type, unlike D&D, where casters rapidly escalate in power beyond everyone else. You *could* change that, but personally, I'd say it's a feature, not a bug.

(Also, I suspect people will be most interested in converting the best-loved D&D spells, as opposed to all of them. Even a 20th level wizard player with 50+ spells prepared will usually have a core five he favors over all others.)

 

[Urizen]

You're using the technically correct dice conversions for your spell damage, which makes them way too powerful for a system like True20 where damage saves don't automatically increase.

You may want to try adding +2 to damage every time the dice double, ie:

1d6 +2
2d6 +4
4d6 +6
8d6 +8
16d6 +10

Or you could streamline it a bit to the following conversion:

1d6 +2
2d6 +4
5d6 +6
10d6 +8
20d6 +10

Your current way seems right on paper, but try it versus a few PCs and you'll see what I mean.

Thanks for the feedback on this. I don't want to add the Different Dice because it runs counter to the True20 paradigm of just using the 20-sider, so I'll use the first example as a guideline for converting spell damage.

 

[Urizen]

The smaller number of powers is one of the things that keeps a True20 adept relatively balanced with a fighter-type, unlike D&D, where casters rapidly escalate in power beyond everyone else. You *could* change that, but personally, I'd say it's a feature, not a bug.

(Also, I suspect people will be most interested in converting the best-loved D&D spells, as opposed to all of them. Even a 20th level wizard player with 50+ spells prepared will usually have a core five he favors over all others.)

Good Points. Thanks again.

 

[Ulorian - Agent of Chaos]

Looks good! A few comments on Mage Armour: why doesn't it provide a bonus to the Toughness save like regular armour does? If you leave the bonus as a defense bonus, I think playtesting will reveal that the bonus it provides is WAY too high.

Example:

1) PC (of any level) has a Mage Armour spell cast on him by a 20th level caster.
2) PC fights a creature of equivalent level. The creature will require a 20 to hit!