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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Sword of Spirit" data-source="post: 6797530" data-attributes="member: 6677017">If you can sell (I don't mean monetarily, of course) your conversion to me, you'll have done a very difficult task, since I'm a tough critic for that sort of thing. (I do like some fan conversions--just not most of them.)In order to provide good feedback, the first thing I need to know is what your conversion philosophy is. My conversion philosophy would be to take the general assumptions of 5e, take the sorts of conversions that WotC has themselves already done, and find ways to make yours look like theirs.So, for example, 5e doesn't put any restrictions on using class features. Rogues can sneak attack anything, once you become a cleric you can deny your god without losing your class abilities, and the only reason a wizard can't cast spells in armor is because he probably isn't proficient in it. Putting any sort of restrictions (such as the Phlogiston or foreign spheres ones) on a cleric or anyone else is out of harmony with 5e rules, so it shouldn't be included in a conversion.Another example would be firearms. The DMG has rules for firearms. Making rules that work differently would not be keeping with current design. Same goes for ballista and catapult, rules already exist.Another example of how to screw it up would be to translate over too many fiddly little details, like calculations for air bubbles. Either use an extremely simplified method of determining how long air lasts, or just say (like someone suggested either here or on the WotC forum) that space is breathable/filled with air and be done with it.Remember to only make distinctions that are significant enough to matter. 5e pruned the weapon tables down, and eliminated all the little plus thises and minus thoses. So if there isn't a meaningful difference between the stats of a particular ship and one of the ships in the DMG, then don't make it statistically different. Rather, just list examples of different ships that use those stats. Maybe say something like "Sailing Ship (includes coaster, cog, caravel...)".Now that I've really focused on all the ways you need to start with 5e assumptions and bring the prior setting into it (rather than forcing 5e to try to fit the setting), I'm going to detour to the opposite angle. A good conversion doesn't jettison any original thematic material, and doesn't make the dang setting look different. So no, you absolutely should not ditch the bug/animal ships. It's a thing. Now, you could kick them up a notch and do some sort of heavy-metal industrial conversion, as long at the basic form of a tradesman or what-have-you was the same. Add whatever artistic flair you want, as long as you don't ditch what makes it look like its own theme. That being said, you have no imperative to convert anything from outside the earlier material (original boxed set, plus anything else you like). If you think the ships that came out in product 28 were stupid looking, skip them! Stick to core for a good start, and you can always add your own expansion products. Another example of what not to do would be to ditch the Phlogiston, or the Crystal Spheres, or the neogi, etc.One additional point. If there are things that can be fixed, then fixing them isn't going to be a problem. For instance, don't go with spatial tons for ships (or hull points, or any of that nonsense). Just stick to the 5e ship rules. If you need to determine the relative size of ships, maybe use the rules of treating huge or gargantuan objects as a collection of Large objects. You could codify approximately how big such large objects are for ship purposes, and then in individual person vs. ship combat that could be used. But when ships are going after each other, just use the normal hp and damage threshold. Maybe add one simple table for critical hits or something similar, and call it good.And remember to ask yourself, "would this be how they did it officially?" If the answer is no...well, that's more of your own artistic rendition "based on" Spelljammer, than a solid conversion. For example--there a no rules about the movement of ships. So we need those. (You might as well include water movement while you're at it for completeness.) But when you start making those rules and are beginning to get a bit complex in your mind, just remember how they handle creature and spell flight in 5e. There are no maneuverability classes, no minimum velocities, no facing, no climbing penalty, etc. So, while you might reasonably create some sorts of elements like that for ships, don't overdo it. Add one or two considerations that get across the feel of some ships being more unwieldy than others, in as simple and basic a way as you can. Something like good maneuverability ships can move whenever and however they want, while bad maneuverability ships can only move before or after their action (ie, can't use "splitting up your move" basic concept from the PHB). That may be more simple than you need to go, but you get the idea.Summary: For a good 5e conversion, I cannot stress enough 1) Do not replace rules, 2) Do not increase granuality, 3) Do not add restrictions, and 4) Do not substantially rewrite lore.Yes, this. It's a different thing.</blockquote>

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