Using 1e adventures in a new 4e campaign

[DayTripper]

So about 3 years ago I relocated for a new job leaving behind my gaming group of about 20 years! I didn’t play for a while settling in to the new job, new home etc. About 2 years ago I started to look about for a local game. I’d tried gaming via video link with my old group but that didn’t work out too well due to IT problems (fine now but that’s another post). Eventually, after a few false dawns, I found a group of people who I’m comfortable gaming with.

In a few weeks time I’ve suggested that I start a new D&D 4e campaign with this group. Up until now we’ve had a short story arc in 4e, not run by me, and played another game, also not run by me. So I’m developing a new campaign to run with these guys.

Here’s an interesting thing: I’m at least 10 years older than any of the other members of this group. In fact, I was horrified to learn that I have dice that are older than some of the group (my original polyhedrals from my Basic D&D red box)!! None of these guys have played D&D in anything but 3e and 4e.

So here’s my plan; I’m going to stitch together the following 1e modules and convert them to 4e:
• Sinister Secrets of Saltmarsh (U1)
• Danger at Dunwater (U2)
• The Final Enemy (U3)
• The Veiled Society (B6)
• Ravenloft (I6)

Why these modules? Well, firstly, they all excellent adventures (not like the hack ‘n’ slash garbage WotC are churning out now). Secondly, I had a blast playing or DM-ing most of them (didn’t actually play U2 or U3). Thirdly, I think I can stitch together a good plot between them all with some tweaks to the original adventures.

I thought it would be interesting to post my experiences of how the conversion goes here and see if anyone can give me some good advice and ideas as we go along. It will also be interesting to report the players’ experiences and see how they take to 1e gaming style but using 4e rules.

 

[bagger245]

Great! Looking forward to it. How do you convert the room sizes to 4e?

 

[Ketjak]

Color me interested.

 

[Blackbrrd]

I am interested

Have you converted anything before?

Some general hints regarding 4e encounters:

• Use at least two different type of monsters each encounter
• Minions are generally worth less than the rated xp. About 66%
• A 1 to 1 ratio for monsters and PC's
• Try to avoid higher level soldiers, it will make the PC's miss too much
• MM1 brutes are underpowered most of the time
• For difficult encounters exchange a normal mob for an elite
• For boss encounters - don't use a solo alone, add him to a N-1 encounter

If you think two encounters are going to flow into each other, make both N-1 in level or use lower level mobs.

 

[Pbartender]

• Sinister Secrets of Saltmarsh (U1)

Let me double check... I might already have some conversion notes for this one.

 

[DayTripper]

Great! Looking forward to it. How do you convert the room sizes to 4e?

I don't. Looking at the maps for the module the room sizes look realistic so I think I'll keep them. The 1st adventure (Saltmarsh) takes place in a house then a ship. There isn't a lot of combat but if PCs want to fight in the room of house or a cabin they're welcome to but its gonna be cramped.

Have you converted anything before?

Yes, I've converted on old 2e Dungeon adventure, "The Bane of Shadowborne", which worked out pretty well considering it was for a lone adventurer (+NPC) - it was part of long term, occasional on-going campaign I play with a friend I see a couple of times a year. I kept the conversion pretty true to the original. I don't necessarily follow the 4e structure for combat, different types of monster etc, as this leads to some strange combinations just to try and cram in the necessary monster types. I am pretty interested in using terrain and obstacles though to make combat more interesting. The map worked out fine for the conversion too though I could have made more of the room terrain in that conversion though. Terrain wasn't a consideration in 1e/2e and I just didn't have enough prep time to add the detail before we played.

Let me double check... I might already have some conversion notes for this one.

I'd be interested to see what you have. I've no shame in yoinking someone else's good ideas (hence the conversion of existing adventures rather than writing my own)

 

[Pbartender]

I'd be interested to see what you have. I've no shame in yoinking someone else's good ideas (hence the conversion of existing adventures rather than writing my own)

As I remember, it was a pretty simple, straight-forward, off-the-cuff conversion using stat blocks for monsters and traps straight out of the rule books.

Here's what I've got left from my notes:

Upstairs, I used...

• 2 Dire Rats, 8 Giant Rats (Random Encounter, wandering about the house)
• Deathjump Spider (Area 8, Withdrawing Room)
• 5 Stormclaw Scorpions (Area 9, Kitchen, described as "Giant Centipedes": change "Claw" to "Bite" and all instances of "lightning" to "poison")
• Bloodweb Spider Swarm (Area 13, Bedroom)
• Human Bandit (Area 15, Bedroom, "Ned Shakeshaft")
• 5 Stirges (Area 19, Attic)
• 3 False Floor Pits (Areas 1, 14 and 15)
• Doomspore (Area 11, Bedroom, described as "Yellow Mould")

In the basement, I used:

• Slimy Doom (Area 20, "Rot Grubs" infesting the dead corpse)
• Human Mage (Wherever appropriate, "Sanbalet")
• Human Bandit, 8 Human Rabble (Scattered about)
• 2 Hobgoblin Soldiers (Scattered about, replacing the Gnolls)
• 6 Skeletons (Area 23, Skeleton's Room)
• Ochre Jelly (Area 25, Natural Cavern)

 

[Chainsaw]

These two threads may offer some help with conversions:

http://www.enworld.org/forum/d-d-4t...-new-campaign-new-dm-new-d-d-4th-edition.html

http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/268475-classic-1e-mods-d-d-4th-edition.html

 

[DayTripper]

Thanks to Pbartender for the monster notes. There are some good ideas there, I particularly like the bloodweb spider swarm. Did you play this conversion? How did it work out.

Thanks to Chainsaw too, those links were good. Some good suggestions by Mearls on mapping - changing 10'x10' area into 4e 3x3 squares - which takes me back to bagger245's point at the start of this thread. I'm going to look again at the room sizes and terrain.

 

[Pbartender]

Did you play this conversion? How did it work out.

No real problems, except for the Slimy Doom. It is, admittedly, far, far above the PCs' level, but I wanted it to emulate the deadliness of Rot Grubs. One of the characters got infected examining the dead body. Despite my warnings (I provided an expert healer back in town just for this), they elected to continue adventuring instead of returning to town to have him cured. He died horrifically, after the skeletons bloodied him and triggered the ongoing necrotic damage.