Using Star Wars d20 in D&D?

[Mirth]

I agree that a few of the non-human races are at least on-par with humans, the primary among these being the wookie. But a majority have seemingly little to offer.

And apparently the gungan even less. I wondered if they might make really good villains. You hate to kill em, but you kill em cuz you hate em

 

[mkletch]

Another question - what would be the best way to transition VP/WP into HP?

OK, I've been working on this for some time. The magic system seemed to present a big problem, but I think I have it worked out. For those not familiar with WP/VP (and be careful w/ reuse; this is not OGC):

Wound Points: Equal to Constitution score (includes Con damage.)

Vitality Points: Equal to normal hit points gained for class levels, including max at 1st level and Con bonuys at every level.

Critical Hits: Applied directly to Wound points. All critical multipliers are reduced by 1 (so an axe gives an x2 critical. This includes for a coup de grace.

Fatigue: Any time you take wound point damage, you become fatigued (-2 to various stuff and no running/charging as normal).

Unconsciousness: You become unconscious at 0 wound points, lose one every round unless you stabilize; you die at -10 wound points. If you take wound point damage, you must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + wound point damage taken) or fall unconscious. (Slight chance the base DC might be 15; I don't have it in front of me).

Natural Healing: You heal one vitality point per level per hour (just like subdual damage in 3E. You heal one wound point per day, just like ability damage.

Toughness: This feat gives wound points, not vitality points. I figure it would also extend to the higher-level toughness feats in MotW.

Falling: Reflex save DC 15 + 1 per additional 10' fallen. Success means the damage applies to vitality. Failure means damage applies to wounds. Tumble still reduces effective fall by 10'.

NPC Classes: do not get vitality points, only wound points. This is why stormtroopers fall like wheat before a scythe.

Real wounds: if the DM feels something is an actual injury rather than something that can be avoided by luck, it applies to wounds instead of vitality.

Out of vitality: once you hit zero vitality, any remaining damage is applied to wounds, and all rules for taking wound damage apply. If you hit exactly zero vitality points, you are staggered for one round.

Armor: armor provides damage reduction, not a defense bonus, though this damage reduction applies only to wound damage. Masterwork armor increases the DR of the armor, and does not reduce the armor check penalty. MW armor can go as high as +3

Weapons: MW weapons give a damage bonus, not an attack bonus. They also can go to +3.

OK, here's my bit. How do spells fit in with this? Does cure light wounds fix even a major sword wound? Does fireball incinerate just about anyone? Here is how I'm thinking to work this sort of thing.

Damage Dice: Any time dice would be rolled for a spell, the die total applies only if vitality points are in question. If something is going to be applied directly to wound points, it does one point per die for d4, d6 or d8, or two points per die for d12 and d20. Saving throws apply normally. So a 10th level wizard casts a fireball into a crowd. Characters with no VP left or with only NPC classes take 10 wound points, 5 if they save. Heroic characters take 10d6 to vitality, 5d6 if they save. The sticky part is when someone is close to being out of vitality. Then you have to see that, when they run out of VP, the damage rate changes. SO a character has 12 VP left. That is just a touch more than the average for three dice. So, drop three dice and they take one wound point per die for the remaining 7 or 2 dice, depending on whether or not they make their save.

Healing: Healing spells heal vitality. You can choose to have them heal wounds instead, but it heals one wound point per die and removes the fatigue associated with taking wound damage.

Traps: Many traps in 3E deal multiple dice of damage. I'd treat it like a fall. Reflex save, or the damage applies to wounds. The higher levels of Uncanny Dodge would be actually useful. If the trap deals multiple dice of damage, treat it like a spell. Note that actual falling damage does not convert damage dice like I described for spells. Pit traps will be deadly. In 3E, you worry more about the poisoned spikes or a pool of acid at the bottom than the actual fall; this changes with VP/WP![/b]

I have this feeling I missed something, but I can't see what. I've actually put a bit of thought into this, and the magic system is less problematic than I originaly thought. Perhaps I didn't need to rework the whole thing(the original plan). I still may want to use the Wheel of Time magic system, though. It should translate
fairly well.

Back to armor, though. I think that heavier armors should give a defense bonus as well as DR. It is just as incorrect to assume that armor did not deflect blows, as it is to assume that armor absorbs no damage. Try this, assuming a class defense bonus (which is from Star Wars, d20 Modern and Spycraft):

Armor (MK): Armor provides for both defense and protection from wound damage. The defense bonus will be +0 to +1 for light armors (really only chain shirt gives a bonus), +1 to +3 for medium armors, and +3 to +5 for heavy armors. The defense bonus does not stack with the class defense bonus, unless the character has the Armor Compatibility ability (Fighters, Paladins, other major combat types).

Armor Compatibility is from Wheel of Time, and I like it alot as part of a class defense bonus system.

Now, there may be some deviances from the actual Star Wars rules for VP/WP, but I hope I've kept them to a minimum. Hope that gives something useful to somebody...

-Fletch!

 

[El_Gringo]

[OT]If you want to make a pilot, you can't go wrong with a Duros. With a bonus to Dex and the Spacer feat, Duros make really good pilots and decent sharpshooters.


On topic, be sure to account for the subtle changes as well. In Star Wars, melee combat is secondary to ranged combat. Not true in D&D. Part of what makes Jedi cool is the ability to deflect blasters. Something gets lost in the translation when the blaster bolts turn into arrows. Then again, a Star Wars/D&D could be fun.


"These aren't the druids you're looking for."

 

[hong]

Sounds excellent mystraschosen! Another question - what would be the best way to transition VP/WP into HP?

http://www.zipworld.com.au/~hong/dnd/vpwp_dnd.htm

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

I would also recommend that you look up DragonStar.

I have a friend who finds that book infinitely useful in his D20 Star Wars DnD Crossover.

He also occasionally lurks on these boards so perhaps we will hear from him.

 

[Mirth]

Wow! Thanks for all of the great info. Keep em coming. Just to clarify, I'm looking for a conversion from VP/WP to HP rather than the other way around. Those conversions are great and I've already filed them for possible later use, but what I really want to do is just use 3e D&D as the system for running the game. So how do VP/WP translate to standard HP?

 

[mkletch]

Wow! Thanks for all of the great info. Keep em coming. Just to clarify, I'm looking for a conversion from VP/WP to HP rather than the other way around. Those conversions are great and I've already filed them for possible later use, but what I really want to do is just use 3e D&D as the system for running the game. So how do VP/WP translate to standard HP?

Just drop the whole concept of wound points. Vitality points basically are hit points in every way. Determined the same way, used the same way.

-Fletch!

 

[Goobermunch]

I agree with Fletch. Drop the wp/vp system and have force powers do subdual damage. Presto! You've got a system that keeps the main limitation on Jedi. StarWars classes get HP based on their VP die.

The only thing to keep an eye on is the interaction of subdual damage and clerical healing. However, given how quickly subdual damage and vitality damage heal, this isn't likely to be that big of a problem.

--G

 

[Dark Helmet]

[OT]On topic, be sure to account for the subtle changes as well. In Star Wars, melee combat is secondary to ranged combat. Not true in D&D. Part of what makes Jedi cool is the ability to deflect blasters. Something gets lost in the translation when the blaster bolts turn into arrows. Then again, a Star Wars/D&D could be fun.

In Star Wars/D&D, a Jedi would be a Monk (perhaps with Psychic Warrior levels).

Kwai-Gon Caine: Shaolin Jedi

Master Yoda: "When walk on rice paper and leave no trace, you can, strong with the Force, you will be, young Grasshopper."

 

[mystraschosen]

Master Yoda: "When walk on rice paper and leave no trace, you can, strong with the Force, you will be, young Grasshopper."

Ha ha hahaha funny funny funny