lastbesthope
Mongoose
So one of my favourite RPGs exists in d20, but I want to convert it to Traveller, can anyone give me any advice on how to go about it?
Cheers
LBH
Cheers
LBH
Converting d20 to Traveller
- Thread starter lastbesthope
- Start date
From my experience with conversions, a "literal" conversion with formu-
las and tables and thelike usually is a lot of effort and does not really work
well. So, if I want to convert something, I attempt to re-create what I like
of the original game with the means of the new system, without looking at
the stats of the original game.
For example, if I wanted to "translate" a certain career or profession from
another game into Traveller, I would note what makes that career or pro-
fession special, and then try to model this with a Traveller career - I would
not try to convert the stats of the original career, only to capture its "feel".
las and tables and thelike usually is a lot of effort and does not really work
well. So, if I want to convert something, I attempt to re-create what I like
of the original game with the means of the new system, without looking at
the stats of the original game.
For example, if I wanted to "translate" a certain career or profession from
another game into Traveller, I would note what makes that career or pro-
fession special, and then try to model this with a Traveller career - I would
not try to convert the stats of the original career, only to capture its "feel".
Simple, multiple everything by 0.3! 
Seriously, the die mechanics is just about probabilities. You want them to be equivalent - whether linear (d6, d66) or non-linear (2d6, 3d6) - the probabilities should be lined up as best you can. Obviously things won't line up perfectly. The biggest discrepencies will be when accounting for DMs (rounding means some will have no effect and others an exaggerated effect).
Other aspects - like feats, hit points, etc. - may not transfer well, nor need to. As rust says, go for the feel.
Don't know how good this is, but here is a d20 to Star Wars conversion.
Seriously, the die mechanics is just about probabilities. You want them to be equivalent - whether linear (d6, d66) or non-linear (2d6, 3d6) - the probabilities should be lined up as best you can. Obviously things won't line up perfectly. The biggest discrepencies will be when accounting for DMs (rounding means some will have no effect and others an exaggerated effect).
Other aspects - like feats, hit points, etc. - may not transfer well, nor need to. As rust says, go for the feel.
Don't know how good this is, but here is a d20 to Star Wars conversion.
dmccoy1693
Cosmic Mongoose
The two are rather fundamentally different systems. One assumes that every so often your total power increases. The other assumes that characters are going to be relatively the same throughout the course of a full campaign. The way of attempting to find a straight conversion lies madness.
Having said that, there are some lessons that can be taken from the differences between T20 and Traveller.
That's all I can think of off the top of my head. Was there something other specific advice you were looking for?
Having said that, there are some lessons that can be taken from the differences between T20 and Traveller.
- Capture the flavor of a Class with a Career. I know this one is kind of obvious, but if you build a Career to emulate a d20 class, the game begins to take on the feel of the setting.
- Custom skill checks (or skill tricks). Feats do not exist in the base game of Traveller. A similar concept was added to Judge Dredd. I'm not sure exactly what Stronium Dogg has, but I imagine it has something similar. You can add them if you desire, but there's an easier way: Skill Tricks (as I like to call them). These are just new uses for existing skills that have a minimum skill proficiency. So something like Two-Weapon Fighting could allow anyone with a Melee of 2+ or something to make two attacks (one with each weapon), each with a -1 DM.
- Vancian Magic I'm not really sure what to say on this one except use Psionics as a template.
- Monsters. Creatures of Distant Worlds Compendium is my best suggestion. [/shameless plug]
- Energy Weapons A star wars blaster (conceptually speaking) is similar to a B5 PPG is similar to a Traveller energy weapon. Simply rename the weapons in the base book (or in the CSC) to the specifics of the setting.
That's all I can think of off the top of my head. Was there something other specific advice you were looking for?
Baron_Vulk_Morden
Mongoose
Anyone done any Star Wars ship conversions to Traveller?
lastbesthope
Mongoose
NEar future sci-fi
LBH
LBH
superc0ntra
Mongoose
Convert the flavor, not the mechanics
Armageddon:2089? 
Anyway, I agree with superc0ntra. Since the mechanics are not that similar and character development is not even remotely similar, you have to think outside the box.
1) Is there already a career in Traveller that would work as is or at least as a basis for the substitute for the class in d20 system?
It is good to remember that your character is not a 1st level character and is not all that likely to improve much during the game.
2) Can you find similar weapons, armor, equipment and vehicles already from Traveller? If not, then try and find some benchmarks to use to interpolate the stats for the stuff that you need.
Anyway, I agree with superc0ntra. Since the mechanics are not that similar and character development is not even remotely similar, you have to think outside the box.
1) Is there already a career in Traveller that would work as is or at least as a basis for the substitute for the class in d20 system?
It is good to remember that your character is not a 1st level character and is not all that likely to improve much during the game.
2) Can you find similar weapons, armor, equipment and vehicles already from Traveller? If not, then try and find some benchmarks to use to interpolate the stats for the stuff that you need.
lastbesthope
Mongoose
Thanks for all the advice
LBH
LBH
outrider11us
Mongoose
there is a t20 traveller available but not for much longer. It was by quicklink interactive.
Baron_Vulk_Morden said:
When I was in junior high I did. Those notes are long gone though.
I recall the primary issue was in jump drives and fuel. Traveller jump capable ships are 100 tons+ and large amounts of fuel are needed. Neither is the case in Star Wars. A.i. X-wings would probably be considered small craft in Traveller and the Falcon didn't appear to have a huge gas tank.
I recall I extended the PP/MD/JD tables in big black book Traveller downwards to include smaller ships. I don't recall what I did with the issue of large gas tanks and refueling that didn't seem to exist in Star Wars. Reducing fuel tonnage might free up too much space for other things upsetting the ship designs. I would say you might need to greatly increase the size of the PP and MD to take up space that is freed by dropping the amount of fuel needed?
Nathan Brazil
Banded Mongoose
Hi I have been working on this sticky problem for a long time, I had come up with some general rules of thumb for conversion, some of it provides guidelines for flavor, some were mechanics
A.The basis for feel in any game might be the description of difficulties
In Traveller you have checks and descriptive difficulty
2 Simple
4 Easy
6 Routine
8 Average
10 Difficult
12 Very Difficult
14 Formidible
Similarly in d20 you have DC's and a descriptive difficulty
0 Very Easy
5 Easy
10 Average
15 Tough
20 Challenging
25 Formidable
30 Heroic
35 Superheroic
40 Nearly Impossible
Hmm.....
Check Traveller = DC D20
2 Simple = 0 Very Easy
4 Easy = 5 Easy
6 Routine = 8 (?)
8 Average = 10 Average
10 Difficult = 15 Tough
12 Very Difficult = 20 Challenging
14 Formidible = 25 Formidable
16 = 30 Heroic
18 = 35 Superheroic
20 = 40 Nearly Impossible
Not perfect, but why not....
B.Stats
Well, an unmodified human has
In Traveller, a range of 2-12 centered on 7 with an unmodified natural maximum of 15
In D20, a range of 3-18 centered on 10 with an unmodified natural maximum of 23 (those +5 points for 20 levels). At least if you are not doing epic stuff
So it seems that at least
Traveller = D20
2 = 3
7 = 10
12 = 18
15 = 23
or something like that.
Now as to what attribute converts to what. STR, DEX, CON are pretty easy. Because of its influence on psionic resistance checks in other areas in Traveller then it use as Will saves in D20, I suggest using D20 Wisdom as Traveller Intelligence. Because of it use in skill ranks, D20 Intelligence is Traveller Education. This is not perfect as D20 Intelligence directly relates to animals vs sentients, but as was said above, conversions are not perfect. Also, I still have not figured out what to do with D20 Charisma does not relate to Social Standing and Humans are not Vargr (least not the ones I know).
C.Skill ranks
Because of the assumptions in part A and B, Traveller places a different emphasis on the relative importance of a skill level vs characteristic DM in its checks as opposed to D20 ranks in a skill vs attribute bonus in a DC. Seems to me that if you separate the total D20 bonus into skill ranks and attribute bonus, you can start doing conversions.
Now that you have your skill ranks, in D20 have at most 23 ranks by 20 level.
Hmm....
Having a single skill rank somewhat like having a skill level of 0. Having 23 ranks may rate you at a skill level of 4 or even higher. Divide by 4 or 5 (round up or down) or some other number, and you have something like a conversion of you may need. I found dividing by 5 and rounding down, you get a pretty good range ranks to skill levels. Even works for Base Attack Bonus, when you think about it.
A.The basis for feel in any game might be the description of difficulties
In Traveller you have checks and descriptive difficulty
2 Simple
4 Easy
6 Routine
8 Average
10 Difficult
12 Very Difficult
14 Formidible
Similarly in d20 you have DC's and a descriptive difficulty
0 Very Easy
5 Easy
10 Average
15 Tough
20 Challenging
25 Formidable
30 Heroic
35 Superheroic
40 Nearly Impossible
Hmm.....
Check Traveller = DC D20
2 Simple = 0 Very Easy
4 Easy = 5 Easy
6 Routine = 8 (?)
8 Average = 10 Average
10 Difficult = 15 Tough
12 Very Difficult = 20 Challenging
14 Formidible = 25 Formidable
16 = 30 Heroic
18 = 35 Superheroic
20 = 40 Nearly Impossible
Not perfect, but why not....
B.Stats
Well, an unmodified human has
In Traveller, a range of 2-12 centered on 7 with an unmodified natural maximum of 15
In D20, a range of 3-18 centered on 10 with an unmodified natural maximum of 23 (those +5 points for 20 levels). At least if you are not doing epic stuff
So it seems that at least
Traveller = D20
2 = 3
7 = 10
12 = 18
15 = 23
or something like that.
Now as to what attribute converts to what. STR, DEX, CON are pretty easy. Because of its influence on psionic resistance checks in other areas in Traveller then it use as Will saves in D20, I suggest using D20 Wisdom as Traveller Intelligence. Because of it use in skill ranks, D20 Intelligence is Traveller Education. This is not perfect as D20 Intelligence directly relates to animals vs sentients, but as was said above, conversions are not perfect. Also, I still have not figured out what to do with D20 Charisma does not relate to Social Standing and Humans are not Vargr (least not the ones I know).
C.Skill ranks
Because of the assumptions in part A and B, Traveller places a different emphasis on the relative importance of a skill level vs characteristic DM in its checks as opposed to D20 ranks in a skill vs attribute bonus in a DC. Seems to me that if you separate the total D20 bonus into skill ranks and attribute bonus, you can start doing conversions.
Now that you have your skill ranks, in D20 have at most 23 ranks by 20 level.
Hmm....
Having a single skill rank somewhat like having a skill level of 0. Having 23 ranks may rate you at a skill level of 4 or even higher. Divide by 4 or 5 (round up or down) or some other number, and you have something like a conversion of you may need. I found dividing by 5 and rounding down, you get a pretty good range ranks to skill levels. Even works for Base Attack Bonus, when you think about it.
Nathan Brazil
Banded Mongoose
There are also some approved products out for creature conversions and such.
Samardan Press came out with Flynn's Guide to Alien Creation and Flynn's Guide to Magic in Traveller. These have the OGL and use the D20 SRD, so someone has already done much of the hard work of what SRD features convert to. I do not like the Guide to Magic as much, but as it does not give me enough of a D20 feel, that is me.
Samardan Press came out with Flynn's Guide to Alien Creation and Flynn's Guide to Magic in Traveller. These have the OGL and use the D20 SRD, so someone has already done much of the hard work of what SRD features convert to. I do not like the Guide to Magic as much, but as it does not give me enough of a D20 feel, that is me.
lastbesthope
Mongoose
Thanks Nathan
LBH
LBH
