BRP Conversions

[sladethesniper]

Greetings all.

Since BRP is IMO, the best gaming system out there, I would like to see how our BRP community goes about converting good ideas from other systems to the beloved BRP.

I would ask that if you post something pulled from somewhere else, please put who made it. Also, if you disagree with how someone else does it,give your version and why you feel yours is better...simply saying "you're wrong" does nothing to further the hobby or your argument.

So, here are some that I found already on the forums. If there is already a thread with this topic, feel free to merge it friendly moderator

If there is a copyright issue, feel free to delete

West End Games D6 to BRP by Wolverine (Nathan Baron)

I'm using the equipment straight out of the BRP book. One thing I must point out is, because Star Wars is very heroic, hit points are worked out using CON+SIZ as a total. BRP is a very gritty system, and can very horrific when it comes to personal combat. A critical and that's scratch one player character. That's why I doubled hit points for heroic characters. That includes major antagonists, such as Darth Vader, to represent the threat they pose. Non-heroic characters, such as Stormtroopers and the like, then keep hit points as normal. A blaster bolt should fell them easily.

I've decided that if you have 5D in a skill, a player simply adds +50% to the relevant skill base in BRP

For converting characteristics, here is an idea:

1D = 8
2D = 10
3D = 12
4D = 15
5D = 18

New = Original WEG
STR = Strength
DEX = Dexterity
CON = Strength
SIZ = Roll for using normal rules
INT = Knowledge + Technical divided by 2
POW = Perception + Technical divided by 2
APP = Perception + Knowledge divided by 2

Traveller to BRP by Stefan Matthias Aust
Traveller/BRP Rules

Fallen Future: Cyberthulhu Gaming by Sandy Antunes (Psuedo converstion from Cyberpunk)
Fallen Future: Cyberthulhu Gaming

GURPS to BRP by Aycorn (SIZ by Joseph Paul)
Okay, as requested.

Basically, it's like this =

ST = STR
DX = DEX
IQ = INT
HT = CON
APP = APP or CHA
WILL = could be translated to POW. Or not.
SIZ = Racial maximums for some of the BRP games was highest roll plus the # of dice rolled I believe, which would take a 3d6 human to 21. That makes a 2d6+6 trait top out at 20 then.

For SIZ you could consult some of the different weight to SIZ charts that were part of different BRP games. Jason has written that there is a SIZ chart included in the new one. Weight in GURPS does not seem to come into play all that much but there is a table for rolling it. You may need to wing SIZ for the spear carriers and NPCs though.

In Superworld weight over SIZ 20 is found by wt(kilos)=2^(SIZ/8)*25. This does not work below SIZ 20, does anyone know what was used for that? Anyone want to take a stab at rearanging that formula so that you can input SIZ and it will spit out mass?

That's really pretty much it. After that, just ignore GURPS ratings and plug in appropriate ones from BRP. If you understand BRP, that shouldn't be at all difficult.

Only potential tricky part is that GURPS allows well over 18. You'd just have to make a decision - over 18? Or stop at 18?

All in all, GURPS > BRP should be a piece of cake.

D20 to BRP by me

Ability Scores
The same six ability scores used in D20 are used in BRP, with some additions. Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence transfer directly over to BRP without modification. Charisma becomes Appearance. Education is equal to INT+WIS divided by 2. Power is equal to Wisdom.

For races that do not have a D20 corollary, use the following table to find their racial speed.

Racial Mod	Speed (default 8 for humans)
10’ round	2 SPD
15’ round	4 SPD
20’ round	6 SPD
25’ round	8 SPD
30’ round	10 SPD
35’ round	12 SPD
40’ round	14 SPD
45’ round	16 SPD
50’ round	18 SPD
55’ round	20 SPD
60’ round	22 SPD
65’ round	24 SPD
70’ round	26 SPD

Ability score modifiers and attribute checks
When converting from D20 to BRP, ability bonuses are lost. Make sure to remove ability bonuses from skills before converting.

Classes
BRP does not have classes, and class level is immaterial in conversion.

Skills
The difficulty of converting from D20 to BRP is that most of the skills used in D20 are very broad based. D20 skill ranks x 5% = BRP skill ratings
Spells should be counted as skills. The level + 1 of the Spell is the Power cost to cast. The % of the skill is determined as follows (Level of the caster – the level of the spell) x 5% equals the skill percentage.

Feats
Feats will translate into a skill or act as bonus for other skills or abilities or as situational modifiers.

Alignment
There is no alignment in BRP.

Damage
Use BRP equivalents for weapons. Magic damage remains unchanged (although due to the low hp of BRP, you may want to reduce magic damage by ½ or by ¼ depending on the GM’s discretion)

Hit Points
Determine as per BRP (SIZ + CON)/2

Armor Class
Use BRP equivalents, although magic weapons and armor should retain their bonuses (although instead of an AC bonus, it becomes an AV bonus)

Rules
The following rules are easily able to be shifted into BRP without any difficulty; Initiative, Actions per round, Injury and death, Movement and Position, Combat modifiers and Attacks of Opportunity.

Difficulty Class
To change a D20 Difficulty Class to a BRP difficulty modifier, multiply the DC by 2.

I know there is a Dark Heresy conversion somewhere on here and I am looking forward to any others people may have. I will dig out my palladium notes soon and post those.

-STS

[Wolverine]

West End Games D6 to BRP by Wolverine (Nathan Baron)

I will be writing up the basics for BRP Star Wars, if anyone is interested. It seems a lot of people are. Of course, I still have my BRP Sharpe scenarios sitting on my hard drive. They need working on too! I'll post up the files on PDF, once I've worked on them.

[frogspawner]

Originally Posted by sladethesniper

Since BRP is IMO, the best gaming system out there, I would like to see how our BRP community goes about converting good ideas from other systems to the beloved BRP. ...

D20 to BRP by me...

Yes! And hopefully there'll be a big demand for this particular conversion very soon.

I feel like I've been doing not much else for the last 10 years or so and would like to hear more details. Is your D20>BRP conversion theoretical, or have you actually been using/living/breathing it?

[MattyHelms]

Nice work getting these up, STS!

Originally Posted by sladethesniper

Alignment
There is no alignment in BRP.

The Allegiance system is a nice replacement for alignment.

Originally Posted by sladethesniper

I will dig out my palladium notes soon and post those.

Be careful of that one - Palladium tends to get system conversions pulled off the Internet.

-Matt

[PK Games]

Originally Posted by sladethesniper

Greetings all.

D20 to BRP by me

Ability Scores
The same six ability scores used in D20 are used in BRP, with some additions. Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence transfer directly over to BRP without modification. Charisma becomes Appearance. Education is equal to INT+WIS divided by 2. Power is equal to Wisdom.

EDU should be modified by level. This would help represent characters who have higher levels having more general knowledge, keep the max at 18 or whatever, but it should be worked into the equation.

Originally Posted by sladethesniper

Classes
BRP does not have classes, and class level is immaterial in conversion.

But it does have professions. Classes should deteremine what skills are available for starting characters, much like professions. I have been looking at Fading Suns D20 and doing just that, using the SRD and OGL to translate those D20 skills to BRP.

Originally Posted by sladethesniper

Skills
The difficulty of converting from D20 to BRP is that most of the skills used in D20 are very broad based. D20 skill ranks x 5% = BRP skill ratings
Spells should be counted as skills. The level + 1 of the Spell is the Power cost to cast. The % of the skill is determined as follows (Level of the caster – the level of the spell) x 5% equals the skill percentage.

Seems kind of low %, by that logic most fighters will have two skills at 20% to start with. Seems weak and boring. Try x10% and leave ability score modifiers in the game at +3% or +5% per +1.

If using Education or other means to determine starting skills, ignore any D20 skills and use them as a guide for spending skill points. For a quick reference just multiply the exisiting D20 skill bonus (which usually has feat and ability score modifiers already added in) by 7% or so.

Originally Posted by sladethesniper

Feats
Feats will translate into a skill or act as bonus for other skills or abilities or as situational modifiers.

Ignore feats unless using them to translate into powers or other abilities. Of course as skill modifiers and other "fluff" or "flavor" material they may be handy descriptive terms.

Originally Posted by sladethesniper

Alignment
There is no alignment in BRP.

True, but alignments really dont screw the game up any, they just add role playing guidance.

Originally Posted by sladethesniper

Damage
Use BRP equivalents for weapons. Magic damage remains unchanged (although due to the low hp of BRP, you may want to reduce magic damage by ½ or by ¼ depending on the GM’s discretion)

Hit Points
Determine as per BRP (SIZ + CON)/2

I would use SIZ+CON and leave it at that. Perhaps (SIZ+CON)/2 for non-consequential NPCs and thugs, but named characters should get an edge. Reduce damage accordingly for spells and what not, afterall with no real level system in BRP the best a character really does is crits and impales, so the higher the spell ability the better the chance of crit or impale.

Originally Posted by sladethesniper

Armor Class
Use BRP equivalents, although magic weapons and armor should retain their bonuses (although instead of an AC bonus, it becomes an AV bonus)

Makes perfect sense. D&D style AC never made sense in any game I ever played, especially D20 Modern. I kind of accept it in classic OD&D or BD&D as part of the early RPG Game flavor, but dont like it in modern "new" style games. I prefer soak values over "Im in plate, you cant hit me" concepts.

Originally Posted by sladethesniper

Rules

Difficulty Class
To change a D20 Difficulty Class to a BRP difficulty modifier, multiply the DC by 2.

Sounds reasonable, or create a chart telling you what class of difficulty the skill becomes based on the DC.

Originally Posted by sladethesniper

I know there is a Dark Heresy conversion somewhere on here and I am looking forward to any others people may have. I will dig out my palladium notes soon and post those.

Dark Heresy to BRP. Give it to me now.

You know, I always sort of liked Rifts (the first 5 or 6 books at least) but never liked the Palladium system (except in TMNT&OS where it made the game feel like a very bad 1970s clay-mation movie). I would like to see Palladium games take their Rifts to the OGL world even if they released it with D20 or Mongoose RQ. Heck, surprises me they havent tried that yet, since they, you know, need the money.

[PK Games]

Originally Posted by sladethesniper

Spells should be counted as skills. The level + 1 of the Spell is the Power cost to cast. The % of the skill is determined as follows (Level of the caster – the level of the spell) x 5% equals the skill percentage.
-STS

Dont know how i missed this. This implies a 1st level caster could never cast a 1st level spell. How about this.

Chance to cast spell=50%+(Caster Level x5%)-(Spell Level x5%), with feats and other spell abilities adding modifiers. Components and gestures could also be calculated into this effect.

you could make it Caster's POW vs Spell Level X2 and use the resistance/opposition table.

Or just allow them to allocate skill points to said spell as a normal skill.

[DirkD]

Trying to convert skills, abilities and feats from d20 to brp by a formula is pointless in my opinion. You can't really measure the power of a character that easily, especially if you combine the right feats with magical items and spells. The work that is necessary to make a list of bonusses for hundreds (or thousands if you use all the books) of feats isn't worth it. Converting characters is more an art than a science.

I would look at the d20 character concept and transfer it to brp. That means a high level fighter who uses a longsword and spends nearly all of his feats to be better at combat would be something similar in brp. Just make a really good fighter and round him out with some background skills that seem to fit. It's faster and you get better results - the systems are too different for an 1:1 approach.

[frogspawner]

Originally Posted by DirkD

Trying to convert skills, abilities and feats from d20 to brp by a formula is pointless in my opinion. You can't really measure the power of a character that easily...

True - almost. But I'd say there is a point: a formula can provide a good starting point. Certainly it shouldn't be graven in stone, if a particular character doesn't seem to come out right.

What makes "a really good fighter" isn't well defined. Some long-standing campaigns can produce Heroes with skills about 150%, others 400%, others 2000%! All are fine. Formulae can give a good objective yardstick to use. (Even if some campaigns apply a multiplier! Though it might be nice to agree an 'industry standard' Hero...)

[frogspawner]

Originally Posted by sladethesniper

Spells should be counted as skills. The level + 1 of the Spell is the Power cost to cast. The % of the skill is determined as follows (Level of the caster – the level of the spell) x 5% equals the skill percentage.

Originally Posted by PK Games

Dont know how i missed this. This implies a 1st level caster could never cast a 1st level spell. How about this.

Chance to cast spell=50%+(Caster Level x5%)-(Spell Level x5%), with feats and other spell abilities adding modifiers. Components and gestures could also be calculated into this effect.

you could make it Caster's POW vs Spell Level X2 and use the resistance/opposition table.

Or just allow them to allocate skill points to said spell as a normal skill.

The main trouble with any of these methods is the uncertainty they bring to spell-casting. In D20, you try to cast a spell and it happens. Replace that with one of the above systems (where a spell might only have an 80%, or even 50%, chance of working in the face of an onrushing enemy) and quite soon the wizards are dead.

In my (X years old) BRP-style campaign the latest system I've been using for D20-style spells says the spell works even when the skill-roll fails - but with half effect.

(With that proviso, any of the above formulae would be fine - including STS's original.)

[DirkD]

Originally Posted by frogspawner

Formulae can give a good objective yardstick to use. (Even if some campaigns apply a multiplier! Though it might be nice to agree an 'industry standard' Hero...)

There is nothing objective about a formula where the weight of the variables is chosen subjectively. It gives you to feel of something solid, but it is not.

Of course it is harder to define the "punch" of a character in brp and the percentages may vary, but that is more an argument against a formula. The fighter was just an example - to make a good conversion, you have to look what defines a character and what makes him "tick". Then you look at your brp campaign (which will usually have a different power-level) and put the character in relation to similar characters in that environment. D&D and BRP are just to different to take the formula-approach, at least for me.