Starting my Pathfinder game in Sept but Bestiary won't be out until Oct. HELP!


Conversions

Liberty's Edge

How difficult is it to convert OGL beasties to PFRPG? I want to give my players the full experience of this absolutely beautiful system and not short change the experience of fighting the variuos monsters (i.e. niether making the critters too hard nor too easy). How involved (if at all) is it and is there a "quick and dirty" way to do it. My game is coming up soon so any help would be appreciated!


The quick and dirty way:
Step 1 -- Calculate the monster's CMB/CMD.
Step 2 -- You're done.

Liberty's Edge

hogarth wrote:

The quick and dirty way:

Step 1 -- Calculate the monster's CMB/CMD.
Step 2 -- You're done.

Really, that's it? Oh joy! Rapture! Thank you so much! I'd hug you if I wasn't deathly afraid of a lawsuit!


Kevida wrote:
hogarth wrote:

The quick and dirty way:

Step 1 -- Calculate the monster's CMB/CMD.
Step 2 -- You're done.
Really, that's it? Oh joy! Rapture! Thank you so much! I'd hug you if I wasn't deathly afraid of a lawsuit!

I've seen some people recommend bumping up the HP a little bit, too. YMMV.


Or use only monsters from the bonus bestiary...I'd kind of like to see that as an exercise in discipline and imagination.

Liberty's Edge

Mairkurion {tm} wrote:
Or use only monsters from the bonus bestiary...I'd kind of like to see that as an exercise in discipline and imagination.

The only problem with that is that I am going to be running the AP of "Rise of the Runelords" and my players are going to be creating characters using either the "Beta" rules or (if I get it in time to start) the actual Core rules. I will need to convert the critters in that AP from OGL to PFRPG so said critters will be a challenge. That's a fine idea otherwise!

Scarab Sages

hogarth wrote:
Kevida wrote:
hogarth wrote:

The quick and dirty way:

Step 1 -- Calculate the monster's CMB/CMD.
Step 2 -- You're done.
Really, that's it? Oh joy! Rapture! Thank you so much! I'd hug you if I wasn't deathly afraid of a lawsuit!
I've seen some people recommend bumping up the HP a little bit, too. YMMV.

I'm one of those:

Under Beta, I upped the HP to 80%...but you also just drop the CR by 1.

I think someone has already converted the RotRL mobs to Beta...


Kevida wrote:
How difficult is it to convert OGL beasties to PFRPG? I want to give my players the full experience of this absolutely beautiful system and not short change the experience of fighting the variuos monsters (i.e. niether making the critters too hard nor too easy). How involved (if at all) is it and is there a "quick and dirty" way to do it. My game is coming up soon so any help would be appreciated!

I've just finished Burnt Offerings (I'm the DM).

We used the Beta -XP were "Fast Track". I maxed all monsters HP, calculated CMB. Apart from that I just ran it as written and It worked just fine.

Nualia was far too easy- should I run this again, I'd boost her - she just had a hard time hitting the PC's. Enlarge Person doesn't really help her much, so I'd take that away and give her something that woud make her able to hit something once in a while).

GRU

Dark Archive

And, most undead now get what is called 'Unholy Toughness' (?) in 3.5, i.e. their CHA modifier to HPs.

Otherwise the conversion is as easy as others have said (note: there may be some "tweaks" to monster abilities and numbers in the final product, but most of them your players won't even notice).


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

I've been running Rise of the Runelords under Alpha/Beta since those came out, without any changes (other than calculating CMB) - no troubles at all.

I imagine a fight with Nualia can be very swingy - in mine she didn't hit much (low rolls) but still lasted a long time.


Also note, in the Bonus Bestiary, monster types now conform to the paradigm of BAB and hit die being consistent with one another. I.E. outsiders, with their fighter BAB, now have a d10 hit die. Dragons of course still get their d12. Undead, on the other hand, have been bumped down to d8s to compensate for their new bonus hp, and have been bumped up to cleric BAB rather than wizard.

At first glance they didn't change much in the new versions of monsters for PRPG, but after doing a side-by-side comparison between my Bonus Bestiary and my old Monster Manual, it's clear they gave all the monsters a pretty solid overhaul. Hp went up across the board, ACs generally got a bit of a buff (the water naga went up from somewhere in the ballpark of 15 to 20), etc.

Liberty's Edge

GRU wrote:

I've just finished Burnt Offerings (I'm the DM).

We used the Beta -XP were "Fast Track". I maxed all monsters HP, calculated CMB. Apart from that I just ran it as written and It worked just fine.

Nualia was far too easy- should I run this again, I'd boost her - she just had a hard time hitting the PC's. Enlarge Person doesn't really help her much, so I'd take that away and give her something that woud make her able to hit something once in a while).

GRU

Nualia was far too easy. My players also use the BETA and we just hit Skulls Crossing (I am the GM).

Anyway, I also maxed the HP, added one or two points to AC and gave as well one or two additional feats. I changed the stats of Xaneesah and Lucrecia, and kept them as they are (which was hard enough).

Monsters are generally tougher now, especially undead (that's my impression). For undead I added 1/4 hp on the fly (remember I maxed the hp) and the fights seemed to work fine so far.

But the dirtiest way to "pathfinderize" monsters on the fly is to let them last a couple of rounds longer. In the end, your players won't realize the difference.


Kevida wrote:
...I am going to be running the AP of "Rise of the Runelords" and my players are going to be creating characters using either the "Beta" rules or (if I get it in time to start) the actual Core rules. I will need to convert the critters in that AP from OGL to PFRPG so said critters will be a challenge. That's a fine idea otherwise!

Another vote for quick and dirty. I'm currently running RotR (halfway through Skinsaw Murders). Max out the HP, do CMB on the fly, that's it.

My lot are finding it tough - regularly losing PCs. Nualia got one, Malfeshnekor another.


The only problem with monster I see is the to hit bonus often can't hit the fighters. It's not as apparent at the low leves but you level 11 with Armor training giving +6 AC due increased Dex bonus and the Shield focus feat for 2 more AC and Dodge for an 1 AC you end up with some monsters trying to hit a fighter that has 9 more AC than the 3.5 fighter would have. This means those monster can't hit with out rolling a 20.

What I've done is added feats to the Monsters such a weapon foucs and greater weapon focus. That seems to work ok as it doesn't give too much of bonus to hit but enough that you can hit the fighter on 18-20 in most cases. While the other classes usually get hit on 12-20 semi melee types and 8-20 for the non melee types.

It's just something to keep in mind when you see a Monster two CRs higher than the ACL that only +10 to hit when the ACs are 30 on the fighters. If you design your own encounters you can avoid this but using premade adventures you might want tweak the monsters a bit if you have a fighter in the group.

Liberty's Edge

Well I used a character creator for PFRPG that someone made using Excel.These little guys are tougher using this! This should give them a challenge! Bythe way my gaming group is eight members strong so any challenge is a good one! Here is the link to said generator!
Free Character Generator Available Online Outputs As Character Sheet Or As BBcode

Dark Archive

hogarth wrote:


I've seen some people recommend bumping up the HP a little bit, too. YMMV.

Jack up the monsters' hps to maximum for their hit die. Definitely increases their toughness but technically within their CR.

Liberty's Edge

So, any other helpful hints?


I just finished Burnt Offerings this week. It was our 10th game session of about 4 hours, though I did have them on a side quest. We were running Beta Rules, and will convert to final on our next game session after Gen Con.

As Above:

Figure out CMB/CMD
Up the Hps a little

I took the time and re-did any of the monsters/NPCs who had class levels. Sometimes it means more feats or new powers and can help them stand in there a little longer.


Tangible Delusions wrote:

Figure out CMB/CMD
Up the Hps a little

That's what I've done.

Liberty's Edge

Okay, thank you every one of you! :-)

Liberty's Edge

Okay so I have the Rise of the Runelords Player's Guide and all of the applicable Adventure paths. Is there anything that will help add even more life to these APs?

Liberty's Edge

Well it looks like some of the players before me decided not to run a game after all. Now I start on the 22nd! Well, everyone wish my luck!


Kevida wrote:
Well it looks like some of the players before me decided not to run a game after all. Now I start on the 22nd! Well, everyone wish my luck!

Hey Kevida!

Check out the ROTRL forums.

There is an ridiculous amount of GM aids, advice, maps, lists, sidequests, errata, diagrams, standee tokens, illustrations, handouts, voice recordings, item cards, and probably a few things I forgot. All for the AP you are about to run! I use this stuff so much, I now consider it to be half the value of the books!

Be sure to check in on the Community Created Stuff thread, stickied at the top. Start at the end of the thread and work back to one of Gr4ys's compiled lists of stuff! You won't regret it!


Mairkurion {tm} wrote:
Or use only monsters from the bonus bestiary...I'd kind of like to see that as an exercise in discipline and imagination.

I tried it on Sunday and it didn't work out too well.

I had a group of two Lv 3 players, so I really needed some low CR monsters. The Bonus Bestiary was the only resource I had available at the time, so I chose the Allip and the Dragon Faerie. It turned out to be the longest, most boring fight ever. Hardly any damage was dealt.

If my CR limit had been higher, maybe things would have worked out a little better!


Shadow13.com wrote:
Mairkurion {tm} wrote:
Or use only monsters from the bonus bestiary...I'd kind of like to see that as an exercise in discipline and imagination.

I tried it on Sunday and it didn't work out too well.

I had a group of two Lv 3 players, so I really needed some low CR monsters. The Bonus Bestiary was the only resource I had available at the time, so I chose the Allip and the Dragon Faerie. It turned out to be the longest, most boring fight ever. Hardly any damage was dealt.

If my CR limit had been higher, maybe things would have worked out a little better!

I can see that as a problem, but the low CR critters should take the least amount of conversion. Heck, When I start my players on the new game, I may not really convert anything below CR 3, except to add CMB/CMD

Sovereign Court

Kevida wrote:
Okay so I have the Rise of the Runelords Player's Guide and all of the applicable Adventure paths. Is there anything that will help add even more life to these APs?

If I were to suggest anything it would be Gods And Magic - good for PCs and GM flavour.

But, in all honesty, at the time that was all Paizo had, so you're good to go.

Liberty's Edge

22nd is coming soon. My stomach is in knots with excitment!


i did the following for a grupe of 6 players running RotRL ap.¨

step 1 calc. monster CMB and CMD

step2 giving monster 1 extra hp pr hitdie, adjusting ac(for dodge if the monster has that feat)

step3: reworked major villans/monster giving them new feats according to class lvl

and done. use fast track exp

if u have 8 players the i sugest u give major villans some extra pets/goons to help them a little...and on a final note be carfull with the end enemy of the 2nd adventure she can be a real party killer

Dark Archive

Pathfinder Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber
Kevida wrote:
22nd is coming soon. My stomach is in knots with excitment!

Do note that Goblins are the primary opponent in Burnt offerings, and the Goblin is in the bestiary preview.

Dark Archive

I have been running Burnt Offerings for the past couple months now using Beta rules. They just finished the top level of Thistletop, reached enough experience to hit level 3 (well technically they hit that last session but I require them to rest before they level), and I got the Core book so we are leveling and converting. I also have a lot of time on my hands and so I have been going through converting every enemy in the AP. For monsters I pretty much just add CMB, revamp skills, and call it a day. For classed enemies I make sure to add the extra class abilities, feats, etc in addition to the other changes. It has worked out well for us: fights are challenging but not lethal and generally are neither too short nor too long.

The Exchange

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

Looking over the Bonus Bestiary: elementals, humanoids and monstrous humanoids have been promoted to d10 (from d8). Undead changed to d8 + Cha Mod from d12 (no mod).

Liberty's Edge

Just an update. Everything is going well so far! So far we have:
Halfling Bard
Human Rogue
Elven Barbarian (don't ask!*)
Elven Fighter (The player of this one is trying to munchkin by having her raised by Dwarves*)
Half-Orc Holy Warrior variant Cleric (OMG this guy's role-playing is stupedous!)
Half-Elf Ranger (Who acts more elven than the "Elves")
Human Paladin

Not a bad group! They have just completed the Glassworks and are heading into the Caves of Wrath. They have had it pretty easy. Now comes the fun part (for me anyway)!

*These character are being played by my two munchkins.

Community / Forums / Pathfinder / Pathfinder First Edition / Conversions / Starting my Pathfinder game in Sept but Bestiary won't be out until Oct. HELP! All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.