I was considering taking the framework of an existing Adventure Path and moving it to Starfinder, but I'm a bit concerned.
The narrative conversions are already tricky enough, but I'm worried that Loot and Skill DCs would be hard to convert, and I dunno if I wanna go through all of that work yet when I can just grab Dead Suns when it comes out.
Has anyone with the book tried converting stuff? How well has it gone?
I'm thinking of doing the same, actually. I have the Jade Regent path, but my group ran into some issues and we only had a session or two (I had previously been a player in that path with a different group). I was thinking of restarting it as a Starfinder campaign.
I figure a lot of the travel sections (my prior group ignored the caravan parts) could be replaced by space travel and encounters. And I think I have a framework for adapting the story, I'm just worried about adapting the characters and encounters. Monsters, like the core rules say, can just be mostly left alone. Characters...little more difficult.
I did some playing around with Shadow in the Sky with an eye towards doing this with Second Darkness, and I'd pretty much say I'm in agreement with Mad Paladin. You can probably more or less use the monsters as is from the Bestiaries, but you're going to want to redo the NPCs, which is tricky. The only way to really rework them until the Alien Archive comes out is to do a full class rebuild, as there just isn't enough info to be able to effectively use the Simple Monster rules from PF Unchained to do them. You could probably get away with trying it with some of the low-level NPCs, who aren't likely to need a lot of template grafts, but without some more detail about what the templates would look like for higher level NPCs its very tricky.
And when you are dealing with high level spellcasters, it will probably get even more difficult, given the lower spell levels and the much reduced spell choices in SF.
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I think the skull and shackles AP would make a great conversion.
Anything ship is now space ship!
All the islands are space ports and moons and asteroids instead
Space Pirates sounds way more fun than just plain Pirates. Of course Space Pirate Ninjas would be even cooler.
No idea how hard it would be to change over though. Probably a lot easier after the Alien book gets released.
I think the skull and shackles AP would make a great conversion.
Anything ship is now space ship!
All the islands are space ports and moons and asteroids insteadSpace Pirates sounds way more fun than just plain Pirates. Of course Space Pirate Ninjas would be even cooler.
No idea how hard it would be to change over though. Probably a lot easier after the Alien book gets released.
We need to figure out how boarding actions work and if that's even a thing in Starfinder.
I would think disabling a ship and then boarding would work but there's no 'climbing over the rails'.
BTW, Ruins of Azlant is well on its way to being converted; see here.
I'm working on converting Strange Aeons. I'm doing a full class rebuild on the Few monsters/NPCs who have class levels, although too be fair I did that for both previous adventure paths I ran.
Roscoe Rackham; so far I've been leaving the Skill DC's alone, since as far as I can tell, skills advance at about the same rate as they do in PF. Loot is more of a problem, I basically have to re-do the loot by hand, swapping items that share similar purposes such as flashlights for torches, or spell gems for scrolls; I Imagine that it might get annoying at higher levels, but I see no way around it.
Mad Paladin: How are you planning to handle book 3? its basically one long trek over the crown of the world, I suppose you could have them crash and have to walk to safety.
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APs and campaigns that I'm aware of that would make excellent Starfinder conversions:
Strange Aeons, in this case time-warping Pathfinder PCs into Starfinder.
Slumbering Tsar, set amidst a nebula of significant danger with planetoids, moonlets and asteroids adrift amidst the expanse floating outside the shattered world of Tsar, each quadrant of the nebula hosting its own dangers with a shockingly brutal 'welcome to the campaign' opening encounter. This would be no small undertaking as the original campaign (a) starts at 7th level and (b) comprises more than 500 pages. Probably be worth it when it's all said and done ... but good Lord that's some serious work! Not to be undertaken lightly.
Skull and Shackles is ripe for an almost direct conversion to Starfinder. Disabling a target - instead of exploding it - is crucial, making use of the pertinent Science Officer actions. Changing out some of the end-game antagonists is a must, unless you wish to use this to introduce those elements into your own Pact Worlds.
Serpent's Skull in Starfinder begins with Your Heroes suffering an almost catastrophic engineering failure en route to the Mwangi Nebula chasing solid rumors of an ancient archaeological find deep within the nebula. Can Your Heroes survive on the soon-to-be-infamous Kuru Drift long enough to set up a Drift Beacon to facilitate rescue, or will they become scraps of bone scattered about a stew pot?
Jade Regent would work if you were to treat the Tien nations as an entirely new star system, with the 'Crown of the World' perhaps being a required transition within the Drift or some other stellar phenomenon to get the proper vector/bearings into Tien space. Perhaps one must treat with a space-faring sovereign dragon to permit Drift beacons to be deployed...
That's what I've got so far.
Loot is stunningly easy: provide satchels, and later crates, of UBPs along with a few important fusion seals and whatnot. Such loot is often a subtle indication of the challenges ahead of the party ... sometimes not for a chapter or two.
I was actually thinking about using starship fight rules for Skull and Shackles.
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I'm very interested in switching Jade Regent over. Thought about doing a conversion thread here in the Advice forum. I'm kind of waiting for the Alien Archive though.
Just getting ideas right now about how to add 'space' to everything.
Sandpoint? Space Colony
Maybe have Ameiko be the heir to a family that is owns majority shares in a massive Tien based corporation?
Had lots ideas so far. My players really want to do JR next and I want to move over to Starfinder.
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Jade Regent: make Ameiko an android, descended from the Jade Throne via android 'reproduction'. Her body is the same exact one that her ancestors inhabited centuries past into the Gap. Since her ancestral spirits have departed, she has no knowledge until the Big Reveal of what she is destined to become.
Alternatively this can be applied to PCs in a manner similar to The Script if you feel so inclined.
The caravan could comprise several starships that the group wants to try to keep (mostly) intact ala Battlestar Galacta's original TV series. Each character can captain one and runs their own ship's crew. Don't stress overmuch about an "overlevel" group of starships as (a) repair points aren't exactly common; and (b) can they survive the journey through the dangerous nebula and Drift hazards that crop up en route to whatever the Tian star system is called. If anything, you might want them to have fairly high tier ships to begin the journey with. They could alternatively pull the Voyager bit and upgrade as they go.
How do you convert Modules (and AP books) without the Alien Archive?
How do you convert Modules (and AP books) without the Alien Archive?
Legacy Pathfinder section includes quick-n-dirty conversion guidelines:
AC = KAC, CMAC = (KAC +8), EAC = KAC -1, hp +25%, adjust (Sp) abilities to Starfinder abilities, adjust feats as necessary, lots of ad-hoc for higher end opponents. Attacks get simpler as they get one attack from their options using SF-equivalent weapon or their existing natural attack +CR and/or STR bonus/penalty as necessary. Full-attack is 2 @ -4/-4 as per normal SF rules. Early on this is pretty fast, later though, this gets more complex.
IMO EAC shouldn't always be so closely mated to KAC. I expect to lower EAC for larger foes based on size category.
For the next couple of months it'll be full stat block conversions for NPCs. Once the AA is out ... we'll see.
Any good modules for level 3s? I considered Feast of Ravenmoor, but I'm not sure how to make it scifi enough.
yeah, im running dead suns now but am interested in converting curse of the crimson throne, waiting for the alien archive as well
"No Response from Deepmar" could be converted easily.
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yeah, im running dead suns now but am interested in converting curse of the crimson throne, waiting for the alien archive as well
Pick up in Chapter 1 where Dead Suns leaves off re: character level. Korvosa becomes some suitable location in the Pact Worlds, or is in its own star system. Pick a "Dune"-type of world for the stretch where they deal with the Shoanti, convert Scarwall into a derelict space station of fell influence and make the dragon a superlatively nasty enemy starship run by its AI computer.
Any good modules for level 3s? I considered Feast of Ravenmoor, but I'm not sure how to make it scifi enough.
Won't that become a problem when Book 2 of Dead Suns roles out in October?
Any good modules for level 3s? I considered Feast of Ravenmoor, but I'm not sure how to make it scifi enough.Won't that become a problem when Book 2 of Dead Suns roles out in October?
*shrugs* Only if Cyrad's group really liked it. One can plug it in and let the chips fall where they will. They may be a level ahead, but that's about it. Given that levels are not flat-cost, it should work out well enough when all is said and done.
*shrugs* Only if Cyrad's group really liked it. One can plug it in and let the chips fall where they will. They may be a level ahead, but that's about it. Given that levels are not flat-cost, it should work out well enough when all is said and done.Any good modules for level 3s? I considered Feast of Ravenmoor, but I'm not sure how to make it scifi enough.Won't that become a problem when Book 2 of Dead Suns roles out in October?
True, and with Starfinder combat proving unexpectedly brutal, that might not be a bad thing.
My group is just doing a one shot adventure. I'm starting them at level 3 because I feel characters don't get much at level 1. So Dead Suns is not doable.
My group is just doing a one shot adventure. I'm starting them at level 3 because I feel characters don't get much at level 1. So Dead Suns is not doable.
Sure it is, if they and you are of the mind to do so.
Play the converted module, if you enjoy it, come October-ish pick up at 3rd-4th (no starship presumably) and hit the ground running in Chapter 1 of Dead Suns. XPs are XPs. Don't award CR 1 or below XP, they'll catch up a bit and maybe be a smidge ahead of level going from the latter part of Chapter 1 into Chapter 2. The AP will have the loot covered, which by and large will probably be "keep heads above water" until well into Chapter 2.
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I'd suggest trying to convert a small adventure first, like a pathfinder society module. If that goes well, then try something larger.
Personally? I don't see the point, except maybe stealing a map here and there. It's going to be as much work (if not more) to convert as create your own, and it's going to be 10x harder to run.
Personally? I don't see the point, except maybe stealing a map here and there. It's going to be as much work (if not more) to convert as create your own, and it's going to be 10x harder to run.
Sometimes it is helpful to steal a plot. :)
Personally? I don't see the point, except maybe stealing a map here and there. It's going to be as much work (if not more) to convert as create your own, and it's going to be 10x harder to run.Sometimes it is helpful to steal a plot. :)
So far the Ruins of Azlant has been pretty easy to do. ;)
The Slumbering Tsar now ... now that is a beast! One I'm a bit hesitant to begin for lack of incentive. I'll probably stick my toes in the waters for my own edification for a few days until Chapter 2 of RoA shows up in my PDF pile.
Jade Regent would work if you were to treat the Tien nations as an entirely new star system, with the 'Crown of the World' perhaps being a required transition within the Drift or some other stellar phenomenon to get the proper vector/bearings into Tien space. Perhaps one must treat with a space-faring sovereign dragon to permit Drift beacons to be deployed...
That's exactly what I had planned. The "caravan" would either be a small trade fleet or just the PCs' starship (with an NPC captain or do the option where the PCs take the place of the iconics). Most of the regions traveled to can be treated as individual planets or stations, while the crown of the world could be a navigation hazard of some sort.
The Tien nations were an attempt a colonization during the Gap, using magical travel between worlds. The Oni took advantage of the Gap's effect on mortal memories (and perhaps the effect on their own memories just adds to their anger) to stage their little coup, and the system's first Drift capable star ship was used to evacuate the royal family...
Part of the fun of that is that you could play up the 'Asian pop culture' to the nth degree, like Big Hero Six meets Korean pop culture meets Japanese animation type of nth degree if you are so inclined. IIRC the scripted campaign only touches on three cultural areas once the Crown of the World is crossed, keeping the fleshing out of all of 'Tian Star System' from being a requirement.
Should be fun. Keep a thread on it hereabouts when you get it up and running!
The Price of Immortality Trilogy would be pretty fun to run (Crypt of Everflame, Mask of the Living God, City of Golden Death)
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This thread has been quiet for a long time. I was wondering if others have had success converting any further Pathfinder adventure modules to Starfinder.
I'm currently working on converting "Fires of Creation", the first in the Iron Gods adventure path, placing it on the planet Ulmarid, which appears in the Starfinder Society Quest: "Into the Unknown".
This thread has been quiet for a long time. I was wondering if others have had success converting any further Pathfinder adventure modules to Starfinder.
I'm currently working on converting "Fires of Creation", the first in the Iron Gods adventure path, placing it on the planet Ulmarid, which appears in the Starfinder Society Quest: "Into the Unknown".
This is a worthy act of threadomancy! I commend you!
Interesting thread. Glad I wasn't crazy to consider it.
I have tons of PF1 APs that I probably won't get to run and was looking at the possibility of converting one to SF since we're still early in SF's lifetime and I'm currently playing in Dead Suns.
Just checking to see if anyone has gone beyond concept stage and what their opinions are.
my players are currently a session or 2 away from the end of book 2 (of Strange Aeons) and are enjoying it immensely. Converting monsters isn't too hard once you get the hang of it; you just need to watch out for things that work differently in SF(such as combat manuvers). I've had to turn loot into UPBs a bit more than id like, but that should be less necessary one the Armory comes out.
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Great to hear it's gone well for you.
As luck would have it, my youngest son's Pathfinder group wanted to give Starfinder a turn after hearing my son rave about the system. After finding this thread, I gave them 5 choices of APs I could convert and they picked Strange Aeons.
It'll be interesting to see how it plays out but so far it seems very promising. Thanks for the tips!