D&D General World building: MIx and Match Editions

[overgeeked]

Do you, and if you do how do you transfer an idea from 1 edition to an edition that doesn't have it?

B/X style quick combat ported into 4E. It would be hands down my favorite version of D&D for tactical minis combat.

This idea from OD&D. “Other Character Types: There is no reason that players cannot be allowed to play as virtually anything, provided they begin relatively weak and work up to the top, i.e., a player wishing to be a Dragon would have to begin as, let us say, a “young” one and progress upwards in the usual manner, steps being predeter-mined by the campaign referee.” Port that into AD&D or 5E.

 

[jmartkdr2]

I tend to mix it all up, at least form the editions I'm familiar with. Especially for races.

Halflings, therefore, come in a wide variety, since no two editions seem to agree on what they are. For me, the answer is "all of them, somewhere."

 

[Voadam]

When I was running Pathfinder 1e I considered allowing 4e class powers as feats with prerequisites of the appropriate class and level to allow in more at will and encounter based powers and more movement stuff.

I regularly use and used the 4e concepts of minions, elite, and solos in my 5e and Pathfinder 1e and 3.5 games once the 4e concepts came out.

Take a monster and give it 1 hp. Possibly simplify some mechanics if they are fiddly. Bam minion.

Take a monster, double its hp, give it two/double normal attacks whether melee or ranged so it can attack multiple people or focus fire. Bam elite.

Take a monster multiply its hp by number of people in the party, turn its attack into an area of effect, give it some reaction ability to act outside of its turns dynamically and/or a defense to prevent stun lock type shutdowns. Bam solo.

 

[aco175]

In worldbuilding, I have just taken many descriptions and events/ names/ and such to port over to my 5e games. I have been playing Forgotten Realms (FR) and the greater Sword Coast area, so I have lots of 2e material from books like Volo guides to Whatever and such to take from.

Me and my group do not care if the bartender of the Old Fox tavern in Luskan should have died 150 years ago. It save so much time and gives me flavor I would never develop otherwise. I do run into some problems if I take new published material and add to my old games that have developed over the last 10 years. For instance, I made a few campaigns that took place after the Lost Mines box set and I had a new map made for the town and expanded several businesses to take into account a gold rush environment. I created a deserted town of Leilon and had ruins everywhere. Newer material changed that, so I can use the new stuff or keep my old stuff.

 

[Lanefan]

Over the years I've sometimes come up with ideas for my modified 1e system and then seen a later-released official edition of the game do much the same thing; which in hindsight makes it look like I simply stole the idea. Some examples:

--- dropping xp-for-treasure - me 1984 (as soon as I started DMing), 2e 1989
--- a bunch of other changes - me 1985-88, 2e 1989
--- monsters getting the same stat bonuses/penalties as PCs - me 1989 or so, 3e 2000
--- Bards starting at 1st level like every other class - me 1986, 3e 2000 (or maybe 2e sometime in a splat?)
--- classes and levels for (some) monsters - me 1986-ish, various editions at later dates

One note, however, for the OP: I'm not sure if "world-building" is quite the correct term here; as what you're after more seems to be "system-building" or rules modding.

 

[Voadam]

--- Bards starting at 1st level like every other class - me 1986, 3e 2000 (or maybe 2e sometime in a splat?)

Bards were a full start at 1st level normal class when introduced in Oe in The Strategic Review, then again from the 2e core PH on. 1e PH appendix was the only real weirdness.

I really like the Oe version.

 

[Lanefan]

Bards were a full start at 1st level normal class when introduced in Oe in The Strategic Review, then again from the 2e core PH on. 1e PH appendix was the only real weirdness.

I really like the Oe version.

The Strategic Review is well before my time.

 

[Voadam]

The Strategic Review is well before my time.

Before mine too, but The Dragon Archive CD is pretty fantastic.

 

[Stormonu]

I don't only take and use things from previous editions (monsters, spells, classes, races,lore, subsystems) I also pull from half a dozen other systems, such as Star Wars, Forbidden Lands, Warhammer Fantasy and the like. If it has appeared in fiction - or in some rare cases, is an actual real and interesting thing - it's fair game to haul in and use.

If I'm converting mechanics, I look to the core idea of something, not so much a mathematical rebuild. For example, when I converted my sand dwarves from 1E to 5E, the core idea was that they were hill dwarves who had made deals with geniekind that adapted them to living in the desert. One of their main abilities was the ability to turn into sand to ambush opponents and evade attacks. AC, CR and the mechanical elements were secondary to the "turn to sand" ability and coming up with a method to handle that.

 

[Krachek]

The best for me is to add the technical details just before playing or using an element.
A plot don’t need to be designed for a specific level.
A NPC don’t need right from the start a specifc class, level, gear.
That way world building can survive edition change and even game change.