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Converting d20 to
Marvel Super Heroes (MSH)
Ability Conversion
FASERIP Conversion:
D20 Ability MSH Ability
Base Attack Bonus (BAB)
Fighting
Dexterity Agility
Strength Strength
Constitution Endurance
Intelligence Reason
Wisdom Intuition
(Wis. + Int. + Cha.) / 3
[consult the table with this average] Psyche
The following table may be used to translate ability scores between the two systems, with the exception of Fighting, which is converted from BAB:
D20 Ability Score MSH Ability Rank
3-5 Feeble
(2)
6-9 Poor (4)
10-11 (+0) Typical
(6)
12-15 (+1 to +2) Good (10)
16-19 (+3 to +4) Excellent
(20)
20-23 (+5 to +6) Remarkable
(30)
24-29 (+7 to +9) Incredible
(40)
30-39 (+10 to +15) Amazing (50)
40-49 (+16 to +20) Monstrous (75)
50-59 (+21 to +25) Unearthly
(100)
60+ (+26 and up) Shift X (150)
BAB to Fighting Conversion Table
D20 BAB MSH Fighting Rank
+0 (with a serious handicap, like horrible Str or Dex) Feeble (2)
+0 (with a slight handicap, like below-average Str or Dex) Poor (4)
+0 to +1 Typical
(6)
+2 to +5 Good (10)
+6 to +10 Excellent
(20)
+11 to +14 Remarkable
(30)
+15 to +18 Incredible
(40)
+19 to +22 Amazing (50)
+23 to +30 Monstrous (75)
+30 to +35 Unearthly
(100)
+36 and up
Shift X (150)
If converting from 2nd Edition AD&D, subtract THAC0 from 20 to obtain BAB.
Figuring Resources
Refer to the table below, taken from pg. 7 of the Judge’s Book, and assign a Resources rank analogous to the character’s current financial situation.
FB Reduced
circumstances, unemployed, on Social Security or allowance
PR Freelance,
poor credit risk, lower middle class, students
TY Salaried
employment, middle class
GD Professional
employment, middle class
EX Small
inheritance, small business, upper middle class, Avenger's stipend
RM
Large business or chain of businesses, established trust fund, upper class
IN Standard
corporation, millionaire
AM Multi-national
corporation, government branch or military of major country, billionaire
playboy
UN Major
country, mega-corporation
CL 1000+ Extra-dimensional realm, galactic empire or entity
Figuring Popularity
All characters converted from d20 have a
minimum Popularity rank equal to their total Charisma bonuses. For those
converting from 2nd Edition AD&D, attribute bonuses are given in
parenthesis in the ability conversion table above. Consult the table below,
taken from pg. 41 of the Player’s Book, to determine additional
Popularity.
Popularity Awards and Penalties
Action Award/Penalty Rescues +2
Defeat normal villains +0 Charity work +1
Defeat costumed villain +2 Pop
Defeated in public -5 Pop
Accused of crime -1/2 total
Cleared of charges +10
Found guilty of charge -remaining
Media attack -5
Converting d20 Feats and Skills
Because MSH is a rules-lite system, MSH
Talents reflect mastery in particular areas rather than specific skills.
Generally, a Talent gives a character + 1CS to corresponding Abilities for Feat
rolls when the Talent applies. Some talents, like Martial Arts give specific
combat bonuses. Extreme levels of proficiency are reflected in high Ability
scores. For conversion purposes, for every 4 d20 Feats a character has, add +1
CS to the corresponding ability. The specific Feat effects translate into
specific Ability / Power / Talent Stunts.
Converting d20 Difficulty Class (DC) to MSH
Intensity Feats
Some d20 Skills, Feats or encounters use a DC
to determine success or failure. MSH uses Intensity Feats analogously. Although
the above guidelines for Feat and Skill conversion don’t necessarily call for
DC conversion, it may be useful when interpreting various elements from d20
modules.
D20 Difficulty
Class MSH
Intensity Feat Example
Very easy (0) Shift
0
Notice something large in plain sight
Easy (5) Poor
Climb
a knotted rope
Average (10) Typical Hear
an approaching guard
Tough (15) Good Rig
a wagon wheel to fall off
Challenging (20) Excellent Swim
in stormy water
Formidable (25) Remarkable Open
an average lock
Heroic (30) Incredible
Leap
across a 30-foot chasm
Nearly impossible (40) Amazing
Track a squad of orcs across hard ground
After
24 hours of rainfall
Interpreting Armor Class (AC)
According to the d20 3.5 SRD, Armor Class is:
10 + armor bonus +
shield bonus + Dexterity modifier + size modifier
(if converting from 2nd
Edition AD&D, use the formula (20-AC) to get d20 AC)
For conversion purposes, characters receive
resistance to physical attacks reflected by their combined Armor and Shield
Bonuses (material strength) *2, approximated to the nearest MSH rank. Use the
following table, modified from pg. 18 of the Player’s Book, as a guide:
Material
Strength Rank Materials
Feeble Cloth,
glass, brush, paper,
Poor Normal
plastics, crystal, wood, leather
Typical Rubber, soft
metals (gold, brass, copper), ice, adobe, computer chips, studded leather
Good Brick,
aluminum, light machinery pieces, asphalt, high strength plastics, scale or
chain mail
Excellent Concrete, Beta
cloth, iron, bullet-proof glass, full plate mail
Remarkable Reinforced concrete,
steel
Incredible Solid stone,
Vibranium, volcanic rock
Amazing Osmium steel,
granite, gemstones
Monstrous Diamond,
super-heavy alloys
Unearthly Adamantium
steel, certain mystical and enchanted elements
Class
1000-5000 Materials of
these material strength ranks are virtually indestructible
Conscientious Judges using d20 creatures or
d20 mecha may want to convert size modifiers as well. Size modifiers would then
affect an attacker’s ability to hit the object in question. Use the table below
as a guide:
D20 Size d20 Size Modifier
MSH Effect d20 Size d20 Size Modifier MSH Effect
Colossal –8 +4CS Small +1 -1CS
Gargantuan –4 +3CS Tiny
+2 -2CS
Huge –2 +2CS Diminutive
+4 -3CS
Large –1 +1CS Fine +8 -4CS
Medium +0 +0CS
Converting Combat Bonuses
For both d20 and 2nd Edition
AD&D, for each point of combat bonus to a specific attack, the character or
monster receives +1CS to a given roll. Damage works on a 1:1 ratio.
Converting Save Modifiers
In MSH use an Agility Feat for a Reflex Save,
Endurance for Fortitude and Psyche for Will. For each point of save modifier,
characters get +1 CS for the given save.
Converting The d20 / 2nd Edition
AD&D Magic System
Learning Spells
Characters must posses a Talent in a given
school of magic to use that school’s power, unless characters have endowed
“Spell Like Abilities,” in which cases, spells do not need to be learned.
Magical School Talents and corresponding
minimum Abilities required to learn them are listed below:
School Min.
Ability Score Opposition
Abjuration EX
Reason Alteration
& Illusion
Conjuration/Summoning EX Endurance Divination
& Invocation
Divination EX
Reason Conjuration/Summoning
Enchant/Charm EX Psyche Invocation/Evocation
& Necromancy
Illusion EX
Agility Necromancy/Invocation/
Evocation/Abjuration
Invocation/Evocation EX Endurance Enchant/Charm/Conjuration/
Summoning
Necromancy EX
Reason Illusion
&Enchantment/Charm
Alteration EX
Agility Abjuration
& Necromancy
The default Magical Talent Ability is Psyche,
and all spells converted from d20 require Intensity Feats relative to the
casters’ Psyche ability. Some spells that involve blasting or ranged attacks
may also require an additional Agility Feat, at the Judge’s digression.
To learn new spells, a character spends 100 *
the Intensity level of the spell (see below) in Karma points. The character
must also make a Reason Feat roll relative to the spell’s Intensity
Converting Spell Levels and Effects.
Reference the table below to determine the
level of Intensity Feat required to cast a spell:
D20 Spell Level Casting
Intensity Feat
1 to 2 Typical
3 to 4 Good
5 to 6 Excellent
7 to 9 Remarkable
10 to 11 Incredible
12 to 15 Amazing
13 to 21 Monstrous
22 to 25 Unearthly
26+ Shift
X
A spell is understood to have the area of
effect, duration, etc of its intensity. Casters may increase the Intensity of
the Feat required to cast the spell to increase its effects. Casters may reduce
spell effects but still must make required Feat roll at full Intensity. Casters
may cast one spell per round. They may cast an additional spell with a
successful Agility feat. Targets may defend against spells with successful
Psyche feats. Characters with Psyches equal or greater than a spell’s Intensity
level need a Green result for the spell to work. Characters with Psyches one
Column less than the spell’s Intensity, need a Yellow result. Characters with
Psyches two Columns less than the spell’s Intensity need a Red result. Characters with Psyches three or more
Columns less than the spell’s Intensity don’t have the force of will necessary
for the spell to work.
So a character would need at least a Good
Psyche to cast a Remarkable Intensity spell.
That character can reduce the Intensity of
the spell’s effects to Excellent for example but must still make the
appropriate full Intensity result because the complexity of the spell has not
changed.
Interpreting Character Levels
For the purposes of quick and easy
conversion, for every 4 levels of a particular class a d20 character has, add
+1 CS to that class’s primary ability, for warriors Strength, for Wizards
Psyche, Rouges… Agility, etc.
Converting Range, Movement Etc.
MSH expresses range and movement capacity in
terms of Areas. One Area equals 44 yards. D20 uses feet. According to pg. 18 of
the Player’s Book:
• A hero with a current Endurance of
Feeble may move only one area per
turn, a maximum of 44 yards.
• A hero with an Endurance of Poor to
Excellent may move a maximum of
two areas per turn, or 88 yards.
• A hero with an Endurance of
Remarkable
or better may move a maximum of
three areas per turn or 132 yards.
An MSH Turn is equal to 6 seconds of real
time. A d20 round also equals 6 seconds of real time. For a precise conversion
of d20 base movement, use the following formula, [(base movement *4) / 3] / 44
= MSH areas per round. The result accounts for potential running speed.
Remember, the MSH range represents maximum capacity. Of course, if you’ve
already figured MSH Endurance, then this is redundant, but may it may help when
converting monsters.
If converting from 2nd Edition
AD&D, a round is equal to one minute, and characters are able to walk 10
times their movement rates (Move) in yards per round and run twice that. To
convert 2nd Edition AD&D Move to MSH, multiply the movement rate
by 2.5, round to the nearest multiple of 10 and use the conversion formula for
d20.
Use
the chart below, taken from the back cover of the Ultimate Powers Book, as a
guide for converting speed based special abilities and vehicles:
To determine the range of thrown objects, consult the table below from pg. 27 of the Player’s Book:
Converting Damage
Converting damage between D20 and MSH is actually quite easy. Take the maximum damage possible for a d20 weapon and assign it a MSH rank. For example, a 1d8 weapon and a 2d6 weapon would both yield Good damage in MSH. A 3d6 weapon would yield Excellent damage, etc. Damage bonuses are converted on a point per point scale.
Converting d20 Monsters
Generally, a monster’s Attack Bonus and Abilities are listed in its Stat Block, so the conversion guidelines above apply.
Converting AD&D 2nd Edition Monsters
The AD&D 2nd Edition Stat Bock uses a short hand designed to facilitate game play, but it makes converting to MSH a bit tricky.
Hit Dice (HD) vs. Health
The maximum number of Hit Points available to a monster in AD&D (HD *8) multiplied by 4 equals its base MSH Health. Use this number as a guide when converting. Health may change when other factors are considered.
Hit Dice vs. Endurance
As Hit Dice vary directly with Endurance. Use the following table as a guide:
Hit
Dice Endurance
1
Typical
2
Good
3-4
Excellent
5-6
Remarkable
7 Incredible
8-10
Amazing
11-14
Monstrous
15+ Unearthly
AD&D Movement Rate and Endurance
For every 6 points of Movement above 12 (human average), Endurance increases by + 1CS.
THAC0 vs. Fighting
Use the formula 20- THAC0 to obtain a Base Attack Bonus. Then consult the BAB to Fighting conversion table.
Agility vs. 2nd Edition AD&D Armor Class
Agility can be figured as a component to d20 Armor Class (AC). In d20, Dexterity scores of 11 or higher yield a bonus to armor class. If the other components of AC can be determined, then we can find Agility. First convert AD&D AC to d20 AC with the formula: 20-AC. Next, convert the AD&D size listed for the creature into d20 size. Use the table below as a guide:
D20 Size d20 Size
Modifier 2nd Ed. Size d20
Size d20
Size Modifier 2nd Ed. Size
Colossal –8 Gargantuan 30ft + Small +1 Small
5ft
Gargantuan –4 Gargantuan 20ft Tiny +2 Tiny2 to 2 ½ ft
Huge –2 Huge 15ft Diminutive +4 Tiny
1ft
Large –1 Larger 10ft Fine +8 Tiny ½ ft
Medium +0 Man Size 5 to 9ft
You’ll need to
approximate the total armor and shield bonuses. The monster’s description and
combat listings might give some clues. Here is a list of armor types and
bonuses from the 3.5 SRD:
You can come up with am approximate Dexterity
bonus using the following formula:
Dexterity Bonus = d20 AC – (10 + Armor Bonus
+ Shield Bonus + Size Modifier)
To determine Agility, cross reference the d20
Ability Score conversion table number in parenthesis with the corresponding MSH
rank.
Agility varies inversely with size. Generally Agility is equal to Fighting, plus or minus one or two CS. A monster with 2 attacks per round should have at least Good Agility. A monster with 3 attacks per round should have at least Excellent Agility, etc. (remember an AD&D round is 10x longer than an MSH round).
Strength
After determining all other Physical Ability Ranks, use the following formula to determine Strength:
Strength = Health – (Fighting + Agility + Endurance)
Of course this formula is only a guide. If the numbers don’t look right, tweak them.
Monster Intelligence vs. Reason
Use the following table as a guide to convert monster Intelligence to Reason:
Monster
Intelligence Reason
Rank
Non-Intelligent
or Non-Rational Shift
0
Animal
Intelligence Feeble
Semi-Intelligent Feeble
Low
Intelligence Poor
Average
(Human) Intelligence Typical
Very
Intelligent Good
Highly
Intelligent Excellent
Exceptionally
Intelligent Remarkable
Genius Incredible
Supra-Genius Amazing
Godlike Intelligence Monstrous
Monster Morale vs. Psyche
Monster Morale, like Psyche, is an expression of will power. Use the table below as a guide:
Morale Psyche
Unreliable Feeble
Unsteady Poor
Average Typical
Steady Good
Elite Excellent
Champion Remarkable
Fanatic Incredible
Fearless Amazing – Unearthly
Intuition
If the monster has a stated Initiative bonus, Intuition is easy to figure. Multiply the bonus by 10 to determine Intuition. If not, the Intuition rank should be within one or two CS of the Reason rank.
Resources
For the sake of quick conversion, one Resource point equals 20 gold pieces.
Magical Resistance
For every 40% of magical resistance a monster has, it gets +1CS to all Psyche Feat rolls defending against magic.
These conversion guidelines are a group
effort. The Ability Score conversion tables are a re-presentation of tables by
Scott Lynch. Some of the magic conversion ideas came from Ty States’ website.
