D&D Conversion Guidelines

Updated12August2014(Type,Tags,HitDice)
ThisisthefourthinmyseriesofconversiondocumentsforD&D5thEdition.(Youcanfindthe
othershere.)Icreatedthisdocumentbycomparingthe5EversionsofmonstersfromtheStarter
SetwiththeirBECMIcounterparts.Ialsoreferredtotwosourcesforconvertingmonstersfrom
BECMI:theD&DRulesCyclopediasofficialguidelinesforconvertingbetweenBECMIand2E,
andtheVaultsofPandiusarticleConvertingmonsterstothe3rdeditionrulessystem.
Mystandardtwowarnings:
1. IfyoucomparetheBECMIand5Eversionsofmonstersyourself,thisconversions
versionswillbealittledifferent.Thisisonlyanapproximation.
2. Imayhavemademistakes,soifyoufindany,tellme.
TheguidelinesinthisdocumentshouldcoverMoldvayBasic(B/X)aswell.Theendofthis
documentexplainshowtoadjusttheguidelinesforconvertingmonstersfromtheoriginalD&D
game(0E)andHolmesBasic(the1977edition).
YouwillneedaccesstotheD&D5EStarterSetandBasicRulesPDFtomakefulluseofthis.
Size
BECMImonstersdonotalwayslistasizecategory.Whentheydo,itisusuallyaftertheirHit
Dice.TherearethreecategoriesinBECMI:S(small),M(medium),andL(large).Takingacue
from1E,whichusesthesamesizecategories,wecanprobablyassumeMis57feet,which
makesSanythingsmallerthan5feetandLanythinglargerthan7feet.
5Eseemstouse3.5ssizeranges,soBECMIsizesshouldoverlapasfollows:
BECMISize 5ESize
Small(lessthan5feet) Tiny(2feetorless),Small(24feet),or
Medium(45feet)
Medium(57feet) Medium(57feet)
Large(morethan7feet) Medium(78feet),Large(816feet),Huge
(1632feet),orGargantuan(32feetormore)
UnlessaBECMIcreatureislistedassizeM,youwillneedtorelyonthedescriptionto
determinethe5Ecategory.Insomecases,asizeinfeetmaybeprovided,butotherwise,you
willhavetochoosethesizeyourself.
Type
BECMIdevelopeditsownsetofMonsterTypes,thoughthesearenotlistedwithmanyBECMI
statblocks.Ifitislisted,theyoverlapasfollows:
BECMIMonsterType 5EType
NormalAnimal(GiantAnimal,Prehistoric
Animal)
Beast
Construct(EnchantedMonster) Construct
Dragon(DragonKin) Dragon
Humanoid(GiantHumanoid) Giant
Humanoid(Demihuman,Human) Humanoid,orFeychoosebydescription
Lowlife Beast,Ooze,orPlantchoosebydescription
Monster MonstrosityorAberrationsometimesOoze
choosebydescription
PlanarMonster(EnchantedMonster) Celestial,Elemental,orFiendsometimes
AberrationorConstructchooseby
description
Undead Undead
IfnoMonsterTypeisprovided,youwillneedtoassignthe5Etypeyourself,basedonthe
monstersdescription.Thetypesareallexplainedinthe5EBasicRules.
Tags
Appendedtothecreaturetypein5E,thesecanbedeterminedfromthemonstersdescription.
TheStarterSetincludesthefollowingtags:elf,goblinoid,human,orc,andshapechanger.
ThePlayersHandbookandHoardoftheDragonQueenexpandthistodemon,devil,bullywug,
cloudgiant,gnome,halfdragon,halfblackdragon,halfelf,highelf,kobold,lizardfolk,
troglodyte,andyuanti,showingalotofoptions.(Itsreasonabletoassumetherewillalsobe
tagsfordwarfandhalfling.)Ifyourcreatureisntlikelytohaveanyofthetagsabove,skipthis
step.
Alignment
BECMIonlyhasthreealignments:lawful,neutral,andchaotic.Youcanchangetheseto5E
alignmentsbysimplyaddinggood,neutral,oreviltotheBECMIalignmentasappropriate.
Note,however,thatlawfulcreaturesinBECMItendtobegoodorneutral,andchaoticcreatures
inBECMItendtobeneutralorevil.
Creaturesin5Emayalsobeunaligned,meaningtheyoperateoninstinctsoyoumaywantto
changeneutraltounalignedforsomeBECMIcreatures.
ArmorClass
ItseasiesttorecalculateACfromscratch,basedontheirDexteritybonusandanyarmorworn.
(MakesuretochecktherulesfordeterminingACintheStarterSetortheBasicRulesPDF.)
Ifthecreaturedidnotweararmor,andhadanACof6orbelow,theyshouldhavenaturalarmor.
Inthatcase,givethema+2bonustotheirnewAC.
Dragonsappeartohavestrongernaturalarmorin5E.Fornow,Isuggestestimatingtheir5EAC
bysubtractingtheirBECMIACfrom17.
Example:AdragonofsomesorthasAC1.Subtractthatfrom17:17(1)=17+1=18.
HitDice
In5E,thetypeofhitdieisdeterminedbyacreaturessize.Tinycreaturesused4hitdice.Small
creaturesused6hitdice.Mediumcreaturesused8hitdice.Largecreaturesused10hitdice.
Hugecreaturesused12hitdice.Gargantuancreaturesused20hitdice.
InBECMI,HitDicemaybedisplayedinformatslike11or5+3.Thefirstnumberisthe
numberofHitDiceignorethelaternumber.Youshouldalsoignoreanyasterix(*)afteraHD
listing,astheserepresentspecialabilitiesthatincreasetheBECMIXPvalue.
TinycreaturesshouldkeepthesamenumberofhitdiceastheyhadinBECMI.
SmallorMediumcreaturesshouldaddonehitdie.Forexample,1d6shouldbecome2d6.
Large,Huge,andGargantuancreaturesshouldaddtwohitdice.Forexample,3d10should
become5d10.
Averagehitpointsforcreaturesshouldberecalculatedasfollows:
Xd4MultiplyXby2.5(rounddown),thenaddtheirConstitutionbonus,timesX.
Example:Amonsterhas3d8HDandaConstitutionof14(+2bonus).Sotheiraveragehit
pointsare4.5times3,roundeddown:13.ThenyoumultiplytheirConbonusbytheirHD,fora
totalof+6.13+6=19.
Twoexceptions:
OozesshouldprobablyaddonehitdieatLarge,Huge,orGargantuansizeMediumorsmaller
sizesshouldkeeptheirBECMIHitDice.
DragonshavebeenupgradedalotsinceBECMI,soanyBECMIdragonconvertedlikeother
monstersislikelytobecomparativelyweak.Butsincewehaveonlyoneexample,Icanonly
suggestyouconvertthemlikeothercreaturesoftheirsize.
Speed
ThisisprovideddirectlyinBECMIlookattheMovestatisticandchoosethesecondnumber
(theoneinparentheses).Ifthereisonlyonenumber,divideitby3togetthe5ESpeed.
Higherflightspeedsappeartobeaspecialcase,however.Ifacreaturehasaflyingspeedabove
120(40),youshoulddividethefirstnumberby5androundittothenearest10.
Example:AcreaturehasaflyingMoveof180(60).180/5=36,roundedto40feet.
AcreaturethatcanmoveacrosswebsshouldreplacethatspeedwiththetraitWebWalker(see
thegiantspiderintheStarterSet).
AbilityScores
MostBECMImonsterslistnoabilityscoresatall.Ifyouhappenacrossadescriptionthatdoes
includeabilityscores,youmayusethemasis.
SomelaterBECMIproductsdoprovideanIntelligencescore.Youcanalsousethisstatisticas
giveniftheresarange,gofortheaverageorhighestscore.Creatureswitha0Intelligence
shouldbeincreasedtoatleast1.
Foranyabilityscoresmissingatthispoint(verylikelyallofthem),youwillneedtochoosea
referencemonster.Thisisanexistingmonstersimilartotheoneyoureconverting.(For
example,askeletalundeadcouldusetheskeletonasareference.)Youshouldusetheability
scoresofthereferencemonstertofillinanyblanks,possiblytweakingthemasneededtofit
themonstersconceptorknownabilityscores.
Whenchoosingareferencemonster,usethesesources,inthisorderofpreference:
1. TheD&D5EStarterSet.
2. MonstersfromD&DNextmaterial.
3. D&D3.5sMonsterManual.Youcanusethissiteasaquickreference.
4. ThearticleHowtoCreateaMonster,fromDragonMagazine.
Notethatin5E,creaturesalwayshaveallsixabilityscores.Ifyouusea3.5referencemonster
anditismissinganyofthese,youshouldlookatthenextclosestNextor5Emonster,orusethe
guidelinesforfillinginblanksfrommy3.5conversiondocument.
ProficiencyBonus
Formonsters,thisisabonuswhichcanbeappliedtoSavingThrows,Skills,andtohit
bonusesforActionsandSpellcasting.(TheBasicRulesPDFexplainsthisfurther,and
providesbonusesuptolevel20.)Apparently,monstersin5Egettheproficiencybonusfora
characterequaltotheirChallengeratinghowever,thereisnoreliablewaytocalculate
Challengeatthistime(seeChallengebelowformoredetails).
Acreatureshouldhaveatleastaproficiencybonusof+2.Weonlyhaveoneexamplesofarthat
appearstohave+3,theyounggreendragon(Challenge8),butyoucanprobablygivestronger
monstersa+3aswell.
However,ifyouthinkahigherbonus(+4,etc.)wouldmakesense,andyourewillingtoriskbeing
verywrong,IhaveapossibleconversioninAppendix3.
Ifamonsterisdescribedashavinglevelsinanyclassorequivalent,thatcouldalsobeusedasa
levelfortheir5Eproficiencybonus.BECMIlevelsshouldbeconvertedasfollows:
BECMILevel 5ELevel
112 112
1315 13
1618 14
1921 15
2224 16
2527 17
2830 18
3133 19
34+ 20
SavingThrows
IgnoretheBECMIrulesforsavingthrows.In5E,savesareassociatedwitheachofthesixability
scores,somostcreaturesjustusetheirabilitybonusforsaves.
However,afew5Emonstersdoappeartoapplytheirproficiencybonustothesesaves.You
maywishtodothesameforyourconvertedcreature,iftheirBECMIdescriptionsuggestsit
should.
Inmostcases,though,youshouldprobablypassongivingyourcreatureproficiencywithsaves
itsmucheasierwithoutit.
Skills
Themajorityofmonsterswillhavefewornoskills,especiallymonstersdrivenbyinstinct.
ConsulttheBECMImonstersdescriptiontoseeifithasanytalentsthatmightmatchaparticular
5Eskill.Forreference,the5Eskillsare:
Athletics(Strength)
Acrobatics,SleightofHand,andStealth(Dexterity)
Arcana,History,Investigation,Nature,andReligion(Intelligence)
AnimalHandling,Insight,Medicine,Perception,andSurvival(Wisdom)
Deception,Intimidation,Performance,andPersuasion(Charisma)
FulldescriptionsoftheskillscanbefoundintheStarterSetorBasicRulesPDF.
Ifacreaturehasproficiencyinaskill,theirbonuswiththatskillisequaltotherelevantability
bonus,plustheirproficiencybonus.
Example:AmonsterhasaDexterityof15(+2bonus)andproficiencyinStealth.Thismeans
thattheyshouldhavea+4bonuswithStealth(Dexterity)checks.Iftheyareamorepowerful
creature,theymayhavea+5bonusinstead.
Ifacreatureishardtosurprise,itshouldprobablyhaveproficiencyinPerception(Wisdom).If
thecreatureisgoodatsurprisingenemies,itshouldprobablyhaveproficiencyinStealth
(Dexterity).
Somecreaturesseemtohaveahigherproficiencyinoneskillthantheothers,typicallydouble
theirnormalproficiencybonus(+4or+6).Forexample,doppelgangershavea+4onDeception
(Charisma)checks.Youmaywishtodothesamewithacreaturessignatureskill.
Vulnerabilities,Resistances,Immunities
LookattheBECMIcreaturesdescriptionthisshouldgiveyouanideawhatthecreatureis
vulnerableagainst(listedunderDamageVulnerabilitiesin5E),whatthecreatureisresistant
against(listedunderDamageResistances),andwhatthecreatureisimmuneagainst(listed
underDamageImmunitiesorConditionImmunities).
SomeBECMIcreaturescanonlybeharmedbymagicalweaponsofacertainbonus(+1,+2,
etc.).ThisshouldbelistedunderDamageResistancesasfollows:
bludgeoning,piercing,andslashingfromnonmagicalweapons
Ifthecreaturecanonlybeharmedbysomeothermaterial,addthefollowing:
...nonmagicalweaponsthatarent(silveredoradamantineor[othersubstance])
Modifytheaboveasneededforotherresistances.
WhenyounoteConditionImmunities,rememberthattheymayoverlapwithresistancesor
damageimmunities.Forexample,acreatureimmunetopoisondamageshouldalsonotethat
theyareimmunetothepoisonedcondition.
Theinnateimmunitiesofundeadin5Eare:
DamageImmunities:poison
ConditionImmunities:poisoned
Onlyaddotherimmunitiestoanundeadcreatureiftheyareseparatefromitsundeadnature.
Incorporealcreaturesshouldprobablyhavethefollowingresistancesandimmunities:
DamageResistances:acid,cold,fire,lightning,thunderbludgeoning,piercing,andslashing
fromnonmagicalweapons
ConditionImmunities:grappled,paralyzed,petrified,poisoned,prone,restrained
CreaturesimmunetoallspellsofcertainlevelsshouldhavetheMagicResistancetrait.
Senses
Thereareonlythreesensesestablishedin5Eatthispoint:blindsight,darkvision,and
truesight.BECMIsinfravisionandsimilarsensesareequivalenttodarkvision.Anynonvisual
replacementforsightshouldbeblindsight.Anycreaturewiththeabilitytoseethroughillusionsor
shapeshiftingorthelike,orintotheEthereal,shouldprobablyhavetruesight.
Also,allcreatureshaveapassivePerceptionscore.Thisisequalto10plustheirtotalbonusto
Perception(Wisdom)checks.
Languages
RefertotheBasicRulesPDFfortheknownlanguagesin5E.Ifnolanguageforyourcreatureis
listedthere,givethemanynativelanguagethatseemsappropriatefortheirBECMIdescription.
Challenge
ThereisnoreliablewaytocalculateChallengefor5Emonsters.Ifthisisacreaturefroma
module,however,itsprobablyfine.
ThereseemstobelittlecorrelationbetweenBECMIHD/XPandChallenge.Icancobbletogether
thefollowingfromthegeneraltrend,butitsuglyandunreliable:
BECMIHD(BaseXPValue) 5EChallenge
Under1(5XP) (25)to(50)
1to1+(10to15XP) (100)
2to2+(20to25XP) 1(200)
3to4+(35to125XP) 2(450)
5(175XP) 3(700)
Ifyouusetheabovetable,treateachasterixaftertheHDasincreasingtheeffectiveBECMIHD
byonestep.(So4*shouldbetreatedas4+HD,and4**shouldbetreatedas5HD.)However,
thisfallsapartaroundthe6+HDlevel,astheextraXPaddedbyeachasterixgrowstoohigh.
Traits
TodetermineacreaturesTraits,lookattheBECMImonstersdescription.Whenpossible,you
shoulduseequivalenttraitsfromtheStarterSetmonstersifthisisnotpossible,eitherbasethe
convertedtraitonasimilar5Etrait,orsimplyusetheoriginaltextasis.
TheStarterSetincludesdescriptionsforthefollowingTraits:
Aggressive(Orc)
Ambusher(Doppelganger)
Amorphous(OchreJelly)
Amphibious(YoungGreenDragon)
Brute(Bugbear)
Devotion(Cultist)
FalseAppearance(TwigBlight)
FeyAncestry(NezznartheBlackSpider)
Hover(Spectator)
Illumination(Flameskull)
IncorporealMovement(MormesktheWraith)
InnateSpellcasting(NezznartheBlackSpider)
KeenHearingandSmell(Wolf),KeenSight(Nothic),KeenSightandSmell
(Owlbear)
MagicResistance(Flameskull)
MartialAdvantage(Hobgoblin)
NimbleEscape(Goblin)
PackTactics(Wolf)
Rejuvenation(Flameskull)
Shapechanger(Doppelganger)
StoneCamouflage(Grick)
SpecialEquipment(NezznartheBlackSpider)
Spellcasting(EvilMage,Flameskull,NezznartheBlackSpidermoreonthisbelow)
SpiderClimb(GiantSpider,OchreJelly)
SunlightSensitivity(MormesktheWraith,NezznartheBlackSpider)
SurpriseAttack(Bugbear,Doppelganger)
Telepathy(Spectator)
UndeadFortitude(Zombie)
WebSense,WebWalker(GiantSpider)
Spellcastingisaspecialcase.InadditiontobeingusedforBECMImonsterswithlevelsina
spellcastingclass,listsofspelllikepowersalsotendtobetranslatedasSpellcasting.(Theonly
exceptionshouldbespecificspelllikepowerswhicharereallyimportanttoacreaturesconcept,
inwhichcasetheyareeitherlistedasInnateSpellcastingorbrokenoutasindividualtraits,
actions,orreactions.)
Ifthecreaturelistsacasterlevel,usethat.(UsetheconversionunderProficiencyBonusabove
toconverttheBECMIclasslevelsto5E.)Ifnocasterlevelisprovided,usetheirBECMIHitDice.
Makesuretousethe5Erulesforspellcasting,andreplacespellswithclosestequivalentsif
necessaryrefertotheStarterSetorBasicRulesformoredetails.(ForInnateSpellcasting,the
spellcastingabilityappearstobeWisdom.)
NotethatoutsideofaSpellcastingtrait,theeffectsofaspellaregenerallydescribedina
monstersstatblockin5E.Butyoudonthavetodothisifyoudontwantto.
ActionswithanAttackRoll
ActionsshouldbetakenfromaBECMIcreaturesnormalattacksordescription.Youneedto
convertthreethingstomaketheseinto5Eactionsthetohitbonus,thedamageinflictedby
elementsoftheattack,andanysavingthrowsrequired.
ToHit
Recalculatethisfromscratch.In5E,thetohitforanactionseemstobebasedonthe
proficiencybonus.Thisiscombinedwiththerelevantabilitybonus(usuallyStrengthor
Dexterity).
Notethatmostnaturalattacks(claw,bite,etc.)appeartobefinesseattacks,meaningtheycan
useeitherStrengthorDexteritywithattackrolls.Unlessyouthinkyourcreatureshouldbea
weakmeleecombatant,youshouldchoosethehighestofeitherStrengthorDexterityfortohit
withnaturalattacks.
UnusualattackslikethewraithsLifeDrainappeartoeitherhaveahigherbonus,orareusing
somethingotherthanStrengthorDexterity.Idonthaveanyspecificrecommendationsforthis
rightnow,butfeelfreetoexperimentwithotherabilityscores(likeConstitutionorCharisma)if
thatseemsappropriate.Youreprobablysaferavoidingthat,however.
Damage
InBECMI,damageissometimesexpressednotindice,butasarange,like16,312,or25.In
suchcases,youwillhavetofigureouthowmanydicethatisbeforeconverting.(Intheabove
cases,its1d6,3d4,and1d4+1.)
Forattacksthatuseaweapon,refertothedamagelistedintheBasicRulesPDForStarterSet.
Ifthecreatureislarge,increasetheweaponsdamagediebyone(i.e.1d6becomes2d6).Ifthe
creatureishuge,increasetheweaponsdamagediebytwo(i.e.1d6becomes3d6).Some
especiallyhugecreatures,andgargantuancreatures,mayincreasethedamagediebythree
(i.e.1d6becomes4d6),butyoumaybesaferstickingwithtwo.
Fornaturalattacksbytinyorsmallcreatures,youshouldprobablyleavethedamagedicealone.
However,theminimumdamagedieappearstobe1d4,soanyweakerattacksshouldprobably
upgradetothat.(Thesamegoesfordamagedicebelow1d4forothercreatures.)
Fornaturalattacksbymediumorlargercreatures,usethefollowingtable:
BECMIDamageDice 5EDamageDice
1d4 1d6(or2d4)
1d6 1d8(or2d6)
1d8 1d10(or2d8)
1d10 1d12(or2d10)
1d12 2d8(or2d12)
Ifanattackinflictsmorethanonedieofdamage,increasethe5Edamagediebythatnumber.
Forexample,2d4shouldbecome2d6(or3d4).
Somecreaturesstrongestnaturalattacksseemtoaddbothonedieofdamageandincrease
thedietypebyoneforexample,1d6becoming2d8.Thisshouldbeusedcarefully,however,
andshouldntbeusedonmorethanoneattack.
DontforgettoaddthemonstersStrengthbonustomeleedamageandDexteritybonusto
rangeddamage.YoucancalculateaveragedamagethroughthemethodaboveunderHitDice.
Othertypesofdamagingattacks(liketheflameskullsfireray)seemtobetreatedmuchlikethe
strongestnaturalattacksabove,buttherearentmanyexamplesyet.Still,thatguidelinemay
workfornow.Dragonbreathweaponsareupgradedmuchmorethanthat,buttheresnot
enoughinformationyettorecommendanyguidelinesforthem.
SavingThrowsforActions
5EsavingthrowsareverydifferentfromBECMI.Theyshouldprobablybeconvertedasfollows:
BECMISavingThrow 5ESavingThrow
DeathRayorPoison Constitution
MagicWands Wisdom(orDexterity)
ParalysisorTurntoStone Constitution(orWisdom)
DragonBreath Constitution(orDexterity)
Rod,Staff,orSpell Wisdom(orDexterity)
Feelfreetosubstituteadifferentabilityscoreforthesave,ifitseemsmoreappropriate.
TheaverageDifficultyClass(DC)forsavesin5Eseemstodifferbythetypeofaction:
Type1:Iftheactioninvolvesanattackroll,theDCseemstobe10+theabilitybonusof
thecreaturefortherelevantsave.Forexample,acreaturewithConstitution13(+1
bonus)thatinflictsaConstitutionsaveeffectshouldrequireaDCof11(10+1).
Type2:Iftheactionisarangedeffectwithnoattackroll,theDCappearstobe10+
Challengerating.Ifcorrect,thisisinconvenient,sincewedonthaveagoodwayto
determineChallenge.Fornow,IrecommendcalculatingweakereffectsasType1and
strongeronesasType3,butyoucanusetheshakyHD/XPconversiontableaboveto
determineChallengeifyouwish.
Type3:Iftheactionisanareaeffectwithnoattackroll,theDCappearstobe10+the
abilitybonusofthecreaturefortherelevantsave+proficiencybonus.(Weonlyhaveone
exampleofthis,however.)
TheStarterSetincludesdescriptionsforthefollowingActionsrequiringasavingthrow:
Biteplusknockedprone(Wolf)[Type1]
Bitepluspoison(GiantSpider)[Type1]
Clawsplusparalyzedcondition(Ghoul)[Type1]
EyeRays(Spectator)[Type2]
LifeDrain(MormesktheWraith)[Type1]
PoisonBreath(YoungGreenDragon)[Type3]
RottingGaze(Nothic)[Type2]
Web(GiantSpider)[Type1]
ThewraithsLifeDrainshouldbeusedinplaceofBECMIsenergydrainattack.
Recharge
Someactionsalsohavearecharge,whichisexplainedintheStarterSet.Twoexamplesare
thegiantspidersWebandtheyounggreendragonsPoisonBreath,whichbothhavearecharge
of56.
Rechargeseemstocoverstrongeffectsthat,inBECMI,couldonlybeusedalimitednumberof
timesperday,orrequiredanumberofroundsbetweenuses.TheStarterSetgoesonto
describeeffectsthatcanonlybeusedaspecificnumberoftimesperdayasitsowncategory,
althoughnoexamplesareprovided.
MyrecommendationistouseRecharge56formostlimiteduseactions,andkeepXperday
forespeciallystrongattacksthatshouldonlybeusedonceinabattle.
ActionswithoutanAttackRoll
Several5Ecreaturesthedoppelganger,flameskull,grick,nothic,owlbear,andyounggreen
dragonhaveMultiattack,allowingthemtotakemorethanoneactionperturn.IfyourBECMI
monstercouldattackmorethanonce,youshouldprobablygivethemMultiattackin5E.Notethat
mostcreaturescanonlymaketwoattackstheonlyexceptionistheyounggreendragon,which
canmakethree.
Therearealsoafewcreaturesthatcantakeactionsnotrequiringanattackrollorsavingthrow.
IfyourmonstercoulddothisinBECMI,youcanprobablyusethemasisin5E.
TheStarterSetincludesdescriptionsforthefollowingActionsofthattype:
CreateFoodandWater(Spectator)
ReadThoughts(Doppelganger)
WeirdInsight(Nothic)
Reactions
AnythingthatcouldbeconvertedintoanAction,butrequiressomesortoftrigger,shouldbe
categorizedasaReaction.Otherwise,theyshouldbeconvertedlikeotherActions.
FinalNotes
Everythingnotmentionedabove,likeMorale,shouldprobablybedroppedin5E.Ofcourse,if
youfeelitsveryimportanttothecreaturesconcept,feelfreetobringitoveranyway.
Appendix1:0E
MonsterstatsintheoriginalD&Dgamearemuchsimplerthaninitsdescendants.Unfortunately,
thisalsomeansthatyouwillneedtofillmanyoftheblanksyourself.A5E,Next,or3.5reference
monster(explainedaboveunderAbilityScores)isessentialforthis.
OnlythedifferencesfromtheBECMIconversionaredescribedbelow.
Size,Alignment,AbilityScores
Thesearenotexplicitlylistedinthestatblocksformany0Emonsters.Youwillgenerallyhaveto
relyonthedescription,makeaneducatedguess,orstealthemfromareferencemonster.
HitDice
NotethatallHitDiceintheoriginalrulebookswered6.Monstersdidnotused8HitDiceuntilthe
Greyhawksupplement(andwhilehighlyrecommended,itwastechnicallyoptional).
Ifonlyhitpointsareprovidedforacreature,dividethemby8androunddowntothenearest
wholenumbertogettheirHitDice(minimum1).Then,convertthemlikeBECMIHitDice.
Example:Acreaturehas113hitpoints.113/8=14.125,roundeddownto14HitDice.
Speed
Movein0Eisininches,whichmakesitthesameasthemovementscoresin1Eand2E.You
shouldconvertitasfollows:
Moveupto12:Divideby3,multiplyby10,roundtonearest10.
Moveabove12:Multiplyby2,roundtonearest10.
Iftherearetwonumbersseparatedbyaslash,thesecondisusuallyflyingmovement.Other
movementtypesmaybeprovidedaswell,afteradditionalslashestrytodeterminethesefrom
thedescription.
Example:AcreaturehasMove9/21.Itsnewgroundmovementis9/3=3,3x10=30feet.Its
newflightspeedis21x2=42,roundedto40feet.
Challenge
XPisnotprovidedwith0Estatblocks,andtheoriginalrulebookssuggestafairlyroughmethod
forcalculatingit.However,theGreyhawksupplementprovidesanXPtablefairlysimilartothe
BECMItable,whichmeanstheycanusethesamescale.
Basically,ifyouwanttoestimateChallenge,youcanusethe0EHitDicewiththeroughtable
providedforBECMIXPabove.ConsiderbumpingtheeffectiveHDuponestepforeach
particularlyeffectivespecialability(thesortthatwouldhaveanasterixinBECMI).
DamageforActions
Early0Ematerialonlyusesd6fordamagedice,andunlessotherwisestated,creaturesinflict
1d6damageonahit.Ifthisseemsinappropriateforyourcreature,considerreplacingthese
damageratingswiththoseusedbyyourreferencemonster.Laterrulebooksprovideother
typesofdamagediceasanoptionformonstersifavailable,usethatforconversionto5E.
Onceyouveselectedyourcreaturesdamage,convertitasyouwouldBECMIdamage.
0EssavingthrowsareslightlydifferentfromBECMI,aslaidoutbelow:
0ESavingThrow 5ESavingThrow
AllWandsincludingPolymorphor
Paralization(sic)
Wisdom(orConstitution,orDexterity)
Stone Constitution
StavesandSpells Wisdom(orDexterity)
Appendix2:HolmesBasic
The1977HolmesversionofBasicD&DissimilartoitsMoldvayandMentzerdescendants.
ThereareonlyahandfulofdifferencesfromtheBECMIconversion,notedbelow.
Size,AbilityScores
Like0EandmostofBECMI,thesearenotexplicitlylistedinthestatblocksformanyHolmes
Basicmonsters.Thedescription,guesswork,orareferencemonsterareyourbestsources.
Alignment
UnlikeBECMIor0E,Holmeshasfivealignments:lawfulgood,chaoticgood,neutral,lawful
evil,andchaoticevil.Thismakesalignmentconversioneasierthantheothertwoversions,as
onlytheneutralalignmentsneedtobedeterminedfromtheirdescription.Furthermore,many
creatureswillnotetendenciesalongsideaneutralalignment.
Somecreatureshavenoalignmentlistedtheseshouldbeunalignedin5E.
Speed
DividethemonstersMoveby3togetthe5ESpeed.
Challenge
Like0E,youcanusetheHolmesHitDicewiththeroughtableprovidedforBECMIXPabove.
YoushouldincreasetheeffectiveHDonestepforeachparticularlyeffectivespecialability(those
thatwouldhaveanasterixinBECMI).
HolmesBasicusesslightlydifferentsavingthrowsfromBECMIor0E:
HolmesBasicSavingThrow 5ESavingThrow
MagicWand Wisdom(orDexterity)
TurnedtoStone Constitution
SpellorMagicStaff Wisdom(orDexterity)
Appendix3:AlternateProficiencyBonus
CombiningtogetherwhatIdiscussedunderProficiencyBonusandChallenge,youcanuse
thefollowingtableasawaytoguessataBECMImonstersproficiencybonusin5E.TheXP
tablesfor0EandHolmesBasicaresimilarenoughthatthisshouldworkforthemaswell(bya
certaindefinitionofwork).
ThebelowisstrictlybasedonHitDice,andignoresanyincreaseinXPValueforspecialabilities.
Assuch,Icanprettymuchguaranteethesewillbeoffabove+3.
BECMIHD 5EProficiencyBonus
Upto6HD +2
6+to10HD +3
10+to14HD +4
14+to18HD +5
18+HD +6
ThisisthethirdinmyseriesofconversiondocumentsforD&D5thEdition.(Youcanfindtheone
forNexthereandtheonefor3.5/3E/Pathfinderhere.)Icreatedthisdocumentbycomparingthe
5EversionsofmonstersfromtheStarterSetwiththeir2Ecounterparts.Ialsoreferredtotwo
sourcesforconvertingmonstersfrom2Eto3E:WizardsofficialConversionManualandthe
DragonMagazinearticleHowtoCreateaMonster.
Iwillonceagainincludetwowarnings:
1. Ifyoucomparethe2Eand5Eversionsofmonstersyourself,youwillnoticethis
conversiondoesnotproduceperfectlyidenticalresults.Iwentforapproximation,not
precision.
2. Iamfallible,sotheremaybemistakes.Ifyoufindany,letmeknow.
Theendofthisdocumentalsoexplainshowtoadjusttheseguidelinesforconvertingmonsters
from1E.
Also,thankstoRussMorrisseyforasimplificationondragonAC,andthepeopleinthisENWorld
threadforgeneralhelp!
Size
5Eappearstouse3.5ssizeranges(slightlytrimmed).Thesedonotperfectlymatch2Essize
categories,soconvertthemasfollows:
2ESize 5ESize
Tiny(2orless) Tiny(2feetorless)
Small(24) Small(24feet)
Medium(47) Medium(48feet)
Large(78) Medium(48feet)
Large(812) Large(816feet)
Huge(1216) Large(816feet)
Huge(1625) Huge(1632feet)
Gargantuan(2532) Huge(1632feet)
Gargantuan(32ormore) Gargantuan(32feetormore)
Youcanalsosimplyusethe2Esizecategoryasis,ifyoudontmindbeingoffbyafewfeet.
Type
2Edidnothavecreaturetypes,soyouwillneedtoassignthoseyourself,basedonthe
monstersdescription.Thetypesareallexplainedinthe5EBasicRules.
Tags
step.
Alignment
Generally,keepthisthesame.However,creaturesin5Emayalsobeunaligned,meaningthey
operateoninstinctsoyoumaywanttochangeneutraltounalignedforsomecreatures.
ArmorClass
Ifthecreaturedidnotweararmor,andhadanACof6orbelow,theyshouldhavenaturalarmor.
Inthatcase,givethema+2bonustotheirnewAC.
Dragonsappeartohavestrongernaturalarmorin5E.Fornow,Isuggestestimatingtheir5EAC
bysubtractingitfrom19.
Example:AdragonofsomesorthasAC1.Subtractthatfrom19:19(1)=19+1=20.
HitDice
In2E,HitDicemaybedisplayedinformatslike11or5+3.Thefirstnumberisthenumberof
HitDiceignorethelaternumber.
Tinycreaturesshouldkeepthesamenumberofhitdiceastheyhadin2E.
become5d10.
totalof+6.13+6=19.
Twoexceptions:
Oozesshouldprobablykeeptheircurrenthitdice.
Dragonshavebeenupgradedalotsince2E,soany2Edragonconvertedlikeothermonstersis
likelytobecomparativelyweak.Butsincewehaveonlyoneexample,Icanonlysuggestyou
convertthemlikeothercreaturesoftheirsize.
Speed
Usethe2EMovementstat,thenconvertitasfollowsforeachmovementtype(infeet).
Movementupto12:Divideby3,multiplyby10,roundtonearest10.
Movementabove12:Multiplyby2,roundtonearest10.
Forreference,the2EabbreviationsforspecialmovementareFl(flying),Sw(swimming),Br
(burrowing),Cl(climbing),andWb(movingacrosswebs).
Example:AcreaturehasMovement9,Fl21.Itsnewgroundmovementis9/3=3,3x10=30
feet.Itsnewflightspeedis21x2=42,roundedto40feet.
Acreaturethatcanmoveacrosswebs(Wb)shouldreplacethatspeedwiththetraitWeb
Walker(seethegiantspiderintheStarterSet).
AbilityScores
Theonlyabilityscoreprovidedinmost2EstatblocksisIntelligence.Youcanusethisstatistic
asgiveniftheresarange,gofortheaverageorhighestscore.IfonlytheIntelligenceratingis
provided,usethebelowforreference:
Non(0)[whichmustbeincreasedtoatleast1for5E]
Animal(1)
Semi(24)
Low(57)
Average(810)
Very(1112)
High(1314)
Exceptional(1516)
Genius(1718)
Supragenius(1920)
Godlike(21+)
Ifyouarereallylucky,themonstersdescriptionmaydescribeotherabilityscores.Usethemas
giveniftheyareprovided,withtheexceptionofStrength,whichshouldbeconvertedasfollows:
2EStrength 5EStrength
118 Same
18/0118/99 18
18/00(2Eogre) 19
19(2Ehillgiant) 2021
20(2Estonegiant) 2223
21(2Efrostgiant) 2324
22(2Efiregiant) 2526
23(2Ecloudgiant) 2728
24(2Estormgiant) 29
25 30
Foranyabilityscoresmissingatthispoint,youwillneedtochooseareferencemonster.This
isanexistingmonstersimilartotheoneyoureconverting.(Forexample,askeletalundead
couldusetheskeletonasareference.)Youshouldusetheabilityscoresofthereference
monstertofillinanyblanks,possiblytweakingthemasneededtofitthemonstersconceptor
knownabilityscores.
3. D&D3.5sMonsterManual.Youcanusethissiteasaquickreference:
http://www.d20srd.org/indexes/monsters.htm
4. TheHowtoCreateaMonsterarticle(linkedabove).
Alternatively,the2EsourcebookDungeonMasterOption:HighLevelCampaignsprovidesa
methodfordeterminingmonsterabilityscores,ifyouwanttofillintheblanksfromthe2Eside.
Theyrecommendrollingrandomlyandconsultingatable,butIwouldusetheaverageresulton
thetableinstead(results912).Another2EresourcetoconsiderisTheCompleteBookof
Humanoids.NotethatanyresultingStrengthscoreswouldstillneedtobeconvertedto5E.
ProficiencyBonus
monstersa+3aswell.
levelfortheir5Eproficiencybonus.
SavingThrows
Ignorethe2Erulesformonstersavingthrows.In5E,savesareassociatedwitheachofthesix
abilityscores,somostcreaturesjustusetheirabilitybonusforsaves.
maywishtodothesameforyourconvertedcreature,iftheir2Edescriptionsuggestsitshould.
Skills
Consultthe2Emonstersdescriptiontoseeifithasanytalentsthatmightmatchaparticular5E
skill.Forreference,the5Eskillsare:
Athletics(Strength)
(Dexterity).
Lookatthe2EcreaturesSpecialDefensesanddescriptionthisshouldgiveyouanideawhat
thecreatureisvulnerableagainst(listedunderDamageVulnerabilitiesin5E),whatthe
creatureisresistantagainst(listedunderDamageResistances),andwhatthecreatureis
immuneagainst(listedunderDamageImmunitiesorConditionImmunities).
Some2Ecreaturescanonlybeharmedbymagicalweaponsofacertainbonus(+1,+2,etc.).
ThisshouldbelistedunderDamageResistancesasfollows:
Magicresistancehasalsobeensimplified,andisnowlistedasatraitseetheflameskullfor
anexample.
Senses
truesight.2Esinfravision,ultravision,andsimilarsensesareequivalenttodarkvision.Any
nonvisualreplacementforsightshouldbeblindsight.Anycreaturewithinnatetrueseeing
shouldhavetruesight.
Languages
listedthere,givethemthenativelanguageprovidedintheir2Edescription.
Challenge
ThereisnoreliablewaytocalculateChallengefor5Emonsters,letaloneforconverted
creaturesfrom2E.Ifthisisacreaturefromamodule,however,itsprobablyfine.
Thatsaid,Ididfindafewrepeatedequivalencies,whichIcanextrapolateintoapartial
conversiontable.Thisislikelytobehighlyinaccurate,sousethebelowatyourownrisk:
2EXPValue(equivalentHDvalue) 5EChallenge
35orlower(2HDorless) (25)
65(2+1to3HD) (50)
120(3+1to4HD) (100)
175(4+1to5HD) 1(200)
270(5+1to6HD) 2(450)
420(6+1to7HD) 3(700)
Traits
TodetermineacreaturesTraits,lookatthe2Emonstersdescription.Whenpossible,you
Aggressive(Orc)
Brute(Bugbear)
Devotion(Cultist)
Hover(Spectator)
(Owlbear)
PackTactics(Wolf)
Spellcastingisaspecialcase.Inadditiontobeingusedfor2Emonsterswithlevelsina
spellcastingclass,listsofspelllikepowersalsotendtobetranslatedasSpellcasting.(Theonly
exceptionshouldbespecificspelllikepowerswhicharereallyimportanttoacreaturesconcept,
inwhichcasetheyareeitherlistedasInnateSpellcastingorbrokenoutasindividualtraits,
actions,orreactions.)
Ifthecreaturelistsacasterlevel,usethat.Ifnocasterlevelisprovided,usetheir2EHitDice.
Actionsshouldbetakenfroma2Ecreaturesnormalattacks,SpecialAttacks,ordescription.
Youneedtoconvertthreethingstomaketheseinto5Eactionsthetohitbonus,thedamage
inflictedbyelementsoftheattack,andanysavingthrowsrequired.
ToHit
IgnoretheTHAC0andrecalculatethisfromscratch.In5E,thetohitforanactionseemstobe
basedontheproficiencybonus.Thisiscombinedwiththerelevantabilitybonus(usually
StrengthorDexterity).
withnaturalattacks.
Damage
In2E,damageisoftenexpressednotindice,butasarange,like16,312,or25.Insuch
cases,youwillhavetofigureouthowmanydicethatisbeforeconverting.(Intheabovecases,
its1d6,3d4,and1d4+1.)
2EDamageDice 5EDamageDice
1d4 1d6(or2d4)
1d6 1d8(or2d6)
1d8 1d10(or2d8)
1d10 1d12(or2d10)
1d12 2d8(or2d12)
workfornow.Dragonbreathweaponsareupgradedmuchmorethanthat,butuntilwehave
moredragons,Imreluctanttorecommendanyguidelinesthere.
5Esavingthrowsareverydifferentfrom2E.Theyshouldprobablybeconvertedasfollows:
2ESavingThrow 5ESavingThrow
Paralyzation,Poison,orDeathMagic Constitution
Rod,Staff,orWand Wisdom(orDexterity)
PetrificationorPolymorph Constitution(orWisdom)
BreathWeapon Constitution(orDexterity)
Spell Wisdom
Feelfreetosubstituteadifferentabilityscoreforthesave,ifitseemsmoreappropriate.
strongeronesasType3,butyoucanusetheroughXPconversiontableaboveto
ThewraithsLifeDrainshouldbeusedinplaceof2Esenergydrainattack.
Recharge
Someactionsalsohavearecharge,whichisexplainedintheStarterSet.Twoexamplesare
thegiantspidersWebandtheyounggreendragonsPoisonBreath,whichbothhavearecharge
of56.
Rechargeseemstocoverstrongeffectsthat,in2E,couldonlybeusedalimitednumberof
timesperday,orrequiredanumberofroundsbetweenuses.TheStarterSetgoesonto
describeeffectsthatcanonlybeusedaspecificnumberoftimesperdayaswell,althoughno
examplesareprovided.
dragonhaveMultiattack,allowingthemtotakemorethanoneactionperturn.Ifyour2E
monstercouldattackmorethanonce,youshouldprobablygivethemMultiattackin5E.Notethat
mostcreaturescanonlymaketwoattackstheonlyexceptionistheyounggreendragon,which
canmakethree.
Ifyourmonstercoulddothisin2E,youcanprobablyusethemasisin5E.
Reactions
FinalNotes
Everythingnotmentionedabove,likeMorale,shouldprobablybedroppedin5E.Ofcourse,if
youfeelitsveryimportanttothecreaturesconcept,feelfreetoportitoveranyway.
Appendix1:1E
Whiletherewereseveralunderlyingchangesbetween1Eand2E,themonsterstatisticscanbe
convertedmoreorlessthesameas2Ecreatures.Thereareafewdifferences,however,which
aremostlycosmetic.
Movementratesarethesameas2E,buttheyareusuallydisplayedinthefollowingformat:
[normal]
/[flying]
//[swimming]
([burrowing])
*[web]
@[climb]
1Eonlyrecognizesthreesizecategories:S(small),M(humansized),andL(large).Mis
definedas57feetSisanythingsmallerthan5feetLisanythinglargerthan7feet.Ifa
specificsizeinfeetisgiven,youmayusethatnumberwiththe2Esizeconversionifnot,you
willhavetochooseanappropriatesizeyourself,basedonthecreaturesdescription.
XPValueiscalculateddifferentlyfrom2E.MostmonsterswereeventuallyassignedMonster
Levels,aswell.Neitherseemstocorrespondwellenoughtodetermineanyequivalent
Challengefor5E,thoughMonsterLevelsIIVdoroughlyoverlapwithChallenge3andbelow.
(Notethattheoriginal1EMonsterManualdoesnotprovideLevelsorXPValuesatallyouhave
torefertothe1EDungeonMastersGuideanddetermineityourself.)
PsionicAbilityislistedformany1Emonsters(aswellasasmallernumberof2Emonsters).
Psionicsrulesarebeyondthescopeofthisconversion,butyoumaywishtoimportany
describedpsionicpowersastraits,actions,orreactionsasappropriate.
FYI,the1EMonsterManualIIhasalistconvertingthedamageranges(28,etc.)todicerolls,
whichmaycomeinhandyforboth1Eand2Econversions.
Ifyouwantahigherproficiencybonusthan+2or+3foryour1Emonster,Ihaveaveryloose
waytoguesswhatitmightbeinAppendix2.
thefollowingtableasawaytoguessata2Emonstersproficiencybonusin5E.
Onelastwarningthishasafairlygoodchanceofbeingwrong.
2EXPValue(equivalentHDvalue) 5EProficiencyBonus
Upto650(8HDorless) +2
975to3000(8+1to13HD) +3
4000to7000(14to17HD) +4
8000to11,000(18to21HD) +5
12,000ormore(22HDormore) +6
For1E,Ihaveanevenshakierconversionyoucantry,whichreliesonmeconvenientlyignoring
thedifferencesinhowXPiscalculatedbetween1Eand2E:
1EXPValue(BasicXPValueequiv.HD) 5EProficiencyBonus
Upto375(8HDorless) +2
375to600(8to8+1HD) +2or+3
600to1800(8+1to13HD) +3
1800to3000(14to17HD) +4
3000to5000(18to21HD) +5
5000ormore(22HDormore) +6
Similartomypreviousconversiondocument(Nextto5E),Icreatedthebelowguidelinesby
comparingthe5EversionsofmonstersfromtheStarterSetwiththeir3.5counterparts.
Andlikemypreviousdocument,Ihavetoincludetwowarnings:
1. Ifyoutesttheseguidelinesonthe3.5versionsoftheStarterSetmonstersyourself,the
5Eversionswilllikelybeslightlyoff.ThisispartlybecauseWizardschangedsome
monstersinotherways(liketheDoppelganger)andpartlybecauseIwasgoingforan
approximation,soitwouldbeeasytouse.
2. Iamfallible,andImayhavemadesomemistakes.Ifyoufindanyglaringerrors,please
letmeknow.
Attheendofthisdocument,Ihavealsoincludedguidelinesforadjustingthebelowguidelinesto
workfor3.5smajorcousins,3EandPathfinder.
ThankstothepeopleinthisENWorldthreadforgeneralhelp!
Size
TherearefourconfirmedcreaturesizesintheStarterSet:Tiny,Small,Medium,andLarge.
TheBasicRulesextendthattoHugeandGargantuancreatures.
AnycreaturessmallerthanTiny(i.e.FineorDiminutive)shouldbetreatedasTinycreatures,
andanylargerthanGargantuan(i.e.Colossal)shouldbetreatedasGargantuancreatures.
Whetheryouactuallywanttorescalethemtothosesizesisuptoyou.
Type
5Ekeepsmostofthe3.5creaturetypes.Theexceptionsarethefollowing:
AnimalandVerminwerefoldedintoBeast.
MagicalBeastandMonstrousHumanoidwerefoldedintoMonstrosity.
Outsiderhasbeensplitup.
Elementalplanes:ProbablyElemental.
Predominantlychaoticplanes:ProbablyAberration.
Predominantlylawfulplanes:ProbablyConstruct.
Goodplanes:Celestial.
Evilplanes:Fiend.
Furtherdetailson5EscreaturetypesaredetailedintheBasicRulesPDF.
Specialrulesforcreaturetypes(suchassensesorimmunities)aredescribedinthe5Estat
block,ratherthanbeingsomethingyoureexpectedtomemorizesoifyouwanttokeepthose
qualities,makesureyouincludenotesonsuchtraitsalongwithyourconversion,forreference.
(Ahandyguidetothe3.5typescanbefoundhere.)
Note,however,thatnocreatureappearstobeimmunetocriticalhitsorsneakattacks,and
manyoftheotherdefaultspecialqualitiesseemtobeabsentin5E.Checksimilarmonstersin
5Ebeforeyouaddtoomanyofthe3.5rules.
Tags
Thesehavereplacedthe3.5creaturesubtypes,butunlikesubtypes,tagsonlyappeartobe
descriptive.(Therearealsofewerofthem.)Aswithcreaturetypes,anygamerulesassociated
witha3.5subtypeshouldbeexplainedinthe5Estatblock.
Shapechangerdonotappeartohavethefixedrulesseenin3.5,andappeartochange
dependingonthespecificcreaturelookattheStarterSetsDoppelganger,thePlayers
HandbooksImpandQuasit,orHoardoftheDragonQueensVampireandYuanTiMalisonfor
severalexamples.Wealsohavenewrulesforincorporeal(seeMormesktheWraith),whichis
nolongerasubtypeortagatall.Itislikelynewruleswillbeestablishedforotherformersubtypes
aswell,butwedonthavethemyet.
Alignment
operateoninstinct,soyoumaywanttochangeneutraltounalignedforsomecreatures.
ArmorClass
Ifacreaturehadnaturalarmorbefore,givethema+2bonustotheirnewAC.OthertypesofAC
adjustmentsfrom3.5,mostnotablysizeadjustments,nolongerappeartobeafactor.
Dragonsdefinitelyappeartohavestrongernaturalarmor,butwithonlyoneexample,Icantgive
youagoodmethod.Shavingafewpointsoffoftheir3.5naturalarmor,thenaddingittotheirnew
AC,wouldprobablywork.
HitDice
Tinycreaturesshouldkeepthesamenumberofhitdiceastheyhadin3.5.
Largecreaturesshouldaddtwohitdice.Forexample,3d10shouldbecome5d10.
HugeandGargantuancreaturesshouldbetreatedthesameasLargecreaturesatthistime.
totalof+6.13+6=19.
Twoexceptions:
Dragonschangedalotbetween3.5and5E,andsimplytreatingthemliketheothermonsters
willcreateaweakerdragonthanitshouldbe.Butuntilwehavemoreexamples,Icanonly
advisetreatingthemlikeothercreaturesoftheirsize.
Speed
Speedcanprettymuchbeusedasis.Dragonsseemtohavehadtheirflightspeedcutdownby
morethanhalf,soyoumaywanttohalveanyotherespeciallyhighflightspeeds.
AbilityScores
Thesecanbeusedasis.Most5Emonstershaveatleastminorabilityadjustmentsfromtheir
3.5counterparts,butthedifferencesareprettysmall,soyoushouldntsweatit.
Notethat5Edoesnotallowcreaturestohavenonexistentabilityscores.Myrecommendations
forreplacingamissingscore:
Strengthshouldprobablybebelow10forcreatureswithoutit.Thesingleexamplewe
haveofsuch,thewraith,hasaStrengthof6.
Constitutionneverseemstobelowerthan10.Youcanprobablygetawaywitha
Constitutionscoreanywherefrom10to15or16,basedonyourguessastohowtough
thecreatureshouldbe.
Intelligenceshouldalsobebelow10forcreatureswithoutit.Creaturesworkingon
instinctusuallyhaveatleast2Intelligence.
IhavenoguidelinestoofferonDexterity,Wisdom,orCharisma.Iwouldprobablyaimforat
leastascoreof2insuchcases.
ProficiencyBonus
monstersa+3aswell.
verywrong,youcansubtract1fromthecreaturesCRin3.5,thenusethatastheirlevelfor
proficiencybonus.
Ifamonsterisdescribedashavingcasterlevelsoranyotherclasslevels,thatcouldalsobe
usedasalevelfortheir5Eproficiencybonus.
SavingThrows
Youcanignorethe3.5savebonuses,as5Eusessavesassociatedwitheachofthesixability
scores.Soassumemostcreaturesjustusetheirabilitybonusforsaves.
Afewmonstersdoappeartoapplytheirproficiencybonustotheirsavestheyounggreen
dragonhasa+3tofoursaves,andthezombiehasa+2toone.Youmaywishtodothesame
foryourconvertedcreature,ifitseemsappropriate.(Forexample,ifthecreaturehadthefeats
GreatFortitude,IronWill,orLightningReflexes.)
Inmostcases,though,youshouldprobablypassongivingyourcreatureproficiency,asits
mucheasierwithoutit.
Skills
Formanycreatures,particularlymoreinstinctdrivenones,youwontneedtogivethemany
skills.Ifacreaturedoeshaveskills,itwillusuallyhaveproficiencywithonlyafew,generallythe
equivalentsoftheonestheyhadhigherranksinduring3.5.
Ifyouwanttotranslateacreaturesmorenotableskillsorfeatsintoequivalent5Eskill
proficiencies,theycanbetranslatedasfollows:
3.5Skill 3.5Feat 5ESkillProficiency

Climb,Swim Athletic Athletics(Strength)
Balance,Jump,Tumble Acrobatic,Agile Acrobatics(Dexterity)
SleightofHand DeftHands,NimbleFingers SleightofHand(Dexterity)
Hide,MoveSilently Stealthy Stealth(Dexterity)
Knowledge(arcana,the
planes),Spellcraft
MagicalAptitude Arcana(Intelligence)
Knowledge(history,local,
nobilityandroyalty)
History(Intelligence)
GatherInformation,Search Investigator Investigation(Intelligence)
Knowledge(geography,
nature)
Nature(Intelligence)
Knowledge(religion) Religion(Intelligence)
HandleAnimal,Ride AnimalHandling AnimalHandling(Wisdom)
SenseMotive Negotiator Insight(Wisdom)
Heal SelfSufficient Medicine(Wisdom)
Listen,Spot Alertness Perception(Wisdom)
Survival SelfSufficient,Track Survival(Wisdom)
Bluff,Disguise Deceitful Deception(Charisma)
Intimidate Persuasive Intimidation(Charisma)
Perform Performance(Charisma)
Diplomacy Negotiator,Persuasive Persuasion(Charisma)
Appraise,Concentration,
Craft,DecipherScript,
DisableDevice,Escape
Artist,Forgery,Knowledge
(otherfields),OpenLock,
Profession,SpeakLanguage,
UseMagicDevice,UseRope
Diligent No5Eskillequivalent.Many
ofthesearenowgeneric
abilitychecks,exclusive
classfeatures,orbackground
elements.
Vulnerabilities,resistances(suchasdamagereduction),andimmunitiesaresomethingyou
eitherhaveornotin5E.Sowhenyouimportthesefrom3.5,yousimplylistthemunderthe
appropriatecategory:DamageVulnerabilities,DamageResistances,orDamage
Immunities.
Inthecaseof3.5damagereductionthatcanbebypassedbycertaintypesofweapon(suchas
DR5/silver),theyareusuallydescribedasfollowsunderResistances:
bludgeoning,piercing,andslashingfrom(magicalornonmagicalor[blank])weapons(thatarent
silveredoradamantineoretc.or[blank])
YoushouldalsonoteConditionImmunities,whichmayoverlapwithresistancesordamage
immunities.Forexample,acreatureimmunetopoisondamageshouldalsonotethattheyare
immunetothepoisonedcondition.
Youshouldalsomakesuretolistanyvulnerabilities,resistances,orimmunitiesthatwereinnate
toacreaturetypein3.5intheappropriatesections,withthefollowingexceptions.
Magicresistance(spellresistance)hasbeensimplified,andisnowlistedasatraitseethe
flameskullforanexample.
Senses
truesight.3.5slowlightvisionappearstohavebeenfoldedintodarkvision.Anyothersenses
shouldbeusedasis.
Languages
Generally,thesestaythesame.Therewereafewchanges,however:
Aquan,Auran,Ignan,andTerranhavebeenfoldedintoPrimordial.
DwarvenisnowcalledDwarvish.Likewise,ElvenisnowElvish,andGnomeisnow
Gnomish.
MindflayersandbeholdersnowspeakDeepSpeechyoumaydecideothermonsters
shouldspeakitaswell.
DruidicandGnollarenotyetlistedin5E,thoughtheymaybeaddedlater.
(DruidicislistedasaDruidabilityonpage66ofthePHB,whilereferringtoitasasecret
languageitdoesntstatethatitcantbetaughttonondruidsaspreviouseditions.)
Challenge
WedonothaveareliablewaytocalculateChallengeratingsin5E,soIcantprovideany
guidelinesforthis.Ifyouareconvertingacreaturefromamodule,however,thisprobablywont
beabigproblem.
Ingeneral,however,itappears5EChallengeratingsareaboutonelowerthantheequivalent3.5
ChallengeRating.(Ifthe3.5CRwas1orbelowi.e.,itsusuallythenextfractionsmaller,
like.)Thisisextratentative,however,anditwillprobablybreakdownforhigherChallenge
Ratings.
Traits
Mostofthe3.5SpecialQualitiesnotdescribedearlierinthestatblockshouldbedescribed
here,alongwithspecialcreaturetyperules(likeShapechanger).Whenpossible,youshould
replaceany3.5traitswiththeir5Eequivalents,asdescribedintheStarterSet.Whenthisisnot
possible,trytousetheStarterSetexamplesasexamplestofollow,orsimplyusethe3.5rules
asis.
Aggressive(Orc)
Brute(Bugbear)
Devotion(Cultist)
Hover(Spectator)
(Owlbear)
PackTactics(Wolf)
Afewfurthernotes:
Fasthealingmaynotbepartofthe5Erules,assomecreaturesthathaditin3.5didnothaveit
intheStarterSet.Iimagineregenerationwillstickaround,however.
Spellcastingismorecomplicatedtoconvertthantheothers.Inadditiontobeingusedfor3.5
monsterswithspellcastingclasslevels,listsofspelllikeabilitiesfrom3.5alsotendtobe
translatedasaSpellcastingtrait.(Theexceptionisanyspelllikeabilitiesthatseemtobe
signaturepowers,inwhichcasetheyreusuallylistedasInnateSpellcastingorbrokenoutas
theirowntrait,action,orreaction.)
ThecasterlevelforSpellcastingshouldprobablystaythesame(unlessitsabove20,inwhich
casegowith20).However,keepinmindthatyouwillneedtofollowtherulesforspellcastingin
5E,whichdifferfromtheonesin3.5refertotheStarterSetorBasicRulesformoredetails.
(ForInnateSpellcasting,thespellcastingabilityappearstobeWisdom.)
Onemorethingifaneffectisdescribedasbeingsimilartoaspell,butisnotmeanttobeactual
spellcasting,youshouldlookuptheequivalent5Espell(orthe3.5version,ifnoneexists)and
describeitseffectsinthe5Estatblock.Ofcourse,ifitsmoreconvenientforyourgametousea
spelllistinstead,goforit.
Theseareconvertedfrom3.5AttacksorSpecialAttacks.Youneedtoconvertthreethingsto
maketheseinto5Eactionsthetohitbonus,thedamageinflictedbyelementsoftheattack,
andanysavingthrowsrequired.
ToHit
LikeAC,thisshouldprobablyberecalculatedfromscratch.Ingeneral,thetohitforanaction
seemstobebasedontheproficiencybonus.Thisiscombinedwiththerelevantabilitybonus
(usuallyStrengthorDexterity).
withnaturalattacks.
Damage
creatureishuge,increasetheweaponsdamagediebytwo(i.e.1d6becomes3d6).
Someespeciallyhugecreatures,andgargantuancreatures,mayincreasethedamagedieby
three(i.e.1d6becomes4d6),butyoumaybesaferstickingwithaddingtwo.
3.5DamageDice 5EDamageDice
1d4 1d6(or2d4)
1d6 1d8(or2d6)
1d8 1d10(or2d8)
1d10 1d12(or2d10)
1d12 2d8(or2d12)
Somecreaturesinflictadditionaldamageonahit,suchasacidorpoisonconvertthisthesame
astheabove.
workfornow.Dragonbreathweaponsareupgradedmuchmorethanthat,butuntilwehave
Ingeneral,FortitudesavesshouldbeconvertedtoConstitutionsaves,Reflexsavesshould
beconvertedtoDexteritysaves,andWillsavesshouldbeconvertedtoWisdomsaves.
TheaverageDifficultyClass(DC)forsavesseemstobelowerin5Ethantheywerein3.5.The
wayDCsarecalculated,however,seemstodifferbythetypeofaction:
determineChallengeIcanonlysuggestusingthetentativeconversionabove(10+3.5
CR,minusone).
Also,actionsthatdrainedConstitutionin3.5appeartoinflicthitpointdamageinstead.The
numberofConpointsdrainedshouldbeturnedintothesamenumberofhitpointsofdamage
(i.e.1d4Conbecomes1d4damage),thenconvertedusingtheguidelinesunderActionswith
anAttackRollabove.IfanattackinflictedbothhitpointandConstitutiondamage,combine
thosetogetherasbestyoucanbeforeconvertingthetotaldamage.
Recharge
Someactionsalsohavearecharge,whichisexplainedintheStarterSet.TheStarterSetonly
includestwoexamplesofsuch,thegiantspidersWebandtheyounggreendragonsPoison
Breath,whichbothhavearechargeof56.
Rechargeseemstobelimitedtostrongeffectsthat,in3.5,couldonlybeusedalimitednumber
oftimesperday,orrequiredanumberofroundsbetweenuses.TheStarterSetalsoincludes
rulesforeffectsthatcanonlybeusedaspecificnumberoftimesperdaybutprovidesno
examplesofsuch.
Severalcreaturesthedoppelganger,flameskull,grick,nothic,owlbear,andyounggreendragon
haveMultiattack,allowingthemtotakemorethanoneactionperturn.Ifyour3.5monster
couldattackmorethanonce,youshouldconsidergivingthemMultiattackin5E.Notethatmost
creaturescanonlymaketwoattackstheonlyexceptionistheyounggreendragon,whichcan
makethree.
Ifyourmonstercoulddothisin3.5,youcanprobablyusethemverbatimin5E.
Reactions
Anyspecialqualityorattackin3.5thatrequiredsomesortoftriggershouldbeaReaction.
Otherwise,treatitjustthesameasanyotherAction.
FinalNotes
Everythingnotmentionedaboveshouldprobablybedroppedin5E.Ofcourse,ifyoufeelitsvery
importanttothecreaturesconcept,feelfreetoportitoveranyway.
Also,ingeneral,5Emonstersseemtohaveslightlyfewerattackchoicesthanmanyoftheir3.5
counterparts,soyoushouldfeelfreetodropanymonsterabilitiesthatdontseemessentialtoits
concept.(Thiswillalsospeedyourconversionup,ofcourse.)
Appendix1:3E
Converting3Ecreatureswillgenerallybethesameas3.5.Thereareonlytwonotable
differences:
3Ehastwocreaturetypesdroppedin3.5:BeastandShapechanger.Creaturesofthe
formertypeshouldbecomeBeastsin5E,ofcourse,whileanyShapechangershould
probablybecomeaMonstrosity(unlessyoudecidetheybetterfitunderanothertype).
Damagereductionin3Ewasbrokendownbyweaponbonus(+1,+2,etc.).Thisshould
allbefoldedintoaresistancetononmagicalweaponsin5E.
Also,3Ehassomenotableskillsthatweredroppedormergedin3.5:
3ESkill 5ESkillProficiency
PickPocket SleightofHand(Dexterity)
ReadLips Perception(Wisdom)
IntuitDirection,WildernessLore Survival(Wisdom)
Innuendo Deception(Charisma)
Alchemy,AnimalEmpathy,Scry No5Eskillequivalent.Manyofthesearenow
genericabilitychecks,exclusiveclass
features,orbackgroundelements.
Ifyouwantmoredetailsonthedifferencesbetween3Eand3.5,checkouttheofficialguidelines
fromWizardsoftheCoasthere:http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/20030718a
Appendix2:Pathfinder
ConvertingfromPathfinderwillgenerallybethesameasconvertingfrom3.5,evenmoresothan
3E.Mostadjustmentsareminor,anddonotchangeanyoftheguidelinesusedfor3.5.
PathfinderdidrestoreflatXPawardsformonsters,butitalsoretained3.5sChallengeRating
system,sothatconversionshouldbethesame.
Lastly,Pathfinderdidconsolidatesomeof3.5sskills,whichcanbeconvertedasfollows:
PathfinderSkill 5ESkillProficiency
Acrobatics Acrobatics(Dexterity)
Stealth Stealth(Dexterity)
Perception Perception(Wisdom)
Linguistics No5Eskillequivalent.Thisisusuallya
backgroundelement.
Ifyouwantmoredetailsonthechangesbetween3.5andPathfinder,youcanfindtheofficial
conversionguidelineshere:
http://paizo.com/products/btpy89m6?PathfinderRoleplayingGameConversionGuide
ThisismyfifthandfinalconversiondocumentforD&D5thEdition.(Youcanfindtheothers
here.)Liketheothers,Icreatedthisdocumentbycomparingthe5Eversionsofmonstersfrom
theStarterSetwiththeir4Ecounterparts.
Mystandardwarnings:
1. Ifyoucomparethe4Eand5Eversionsofmonstersyourself,thisconversionsresults
willbeslightlydifferent.Thisisonlyanapproximation.
2. Mistakesareverypossible,sotellmeifyoufindany.
Size
TherearefourconfirmedcreaturesizesintheStarterSet:Tiny,Small,Medium,andLarge.
TheBasicRulesextendthattoHugeandGargantuan.Inshort,youcanusethe4Esize
categorywithnochange.
Type
4Esthreemethodsforclassifyingamonster(otherthanrole)areorigin,type,andkeywords.
Thesedonotpreciselymapto5Estypes,whichappeartobemorelikethosein3.5.Still,they
canprobablybeconvertedasfollows:
5EType 4EOrigin/Type/Keywords
Aberration Aberrant(origin)
Beast Beast(type),usuallyNatural(origin)and
lackingsupernaturalabilities
Celestial Immortal(origin),andgood
Construct Construct(keyword)
Dragon Dragon(keyword)
Elemental Elemental(keyword)
Fey Fey(origin),usuallyHumanoid(type)
Fiend Immortal(origin),andevil
Giant Giant(keyword)
Humanoid Humanoid(type),usuallyNatural(origin)and
lackingsupernaturalabilities
Monstrosity Beast,Humanoid,orMagicalBeast(types)
withsupernaturalabilities
Ooze Ooze(keyword)
Plant Plant(keyword)
Undead Undead(keyword)
Somejudgmentwillberequiredforcertaintypes,likeelementalorfeycreatures.
Fulldetailsonthe5EcreaturetypesareintheBasicRulesPDF.
Tags
step.
Alignment
4Ehasfivealignments:lawfulgood,good,unaligned,evil,andchaoticevil.Thesemapto
5Esalignmentsasfollows:
Lawfulgood:Nochange.
Good:Usuallyneutralgood,sometimeschaoticgood.
Unaligned:Iftheycanmakeethicalchoices,neutral.Ifnot,theyremainunaligned.
Evil:Usuallylawfulevil,sometimesneutralevil.
Chaoticevil:Nochange.
ArmorClass
In4E,ArmorClasswasdeterminedverydifferentlyformonstersthanitisin5E,soitshouldbe
recalculatedfromscratch.
Forcreatureswearingarmor,basetheir5EAContheirDexteritybonusandanyarmorworn,as
explainedintheStarterSetortheBasicRulesPDF.
Ifthecreaturedidnotweararmor,youshouldconsidergivingthemnaturalarmor,whichgives
thema+2bonustotheirnew5EAC.Whetherornota4Ecreatureshouldhavenaturalarmoris
basicallyajudgmentcall,butthereareafewelementsthatmaysuggestsuch:
ThecreatureisLargesizeorbigger.
ThecreatureisanAberration,Beast,Dragon,orMonstrosity.
Thecreaturehasa4EACofatleast20.
ThecreatureisanEliteorSolomonsterin4E.
HitDice
AsfornumberofHitDice,thisshouldbebasedonthe4Elevelofthemonster.Tinycreatures
shouldhavehitdiceequaltotheir4Elevel.Smallorlargercreaturesshouldhavehitdiceequal
totheir4Elevel,plusone.Forexample,aLevel5Lurkershouldhave6hitdice.
totalof+6.13+6=19.
Oneexception:ASolocreaturein4Eshouldprobablymultiplyits4Elevelbythreetodetermine
its5EHitDice.Forexample,aLevel5SoloSkirmishershouldprobablyhave15hitdicein5E.
Speed
4Espeedsaregiveninsquaressimplymultiplythisby5togettheir5ESpeedinfeet.
CreatureswithphasingshouldgetthetraitIncorporealMovement(seeMormesktheWraith
intheStarterSet).
AbilityScores
Technically,youcanusethe4Escoresasisin5E.However,mostoftheabilityscoresfor5E
creaturesareslightlylowerthantheir4Ecounterparts,soyoumaywanttoconsiderthefollowing
averageadjustments:
Strength:4forHumanoidsandMonstrosities.2forUndead.Leavetherestthesame.
Dexterity:4forLargeorbiggercreatures.2forMediumorsmallerHumanoidsand
Undead.Leavetherestthesame.
Constitution:2forHumanoids.Leavetherestthesame.
Intelligence:MostcreatureshaveatleastanIntelligenceof2or3,butyoucan
otherwiseleavethisthesame.
Wisdom:4forLargeorbiggercreatures.2formostothercreatures.
Charisma:2forMonstrosities.Leavetherestthesame.
ProficiencyBonus
monstersa+3aswell.
SavingThrows
In5E,thesereplacetheFortitude,Reflex,andWilldefenses.5Eassociatessaveswitheachof
thesixabilityscores,andmostcreaturessimplyapplytheirabilitybonustosavingthrows.
Afewmonstersdoappeartoapplytheirproficiencybonustotheirsavestheyounggreen
dragonhasa+3tofoursaves,andthezombiehasa+2toone.Ifyourcreaturehasan
additionalbonustosavingthrowsin4E,oritotherwiseseemsappropriateforyourmonster,
considergivingthemproficiencyinoneormoresavesin5E.(Itsusuallylesstroubletoavoid
this,however.)
Skills
4Eskillstranslateinto5Eskillproficienciesasfollows:
4ESkill 5ESkillProficiency
Acrobatics Acrobatics(Dexterity)
Arcana Arcana(Intelligence)
Athletics Athletics(Strength)
Bluff Deception(Charisma)
Diplomacy Persuasion(Charisma)
Heal Medicine(Wisdom)
History History(Intelligence)
Insight Insight(Wisdom)
Intimidate Intimidation(Charisma)
Nature Nature(Intelligence)and/orAnimalHandling
(Wisdom)and/orSurvival(Wisdom)
Religion Religion(Intelligence)
Stealth Stealth(Dexterity)
Thievery SleightofHand(Dexterity)
Dungeoneering,Endurance,Streetwise Nodirect5Eskillequivalent.Theseskillshave
beendividedupbetweenotherskills,generic
abilitychecks,exclusiveclassfeatures,or
backgroundelements.
NotethatmonsterslistPerceptionunderSensesin4E,separatefromtheotherSkills.Compare
thebonuslistedtheretoits4EWisdombonusifthe4EPerceptionbonusishigher,givethem
proficiencyinPerceptionin5E.(YoumayalsoconsidergivingthemproficiencyinInvestigationin
5E,ifthatseemsappropriate.)
Thesecanbetakendirectlyfromthe4Estatblock.ImmunebecomesDamageImmunities
and/orConditionImmunitiesResistbecomesDamageResistancesandVulnerable
becomesDamageVulnerabilities.Ignorethelistednumbersin5E,youeitherhavetheseor
youdont.
Some4EcreaturescanresistalleffectsthattargetAC.ThisshouldbelistedunderDamage
Resistancesasfollows:
Insubstantialisaspecialcaseyoushouldprobablygivethemthefollowingresistancesand
immunities:
Anyothervulnerabilities,resistances,orimmunitiesthatwereinnatetoacreaturewithagiven
origin,type,orkeywordin4Eshouldalsobedetailedintheappropriatesectionsabove.
Senses
truesight.4Eslowlightvisionappearstohavebeenfoldedintodarkvision.Anyothersenses
shouldbeusedasis.
Ifacreatureisdescribedasblindin4E,anysensesitusesshouldnote(blindbeyondthis
radius)in5E.
Languages
4Eand5Emostlysharethesamelistoflanguages.Thereareseveralchanges,however:
DwarvenisnowcalledDwarvish.Likewise,ElvenisnowElvish.
Gnomes,halflings,andorcshavetheirownlanguages:Gnomish,Halfling,andOrc.
SupernalhasbeensplitintoCelestial(forcelestials)andInfernal(fordevils).
Sylvanisnowthelanguagespokenbyfeycreatures,andshouldbeconsideredasa
substituteforElvenforanycreaturewiththeFeyorigin.
UndercommonshouldalsobeconsideredforsomeUnderdarkcreatures.
Challenge
ThereisnoreliablewaytocalculateChallengefor5Emonsters.Ifthisisacreaturefroma4E
module,however,itsprobablyfinetoconvertitandusetheresults.
However,Ididfindafewrepeatedequivalenciesbetween4Eand5EXP,soIcanprovidea
speculativeconversionatthelowestlevels.Becareful,though,asitcouldbeinaccurate.
4EXP 5EChallenge
Below100XP (25)or(50)
100150XP (100)
175200XP 1(200)
250300XP 2(450)
Traits
IfanabilitylistedattheendofacreaturesAttackPowersin4Edoesnotactuallyrequirean
actionortrigger,itshouldprobablybeaTraitin5E.(Later4Ematerialspecificallybreaksouta
creaturesTraitsaspartofthestatblock,makingthemeasytoidentify.)Regenerationshould
alsobeatraitin5E,asshouldsomeauraeffects.Anythingelsethatisnotastandardactionin
4E,anddoesnottargetothers,isalsolikelytobeaTraitin5E.
Whenpossible,youshouldreplace4EtraitswithequivalenttraitsfromtheStarterSetmonsters.
Ifthisisnotpossible,eitherbasetheconvertedtraitonasimilar5Etrait,orfollowtheoriginaltext
(afteralteringany4Eruleselementsasneeded).Asageneralrule,Traitsin5Earefocusedon
affectingthecreaturethemselvesconsiderdroppinganyTraitsfocusedontacticalcombat.
Aggressive(Orc)
Brute(Bugbear)
Devotion(Cultist)
Hover(Spectator)
(Owlbear)
PackTactics(Wolf)
TheseareconvertedfromAttackPowers.Notethatturnsin5Eonlyallowforonemove,one
action,andonebonusactioneachturn.Also,mostactionsin5Etendtobewhat4Ecalled
standardactions.Therefore,youshouldconsiderdroppingactionsthatdependonmove,minor,
orfreeactions,unlessyouwishtoconvertthemtonormalactionsorTraits.
5Edoesnotshare4Esemphasisongridbasedmovementandtacticalcombat.Assuch,you
shouldprobablydropanyelementofanactionthatinvolvesmovingatargetacertainnumberof
squaresinvolvesmarkingacreatureorreliesonacreaturebeingbloodied.Allofthesedonot
appeartobesupportedby5Eatthistime.(Iftheactiondependsheavilyonthis,itshouldbe
probablybedroppedentirely,oratleastconvertedintosomethingelse.)
Youneedtoconvertfourthingstomaketheseinto5Eactionstherange,thetohitbonus,the
damageinflictedbyelementsoftheattack,andanysavingthrowsrequired.
Notethatattackrollsin5EareonlyrolledagainstAC.Any4Eactionthatdirectlytargetedanother
defense(Fortitude,Reflex,orWill)shouldeitherbeconvertedintoanattackagainstthetargets
ACfollowedbytheappropriatesaveafterahitorconvertedintoaneffectwithoutanattack
roll.(SeeSavingThrowsforActionsformoredetails.)
Range
Rangeisfairlyeasytoconvertsimplytakethelistednumber(whichisinsquares)andmultiply
itby5togettherangeinfeet.
Closeattacksdonotexistin5Etreatthemasareaattacks(seeSavingThrowsforActions).
ToHit
LikeAC,thisshouldberecalculatedfromscratch.Ingeneral,thetohitforanactionseemsto
bebasedontheproficiencybonus.Thisiscombinedwiththerelevantabilitybonus(usually
StrengthorDexterity).
withnaturalattacks.
Damage
(i.e.1d6becomes4d6),butyoureprobablysaferstickingwithtwo.
Fornaturalattacks,youshouldprobablykeepthesamedamagedice.
Othertypesofdamagingattacks(liketheflameskullsfirerayorthenothicsrottinggaze)seem
toaddonedieofdamage(i.e.2d6becomes3d6).Dragonbreathweaponsareupgradedmuch
morethanthat,butuntilwehavemoredragons,Imreluctanttorecommendanyguidelines.
Ifa4Ecreature(suchasaminion)inflictsafixedamountofdamage,anddoesnotusea
weapon,convertitasfollows:
12:1d4
34:1d6
56:2d4
78:2d6
910:2d8
1112:3d6
1314:3d8
1516:3d10
1718:4d8
1920:4d10
astheabove.
Ingeneral,effectstargetingFortitudeshouldbeconvertedtoConstitutionsaveseffects
targetingReflexshouldbeconvertedtoDexteritysavesandeffectstargetingWillshouldbe
convertedtoWisdomsaves.
YouwillneedtocalculateaDifficultyClass(DC)forthesaveyourcreatureinflicts.Theway
thesearecalculatedseemstodifferbythetypeofaction:
strongeronesasType3,butyoucanusetheroughXPconversiontableaboveto
Ifacreaturecansustainaneffect,lookatthedoppelgangersReadThoughtsactionforan
exampleofwhatthatshouldlooklike.
Recharge
Differenttypesofrechargeareconverteddifferentways:
Atwill:Noconversionneeded.
Encounter:Thisshouldprobablybe2/day.
Daily:Thisshouldbe1/day.
Recharge:Usethesamedierangedescribedin4E.
Rechargeswhen:Thishasnotyetbeencoveredin5Efornow,youshouldprobably
makethis2/day,orgiveitthedierange56.
ActionswithoutanAttackRollorSavingThrow
haveMultiattack,allowingthemtotakemorethanoneactionperturn.Ifyour4Emonster
couldattackmorethanonceforexample,iftheyhavetheDoubleAttackpower,orAction
PointstheycanspendyoushouldprobablygivethemMultiattackin5E.Notethatmost
creaturescanonlymaketwospecificattackstheonlyexceptionistheyounggreendragon,
whichcanmakethreespecificattacks.
Therearealsoafewcreaturesthatcantakeactionsnotrequiringanattackrollorsavingthrow
thataffectthings.Ifyourmonstercoulddothisin4E,youcanprobablyusethemin5Ewithlittle
modification.
Reactions
AnyActionthatrequiressomesortoftriggeroftenreferredtoasanimmediateinterruptor
immediatereaction,andbrokenoutasTriggeredActionsinlater4Ematerialshouldbe
categorizedasaReaction.Beyondthat,theyshouldbeconvertedlikeotherActions,asdetailed
intheprevioussections.
FinalNotes
Also,ingeneral,5Emonstersseemtohavefewerattackchoicesthanmanyoftheir4E
counterparts,soyoushouldfeelfreetodropanymonsterabilitiesthatdontseemessentialtoits
concept.(Thiswillalsospeedyourconversionup,ofcourse.)
thefollowingtableasawaytoguessata4Emonstersproficiencybonusin5E.
Iwillwarn,thishasaverygoodchanceofbeingwrong,sincetheressolittledatatoworkwith.
4EXPValue 5EProficiencyBonus
Upto350XP +2
400to1200XP +3
1250to4150XP +4
4750to15,000XP +5
15,750XPormore +6
IreverseengineeredthebelowbycomparingtheNextand5Eversionsofthemonstersfromthe
StarterSet,thenIsmoothedthingsoutforeasyuse.
Assuch,twocaveats:
1. IfyoucomparetheNextandStarterSetmonstersyourself,youwillnoticetheconversion
isslightlyoffforcertainmonsters.Partly,thisisbecauseWizardsmadesomefurther
changesbeyondmeremathadjustments(theDoppelganger,forexample,ismuch
stronger).Andpartly,thatwasanecessarysacrificetomakethiseasytouse.
2. ItsquitepossibleImadesomemistakes,inwhichcasethismaybehorribly,horribly
wrong.Letmeknowifthisseemstobethecase.
Inanycase,thisshouldbefunctionalenoughtoworkuntilwegetmoreofficialmonsters.
HitDice
Fortinycreatures,leavethisalone.
Forsmallormediumcreatures,addonehitdie.Forexample,2d8becomes3d8.Recalculate
averagehitpointsasfollows:
totalof+6.13+6=19.
Forlargecreatures,addtwohitdice.Forexample,3d10becomes5d10.Recalculateaverage
hitpointsasfollows:
Therearetwoexceptionstotheabove.
OozesshouldkeeptheircurrentHitDice.
DragonsgotamajorpowerupgradebetweenNextand5E,andalsovarybyagecategory,soI
honestlycantgiveyougoodguidelines.Ifyoumustuseadragon,treatitasalargecreature.
Thiswilllikelymakeyourdragonweakerthanitshouldbe,butitsbetterthanmakingthemway
toostrong.
Damage
Forattacksthatuseaweapon,refertothedamagelistedintheBasicRulesorStarterSet.If
thecreatureislarge,increasetheweaponsdamagediebyone(i.e.1d6becomes2d6).
Fortinyorsmallcreatures,leavethisalone.
Formediumorlarge,usethefollowingtable:
OriginalDamageDice MediumCreature LargeCreature

1d4 1d6 2d4
1d6 1d8 1d10
1d8 1d10 2d6
1d10 1d12 2d8
1d12 2d8 2d10
Ifthereweretwoormoredamagedicetostart(i.e.2d4),multiplytheaboveresultaccordingly.
Forexample,2d4wouldbe2d6foramediumcreatureand4d4foralargecreature.
DontforgettoaddthemonstersStrengthbonustomeleedamage.Ifyouwanttocalculate
averagedamage,usethemethodaboveunderHitDice.(d4ismultipliedby2.5.d12is
multipliedby6.5.)
Fordragons,theaboveguidelinesarefinefortheirmeleeattacks.However,breathweapons
alsogotahugedamageupgrade,sotheyllbesubparundertheabove.Unfortunately,untilwe
getmoredragons,Icanthelpwiththat.
DifficultyClasses
Ifamonsterhasaspecialpowerthatcallsforasavingthrow,increasetheDCby2.SoDC11
becomesDC13.
Challenge
Wedontknowexactlyhowtheseareassignedyet.Fortunately,ifyourejustconvertinga
monsterfromamodule,ratherthanbuildinganencounterfromscratch,youwontreallyneedto
knowthis.
However,forreference,herearetheequivalenciesfortheleastchangedcreatures(bugbear,
ghoul,goblin,hobgoblin,ochrejelly,ogre,owlbear,skeleton,stirge,wraith,zombie):
D&DNextLevel D&D5EChallenge
1(10XP) (25)or(50)
1(20XP) (100XP)
2(50XP)or3(80XP) 1(200XP)
4(140XPor180XP) 2(450XP)
4(240XP)or5(330XP) 3(700XP)
SoyoucouldguesstimatethatD&DNextsmonsterLevelsareabout1or2higherthan5Es
Challengeratings.Obviously,thatsverytentative,especiallysinceitprobablybreaksdownwith
strongermonsters.
CreatureTypesinNextbutnotintheStarterSet
Hugecreaturesseemtocomeintwotiers:
Iftheyused10HitDice,youshouldprobablyconvertthemasyouwouldconvertalarge
creature.
Iftheyused12HitDice,youshouldprobablyusethemasis,withoutconversion.(You
maystillwanttobumpupanyDCsby2,however.)
Constructs,elementals,andfiendscanprobablybeconvertedjustliketheothercreatures.
Ofcourse,withoutactual5Eexamples,thisisjustmybestguess.Souseyourownjudgment.
EverythingElse
Youcanprobablyleaveeverythingelsealonemostofthesamepiecesarethere,evenifthey
havedifferentnamesordescriptions,sotheyshouldbeperfectlyusable.
Ifyourefeelingambitious,however:
Youmaywanttodoublecheckandmakesurebonusesfromabilityscoresorarmorare
alsobeingappliedcorrectly.
YoumayalsowanttocompareyourmonstertosimilarmonstersfromtheStarterSet
andadjustanyspecialqualitiesorattacksaccordingly.
Bothofthosearetotallyoptional,ofcourse,ifyoujustwanttogettothegame.
1

Converting Pathfinder or 3.5 Monsters to D&D
Next on the fly.
Contents
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 1
Step 1: Subtract CR from AC ................................................................................................................ 1
Step 2: Attack bonus for all attacks is CR/2+2....................................................................................... 2
Step 3: Leave Damage as is. Leave Multiattacks at full attack bonus from Step 2.................................. 2
Step 4: Save DC; take the listed monster ability DC, halve the part above 10, and add it back to 10. .... 2
Step 5: Hit Points, leave as is. ............................................................................................................... 3
Step 6: Ability Stat Scores, STR,DEX, etc, (you dont need them, see Step 7) ........................................ 3
Step 7: For monster Saving Throws, and Ability Checks, use the Fort/Ref/Will save bonuses divided by
two. ..................................................................................................................................................... 3
Step 8: For skills use half the Fort/Ref/Will save bonus as the base ability, add +5 for being trained. ... 3
Step 9: Initiative bonus, leave as is. ...................................................................................................... 4
Step 10: Last remaining bits ................................................................................................................. 4
Experience Points ................................................................................................................................ 5

Introduction
So this isnt perfect, but it should get you very close to being able to use any Pathfinder or 3.5
monsters in D&D Next. It should even allow you to run a 3.5 or Pathfinder adventure on the fly,
including NPCs. This document tries to keep it to a very small amount of adjustments, which you can
mentally do and pencil in. For all the calculations in here; round down.
I went and got the entire database of Pathfinder monsters from the web. I grouped them by
Challenge Rating and calculated Median Hit Points, Median Damage, Median AC etc. When doing that,
you will arrive at exactly the table replicated here
http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/monsters/monsterCreation.html
You should be able to go to www.d20srd.org or www.d20pfsrd.com and get monsters. You can
try on your own by downloading the raw data of all of Pathfinders monsters here:
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-filter
Step 1: Subtract CR from AC
Subtract the CR (Challenge Rating) from the Armor Class to get the D&D Next appropriate AC.
2

For example: An Iron Golem has an AC of 30 and a Challenge Rating of 13. Its D&D Next AC
should be 30-13 = AC:17
Note: Pathfinder has an Iron Golems AC as 28, while the 3.5 system has the AC at 30.
Step 2: Attack bonus for all attacks is CR/2+3
To figure out a monsters Attack Bonus for melee and ranged attacks vs AC. Cut the Challenge Rating in
half and add 3 to that number. Usually you should round down, but if the monster has an extremely high
Strength score you may want to round up or even add 1.
For example: A CR:7 Flesh Golem should have a melee attack that is +6 vs AC. Thats half of
7(rounded down) +3.
Alternatively, you could simply subtract CR from the highest listed attack bonus on the stat block. Youll
wind up with the lower level monsters having very low attack bonuses, people complained during the
first few playtests about this. Youll also have widely varying bonuses, theres some CR: 9 Air Elementals
with +21 to attack, at the same time a CR:9 Spirit Naga only has a +10.
Another choice would be to take the better of the following two options: the listed attack
bonus minus the CR or half the CR.
Step 3: Keep Damage as is. Make Multiattacks at full attack bonus from Step 2.
Leave the damage just as listed on the stat block. If a monster gets multiple attacks with declining attack
bonuses, keep them all at the same Attack Bonus calculated in Step 2 above, with the damage as listed.
For example: The Challenge Rating:20 Balor attack line says:
+1 vorpal unholy longsword +31/+26/+21/+16 (2d6+13),
+1 vorpal flaming whip +30/+25/+20 (1d4+7 plus 1d6 fire and entangle)
This would be 4 longsword attacks at +13 vs AC for 2d6+13 damage each, plus 3 attacks with the flaming
whip at +13 vs AC for 1d4+7+1d6 damage. Thats an average damage of 119 per round.
Thats a good target for a CR:20 D&D Next creature. Youll notice its a little higher than the
Balor in the D&D Next Bestiary, but thats because this is CR:20 and the Bestiary has the Balor at Level
16. We arent making level adjustments. If you are converting a Pathfinder adventure that calls for a
DC:20 Balor, we want to make sure it stays as challenging as the adventure calls for, not how D&D Next
thinks it should be in the Pantheon.
Allow monsters to keep their extended Crit Ranges, but make critical hits do max damage for
monsters instead of double. Dont roll to confirm critical hits, assume they always confirm.
If you want to double the damage, and make fewer attacks, feel free to do so. For instance you
could make 2 longsword attacks, each for double damage. Its tough to do that if you have a monster
that makes an odd number of attacks.
Step 4: Save DCs; take the listed monster ability DC, halve the part above 10,
and add it back to 10.
To figure out what the characters need to roll to make a saving throw against something the monster
does to them; Take the Save DCs of monster attacks or trap that is listed, subtract 10 from it, divide that
number in half, and add it back to 10. For example: An Adult Silver Dragon has a breath weapon that
3

requires a DC:23 saving throw. Take 23-10 = 13. Divide the 13 in half to become 6, and add that back to
10, so the saving throw DC becomes 16.
Step 5: Hit Points, leave as is.
Note: Yes, these monsters will have more HP than the ones in the Bestiary. A major complaint Ive been
seeing on the forums is monsters die too easily. If you graph damage output of the players for D&D Next
side by side with Pathfinder it is spot on at higher levels.
I also checked for differences in Hit Points between the 3.5srd and d20srd, and surprisingly the
Medians for HP are all the same! Pathfinder only shifted things, like increasing Outsiders to a d10 Hit Die
from a d8, but they reduced Ooze Hit Die down to d8 from d10. All the adjustments must have been in
parallel. For every Hit Die size Pathfinder increased over 3.5srd, they must have decreased another one.

Step 6: Ability Scores, STR,DEX, etc, (you dont need them, see Step 7)
If you use half the Fort, Ref, Will save bonuses for everything it will save a LOT of calculation.
Step 7: For monster Saving Throws, and Ability Stat Checks, use the
Fort/Ref/Will save bonuses divided by two. Leave negatives as they are.
For example: A CR:6 Girallon has Fort+9, Ref+8, Will+5. If it has to make a DEX saving throw it
would get half the Ref save of +4. If it had to make a STR check to escape being grabbed, it
would use half the Fort save of +4.
Even if D&D Next calls for STR or a CON save, you can use half the listed Fortitude save bonus for both. If
the creature has a negative save, dont divide it in two, leave it as a negative.
You may think this cheats the players a bit. If you start to dig youll notice a few things.
There are no spells that call for an INT saving throw.
Its also extremely rare for a monster to ever need to make an INT check.
Anything that calls for DEX saving throw, simply use half the listed Reflex save bonus.
There are no spells that call for a STR saving throw. STR usually only comes into play when
grappling, escaping, disarming or other maneuvers. Usually STR and CON are either both high or
both low, so its ok to use half the Fortitude save bonus for both, even resisting maneuvers or
escaping. There are very rare cases of extremely low STR combined with high CON; those are all
incorporeal, swarms, or formless creatures and players wont be disarming or grappling with
them anyway.
There are only a tiny handful of spells that require a Charisma saving throw. These are mostly
charm spells, or banishing spells. I think it's ok to lump Charisma and Wisdom saves together
into Will save.
Also use half the Will save bonus to detect hidden creatures, to detect lies etc.
Step 8: For skills, use half the Fort/Ref/Will save bonus as the base ability, add
+5 for being trained.
If a monster needs to use a skill, simply use half the relevant Fort, Ref, or Will save as the base ability
modifier, and if the monster has the skill listed in their stat block give them a +5 for being trained. For
4

example: A Cloaker has Fort+6, Ref+5, Will+7 and has the skills listed of Disguise, Perception, Stealth. If it
needs to make a Disguise Check, use half the Will save bonus of +7/2=+3 and add +5 for being trained.
So a total of 3+5 = +8 for Disguise checks.
Step 9: Initiative bonus, leave as is.
Most of the initiative bonuses are very small in Pathfinder, the ones that arent are usually because the
monster has the Improved Initiative feat. This is normally because going first is important to the monster
and helps define how the monster plays.
Step 10: Last remaining bits, try to keep things feeling like D&D Next.
Monsters that can Sneak Attack, can get Advantage if any of their allies is adjacent to the target,
and then give up the Advantage to take a Sneak Attack (just like a Rogue). They also have
Advantage on anyone they beat in Initiative, and when hidden, target is prone, etc.
Depending on your knowledge of feats, you could allow monsters with Spring Attack to be able
to move 10 ft. without provoking an opportunity attack. You should give out other general feat
abilities like that, but dont worry about feats too much, ignore most of them.
Id leave Ability Drain/Damage and Level Drain as it is in Pathfinder. Alternatively, you could
just start stacking penalties to attack, speed, defense, caster spell save DCs, saving throws, skill
checks, max Hit Points etc.
For any paralyze/stun/frighten effect a player can make a saving throw if they spend an Action
to do so.
If a creature has Magic Resistance, simply let them roll twice on all Saving Throws vs. Spells.
If a creature has Damage Reduction, simply let them take half damage from that source:
Resistance as its called in D&D Next terms.
Any durations that are listed in 1d4+3 rounds or some such, simply change to 1 minute. Also,
give all players and monster the ability to get another Saving Throw if they spend an Action to
do so.
Breath Weapon, says it recharges every 1d4 rounds, simply roll a d6 every round and recharge
on 5 or a 6, the same as 4
th
edition recharges.
Any Petrify, is Restrained for the first round, and if they dont spend an Action to save against, it
becomes Petrified.
Any Save-or-Die simply replace with Finger of Death(7
th
) or Power Word Kill(9
th
) from packet.
Any Charmed or Dominated person gets another saving throw if they take any damage, or if
they are forced to do something that would cause themselves harm.
Most Poison you can change into flat damage, instead of Ability Damage.
Any damage to equipment, such as Black Pudding damaging armor and weapons, simply stack -1
penalties to damage or AC.
grab = whenever you see an attack that "grabs" the target must make a DC:(1/2 monster's Fort
save) STR or DEX check or become "grabbed" and immediately take extra constrict damage if
listed. Theyd take constrict damage automatically on each of the monsters turns if monster
spent Action to maintain grab.
5

rend = if both hit, do an automatic extra X damage (its listed)
trip = simply make a quick opposed STR or DEX check, players choice, or be knocked prone.
pounce = as an Action the creature can move its speed and make a full attack. This means they
can Move, and then spend an Action to Move and Attack, essentially double moving (like a
charge).
rake = consider this a free automatic attack that happens to grabbed foes at the start of
creatures turn.
Try your best on spells, some work just the same.
Encounter Building Guidelines (Challenge Ratings)
In older editions of D&D (before 4E) a standard encounter was targeted to be 50% of the
partys strength. If you had a party of six players with a total of 18 class levels between them all, a
standard encounter would be around 9 total Hit Dice of monsters. A Tough encounter could be 100%
of the partys strength, and a super-duper hard could even be up to 200%. (Source: Frank Mentzer
Dragon#101)
The following is Speculation: ----What they did with Challenge Rating is say: a monster with this
Challenge Rating is a standard difficulty encounter for a party of 4 players of a level equal to that
Challenge Rating. Remember, standard difficulty means: 50% of the strength of 4 players. What does
that tell you? That means that a monster of a given Challenge Rating is roughly equal to 2 players. I
should say that again, because if its true, it makes thinking of creating encounters very easy! A monster
of a given Challenge Rating is roughly equal to 2 players.
Pick any single monster of a Challenge Rating, and it is equal to 50% of the strength of 4 players
of that level. It will have the Hit Points and damage output of 2 players. So this was my Eureka
moment. Say you want to figure out what the damage output and HP of a single player is expected to
be. If you divide the HP and damage output of a monster in half, you will get the average expected
damage and hit points of a single character of the level equal to its Challenge Rating. Dont assume
Fighter is the baseline; Fighters have immense advantages to damage and HP. These numbers are meant
to be the average of the party where Fighters do a lot of damage, Clerics swing their 1d8 mace, Thieves
dont get Dex bonus to damage, wizards do 1d6+0 most rounds. Also, these numbers represent the
average ho-hum party, not the super optimized, all 18s in their primary stats, type party.
One more Challenge Rating fact to remember: if you ever combine 2 monsters of the same
Challenge Rating, the Challenge Rating of the entire encounter becomes 2 higher. Combining 2 monsters
of 50% difficulty creates an encounter of 100% difficulty. Therefore if you ever see a Challenge Rating 2
higher, it means this encounter is 100% of the strength of the party.

Experience Points (using packet 4/11/13)
This assumes what they call a Standard encounter is 50% of the partys strength, and a Tough Encounter
is 100% of the partys strength and that Challenge Rating is roughly 2 lower than the equivalent D&D
Next Level.
Challenge D&D
6

Rating Next XP

(1/8)0.125 1
(1/6)0.1667 2
(1/4)0.25 5
(1/3)0.3333 10
(1/2)0.5 20
1 40
2 80
3 160
4 280
5 480
6 1,000
7 2,000
8 2,400
9 2,800
10 4,200
11 5,200
12 6,800
13 10,400
14 16,400
15 20,400
16 22,000
17 28,000
18 42,000
19 48,000
20 56,000
21 60,000
22 70,000
23 80,000
24 90,000
25 100,000

ThisdocumentisintendedtohelpconvertCastles&CrusadesmaterialtoD&D5thEdition.It
wascreatedbycomparingthe5EmonstersfromtheStarterSetwiththeirC&Ccounterparts.
Theseguidelinesareonlyanapproximation,butifyoufindanyerrors,letmeknow!
Size
TherearethreecategoriesinC&C:small,medium,andlarge.Mediumisdefinedas57feet,
smallisanythinglessthan5feet,andlargeisanythingmorethan7feet.
5Eseemstouse3.5ssizeranges,soC&Csizesshouldoverlapasfollows:
C&CSize 5ESize
Small(lessthan5feet) Tiny(2feetorless),Small(24feet),or
Medium(45feet)
Medium(57feet) Medium(57feet)
Large(morethan7feet) Medium(78feet),Large(816feet),Huge
(1632feet),orGargantuan(32feetormore)
UnlessaC&Ccreatureismediumsize,youwillneedtorelyonthedescriptiontodeterminethe
5Ecategory.Insomecases,asizeinfeetmaybeprovided,butotherwise,youwillhaveto
choosethesizeyourself.
Condensedstatblocksinadventuresdonotprovideasize,soyouwillhavetodependentirely
onitsdescriptionthere.
Type
5EsharesmostoftheC&Ccreaturetypes.Theexceptionsarethefollowing:
AnimalandVerminarefoldedintoBeast.
MagicalBeastandMonstrousHumanoidarefoldedintoMonstrosity.
AnyShapechangershouldlikelybeaMonstrosityaswell,unlesstheyseemtofitbetter
underanothertype.TheyshouldalsohavetheShapechangertrait(seeTraitsbelow).
Extraplanarhasbeensplitup.
Elementalplanes:ProbablyElemental.
Predominantlychaoticplanes:ProbablyAberration.
Predominantlylawfulplanes:ProbablyConstruct.
Goodplanes:Celestial.
Evilplanes:Fiend.
Furtherdetailson5EscreaturetypesaredetailedintheBasicRulesPDF.Condensedstat
blocksinadventuresdonotprovideatype,soyouwillhavetochooseonebasedonits
description.
Tags
gnome,halfdragon,halfelf,kobold,lizardfolk,troglodyte,yuanti,andmanymore,
showingalotofoptions.(Itsreasonabletoassumetherewillalsobetagsfordwarfand
halfling.)Ifyourcreatureisntlikelytohaveanyofthetagsabove,skipthisstep.
Alignment
operateoninstinctsoyoumaywanttochangeneutraltounalignedforsomecreatures.
ArmorClass
Ifthecreaturedoesnotweararmor,andhasanACof14orhigher,theyshouldhavenatural
armor.Inthatcase,givethema+2bonustotheirnew5EAC.
Dragonsappeartodeterminenaturalarmordifferentlythanothercreaturesin5E.Fornow,I
suggestestimatingtheirtotal5EACbysubtracting6fromtheirC&CAC.(Notetheresultwill
includebothnaturalarmorandDexteritybonus.)
HitDice
TinycreaturesshouldkeepthesamenumberofhitdiceastheyhadinC&C.
become5d10.
totalof+6.13+6=19.
Twoexceptions:
DragonHitDiceareverydifferentbetweenC&Cand5E,butuntilwehavemoreexamples,Ican
onlyadvisetreatingthemlikeothercreaturesoftheirsize.
Speed
SpeedisderivedfromC&CsMovestat,butitisotherwiseunchanged.However,dragons
seemtohavehadtheirflightspeedcutdownbymorethanhalf,soyoumaywanttohalveany
otherespeciallyhighflightspeeds.
CondensedstatblocksinadventuresdonotprovideMove,soyouwillhavetochooseonebased
onitsdescription,orrefertoareferencemonster(seeAbilityScoresbelow).
AbilityScores
TheonlyabilityscoreprovidedinmostC&CstatblocksisIntelligence.However,onlyarating
ofMentalStrengthisprovided,whichshouldbeconvertedasfollows:
C&CIntelligence 5EIntelligence
None 1
Animal 2
Inferior 35
Low 68
Average 912
High 1315
Superior 1617
Genius 1821
SupraGenius 2225
Deific 2630
Themonstersdescriptionmaydescribeotherabilityscores.Ifnot,youwillneedtochoosea
referencemonster.Thisisanexistingmonstersimilartotheoneyoureconverting.(For
example,askeletalundeadcouldusetheskeletonasareference.)Youshouldusetheability
scoresofthereferencemonstertofillinanyblanks,possiblytweakingthemasneededtofit
themonstersconceptorknownabilityscores.
3. D&D3.5sMonsterManual.Youcanusethissiteasaquickreference.
4. ThearticleHowtoCreateaMonster,fromDragonMagazine.
NotethatacreaturesC&CSaves(orprimaryattributes)mayprovidesomehintsforability
scoresaswell.P(physical)suggestsgoodStrength,Dexterity,orConstitutionM(mental)
suggestsgoodIntelligence,WisdomorCharismaP+M(physicalandmental)suggestsgood
scoresoverallandN(none)ornolistingsuggestsaverageorpoorscoresoverall.
ProficiencyBonus
monstersa+3aswell.
SavingThrows
LikeC&C,5Essavingthrowsareeachassociatedwithoneofthesixabilityscores.However,
whilemonstersinC&ClumptheirsavesintothecategoriesP(physical:Strength,Dexterity,and
Constitution)andM(mental:Intelligence,Wisdom,andCharisma),5Emonstersgetindividual
savesforeachoftheirsixscores.
Generally,monstersin5Eonlyusetheirabilitybonusforsaves,butafew5Emonstersdo
appeartoaddtheirproficiencybonustosaves.Asageneralrule,considergivingmonsters
proficiencyinStrength,Dexterity,and/orConstitutionsavesiftheirSavesorprimaryattributes
arelistedasPproficiencyinIntelligence,Wisdom,and/orCharismasavesiflistedasM
proficiencyinanyorallofthesixsavesiflistedasP+Mandproficiencyinnoneoftheirsavesif
listedasN(ornotlistedatall).
Alsomakenoteofthecreaturesdescription,whichmaysuggestoneormorestrongsaves
deservingofproficiency.Inmostcases,however,youshouldprobablypassongivingyour
creatureproficiencywithsavesatallitsmucheasierwithoutit.
Skills
ThemajorityofC&Cmonsterswillhavefewornoskills,especiallymonstersdrivenbyinstinct.
Consultthemonstersdescriptiontoseeifithasanytalentsthatmightmatchaparticular5E
skill.Forreference,the5Eskillsare:
Athletics(Strength)
Vulnerabilities,resistances,andimmunitiesaresomethingyoueitherhaveornotin5E.Sowhen
youimportthesefromC&C,yousimplylistthemundertheappropriatecategory:Damage
Vulnerabilities,DamageResistances,orDamageImmunities.
SomeC&Ccreaturescanonlybeharmedbymagicalweaponsofacertainbonus(+1,+2,etc.).
ThisshouldbelistedunderDamageResistancesasfollows:
Onlyaddotherimmunitiestoanundeadcreatureiftheyarepartofitsdescription.
Creatureswithspellresistance(SR)shouldgetthetraitMagicResistanceseethe
flameskullforanexample.
Senses
truesight.C&Csdeepvision,duskvision,twilightvision,andsimilarsensesareequivalent
todarkvision.Anynonvisualreplacementforsightshouldbeblindsight.Anycreaturewiththe
abilitytoseethroughillusionsorshapeshiftingorthelike,orintotheEthereal,shouldprobably
havetruesight.
Languages
listedthere,givethemanynativelanguagethatseemsappropriatefortheirC&Cdescription.
Challenge
module,however,youcanprobablyassumeitssafetokeepitin.
ThereseemstobelittleonlythemildestcorrelationbetweenC&CsXPsystemandChallenge.
ThebestprogressionIcanofferisinthetablebelow,butitslikelytobeunreliable:
C&CHD(BaseXPValue) 5EChallenge
1(5) (25)to(50)
2(10) (100)
3(20) 1(200)
4(40) 2(450)
5(80) 3(700)
Traits
TodetermineacreaturesTraits,lookattheC&Cmonstersdescription.Whenpossible,you
Aggressive(Orc)
Brute(Bugbear)
Devotion(Cultist)
Hover(Spectator)
(Owlbear)
PackTactics(Wolf)
Spellcastingisaspecialcase.Inadditiontobeingusedformonsterswithlevelsina
spellcastingclass,listsofspelllikepowersshouldgenerallybetranslatedasSpellcasting.(The
onlyexceptionshouldbespecificspelllikepowerswhicharereallyimportanttoacreatures
concept,inwhichcasetheyareeitherlistedasInnateSpellcastingorbrokenoutasindividual
traits,actions,orreactions.)
Ifthecreaturelistsacasterlevel,usethat.Ifnocasterlevelisprovided,usetheirC&CHitDice.
ActionsshouldbetakenfromaC&Ccreaturesattacksordescription.Youneedtoconvertthree
thingstomaketheseinto5Eactionsthetohitbonus,thedamageinflictedbyelementsofthe
attack,andanysavingthrowsrequired.
ToHit
Dexterity).
withnaturalattacks.
Damage
C&CDamageDice 5EDamageDice
1d4 1d6(or2d4)
1d6 1d8(or2d6)
1d8 1d10(or2d8)
1d10 1d12(or2d10)
1d12 2d8(or2d12)
Othertypesofdamagingattacks(liketheflameskullsfireray)shouldprobablybetreatedmuch
likethestrongestnaturalattacksabove,buttherearentmanyexamplesyet.Still,thatguideline
mayworkfornow.Dragonbreathweaponsareupgradedmorethanthat,butuntilwehave
C&Csavingthrows,like5Esavingthrows,usethesixabilityscores,sonoconversionofthe
savetypeisrequired.(TheCastleKeepersectionoftheC&CPlayersHandbookincludessome
usefuldetailsonwhichabilitybasedsavesshouldbeusedfordifferentsituations,ifneeded.)
strongeronesasType3,butyoucanusetheshakyHD/XPconversiontableaboveto
Also,actionsthatdrainConstitutioninC&Cappeartoinflicthitpointdamageinstead.The
numberofConpointsdrainedshouldbeturnedintothesamenumberofhitpointsofdamage
(i.e.1d4Conbecomes1d4damage),thenconvertedusingtheguidelinesunderActionswith
anAttackRollabove.IfanattackinflictedbothhitpointandConstitutiondamage,combine
thosetogetherasbestyoucanbeforeconvertingthetotaldamage.
Sidenote:IfyoueverneedtotranslateaChallengeLevel(CL)forotherreasonsconvertinga
trap,forexamplesimplyaddtheCLto10togetthe5EDifficultyClass.
Recharge
Rechargeseemstobelimitedtostrongeffectsthatcanonlybeusedalimitednumberoftimes
perday,orrequireanumberofroundsbetweenuses.TheStarterSetgoesontodescribe
effectsthatcanonlybeusedaspecificnumberoftimesperdayasitsowncategory,although
noexamplesareprovided.
haveMultiattack,allowingthemtotakemorethanoneactionperturn.IfyourC&Cmonster
canattackmorethanonce,youshouldconsidergivingthemMultiattackin5E.Notethatmost
creaturescanonlymaketwoattackstheonlyexceptionistheyounggreendragon,whichcan
makethree.
IfyourmonstercandothisinC&C,youcanprobablyusethemwithlittlechangein5E.
Reactions
FinalNotes
Also,ingeneral,5Emonstersseemtohaveslightlyfewerattackchoicesthanmanyoftheir
C&Ccounterparts,soyoushouldfeelfreetodropanymonsterabilitiesthatdontseemessential
toitsconcept.(Thiswillalsospeedyourconversionup,ofcourse.)
thefollowingtableasawaytoguessataC&Cmonstersproficiencybonusin5E.
ThebelowisstrictlybasedonHitDice,andignoresanyincreaseinXPValueforspecialabilities.
Assuch,Icanprettymuchguaranteethesewillbeoffabove+3.
C&CHD 5EProficiencyBonus
Upto6HD +2
6to10HD +3
10to14HD +4
14to18HD +5
18+HD +6
ThisdocumentisintendedtohelpconvertDungeonCrawlClassicsRPGmaterialtoD&D5th
Edition.Itwascreatedbycomparingthe5EmonstersfromtheStarterSetwiththeirDCC
counterparts.Theseguidelinesareanapproximation,andmistakesareverypossiblepleaselet
meknowifyoufindany!
Size
TherearenosizecategoriesinDCC,sothismustbedeterminedfromthemonsters
description.Insomecases,asizeinfeetmaybeprovided,butyoumayhavetoestimateor
choosethecreaturessizeyourself.
5Essizecategoriesseemtobeatruncatedversionof3.5s,soyoushouldbeabletoassigna
creaturessizeasfollows:
Tiny:2feetorless
Small:24feet
Medium:48feet
Large:816feet
Huge:1632feet
Gargantuan:32feetormore
Type
DCCdoeshaveMonsterTypes,but(outsideofUndead)thesearenotgenerallydescribedin
thestatblock.Instead,thesemustgenerallybedeterminedfromacreaturesdescription.
DCCsMonsterTypesconvertasfollows:
DCCMonsterType 5EType
Humanoid Humanoid
Dragon Dragon
Demon Fiend,orpossiblyAberrationchooseby
description
Giant Giant
Undead Undead
AllOther Aberration,Beast,Celestial,Construct,
Elemental,Fey,Monstrosity,Ooze,Plant
choosebydescription
Thetypesareallexplainedinthe5EBasicRules.
Tags
step.
Alignment
DCConlyhasthreealignments:lawful,neutral,andchaotic.Youcanchangetheseto5E
alignmentsbysimplyaddinggood,neutral,oreviltotheDCCalignmentasappropriate.
Creaturesin5Emayalsobeunaligned,meaningtheyoperateoninstinctsoyoumaywantto
changeneutraltounalignedforsomeDCCcreatures.
ArmorClass
Ifthecreaturedoesnotweararmor,andtheirACisequalto14orhigher,theyshouldprobably
havenaturalarmor.Inthatcase,givethema+2bonustotheirnewAC.
HitDice
TinycreaturesshouldkeepthesamenumberofhitdiceastheyhadinDCC.
become5d10.
totalof+6.13+6=19.
Speed
DCCsMovement(MV)isinfeet,sousethatforthe5ESpeed.Makesuretocheckthe
descriptionforflyingorothertypesofmovement.
AbilityScores
Firstofall,DCChasadifferentsetofdefaultabilityscoresthan5E:Strength,Agility(equivalent
toDexterity),Stamina(equivalenttoConstitution),Personality(whichcombinesWisdomand
Charisma),Intelligence,andLuck(no5Eequivalent).Keepthisinmindwhenlookingata
DCCcreature.
However,creaturesinDCCdonotlistabilityscoresinthestatblockitself.Abilityscoresmaybe
indicatedinacreaturesdescription,inwhichcaseyoumayusethemasis(minimum1).
Otherwise,youmustuseotherelementsofthestatblocktodeterminetheir5Eabilityscores.
First,determinethebasebonus,asfollows:
Strength:Choosethelowestbonusfromthefollowingmeleeattackbonus,orany
bonusdamagetomeleeattacks.Forexample,acreaturethathasa+3meleebiteand
inflicts1d4damageshouldhavea+0Strengthbonus(from1d4+0).
Dexterity:ChoosethelowestbonusfromthefollowingInitiativebonus,rangedattack
bonus,orReflexsavebonus.
Constitution:ChoosethelowestbonusfromthefollowinganybonuslistedafterHit
Dice,orFortitudesavebonus.
Intelligence:MakethisequivalenttotheirWisdombonus.
Wisdom:UsethecreaturesWillsavebonus.
Charisma:MakethisequivalenttotheirWisdombonus.
Second,usethatbonustodeterminethecreatures5Eabilityscore:
DerivedBonus 5EAbilityScore DerivedBonus 5EAbilityScore

5orlower 1 +3 16or17
4 2or3 +4 18or19
3 4or5 +5 20or21
2 6or7 +6 2223
1 8or9 +7 2425
+0 10or11 +8 2627
+1 12or13 +9 2829
+2 14or15 +10orhigher 30
Ifthebonusisderivedfromasavingthrow,andthecreatureisdescribedasparticularlygood
withthatsavingthrow,youshouldgivethemaproficiencybonus(seethenextsection)with
theequivalent5Esave.Then,reducetheirabilitybonusbythatproficiencybonusbefore
consultingthetableabove.
Example:Alowerlevelcreaturewitha+8Willsaveisdescribedasstrongagainstmental
attacks.ItmakessensetogivethecreatureproficiencywithWisdomsaves,whichis+2fora
lowlevelcreature.ThismeanstheirWisdombonusshouldbereducedto+6,equivalentto22.
Feelfreetoadjustanyoftheabilityscoresdeterminedabovetomatchthemonsters
description,especiallyanythingthatmightsuggestadifferentIntelligenceorCharismascore.
Youmayalsowishtocomparetheseabilityscorestosimilar5Emonstersandadjust
accordingly.
ProficiencyBonus
For5Emonsters,thisisabonuswhichcanbeappliedtoSavingThrows,Skills,andtohit
monstersa+3aswell.
verywrong,youcouldconsidergivingthecreatureaproficiencybonusforacharacterlevel
equaltotheirDCCHitDice.Thisisahighlyunreliablemethod,unfortunately.
SavingThrows
IgnoretheDCCrulesforsavingthrows.In5E,savesareassociatedwitheachofthesixability
scores,somostcreaturesjustusetheirabilitybonusforsaves.
maywishtodothesameforyourconvertedcreature,iftheirDCCdescriptionsuggestsitshould
(asdiscussedaboveunderAbilityScores).
Skills
ConsulttheDCCmonstersdescriptiontoseeifithasanytalentsthatmightmatchaparticular
5Eskill.Forreference,the5Eskillsare:
Athletics(Strength)
(Dexterity).
LookattheDCCcreaturesdescriptionthisshouldgiveyouanideawhatthecreatureis
vulnerableagainst(listedunderDamageVulnerabilitiesin5E),whatthecreatureisresistant
against(listedunderDamageResistances),andwhatthecreatureisimmuneagainst(listed
underDamageImmunitiesorConditionImmunities).
IfaDCCcreatureisimmunetononmagicalweapons,listthisunderDamageResistancesas
follows:
Notethatnocreaturein5Eappearstobeimmunetocriticalhitsorsneakattacks.
CreatureswitharesistancetospellsshouldhavetheMagicResistancetrait.
Senses
truesight.DCCsinfravisionandsimilarsensesareequivalenttodarkvision.Anynonvisual
replacementforsightshouldbeblindsight.Anycreaturewiththeabilitytoseethroughillusionsor
shapeshiftingorthelike,orintotheEthereal,shouldprobablyhavetruesight.
Languages
DCChasamuchmoreextensivelistoflanguagesthan5E,aslistedinAppendixLintheDCC
RPG.Whenconverting,refertotheBasicRulesPDFfortheknownlanguagesin5E.Ifno
languageforyourcreatureislistedthere,givethemanynativelanguagethatseemsappropriate
fortheirDCCdescription(orAppendixL).
Challenge
module,however,itsprobablyfinetoleaveitwhereitis.DCCconsciouslyrefusestoassignany
sortofChallengeratingorXPvaluetoitsmonsters,soevenanapproximateconversion(as
providedintheD&Dconversiondocuments)ispointless.
Traits
TodetermineacreaturesTraits,lookattheDCCmonstersdescription.Whenpossible,you
Aggressive(Orc)
Brute(Bugbear)
Devotion(Cultist)
Hover(Spectator)
(Owlbear)
PackTactics(Wolf)
Spellcastingisaspecialcase.Inadditiontobeingusedformonsterswithlevelsina
spellcastingclass,listsofspelllikepowersfromoldereditionsalsotendtobetranslatedas
Spellcasting.(Theonlyexceptionshouldbespecificspelllikepowerswhicharereallyimportant
toacreaturesconcept,inwhichcasetheyareeitherlistedasInnateSpellcastingorbroken
outasindividualtraits,actions,orreactions.)
Ifthecreaturelistsacasterlevel,usethat.Ifnocasterlevelisprovided,usetheirDCCHitDice.
ActionsshouldbetakenfromaDCCcreaturesnormalattacksordescription.Youneedto
convertthreethingstomaketheseinto5Eactionsthetohitbonus,thedamageinflictedby
elementsoftheattack,andanysavingthrowsrequired.
ToHit
Dexterity).
withnaturalattacks.
Damage
Fornaturalattacks,usethefollowingtable:
DCCDamageDice 5EDamageDice
1d3 1d4
1d4or1d5 1d6
1d6or1d7 1d8
1d8 1d10
1d10 1d12
1d12 2d8
IfanaturalattackinflictsmorethanonedieofdamageinDCC,increasethe5Edamagedieby
thatnumber(i.e.2d4becomes2d6).Also,ifacreatureismediumorlarger,addonedieof
damagetotheresult(i.e.2d8becomes3d8).
astheabove.
Othertypesofdamagingattacks(liketheflameskullsfireray)canbeconvertedlikenatural
damage,butshouldprobablyaddonedieofdamageandhavetheirdietypeincreasedbytwo
forexample,1d3becomes2d6.
Ingeneral,FortitudesavesshouldbeconvertedtoConstitutionsaves,Reflexsavesshould
beconvertedtoDexteritysaves,andWillsavesshouldbeconvertedtoWisdomsaves.
TheaverageDifficultyClass(DC)forsavesin5Eiscalculateddifferentlybythetypeofaction:
strongeronesasType3.
Also,actionsthatdrainConstitutioninDCCappeartoinflicthitpointdamagein5E.Thenumber
ofConpointsdrainedshouldbeturnedintothesamenumberofhitpointsofdamage(i.e.1d4
Conbecomes1d4damage),thenconvertedusingtheguidelinesunderActionswithanAttack
Rollabove.IfanattackinflictedbothhitpointandConstitutiondamage,combinethosetogether
asbestyoucanbeforeconvertingthetotaldamage.
Recharge
Rechargeseemstocoverstrongeffectsthat,inDCC,canonlybeusedalimitednumberof
timesperday,orrequireanumberofroundsbetweenuses.TheStarterSetgoesontodescribe
effectsthatcanonlybeusedaspecificnumberoftimesperdayasitsowncategory,although
noexamplesareprovided.
dragonhaveMultiattack,allowingthemtotakemorethanoneactionperturn.Ifyourcreature
hasmorethana1d20inActionDice(Act)inDCC,theyshouldhaveMultiattackin5E.Notethat
mostcreaturesin5Ecanonlymaketwoattackstheonlyexceptionistheyounggreendragon,
whichcanmakethree.
Therearealsoafewcreaturesthatcantakeactionsnotrequiringanattackrollorsavingthrow
thataffectthings.IfyourmonstercoulddothisinDCC,youcanprobablyusethemin5Ewith
littlemodification.
Reactions
D&D
TM
1e to 5e Combat Tracker
1e HD 5e AC 5e To Hit 5e Damage 5e Hit Points
1 HD = 20 - 1e AC = +3 = 1e Dmg + 2 = 1e hp + 6
2 HD = 19 - 1e AC = +4 = 1e Dmg + 3 = 1e hp + 12
3 HD = 18 - 1e AC = +5 = 1e Dmg + 4 = 1e hp + 16
4 HD = 18 - 1e AC = +6 = 1e Dmg + 5 = 1e hp + 26
5-8 HD = 17 - 1e AC = +7 = 1e Dmg + 6 = 1e hp + 32 to 52
9-12 HD = 15 - 1e AC = +8 = 1e Dmg + 7 = 1e hp + 58 to 70
13-16 HD = 13 - 1e AC = +9 = 1e Dmg + 8 = 1e hp + 74 to 86
17+ HD = 12 - 1e AC = +10 = 1e Dmg + 9 = 1e hp + 90
Creature Name HD AC To Hit Damage Hit Points / Notes Attacking Attacked By
INSTRUCTIONS: To
convert a 1e
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the #o$$o%&ng
conver&on too$
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Created by Stan Shinn. 2014-07-21 version. Get this and other cool stuff at www.swshinn.com.

D&D Conversion Guidelines

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D&D Conversion Guidelines

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Updated12August2014(Type,Tags,HitDice)

3.5Skill 3.5Feat 5ESkillProficiency

OriginalDamageDice MediumCreature LargeCreature

DerivedBonus 5EAbilityScore DerivedBonus 5EAbilityScore

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