Instead of giving details on how to convert characters from different game
systems to the descriptive format used here we'll give general guidelines
and examples.
When transferring an item, whether that is a weapon, skill, ability or
power, think about the end result and describe that as much as possible.
Quite a few things that are different, especially in a Table Top
environment, just don't matter here. There is no coded combat system
here, so bonuses to hit and damage do not translate directly. There are
no experience levels, or codified skills, so items that help out with
either don't translate over directly.
So what is one to do? Concentrate on the description of the item and
describe the sort of enhancements it provides.
Skills and talents are often the easiest to translate... Just describe
what the character can do with the skill. Try to give an idea of how good
they are at accomplishing what the skill provides as well. There is
usually a percentage chance involved with a skill, with modifiers for
physical or mental attributes and experience with the skill. All of that
can be described for greater effect though examples and comparisons.
In an RPG, if a character has a 90% chance of succeeding with a task in
normal circumstances, then it is fair to say that in normal circumstances
the character almost always succeeds, that they are an expert at that
skill, etc. When the player is very confident of their character
succeeding at a task that same confidence can be shown in how the skill is
depicted.
A character class in most games is simply a set of specialized skills that
differentiate that class from others. If you determine what those skills
are, writing them up descriptively is often quite easy. Most Science
Fiction-based RPGs are already skill-based so this is rarely a problem.
Many fantsy games (including one of the most popular) are class based, see
'news char conversion fantasy' for hints with that.
In RPGs, attributes are those things that define a character mentally and
physically. They're usually listed in shorthand as names and numbers.
Strength, Dexterity, Psyche, Intelligence, etc. Unfortunately, almost
every game in existence uses a different numbering scheme for the
attributes they use. In many games, the differences between 10 and 15 may
not be 5, since the attributes may cover several factors. Since most
games use dice, the attributes are used to represent spreads of averages
from the mean. If the average attribute value in a game is 10 with a
maximum of 20, then chances are that difference between 18 and 19 is
greater than the difference between 17 and 18.
When converting to the system that is used here, description again becomes
the key. Find out what your trait means, in the RPG, as a descriptive
term. If your character's strength means that he is twice as strong as
the average human, then use that as the basis for the description. It is
also a good idea to avoid specific ratios... Instead of saying that Foo is
20% better than Bar, say it is "somewhat" better. Even better, give an
example of how it is better than Bar.
NewsCharacters -- CharactersConcepts -- NewsCharConcepts
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