If you’re walking in on the middle of the Advanced Fantasy Dungeons series, there’s an index here.

Similar to monsters, I really want spells and magical items to be cross compatible between B/X and Second Edition.

What do those spell descriptions consist of? For B/X, it appears to be range, duration and spell description. For Second Edition, range, duration, area of effect, casting time, and saving throw. These seem all to be present in equivalent spells, it’s just more structured in Sexond Edition.

Translating range and area of effect will require I incorporate the optional positioning rules into spellcasting, and add a range band called “touch” that is closer than melee. Saving throws are already a direct translation, but I suspect they are best ignored as new saving throw names are easier for the GM to rule. Duration and casting times should be equivalent, but casting time has an option for it to be added to initiative, which needs a ruling.

Magical items have a much broader range of descriptions and are not easily adjudicated. A lot of the spell conversion advice applies, as does some of the previous monster advice. I think there will likely be a conversion page sitting in an appendix somewhere, to centralise all of this, but it’ll take playtesting I think to iron out the creases across so many magical items and monsters, although spells aren’t so much of a problem.

Spells and magical items from previous editions will need to be converted. Some rules of thumb apply and will make this process simple and able to be done during play. In outlying or unsatisfying cases, the details of the spell or magical item are at the GM’s discretion. Basic rules of thumb are:

Range is equivalent. In combat, ranges that require touch are closer than melee, and hence always provoke a consequence, ranges in feet are in the reach rank and ranges in yards are in the ranged rank.

Area of effect spells always affect a single battlefield or 1d6 people if not in combat.

Saving throw choice is at GMs discretion.

Duration is equivalent, remembering roughly ten rounds to a turn, and six turns to an hour. Random durations are kept in secret by the GM, but the spell ending should be forewarned in some way when the time comes.

Casting time is equivalent, remembering roughly ten rounds to a turn, and six turns to an hour. In combat, casting times of one round are always last in the order of actions, and for casting times with only a number, this represents their speed factor.

This has been a part of the Advanced Fantasy Dungeon Series! Let me know your thoughts on spell and magical item conversions if you have any!

Idle Cartulary

31st May 2022