By Andy Collins
Re-Edited by FULONGAMER

Ultimately, the best way to start a campaign for the Star Wars Roleplaying Game is by generating new characters. However, many players will want to transfer characters from previous iterations of the Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game (the West End Games version) to conform to the new rules. The guidelines here are designed to help you convert characters from the West End Games version into characters appropriate for this game.

Throughout the process, remember that conversion from one game system to another is by definition an inexact science. Though the guidelines provide a foundation for conversion, they can't be exhaustive, nor are they perfect. You'll see a lot of vague references to approximation, estimates, and "starting points." You and your Gamemaster should work together to ensure that the spirit of your character is preserved during the process, even if the numbers don't always add up the same.

FULONGAMER's EXTRAS: Note that they flubbed the table and listed PERCEPTION twice in the Charisma calculation. I've corrected it for this table. Also, since finding the numbers you are calculating the conversion FROM comes before doing the calculation, I've reordered the steps of the process to make that happen. And, assuming continuity in the D20 system, what they don't give you here is the attribute adjustment value, the Benefit of having that 16 or 22 STR, I'll add it here so you can see the result.
- FULONGAMER

Ability Scores
FIRST, find the corresponding attribute for each ability on the Attribute Equivalents table. For instance, the Strength ability corresponds exactly to the WEG Strength attribute, while a character's Intelligence is equal to the sum of his Knowledge and Technical attributes divided by 2.


Attribute Equivalents
Ability: WEG Attribute:
Strength Strength
Dexterity Dexterity
Constitution Strength
Intelligence Knowledge + Technical /2
Wisdom Perception + Technical /2
Charisma Perception + Technical + Knowledge /3

The WEG Attributes of Mechanical and Perception are special cases, in that high scores in these abilities also translate into skill ranks.
• For every pip of Mechanical above 3D, give the character one rank of Pilot.
• For every pip of Perception above 3D, give the character one rank of Spot or Listen.
These ranks should be evenly divided between the two skills (if this results in a fraction, choose either Spot or Listen to receive an extra rank).

Then CONTINUE the conversion process by converting your character's attribute die codes into ability scores. To find the value of an ability score, first translate the attribute stat into an ability score using the Attribute Values table. For instance, a die code of 3D+1 becomes an ability score of 15.

Attribute Values
WEG Attribute WotC Ability WotC Modifier
1D 8 -1
1D+1 9 -1
1D+2 10 0
2D 11 0
2D+1 12 +1
2D+2 13 +1
3D 14 +2
3D+1 15 +2
3D+2 16 +3
4D 17 +3
4D+1 18 +4
4D+2 19 +4
5D 20 +5
5D+1 21 +5
5D+2 22 +6
6D 23 +6
6D+1 24 +7
6D+2 25 +7
7D 26 +8
7D+1 27 +8
7D+2 28 +9
8D 29 +9
8D+1 30 +10
8D+2 31 +10
9D 32 +11
9D+1 33 +11
9D+2 34 +12
10D 35 +12
10D+1 36 +13
10D+2 37 +13

Species
Work with your GM to determine the species' special abilities.

Class
You'll need to select a class for your character. At this point, this is only a tentative choice. You may find that after converting your character's skills into skill points and feats that you change your mind, or even decide that your character is multiclassed. Don't be afraid to revisit this decision later in the process.

Skills and Feats
This is the tricky part of the conversion. It requires flexibility on the part of the player (and assistance from the Gamemaster). Simply put, there is no hard-and-fast system to convert a character's skill dice into skill ranks and feats.

Most WEG Star Wars skills have an equivalent skill in the new game. For instance, the astrogation skill becomes Astrogate. For these skills, assign your character one skill rank for every "pip" he or she has in the skill above the base attribute score. (A +1 is one pip; a +2 is two pips; a skill that is one die higher than the base attribute is worth three pips.)
As noted above, high scores in the Mechanical and Perception attributes grant the character skill ranks in Pilot, Spot, and/or Listen.

Some WEG skills make up part of a single new skill with a wider scope. For instance, the Repair skill includes all the various kinds of repair-oriented skills in the WEG Star Wars game - armor repair, droid repair, and so on. In this case, find the character's highest rank in any of the affiliated skills (using the one pip = one rank method outlined above). For every additional affiliated skill that is more than half this rank, add one-half of that skill's ranks to the base skill (rounding fractions down). Diplomacy, Repair, Treat Injury, and Computer Use all fall into this category.

Example:
Yurin Prefect has 3D in his Technical attribute. His skills include:
droid repair 4D
ground vehicle repair 5D+1
repulsorlift repair 3D+2
starfighter repair 6D

If each of these were separate skills, he would have:
3 ranks of droid repair
7 ranks of ground vehicle repair
2 ranks of repulsorlift repair
9 ranks of starfighter repair.

Thus, his highest "rank" would come from starfighter repair; and only ground vehicle repair is at least half as much. This character would have 12 ranks of Repair in the new game (9 from starfighter repair and 3 from ground vehicle repair).

A couple of WEG skills actually encompass more than one new skill. Climbing/Jumping, for instance, is now broken into two separate skills (Climb and Jump). In this case, you can either assign the same rank to both skills or you can divide the total skill ranks between the two skills (evenly or not). Whatever you choose, make sure your GM agrees.

The languages skill is a special case, since its equivalent (Speak Language) doesn't actually use ranks. In this case, each pip in languages translates into 1 skill point you can spend on the Speak Language and Read/Write Language skills. Depending on your character's class, your hero can speak a language fluently for either 1 or 2 skill points.

A number of WEG skills translate more accurately into feats, as shown on the Skill Equivalents Table. In this case, anyone with at least 1D (3 "pips") in the skill should probably have the feat listed. Remember that some classes will gain some of these feats for free, so some characters without any ranks in the skill may also end up with the feat. You don't have to take the recommended feat if you don't want to (or if you don't think it fits your character).

The combat-related WEG skills (particularly blaster, dodge, and lightsaber) can also give you a hint about your character's attack or Defense bonus and, by extension, his level. For instance, find your character's best attack skill (blaster, bowcaster, lightsaber, brawling, or whatever). For every pip of the skill (above the base attribute score), you can assume your character has approximately +1 to his attack bonus. Then, do the same for the dodge skill, converting it into a base Defense bonus. This isn't exact and almost certainly won't provide a final number -- in fact, higher-level characters may have a much higher final attack or Defense bonus than is indicated by their skills -- but it can give you a starting point.

You can either translate skill specializations into particular feats (such as Weapon Focus for specializations in a particular weapon) or fold them back into the main skill as skill ranks. (If you take the second option, fold them back at half the normal rate: two pips equal one rank.) Work with your GM to make sure this maintains the spirit of your character.

Finally, some skills simply don't work in the new game. Lifting, brawling parry, melee parry, and emptiness (for example) simply don't have an equivalent function, and can't be converted into anything in the new game.

FULONGAMER's EXTRAS: Who Says?
Well, that might work for explaining lifting or emptiness, but Melee parry and Brawling parry can convert into one of the Combat related Feats, specifically: Expertise

Expertise [general]: You are trained at using your combat skill for defense, as well as offense.
Prerequisite = INT 13+
Benefit = when you use the attack action or full attack action in melee, you can take a penalty of as much as -5 on your attack and add that same number (up to +5) to your Armor Class. This number may not exceed your base Attack Bonus. The changes to your Attack rolls and Armor Class last until your next action. The bonus to your Armor class is a Dodge Bonus.
Normal = A character not capable of the Expertise Feat can fight defensively while using the attack or full attack action to take a -4 attack penalty and gain a +2 Dodge bonus to Armor Class


What's wrong with using this?
Additional "ranks" of Melee parry or Brawling Parry can also be "folded" back into the total weapon skill like other "specializations", and/or give access to Feats like Dodge, Combat Reflexes, Mobility, Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, Improved Unarmed Strike, Quick Draw, or Weapon Finesse. Perhaps 1 of these other feats (especially the ones with Expertise as a prerequisite) per +2 or +4 "ranks" of Melee Parry or Brawling Parry a character would have possessed?
- FULONGAMER

It's even possible that you may find one or more skills in the new game (such as Listen) that don't have equivalents in the WEG game. With your GM's approval, you might want to put a few ranks in such skills, particularly if you find yourself with leftover skill points after the next step of the process.

FULONGAMER's EXTRAS: Instead of the one Uber-table let's use these three, specifically separating the FORCE related skills away from general CHARACTER skills. This will help read out the Force User conversions. Also, to speed things up, let's sort all the FEATS to the bottom of the list.

NOTE that the WEG pilot skills now exist as both specific equipment FEATS and as a General "Pilot" Skill
- FULONGAMER

Skill Equivalents
WEG Skill: WotC Skill:
Alien Species Knowledge - Alien Species
Archaic Starship Piloting Pilot
Armor Repair Repair
Astrogation Astrogate
Bargain Diplomacy
Beast Riding Ride
Blaster Repair Repair
Bureaucracy Profession - bureaucrat
Business Profession - merchant
Capital Ship Piloting Pilot
Capital Ship Repair Repair
Capital Ship Weapon Repair Repair
Climbing/Jumping Climb -and- Jump
Command ???
Communications Computer Use
Computer Programming Computer Use
Con Bluff
Cultures Knowledge - Cultures
Demolitions Demolitions
Droid Programming Computer Use
Droid Repair Repair
First Aid Treat Injury
Forgery Forgery
Gambling Profession - Gambler
Ground Vehicle Operation Pilot
Ground Vehicle Repair Repair
Hide Hide
Hover Vehicle Operation Pilot
Hover Vehicle Repair Repair
Intimidation Intimidate
Investigation Gather Information
Languages Speak Language
Law Enforcement Knowledge - Law
Medicine Treat Injury
Persuasion Diplomacy
Planetary Systems Knowledge - Planetary Systems
Powersuit Operation Armor Proficiency - Powered
Repulsorlift Operations Pilot
Repulsorlift Repair Repair
Sensors Operation Computer Use
Search Search -and- Spot
Security Disable Device
Sneak Move Silently
Space Transports Pilot
Space Transports Repair Repair
Starfighter Piloting Pilot
Starfighter Repair Repair
Starfighter Weapons Repair Repair
Streetwise Knowledge - Streetwise
Survival Survival
Swimming Swim
Value Appraise
Walker Operation Pilot
Walker Repair Repair

Feat Equivalents
WEG Skill WotC Feat
Archaic Guns Weapon Group Proficiency - Primitive Weapons
Blaster Weapon Group Proficiency - Blaster Pistols
Blaster Artillery Weapon Group Proficiency - Heavy Weapons
Bowcaster Exotic Weapon Group Proficiency - Bowcaster
Bows Weapon Group Proficiency - Primitive Weapons
Brawling Martial Artist
Brawling Parry N/A
Capital Ship Gunnery Starship Operations - capital ships
Capital Ship Shields Starship Operations - capital ships
Capital Ship Piloting Starship Operations - capital ships
Dodge N/A -or- Lightning Reflexes
Firearms Weapon Group Proficiency - slugthrowers
Grenades Weapon Group Proficiency - simple weapons
Lifting N/A
Lightsaber Exotic Weapon Group Proficiency - lightsaber
Melee Combat Weapon Group Proficiency - simple weapons
Melee Combat Weapon Group Proficiency - vibro weapons
Running Run
Space Transports Starship Operations - space transports
Stamina Endurance -or- Great Fortitude
Starfighter Gunnery Starship Operations - starfighters
Starfighter Piloting Starship Operations - starfighters
Starfighter Shields Starship Operations - starfighters
Thrown Weapons Weapon Group Proficiency - simple weapons
Vehicle Blasters Weapon Group Proficiency - vehicle weapons
Willpower Iron Will

FULONGAMER's EXTRAS:
Don't forget to outright eliminate those Force Powers that will convert to Force Feats or General Feats as well as those that are made up of multiple new skills, or are composites of Old skills.

Just as with the Attribute Conversion, you may have to take several of the old skills, (Say a Jedi with a full Spread of Healing Force Powers) total the array of "skills" and then divide to determine the average. Several of those "excess" skill points will then evaporate.

Also, about 1/2 of all the powers are actually composite powers, and 1/3 of those are tri- composite (c/s/a)

WEG "officially" had:
17x Control
17x Sense
2x Alter

4x Control + Sense
12x Control + Alter
2x Sense + Alter

11x Control + Sense + Alter

Keep those in mind as you recalculate the actual existing powers.

Force Skill Equivalents
WEG Skill WotC Skill WotC Feat
Asorb/Dissipate Energy Dissipate Energy -
Accelerate Another's Healing Heal Another -
Accelerate Healing Heal Self -
Affect Mind Affect Mind -
Alter - Alter
Concentration N/A N/A
Control - Control
Control Another's Disease Heal Another -
Control Another's Pain Heal Another -
Control Pain Heal Self -
Detoxify Poison Heal Self -
Emptyness N/A N/A
Hibernation Trance - Control
Injure/Kill Force Grip -
Life Detection See Force -
Life Sense See Force -
Lightsaber Combat Battlemind -
Magnify Senses Enhance Senses -
Place Another in Hibernation Trance N/A N/A
Postcognition Farseeing -
Receptive Telepathy Telepathy -
Projective Telepathy Telepathy -
Reduce Injury Heal Self -
Remain Conscious N/A -
Resist Stun Heal Self -
Return Another to Conciousness - -
Sense - Sense
Sense Force See Force -
Telekinesis Move Object -
Transfer Force Heal Another -

Also, even within the Jedi Force Skills, there will be Cross-Class skills that take 2 Skill points instead of 1 per rank. The Jedi Consular will not be able to purchase Battlemind (LSC) ranks at the same rate as a Jedi Guardian. This will also "deflate" the total resultant Skill point pool a bit.

Level
From the skill ranks and feats you've determined your character should have, you should be able to calculate your character's approximate level. It is imperative that you get your Gamemaster's feedback during this process. You'll want to ensure that characters with a similar amount of experience have similar levels.

First, check skill points. You've already determined what ranks your character should have: now translate those into skill points. This depends on the class choice you made earlier (and may end up altering that choice). For instance, every rank of Pilot costs a scoundrel 1 skill point, though it costs a Jedi Consular 2 skill points (since it's a cross-class skill for Jedi Consulars).

After you've determined the total number of skill points your character needs to recreate his current array of skills, subtract the bonus skill points he would have gained EACH LEVEL from a high Intelligence. (If your character's Intelligence is 11 or less, skip this step). The table describing Bonus Skill Points from Intelligence gives you a shortcut to determine this value.
Bonus Skill Points for Intelligence
Level 12 - 13 14 - 15 16 - 17 18 - 19 20 - 21
1 4 8 12 16 20
2 5 10 15 20 25
3 6 12 18 24 30
4 7 14 21 28 35
5 8 16 24 32 40
6 9 18 27 36 45
7 10 20 30 40 50
8 11 22 33 44 55
9 12 24 36 48 60
10 13 26 39 52 65
11 14 28 42 56 70
12 15 30 45 60 75
13 16 32 48 64 80
14 17 34 51 68 85
15 18 36 54 72 90
16 19 38 57 76 95
17 20 40 60 80 100
18 21 42 63 84 105
19 22 44 66 88 110
20 23 46 68 92 115

Then consult the proper column of the Skill Points by Class and Level table. Find the range this number falls into; this indicates what level your character would need to be to have those skill ranks.
Ultimately, this process can only guide you to potentially appropriate results. It's entirely possible that two characters who have gone on the same missions might go through the conversion process and end up with radically different levels. It's even possible (in fact, it's almost inevitable) that two people might convert the same character and end up with different results. That's why the GM's involvement is so critical. In fact, the GM's word should overrule any guideline found in this section.

Skill Points by Class and Level
Level Soldier / Jedi Guardian Finger / Noble / Scout / Jedi Consular / Force Adept Scoundrel
1 up to 16 up to 24 up to 32
2 17 - 20 25 - 30 33 - 40
3 21 - 24 31 - 36 41 - 48
4 25 - 28 37 - 47 49 - 56
5 29 - 32 43 - 48 57 - 64
6 33 - 36 49 - 54 65 - 72
7 37 - 40 55 - 60 73 - 80
8 41 - 44 61 - 66 81 - 88
9 45 - 48 67 - 72 89 - 96
10 49 - 52 73 - 78 97 - 104
11 53 - 56 79 - 84 105 - 112
12 57 - 60 85 - 90 113 - 120
13 61 - 64 91 - 96 121 - 128
14 65 - 68 97 - 102 129 - 136
15 69 - 72 103 - 108 137 - 144
16 73 - 76 109 - 114 145 - 152
17 77 - 80 115 - 120 153 - 160
18 81 - 84 121 - 126 161 - 168
19 85 - 88 127 - 132 169 - 176
20 89 - 92 133 - 138 177 - 184

Other Conversions
In addition to character conversions, you may wish to convert creatures, weapons, vehicles, and starships to the new system.

Creatures
Use the rules outlined above for characters. Estimate a level for converted creatures.

Weapons
For personal weapons, divide the weapon's maximum range by 10 (or by 5 for thrown weapons) to get the weapon's range increment. A weapon's damage depends on its WEG damage code and scale -- see the Converting Weapon Damage table.

FULONGAMER's EXTRAS:
The melee weapon damages in WEG will not easily or directly convert to D20 as you would understand them to, because of the disparity between the D6 attributes and the D20 attributes. The variance in the outcome of a weapon's damage between a 2D STR character and a 5D STR character are going to be greater than that between two D20 characters with an 11 STR or a 20 STR.
The D20 system DOES already incorporate a STR element to weapon damage, but the ratio you are used to will be skewed.
Rather than assume that a WEG weapon with a Damage code of STR+1D is a 1D weapon on the chart, treat the weapon's base damage as if wielded by a generic SWU NPC. Ergo, a 2D STR + 1D weapon = a 3D weapon for conversion purposes more often that it will be a 1D4 weapon.
Although the chart does not show it, there will also be room in there for 1D6 and 1D8 damage weapons. That will help round out the differences between a dagger, a club, a sword, and a halberd.

When the complete weapon lists are released, there will be some disparity between the damages you convert and the damages they publish, as each weapon will be assigned Damage D and a threat range according to its own merits. Looking at the weapon lists in D&D 3E will give you a solid base for comparing at least the Melee and Ranged archaic weapons. A D&D Sword, Spear, Knife, or Bow should be just about directly comparable to a SW weapon. Differences according to technological development (Vibroblades, Force Pikes, etc...) or material development (workmanship, materials) will also generate a variance to be reflected as either upped D type, upped D number, enhancement bonuis "pluses" or increased threat range or multiple as the individual weapon merits.

For example:
SWRPG Knife = STR+1D (Max 6D)
D20 D&D Knife = 1D4 (Critical 19-20/x2)
This weapon converts more readily as an unaugmented 1D weapon otherwise it would have been a 2D6 weapon with a normal "critical range" of 20/x2
...but...as a vibroblade
SWRPG = STR + 3D
D20 "direct" system = 2D6 (Critical ??/?? something high, probably at least 18-20/x2, or 19-20/x3)
D20 "shifted" system = 5D4 (Critical 20/x2)

To lower the D count, increase to a higher Die type, and/or increase the Critical Threat range to account for the weapon's nature. D20 system defaults to usually either increasing the threat range OR the critical multiple to reflect exceptionally deadly weapons, rather than assigning monster D pools or monster D sizes.

The Vibro Axe
IN SWRPG = STR+3D+1
"Direct" D20 = 2D6 (or a bit more for the +1 = 3D6)
"shifted" D20 = 5D4 (or a bit more for the +1 = 3D8)
Compared to the D&D Greataxe = 1D12 (Critical 20/x3)
or the D&D Dwarven Waraxe = 1D10 (Critical 20/x3)
or the normal D&D battleaxe = 1D8 (Critical 20/x3)
As a Vibro-weapon, the threat range will either increase (alot) or the damage D will become a lesser, more numerous die. (3D6, 5D4, or 3D8 are all good) Possibly an "enhancement" bonus of +1, 2, or 3 to the base damage will be used to help render the capabilities of Vibro-weapons as compared to "mundane" versions.

A D&D "conversion" for a Vibro-weapon could be a Magical "Keen" weapon, which takes an existing Threat range for a weapon and Doubles it, ie a Sword 19-20/x2 becomes 17- 20/x2 for the purposes of Critical hits.
Normal Axe Critical range is 20/x3, a "Keen" weapon would be 19-20/x3

And in all the above cases, the STR adjustment of the character is added in to the weapon damage. If the Threat, then a critical is scored, ALL the damage is multiplied.

SO, that Wookiee with the 5D STR (D20 = 20) with a Vibro-Axe could get something like: 1D12+5 (Critical 19-20/x3, which equals 3D12+15 damage on a Crit)
- FULONGAMER

Converting Weapon Damage
WEG Code Character Scale Speeder Scale Walker Scale Starfighter Scale Capital Ship Scale
9D 6D8 9D8 9D10 9D10x2 9D10x5
8D 5D8 8D8 8D10 8D10x2 8D10x5
7D 4D8 7D8 7D10 7D10x2 7D10x5
6D 3D8 6D8 6D10 6D10x2 6D10x5
5D 5D4 5D8 5D10 5D10x2 5D10x5
4D 3D6 4D8 4D10 4D10x2 4D10x5
3D 2D6 4D8 4D10 4D10x2 4D10x5
2D 2D4 2D8 2D10 2D10x2 2D10x5
1D 1D4 1D8 1D10 1D10x2 1D10x5

Vehicles and Starships
In general, a capital ship's hull and shield points are equal to its dice rating X 100 (+30 per extra pip). A starfighter's hull and shield points are equal to its dice X 30 (+10 per extra pip), a walker's are equal to its dice X 20 (+6 per extra pip), and a speeder's are equal to its dice X 10 (+3 per extra pip).

FULONGAMER's RANT:
In the three eras of play being basically designed for (TPM/Rebellion/NJO) the Rebellion has it the easiest on game mechanics...there will be no single class Jedi. You will have to multiclass into Jedi from outside since the purge decimated their ranks. This allows for characters with survivable characteristics (their pre-existing class) to have skills and capabilities to fall back on as their evolving force powers crystallize. On the flipside (for those GM's who have competent players) to account for the survival of the Pre-purge Jedi that inhabit everybody's campaign outside of the "Canon" lines, making Rebellion Era Jedi (especially NPC's) have to be Multiclassed OUT of Jedi (for cover/survival purposes) is acceptable as well.

The TPM Jedi, raised in the temple under the Padawan system are the real headache. I already feel the need to redesign the existing Force user type classes into something a bit more unrefined. Taking the Jedi "types" (Consular and Guardian) and making them separate Prestige classes, with differing pre-requisites that a new basic Force Student (Padawan) class can achieve independently seems like a workable solution. From the Padawan Class/Force Student baseline, you as the player will be able to acquire the skill ranks and Feats that you desire to mold the character into the foundation of either the Consular or Guardian Knight prestige classes.

Then placing yet another prestige class above that to represent the Jedi Master, where the dividing courses of Consular and Guardian again merge into a supremely enlightened being, will establish a basic structure for Jedi development that can be carried over to the other eras.

Where the TPM (and to a lesser degree the NJO) character with Force aptitudes can begin life on the Force Student paths, the Rebellion character can then treat the Force Student class as a 3 tiered prestige class system.

Trying to determine the fate of the character from the get go by labeling them from their first character level (as opposed to class level) as either a Guardian or a Consular seems a bit overreaching. With development of the actual Knighthood levels as independent Prestige classes that a common pool of Force Student (Padawan) characters can be molded into by the time the achieve the Prestige class prerequisites (in the 5-6th level range) the character type becomes more infused into the role.

With the difference between the starting benefits for a class when approaching it from absolute 1st level and multiclassing into it from outside, the capability difference between a true 1st level Force Student (with more starting Skill points) will really show through. This is as opposed to a multiclasser who is just beginning to dabble.

1ST level characters approach their 1st class with:
(Class skill point allotment + INT bonus) x4
whereas, a character multiclassing into a new class at it's 1st level only get.
(Class skill point allotment + INT bonus)

So "Old School (or NJO school) Students" will have a training advantage over the incoming multiclassers of any era, since many of the "Force Skills" and feats are unattainable until actually becoming a Force User class. There will not be an opportunity to buy Cross Class priced Force Skills or Feats until then.

Once under the Force Student Class, the List opens up.

Once the merits for an appropriate Prestige class are achieved (Consular or Guardian) a new "class/cross-class" skill and Force Skill list is used, with elements from the other "Prestige Class" listings available at Cross-class costs.
Then finally after significant inroads in character development have been achieved, the final prestige class of Master can be adopted. Whattaya think?
- FULONGAMER

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