From d20 to Cards
Hello adventurers! If you have our fantastic Gates of Krystalia manual in your hands but also years of d20 System campaigns in your background that you don't want to abandon, this article is for you! Today we'll see how to convert your favorite adventures to the Gates of Krystalia system, maintaining the atmosphere and stories you love while adding the freshness and unpredictability of our cards.
Why Switch to Cards?
First, let's ask ourselves: why should we convert our game from dice to cards? The answer is simple: cards add an element of strategy that dice cannot offer. With Gates of Krystalia, you're no longer at the mercy of a single roll's luck, but you can plan, manage your resources, and choose when to risk and when to play it safe. This system better reflects the conscious choices and moods of the characters.
Converting Basic Statistics
From Attributes to Abilities
In the d20 System, we're used to six attributes (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma). In Gates of Krystalia, we have four fundamental Abilities:
- Charisma (♥): Replaces Charisma and part of Wisdom
- Agility (♦): Replaces Dexterity
- Intelligence (♠): Replaces Intelligence and part of Wisdom
- Robustness (♣): Replaces Strength and Constitution
- Negative modifier (from -5 to -1): -1 in the corresponding Ability
- Modifier 0: 0 in the corresponding Ability
- Positive modifiers (from +1 to +3): +1 in the corresponding Ability
- Very high modifiers (from +4 upward): +2 or +3 in the corresponding Ability
To convert attribute bonuses, you can use this simple system:
For existing characters, take their highest attributes as a reference to understand which of our Abilities they truly excel in.
From Class to... Class!
Fortunately, the classes in Gates of Krystalia are quite universal and adapt well to many archetypes. However, it's important to note that unlike traditional d20 systems, classes in GoK don't completely define your Hero, but simply provide a playstyle. In fact, a mage can wield swords, and a berserker can cast magic. This flexibility allows for more creative character building than you might be used to.
Here's a quick guide for converting the most common classes:
- Warrior/Paladin/Barbarian → Knight or Berserker
- Rogue/Ranger → Assassin or Ninja
- Wizard/Sorcerer → Mage
- Cleric/Druid → Healer, Priest or Shaman
- Bard → A combination of Priest (for support) and something else
- Artificer → Engineer
The Class Specializations in Gates of Krystalia replace the class abilities of the d20 System, so make sure to familiarize yourself with these new abilities. They'll provide your character with unique tactical options that, while different from your d20 abilities, will capture the essence of your character's combat style.
Remember that in Gates of Krystalia, your choice of Combat Techniques across different elements and types will often define your character's capabilities more than your class selection, giving you greater freedom to create the exact hero you envision.
Transforming Skills into Competences
In the d20 System, skills are very granular (Perception, Stealth, Persuasion, etc.). In Gates of Krystalia, we use four broader categories of Competences:
- Social Competences (♥): Everything related to interaction with others
- Athletic Competences (♦): Movement, dexterity, stealth
- Intellectual Competences (♠): Knowledge, perception, intuition
- Physical Competences (♣): Brute strength, endurance, physical intimidation
When a PC wants to do something that would require a skill check in d20, think about which of the four categories fits best. The Deux (our DM) will establish an appropriate Difficulty Value (DV), often based on the DC you would have used in the d20 System.
From Hit Points to Vital Energy
In the d20 System, HP is a counter that decreases. In Gates of Krystalia, Vital Energy (VE) is represented by your deck of cards. Every time you take damage, you discard a corresponding number of cards.
To convert an enemy, take into consideration their maximum HP in d20 and use them as a guide for their VE in Gates of Krystalia:
- Low HP (1-20): 10-20 VE
- Medium HP (21-50): 20-40 VE
- High HP (51-100): 40-70 VE
- Epic HP (101+): 70-150 VE or more
Converting Combats
Combat is probably the most different part between the two systems. In Gates of Krystalia, there's no longer the concept of a traditional "turn," but a system of simultaneous actions based on Initiative and Strategy Cards.
From Initiative to... Initiative!
Initiative works similarly in both systems, so this is a simple conversion. The initiative bonuses from d20 can be maintained, or simply replaced by the Agility ♦ bonus.
From Actions to Combat Techniques
Actions in d20 correspond to Combat Techniques (CT) in Gates of Krystalia. The big difference is that in our system, these techniques are tied to the four suits of cards and benefit from the "Blessed Suits" chosen by the player.
When converting a character, choose Combat Techniques that reflect the gameplay style you had in d20. A warrior who focused on defense should take techniques like Parry, while a wizard with fire spells should opt for Fire-type CTs.
Spells
Spellcasters in the d20 System have access to very detailed spell lists. In Gates of Krystalia, spells are replaced by Magic Element-type Combat Techniques. Here's how to convert some typical spells:
- Fire spells → Fire-type CT
- Water/ice spells → Water or Ice-type CT
- Electric spells → Lightning-type CT
- Healing spells → Nature or Light-type CT
- Necrotic spells → Darkness-type CT
- Earth spells → Earth-type CT
Don't worry about finding an exact match for every spell: focus on the general effect and look for a CT that produces similar results.
Converting Adventures
Regarding the adventures themselves, the good news is that the narrative remains unchanged! The locations, characters, and plots work exactly the same way. Here are some tips for adapting d20 modules to Gates of Krystalia:
Traps and Challenges
Traps in the d20 System usually have a DC to spot and disarm. In Gates of Krystalia, replace these DCs with appropriate Difficulty Values (DV):
- Easy DC (10-14): DV 5-7
- Medium DC (15-19): DV 7-10
- Hard DC (20-24): DV 10-13
- Very hard DC (25+): DV 13-15+
Treasures and Rewards
Adapt treasures to the Gates of Krystalia economic system:
- Copper (Cr), silver (Si), gold (Go), and mithral (Mi) coins have similar values to d20
- Magic items can be converted into weapons and armor with elemental crystals embedded
- Potions and consumable items already have direct equivalents
Encounters with Enemies
Encounters with enemies require a bit more adaptation. In our manual, we have a wide range of enemies already prepared, but if you want to convert specific monsters from d20, here's how to proceed:
- Determine the VE as we've seen above
- Choose 2-3 Combat Techniques that reflect the monster's attacks
- Assign an Innate Ability that represents a distinctive characteristic of the monster
- Decide if the enemy is Normal or Special (bosses should be Special)
- Convert attack and damage bonuses to CT bonuses and Base Damage
The Final Touch: Cards
What makes Gates of Krystalia unique is the card system, which replaces dice rolls. Make sure each player has a deck of French cards (52 cards) to manage their Vital Energy and actions in the game.
Encourage players to think strategically about managing their cards: when is it worth using a combo for a powerful attack? When is it better to save good cards for defense? This strategic dimension is what makes Gates of Krystalia so engaging!
Conclusion
Converting from the d20 System to Gates of Krystalia might seem intimidating at first, but I assure you that the result is worth the effort. The cards add a level of strategy and resource management that greatly enriches the experience, while our streamlined system allows you to focus on narrative and roleplaying.
Don't forget: the most important thing is to have fun! If a conversion rule doesn't work for your group, feel free to adapt it. Gates of Krystalia is designed to be flexible and adapt to your gameplay style.
Are you ready to discard your dice (at least temporarily) and see what the cards of fate have in store for you?
Happy adventuring in Lumina, and may your cards always be fortunate!
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