Notes on World of Fallcrest 4e to Basic Conversion

A section on retrograding 4th Edition DnD into the Basic Ruleset.
== The Dawn War ==
In 4th Edition AD&D setting of Fallcrest and the world around it a great war between gods and primordials occurred called the Dawn War. This conflict eventually saw the gods triumph over the primordials who arouse from the plane of Elemental Chaos but not without great lose. As stated in the basic rulebook such isn't what basic DnD is about and so one has to make a choice; either adapt this mythology into basic rules or alter the setting to better fit basic.
=== Making Basic Match Fallcrest (4e) ===
=== Making Fallcrest Match Basic ===
Basic DnD features a conflict between Law and Chaos, Life and Entropy. This conflict is waged by Immortals across multiple worlds with each creating worlds and those who inhabit them. The origin of the Immortals is unstated but all where once mortal at some point. The Immortals are either agents of Law or Chaos and it's not too difficult to re-imagine the Dawn War as a conflict between the two factions. One in which a number of immortals where killed on both sides until the Lawful ones who where invested in the world, at least those few that remained, stood victorious. In this regard Clerics would see the immortals as agents in the cosmic conflict, respecting them and taking lessons from them but not worshiping them. The 4e Deities of Moradin, Pelor, Bane, etc simply receive this status as immortals who took part in forming the world or who arose latter such as would be the case of the Raven Queen. Of interesting note is that Bane, 4e's God of War, would be among the Lawful Immortals and his Chaotic rival would be Grummish who relishes the barbaric side of war such as pillaging and plundering of which Bane does not.
== The Races ==
4th Edition AD&D features a number of races with the core being Human, Dragonborn, Dwarf, Halfling, Elf, Eladrin, and Tiefling. Of those Human, Dwarf, Halfing, and Elf are solidly within basic but Dragonborn, Eladrin, and Tiefling will need some work. Additional races introduced to the standard 4e setting will also need to be addressed.
=== Tiefling ===
Tieflings are the greater challenge in regards to the core 4e races. Lore wise Basic DnD doesn't have demons or devils as the creators wished to avoid such at the time.
==== Making Basic Match Fallcrest (4e) ====
A route that one could take is simply converting the Tiefling mechanics of 4e into a new basic class and introducing devils and demons. This would have to go along with the previous option of the same category in regards to the Dawn War. Another option to get something close to basic while utilizing the same concept would be to look at 1st Edition AD&D's Alu-Demon monster as a basis for how a Tiefling might have been imagined in basic.
==== Making Fallcrest Match Basic ====
The World of Fallcrest's lore has to be considered. As devils and demons are not featured in basic much of Tiefling history has to be altered. The closest to devils and demons or angels are the Immortals with Creature Catalogue stating that Homoculus are constructs inhabited by such beings. The second closest are Feadorne who are referred to as eldritch beings. However those lack the features generally associated with Tieflings. Efreets would be an option but latter 4e material introduced a player race related to them. What one is thus left with in order to not interfere with that option (Gensai) is that, as with the case of Harpies in at least one Basic D&D world (Top Ballista), the Tieflings where a created race- specifically meant as a chaotic reflection of the Deva, another 4e race (introduced in Player's Handbook 2). They're 4e lore places them as like the Homoculus, being Immortals inhabiting a mortal form (like an avatar). For the sake of Basic and not interfering with the Homoculus who also appear in 4e it's best to assume that like the Sphinx (of Top Ballista) the Deva where also created, in this case by a Lawful Immortal. With that concluded one can then revise the lore of the Tiefling Empire to reflect their created origins while maintaining the stated struggle the Tieflings have with a darker nature or in this case a chaotic one.
Category:D&D
Category:D&D Homebrew
Category:World of Fellcrest