Iron-Norm: Session 0, The Conversion

A few years ago, a friend offered to run a solo 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons game with a gestalt character (one character, two classes) as a play-by-post game. Unfortunately, the game did not go ever well, as most play-by-post games have gone in my experience and ended without ever taking off.

The character that I had come up with was Norman Riggs, a hard-drinking (and even illicit drug-using) human fighter (with unarmed strike fighting style proficiency) and revived rogue (an Unearthed Arcana subclass). His background was as an author and journalist. I imagined him as a sort of Hunter S. Thompson type who inserts himself into groups and writes news pieces about them, in addition to publishing sleazy pulp novels based on the adventures of his past lives as they come to him.

This all happened before I learned about Ironsworn RPG, a game that supports solo play. The idea recently came to me to convert the existing character (who was still essentially a blank slate as only a third-level DnD character) to Ironsworn. 

Let's begin.

At its core, Ironsworn has 5 stats and no skills; Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition has 6 ability scores and 18 skills, each one tied to a stat. Reconciling these two differences isn't too hard. Let's begin with a comparison of the stats:

Ironsworn's stats

• Edge: Quickness, agility, and prowess in ranged combat.
• Heart: Courage, willpower, empathy, sociability, and loyalty.
• Iron: Physical strength, endurance, aggressiveness, and prowess in close combat.
• Shadow: Sneakiness, deceptiveness, and cunning.
• Wits: Expertise, knowledge, and observation.

Dungeons and Dragons ability scores

• Strength, measuring physical power
• Dexterity, measuring agility
• Constitution, measuring endurance
• Intelligence, measuring reasoning and memory
• Wisdom, measuring Perception and Insight
• Charisma, measuring force of Personality

Some of these align easily enough, but a further examination of the differences between systems is required. So, again, an examination of Dungeons and Dragons skills is necessary to truly grasp the difference between the two systems.

Dungeons and Dragons skills under their associated stats

Strength

Athletics

Dexterity

Acrobatics

Sleight of Hand

Stealth

Intelligence

Arcana

History

Investigation

Nature

Religion

Wisdom

Animal Handling

Insight

Medicine

Perception

Survival

Charisma

Deception

Intimidation

Performance

Persuasion

Ironsworn is somewhat of a reductive system, aiming to squeeze the most out of what little that it has to operate from. While all manner of actions can be stratified into Dungeons and Dragons' abilities and skills, the fiction-first gameplay of Ironsworn means that how a character does things in the system is just as important as what they do. For that reason, a conversion of a Dungeons and Dragons character requires looking at quantitative plusses and minuses of statistics and ability scores and the manner and attitude of the character that does it. 

Dungeons and Dragons character stats

	Scores (Mod)	Saves
Strength	15 (+2)	+4
Dexterity	14 (+2)	+4
Constitution	14(+2)	+4
Intelligence	12 (+1)	+0
Wisdom	10	+0
Charisma	10	+0

Dungeons and Dragons character skills

Acrobatics (Dex)	+4
Animal Handling (Wis)	+1
Arcana (Int)	+1
Athletics (Str)	+8 (Expert)
Deception (Cha)	+4 (Expert)
History (Int)	+1
Insight (Wis)	+2
Intimidation (Cha)	+2
Investigation (Int)	+3
Medicine (Wis)	0
Nature (Int)	0
Perception (Wis)	+2
Performance (Cha)	0
Persuasion (Cha)	0
Religion (Int)	0
Sleight of Hand (Dex)	+2
Stealth (Dex)	+4
Survival (Wis)	0

As you can see, using the Dungeons and Dragons character, I had always intended Norm to be a strong, perceptive, and sneaky character. So taking the number of proficiencies and abilities that he had spread out across various stats and scores and blending it down to Ironsworn was easy - a strong, smart, and sneaky character would have good Iron, Shadow, and Wits.

Using the stat array, I produced the following for Norm:

EDGE					HEART					IRON					SHADOW					WITS
1					1					3					2					2

But there's more to the core of the character than just stats. There's also various unique abilities granted by class features in Dungeon and Dragons, from weapon and armor proficiencies to class features and feats. I had the following for 3rd level Norm in Dungeons and Dragons:

Fighter Features

Fighting Style: Unarmed Fighting

Unarmed Fighting

Your unarmed strikes can deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier. If you strike with two free hands, the d6 becomes a d8.

When you successfully start a grapple, you can deal 1d4 bludgeoning damage to the grappled creature. Until the grapple ends, you can also deal this damage to the creature whenever you hit it with a melee attack.

Second Wind: 1/1

As a bonus action on your turn, heal 1d10 + fighter level Hit Points

Action Surge: 1/1

On your turn, take another action.

Combat Superiority

Combat Superiority (d8): 3/4

Maneuvers can be used once per attack 

Three maneuvers

• Brace: When an enemy you can see moves within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to expend one superiority die and make one weapon attack against that creature. If the attack hits, add the superiority die to the attack’s damage roll.

• Studious Eye: When you make a Wisdom (Insight) check or an Intelligence (Investigation) check, you can expend one superiority die, and add the superiority die to the ability check.

• Trip Attack: When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can expend one superiority die to attempt to knock the target down. You add the superiority die to the attack’s damage roll, and if the target is Large or smaller, it must make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, you knock the target prone.

Rogue Features

Revived

You’ve had a soul-shaking realization: you’ve been dead before, yet somehow you are alive again. This life isn’t your first; it might not even be your second. Your past life, or lives, are unclear to you, but you know that you passed through the gates of death. And the powers of death, or some other influence, wasn’t done with you. You might have convinced a deity to let you return to the Material Plane, perhaps you signed a deal with a fiend, or maybe you used an artifact that revived you. Whatever force brought you back, you now know the truth about yourself: that you are one of death’s representatives among the living.

Expertise: Investigation, Stealth

Sneak Attack

Beginning at 1st level, you know how to strike subtly and exploit a foe’s distraction. Once per turn, you can deal an extra 1d6 damage to one creature you hit with an attack if you have advantage on the attack roll. The attack must use a finesse or a ranged weapon.

You don’t need advantage on the attack roll if another enemy of the target is within 5 feet of it, that enemy isn’t incapacitated, and you don’t have disadvantage on the attack roll.

The amount of the extra damage increases as you gain levels in this class, as shown in the Sneak Attack column of the Rogue table

Thieves’ Cant

During your rogue training you learned thieves’ cant, a secret mix of dialect, jargon, and code that allows you to hide messages in seemingly normal conversation. Only another creature that knows thieves’ cant understands such messages. It takes four times longer to convey such a message than it does to speak the same idea plainly.

In addition, you understand a set of secret signs and symbols used to convey short, simple messages, such as whether an area is dangerous or the territory of a thieves’ guild, whether loot is nearby, or whether the people in an area are easy marks or will provide a safe house for thieves on the run.

Cunning Action

Starting at 2nd level, your quick thinking and agility allow you to move and act quickly. You can take a bonus action on each of your turns in combat. This action can be used only to take the Aim, Dash, Disengage, or Hide action

Tokens of Past Lives

You remember talents you had in your previous life. When you finish a long rest, you gain one skill or tool proficiency of your choice. You can replace this proficiency with another when you finish a long rest.

Revived Nature

Your newfound connection to death gives you the following benefits:

• You have advantage on saving throws against disease and being poisoned, and you have resistance to poison damage.

• You don’t need to eat, drink, or breathe.

• You don’t need to sleep. When you take a long rest, you must spend at least four hours in an inactive, motionless state, rather than sleeping. In this state, you remain semiconscious, and you can hear as normal.

Bolts from the Grave

You have learned to unleash bolts of necrotic energy from within your revived body. Immediately after you use your Cunning Action, you can make a ranged spell attack against a creature within 30 feet of you, provided you haven’t used your Sneak Attack this turn. You are proficient with it, and you add your Dexterity modifier to its attack and damage rolls. A creature hit by this attack takes necrotic damage equal to your Sneak Attack. This uses your Sneak Attack for the turn.

Whew, that's a lot.

An Ironsworn character starts with three assets, which serve some of the same functions as the Dungeons and Dragons character sheet. Still, a major difference between the two systems is that Dungeons and Dragons orders strict adherence to the specific legalese of the text. In contrast, Ironsworn encourages players to riff off existing assets or create their own entirely new ones, which I was able to do.

The easiest thing to take care of is the abilities related to being a street-fighting man. Ironsworn has a Combat Talent asset called Brawler that has the following text:

Brawler

If you are unarmed or fighting with a non-deadly weapon...

[First ability of this asset, unlocked when you choose it]
When you Secure an Advantage +iron by engaging in close-quarters brawling (such as punching, tripping, or grappling), add +1. If you score a hit, you may also inflict 1 harm.

[Second and third abilities of this asset, must unlock with experience later] 
When you use an unarmed attack or simple weapon to Strike with deadly intent, add +2 and inflict 2 harm on a hit (instead of 1). On a weak hit or miss, suffer -1 momentum (in addition to any other outcome of the move).

When you Face Danger or Clash against a brawling attack, add +1 and take +1 momentum on a hit.

This is pretty solid on its own. The only thing that I changed about it was changing "non-deadly weapon" to improvised weapons because it fits the sort of idea that I had in mind about Norm, that he could use anything as a weapon. 

The next set of abilities that I wanted to emulate were related to the Revived Rogue's unique abilities to remember their previous lives when they need to. These have a supernatural angle to them but are also full of utility. I looked to various Ritual assets to see if I could find something to modify. I found that the Invokee asset was something like what I was picturing. 

Invoke

When you consume the mystical essence of your surroundings, roll +wits. On a strong hit, add the value of your action die to your essence track (max 6). You may then Secure an Advantage or Face Danger +essence to create minor mystical effects or illusions. If you do, suffer -1 essence and take +1 momentum on a hit. On a weak hit, as above, but capturing these energies is harrowing; Endure Stress (2 stress).

[unlockable abilities]

You may Compel +essence (and suffer -1 essence) through a show of power.

When you perform this ritual, add +1 and take +1 essence on a hit.

Invoke has its own track to keep up with how often you can use it, reducing it over time.

This asset is close but not quite what I wanted. After reconfiguring it, I create

Recall

When you reconnect with the memories of your past lives, roll +wits. On a strong hit, add the value of your action die to your Recall track (max 6). You may then Secure an Advantage, Strike, or Face Danger +Recall to channel the force of past lives. If you do, suffer -1 Recall and take +1 momentum on a hit. On a weak hit, as above, but capturing these energies is harrowing; Endure Stress (2 stress).

[Unlockables]

You may Compel +Recall (and suffer -1 Recall) through a show of power or expertise.

When you perform this ritual, add +1 and take +1 Recall on a hit.

I found it difficult to replicate some of Revived Rogue's abilities about not eating, sleeping, or even needing to breathe. Still, luckily Ironsworn supports the notion that fiction and story should always come first. In this, you can simply declare some things about your character to be true. I chose to do this for the Revived Nature class feature from Dungeons and Dragons. So if these things ever come up, we simply put the fiction first.

"But Jake," I can hear you say, "What about the Supply track that is vital to Ironsworn?"

First of all, don't call me Butt Jake, that's juvenile and not nice. 

Second, Supply and Spirit are intentionally left vague in Ironsworn, and Norm is a hard-drinking character. Supply might mean adventuring gear, clothing, or even pots of ink in Norm's case. It doesn't necessarily have to do with food. Likewise, it was easy to simply declare that Norm knows how to speak the language of the underworld, replicating Thieves' Cant with ease.

Think about the fiction before the mechanics. Roleplaying games are about telling stories, after all.

The next asset is another one that I copied wholesale. Norm is an author who is cursed with dual identity crises bouncing around his head: the stories of his past lives and his idea of who he is. In addition, as part of his work as a gonzo journalist, he is sometimes required to go undercover, further creating the ability to slip into and out of various identities. For that reason, I took the Pretender asset from Ironsworn core.

Pretender

When you establish a false identity, roll +shadow. On a strong hit, you may add +2 when you make moves using this identity to deceive or influence others. If you roll a 1 on your action die when using your false identity, someone doubts you. Make appropriate moves to reassure them or prevent them from revealing the truth. On a weak hit, as above, but add +1 (instead of +2).

[unlockable]

As above, and you may roll +shadow (instead of +heart) when you Sojourn under your false identity. If you do, take +1 momentum on a hit.

When you Secure an Advantage by revealing your true identity in a dramatic moment, reroll any dice.

And with that, the mechanical conversion from Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition is roughly complete. What remains to complete the Ironsworn character is to establish Vows and Bonds. 

Flipping the script, let's look at the 5th Edition character sheet parts that aren't necessarily mechanical: Personality Traits, Flaws, Ideals, and Bonds. When I made Norm a few years ago, I had these in mind:

Traits: I must do everything myself. I will never be satisfied until I know the whole story.

Flaws: I charge recklessly into more situations than I should. I have an addiction problem.

Ideals: Truth. The truth must stand above all else (Neutral). I can think of nobody but myself (Evil).
Bonds: My audience. I write for their interest.

I had also created a few NPCs to throw some bones for my friend the GM:

Casey Dugall: Norm's oldest (and only) childhood friend. Casey is a loser but is always bringing Norm useful information and story leads. Casey is under Norm's "protection" because Casey often has gambling debts that need to be atoned for. 

Lucy "Loaded" Ahenadon: Half-Orc bartender. Sometimes uses Norm to track down overdue bar tabs; other times tells him stories she has overhead. 

Stanley Meringue: Norm's editor. Tired of Norm's shit. If it wasn't for his stories and the commercial success, he wouldn't tolerate Norm's lateness.

It was easy to use these as Bonds in Ironsworn, but there were also elements of my backstory that seemed more relevant to the nature of Vows.

In Ironsworn, Vows are declarations and solemn promises to serve or aid someone or complete a personal quest. When I first created Norm, I wanted to explore the source of his revived nature and ultimately make it stop because he was sick of sharing his mind's eye with other people. So while the Traits, Flaws, Ideals, and Bonds may shape how I choose to play Norm in the future, but for now, his Background Vow will be "Make the memories of past lives stop," and his first short term goal I wanted to discover via playing. 

To tidy up, I look over the rest of the 5th Edition character sheet. All I really have left is Norm's appearance.

Appearance: Pale-skinned, brown hair. Broad-shouldered but otherwise average build; it looks like he skips leg days. Chest is adorned in scars from countless bar fights. Rough hands and fists.

Wears cheap clothes, doesn't get attached to clothing. The exception are his over the shoulder leather bag where he keeps writing materials, and a small wooden shield (buckler style)

And with that, I was done with the conversion. Though everything wasn't a perfect one-to-one conversion, the sentiments of the character were translated well. Remember, this character isn't a normal Dungeons and Dragons character; he's an exception in that he's two character classes rolled into one. 

Norm looked to be a confident unarmed fighter who can infiltrate groups of people to learn their secrets, all while being plagued by the powers of his past lives. 

I've been playing Iron-Norm for a while now on Discord, using a text channel as a journal. I've also found a few excellent resources in the form of Ironsworn Play Aids and a Google Sheet for managing the character. I'll be posting updates here as they come if you want to follow along.