Converting Pathfinder modules to FFD20

[_glook]

Howdy; my apologies if this is the wrong place to post this, but it kinda looked like this section was the best place to post this sort of thing.

As a relatively inexperienced and lazy GM, it probably wasn't a good idea to use a non-standard game, but I really like the system, classes, and setting. I've been trying to use existing modules and premade NPCs, and while it kinda works, I've run into some pain points. Has anyone come up with a system/guide for converting Pathfinder content to FFD20? (I figure that's really all we need, since there are conversion guides to convert other stuff to Pathfinder, though 5e to Pathfinder is one of the big missing ones). Some pain points I've noticed:

Converting Classes:
There are some that seem to be directly carried over from Pathfinder, but there are also some significant difference, particularly for spellcasters, as all the spells are different. Any premade PCs I generally just make a best guess in replacements, and NPCs I generally just use straight and add my own limit breaks on the fly if they happen to be in that situation, though my players sometimes pick up on the discrepancies between pathfinder and FFD20 classes during play, and it is a little awkward. Feats, skills, and stats naturally don't seem to require any changes, from what I can tell, except for MP, which is relatively straightforward to figure out.

Converting Monsters:
I generally just use Pathfinder monsters with no conversion; is that generally wise, or are pathfinder monsters underpowered in some way? I imagine this might run into some issues if you have a blue mage in your group, which thankfully I don't have to worry about.

Converting items:
Again, I generally just use Pathfinder items with no conversion. I'm fairly confident this is okay, but please correct me if I'm wrong.

Converting Races:
This is probably the hardest thing for me, as only Humes, Elvaan, and Dwarves are shared from Pathfinder. As far as I can tell, those races are pretty much exactly like Pathfinder's versions, but I haven't found that there's any obvious similar classes for other races, and this seems to be the most incompatible thing, and I find I can't really use NPCs of races not of the three listed above without some story or mechanical issues. This is the one I'd like the most advice on.

Converting setting:
I don't actually worry about this, since story is the easiest thing to use without conversion and can be more easily altered, and it also depends on what you're doing anyway, but I figure I would include it to be complete.


This post is mostly made to determine if someone already has a conversion guide they're willing to share, but if there isn't it might be good for the community to have a conversion guide, so we can take advantage of modules and campaigns that already exist; I may even put some time at some point into starting a guide, if there does not in fact seem to be one.

Also, if this has already been addressed, my apologies, a search for "convert" and "conversion" did not find any thread on the subject in the forums.

[timtheenchanter]

Converting Classes:
Using Pathfinder classes should be fine for weaker nps, but keep in mind that Final Fantasy d20 classes are way more powerful. some conversions will be harder than most. a fighter is a fighter, sure, but a druid in FFd20 could be a Blue Mage (or Morpher if you want "Beast shape"), a Beast Master (for an animal companion or natural fighter), or a Geomancer (for a more mage-y druid) depending on what aspect of the class you are going for. their are quite a few situations where the classes won't align, and it'll have to be your call to figure out what to do with them.

Converting Monsters:
Pathfinder monsters are fine, just keep in mind that FFd20 classes are slightly more powerful than pathfinder classes at low levels, and MASSIVELY more powerful at higher levels. I run a game for a group of level 15s that regularly deal with CR 18 combats with little real threat to them.

Converting items:
Your good to go on Items, though FFd20 items sometimes seem very inexpensive for what they can do as compared to pathfinder items, Materia is a huge example of this in my opinion.

Converting Races:
Elvaan are not elves, but ultimately the races are interchangeable. you want Final Fantasy races in your game? Go for it. You want Pathfinder races in your game? Go for it. their aren't any mechanical incompatibilities with them, but if you need it. I'd say this for the base races:

Humes = Humans
Dwarves = Dwarves
Elvaan = Half Elves? (They are kind of their own thing)
Galka = Half Orcs
Mithra = Catfolk
Moogle = Gnomes (and sometimes Halflings)
Tarutaru = Halflings (and sometimes Gnomes)

Converting setting:
Do whatever you want. Like you said, this is by far the easiest.

As a note, Magic in FFd20 is smaller in scope than in Pathfinder. Things like Wish don't happen by means of the players, and Bringing people back from the dead requires much more immediate action, as Full Life's Time limit of 10 min/lvl is paltry compared to True Res's 10 years/level. Depending on what the module calls for, you might want to check and see if your conversions have any effect on the higher end possibilities for the story.

The unfortunate thing is, there is no such thing as a lazy GM. Even with the module and everything, we still have to put in some decent effort, but it all pays off in the end.

[Manly Man]

I do have to disagree somewhat with Tim on the thing about converting monsters; the upper-level PF monsters, if you let them keep their normal spells and such, can be absolutely devastating in comparison to FFd20's stuff; even a party of decently-optimized, 17th-level FFd20 characters would get curbstomped by a balor that was played smart; implosion is an incredibly harsh deathblow, and combined with their flight and such, they can just cast it, fly off, and there's nothing you can do about it as your party members die one by one (almost irrevocably so, unless you can get something that doesn't need their body to bring them back, such as true resurrection). PF dragons are even worse; the thing to remember about them as a GM and fear about them as a player is not that they are massive engines of death and destruction, but that they are 19th-level Sorcerers who happen to also be massive engines of death and destruction. Dragons have spells, almost as many as the party's 20th-level Sorcerer, so use them. They can even take metamagic feats, if you so desire, to make them even scarier.

HOWEVER!

Fortheseen has worked very hard to make an extensive bestiary for FFd20, and so a lot of what would need to be changed from vanilla PF is perfectly doable. I've done some of my own monsters as well, which could serve as replacements for, say, certain kinds of fiendish Outsiders.

[Biyama]

Another issue that might come up is spells. While converting the scrolls and wands from loot into ffd20 is simple enough, blue mages now have no way of gaining spells outside levels

[timtheenchanter]

I do have to disagree somewhat with Tim on the thing about converting monsters;

There are certainly exceptions, but overall, they seem to handle themselves in situations their pathfinder counterparts couldn't. I do agree that pathfinder magic can certainly dominate over ffd20 magic if implemented properly, and creatures that are immune to magic are affected by spells that don't exist in final fantasy, making it unusually powerful. There are a lot of things worth taking into account, little will likely translate perfectly.