Conversions

If you want to use the Knaack Hack to run games using older adventures and other published materials, the guidelines below will help you convert that content into rules that work with this system.

Ability Scores and Attributes

The Knaack Hack uses attributes that are analogous to the ability score modifiers or adjustments from other games, dropping the 3-18 scores entirely. To achieve this, use the following conversion: A score of 8-9 becomes 1 in the Knaack Hack, a 10-11 becomes 2, 12-13 becomes 3, 14-15 becomes 4, 16-17 becomes 5, and 18-19 becomes 6.

If a character’s ability scores are below 8, just round their attributes up to 8. For ability scores above 19, the chart progresses normally, adding +1 for every 2 ability score points.

Note that for some old school games, the ability score “adjustment” can be either positive or negative, depending on the situation. For example, a +3 adjustment for a high dexterity would actually subtract from your armor class. The Target 20 System, outlined below, helps to alleviate that confusion.

A Knaack Hack attribute of 1 is roughly equivalent to an old school ability score of 8-9, while each two points of increase to an old school ability score corresponds to an increase of 1 for a Knaack Hack attribute.

Target 20 System

In some old school fantasy games, lower armor classes were better than higher ones. A suit of plate armor would be AC 3, while leather was AC 7. The easiest way to use these systems in the Knaack Hack is to switch to a “Target 20” style system for attacks, skill checks, morale, and other rolls. Here’s how it works: Attack Roll = 1d20 + modifiers + target’s AC. If the result is 20 or greater, you hit the target.

The same goes for anything that might function as a skill or ability score check. You roll 1d20, add all the relevant modifiers, and if your total is 20 or higher, you succeed.

Classes

In the original fantasy role-playing games, there were only four classes: cleric, fighter, magic-user, and thief. Here are Knaack Hack equivalents for each.

Fighter

These daring heroes are trained in the use of weapons and armor.

Health: 1d8

Fighters are proficient with all weapons except arcane weapons, all armor, and shields.

Cleric

Health: 1d6

Clerics are proficient with simple weapons, all armor, and shields. After they rest for eight hours, they can memorize one divine spell of a rank equal to half their level, rounded up, plus additional spells equal to twice that number at each lower rank, if applicable. The cleric spell list includes: animate dead, bless allies, bright light, curse enemies, dispel magic, dimensional attunement, divine might, divine protection, drain life, enchant weapon, gate fiend, heal wounds, inspire courage, raise dead, remove affliction, resist energy, revealing divination, sanctify ground, smite evil, turn undead, and ward area.

Clerics can also turn undead as an action, rolling a wisdom check; an amount of levels of nearby undead flee from the cleric, affecting individual undead of a level equal to the cleric’s. Undead of less than half the cleric’s level are automatically turned.

Magic-User

By their command of arcane spells, magic-users alter the very reality around them.

Health: 1d4

Magic-users are proficient with simple weapons. They may not cast spells in armor of any kind. After they rest for eight hours, they can memorize one arcane spell of a rank equal to half their level, rounded up, plus additional spells equal to twice that number at each lower rank, if applicable. The magic-user spell list includes: alter self, animal shape, animate dead, arcane sight, bright light, charm person, control weather, create object, create illusion, dimensional attunement, dispel magic, drain life, enchant weapon, energy blast, feather flight, find familiar, force armor, force barrier, gate fiend, read minds, resist energy, revealing divination, summon animal, telekinetic field, teleportation field, unseen presence, and ward area.

Thief

Using their array of skills and wily, underhanded tactics in combat, thieves live by their wits.

Health: 1d4

Thieves are proficient with simple weapons, finesse weapons, ranged weapons and light armor. At 1st level, they start with the following thief skills: Open Locks: +3, Find Traps: +2, Remove Traps: +2, Climb Walls: +17, Move Silently: +4, Hide in Shadows: +2, Pick Pockets: +4, and Hear Noise: +6. At 2nd level and every level thereafter, they receive 5 points to distribute among them any way they like.

If a thief is able to attack an enemy undetected, they may perform a backstab, receiving a +4 bonus on their attack roll and inflicting double damage if they hit their target.

Some old school fantasy games also included certain races presented as classes, such as the dwarf, elf, and halfling. As these classes are about twice as powerful as the ones above, they should level up less often.

Dwarf

These stalwart folk hail from deep within the mountains of the world.

Health: 1d8

Dwarves are proficient with all weapons except arcane weapons, all armor, and shields. They have a +6 bonus on rolls to detect traps, sliding walls, sloping corridors, or new construction. They can see in the dark.

Elf

Combining arcane magic with weapons and armor, elves are talented combatants.

Health: 1d6

Elves are proficient with all weapons, all armor, and shields. They also cast spells like magic-users. Elves have a +6 bonus on rolls to detect secret or hidden doors, are immune to paralysis, and can see in the dark.

Halfling

Nimble and stealthy, halflings make excellent burglars and cunning snipers.

Health: 1d6

Halflings are proficient with all weapons except arcane weapons, all armor, and shields. They receive +2 to their defense against attacks made by medium or larger enemies, add +1 bonus on all attacks with ranged weapons, gain a +3 bonus on initiative rolls, and have a +6 bonus on rolls to hide in shadows.

Saving Throws

Before saving throws were consolidated into three simple categories or tied directly to all six ability scores, they were attached to various sources of damage. Here’s how to convert them for use in the Knaack Hack.

"Death Ray or Poison" and "Paralysis or Turn to Stone" both become fortitude saves, "Magic Wands" and "Dragon Breath" both become reflex saves, and "Rod, Staff, or Spell" becomes a will save.

Coins

The conversion rates for coins in some old school fantasy games was not metric. One gold piece is was worth two electrum pieces, 10 silver pieces, or 20 copper pieces. Five gold pieces equaled one platinum piece.

Additionally, characters received experience points for coins they found during their adventures. Narrators should consider this when deciding when characters advance.

Lethality

One of the hallmarks of old school fantasy gaming was a dramatic increase in lethality. To achieve this, simply remove the additional rules for dying; instead, characters die when reduced to 0 or less health.

Furthermore, characters do not receive the maximum amount of health from their class’s health dice at first level; instead, they must roll for it!

Alignment

Some old school fantasy role-playing games included alignment systems. This was a measure of a character’s morality, and though it rarely affected gameplay, it was recorded and used in conjunction with certain spells, artifacts, or relations with NPCs.

The original three alignments were: lawful, neutral, and chaotic. Later editions added another axis to the alignment chart: good, neutral, and evil. These could be mixed and match for a total of nine different alignments.

Languages

There were a lot of languages in old school games, at least one for every player race and alignment, plus additional languages for most intelligent enemies. To simulate this, characters should be assigned double or more the starting languages granted by their race.

Enemies

In the original monster manuals for old school games, enemies did not have a full array of attributes or skills, only those statistics immediately relevant to gameplay. This means that old school adventures simply won’t use the attributes presented with the enemies in this book.