AD&D 1E Races Converted to Runequest 2E

 This was part of a personal project I started after finding an old AD&D/RQ conversion webpage.
It got away from me really quickly as I tried to juggle classes and races and all of AD&D's special exceptions together so I ended up switching to Stormbringer, the simpler version of BRP.
But I managed to get this out, my proof of concept, which might have been someone's scribbles in a notebook back in the 1980s. But is my work and it covers all AD&D 1E that I could find in various PDFs. I'm not sure Aquatic Elves ever got a write-up for AD&D 1E but I think this is enough.

Attributes

These attributes are for Oerth, the planet of Greyhawk, but for Abeir-Toril, the planet with Faerûn, Elves have a SIZ of 3d6 excluding Drow who have the SIZ after the /. Thoe marked with DL represent races from AD&D 1E Dragonlance.

Characters under SIZ 7 cannot employ the longbow or any two-handed weapon and no one-handed weapon over 72”/2.0m.

If a race rolls a natural 18, is a warrior and is allowed to have exceptional strength, roll d100, on a 01-50, add d2 to the STR score. Modifiers listed with the “/” cannot increase or decrease the score above or below the minimum/maximum. Whole numbers after the “/” represent that they treat the ability score as the maximum when dealing with humans and the true maximum among their own race.

Gygax later said the Halfling Ability Minimum/Maximum for CON and DEX were flipped, if preferring the RAW way, swap the two rolls except for the /+ additional bonuses.

Race	STR	CON	SIZ	DEX	INT	POW	CHA
Human	3d6	3d6	3d6	3d6	3d6	3d6	3d6
Dwarf, Hill/Gold	2d6+6	1d8+11	3d4	2d8+1	3d6	3d6	3d6/16
Dwarf, Hill (DL)	2d6+6/+1	1d6+13	3d4	2d8+1	3d6	3d6	3d6/12
Dwarf, Mt./Shield	3d6	1d8+11	2d6+1	2d8+1	3d6	3d6	3d6/16
Dwarf, Mt. (DL)	2d6+6	1d8+11	2d6+1	2d8+1	3d6	3d6	3d6/16
Dwarf, Gully (DL)	4d4+2	3d4	1d4+1d3+1	4d4+2	2d4+1	2d4+1	2d4+1
Dwarf, Gray/Duergar	3d6	1d8+11	3d4	2d8+1	3d6	3d6	3d6/16
Gnome	4d4+2	2d6+6	2d3+1	3d6	4d4+2/+1	3d6	3d6
Gnome, Deep/Svirfneblin	4d4+2	2d6+6	2d3+1	3d6	4d4+2/+1	3d6	3d6
Gnomes, Tinker (DL)	4d4+2	2d6+6	2d3+1	2d6+6	2d6+6	3d4	3d6
Elf, Dimernesti (DL)	3d6/-1	3d6	3d4	3d4+7	2d6+6	2d6+6	2d6+6
Elf, High	3d6	4d4+2/-1	3d4	4d4+3	2d6+6	3d6	2d6+6
Elf, Grey	3d6	4d4+2/-1	3d4	4d4+3	2d6+7	3d6	2d6+6
Elf, Kagonesti (DL)	2d6+6	2d6+6	3d4	1d12+7	3d4	2d6+6	2d6+6
Elf, Qualinesti (DL)	1d6+2d4+4	1d6+2d4+4/-1	3d4	4d4+3	2d6+6	4d4+2	2d6+6
Elf, Silvanesti (DL)	3d6	4d4+2/-1	3d4	4d4+3	1d6+1d4+8	4d4+2	2d4+10
Elf, Valley	3d6	4d4+2/-1	3d6	4d4+3	2d6+7	3d6	2d6+6
Elf, Wood	3d6/+1	4d4+2/-1	3d4	4d4+3	2d6+5	3d6	2d6+6
Elf, Wild/Grugach	3d6/+2	4d4+2/-1	3d4	5d4+2	2d6+6	3d6	2d6+6
Elf, Dark/Drow Female	1d6+8	4d4	3d4/3d6	2d4+12	1d12+6	1d8+10	1d8+10
Elf, Dark/Drow Male	1d6+6	4d4	2d4+1/3d4	2d4+12	1d8+10	1d8+4	1d8+8
Half-Elf	3d6	4d4+2	2d6+1d3	4d4+2	3d4+1d6	3d6	3d6
Half-Orc	4d4+2	2d4+11	2d6+1d4	2d8+1	2d8+1	2d4+1d6	3d6/12
Halfling, Hairfoot	1d12+7/-2	1d6+1d4+6	2d3+1	3d4+7/+1	4d4+2	2d8+1	3d6
Halfling, Tallfellow	1d12+7/-2	1d6+1d4+6	3d3	3d4+7	4d4+2	2d8+1	3d6
Halfling, Stout/Mixed Blood	1d12+7/-2	1d6+1d4+6/+1	2d3+1	3d4+7	4d4+2	2d8+1	3d6
Hengeyokai, See note for type	2d4+10	2d4+10	3d6	3d4+6	2d4+10	2d4+10	2d4+10/-1
Irda (DL)	3d3+9	2d3+10	2d6+6	1d10+1d4+6	5d4	1d6+1d4+8	1d6+14
Kender (DL)	2d6+4	2d5+8 10/18	2d3+1	1d12+7	4d4+2	1d12+1d3+1	4d4+2
Korobokuru	1d12+7	1d6+1d4+8	3d3	4d4+2	1d10+1d4+1	1d12+1d4+1	1d12+1d3+1
Minotaur, Krynn	1d4+1d6+10	1d4+1d6+10	4d4+8	2d6+6	1d8+1d6+3	1d8+2d4	1d8+2d4
Spirit Folk, see notes for type	4d4+2	4d3+2	3d6	2d4+10	2d4+10	3d4+6	2d3+12

 

Notes

Dwarf - Dwarves add a bonus to Resist Rolls for MP, POW and CON rolls against poisons. This bonus is as follows: CON/Bonus% 4/+5%, 7/+10%, 11/+15%, 14/+20% and 18/+25%. Dwarves have Infravision up to 60 feet away. The limit of CHA does not apply when dealing with other Dwarves.

Dwarves start with a Masonry skill of 60% and if searching for mining operations with 10 feet, can detect depth, stonework-derived traps (example: falling blocks and pits), grades, slopes, new construction, sliding or shifting wall and rooms with a successfully roll. Due to a cultural history of animosity, Dwarves add +5% to hit goblinoids (including orcs and half-orcs) and have due to their combat training have a +10% to Defence when fight foes of SIZ 25+.

Dwarves in the Flanaess on Oerth and Faerûn on Abeir-Toril speak the following languages, in Ansalon on Krynn, delete any that are not existent: dwarven, gnome, goblin, kobold, and orcish, common and alignment. They cannot learn more than two additional ones. NPC dwarves have a 75% chance to know common.

Gully Dwarves - Receives no benefits

Grey Dwarves – They are additionally completely immune to Illusions, non-natural poisons or paralysing attacks. They have Infravision out to 120 feet. They do not count orcish foes for their attack bonus. They have twice the chance to be psionic if their world knows of those abilities. They have +20% Move Silently skill and a +20% Listen skill.

However, in bright light or daylight, grey dwarves lose their surprise skill increases, treat their DEX at -2 and have -10% to their attacks and to their resistance rolls. If in shadows attacking into light, they have a -5% to attack and resistance rolls.

They speak dwarfish, undercommon and alignment rathe then the normal list.

Gnome – Gnomes add a bonus to Resist Rolls for MP, POW and CON rolls against poisons. This bonus is as follows: CON/Bonus% 4/+5%, 7/+10%, 11/+15%, 14/+20% and 18/+25%. Gnomes have infravision up to 60 feet away.

Gnomes start with a Masonry skill of 65% and if searching for mining operations within 10 feet can detect distance underground, depth, unsafe walls, ceilings or floors, grades, and slopes in passages with a successful roll. Due to a cultural history of animosity, Gnomes add +5% to hit goblins and kobolds and have due to their combat training have a +10% to Defence when fight foes of SIZ 19+.

Gnomes of the Flanaess and Faerûn (Ansalon will differ) speak gnomish as well as: dwarvish, gnome, halfling, goblin, kobold, common, alignment and they can also communicate with any burrowing mammal (such as moles, badgers, ground squirrels, etc.). They cannot learn more than two additional ones.

Deep Gnomes – They have a +20% to Hide in Cover rolls when against natural rock deep underground. Deep gnomes do not have the standard resistance roll bonuses of gnomes but do have +10% against poisons and +15% to other resistance rolls due to their hardy upbringing in the depths of the earth. They are additionally completely immune to Illusions and “phantasms”. They cannot be psionic.

Deep gnomes have infravisions to 120 feet but ultravision to 30 feet and all vision is reduced to 30 feet in bright light. They also have a -5% to hit in bright light.

Deep gnomes add +5% to hit drow and kuo-toa due to their history of animosity and have due to their combat training have a +10% to Defence when fight foes of SIZ 25+. They have +60% Move Silently skill modifier and a +25% Listen skill.

Deep gnomes speak their own language, which can be understood at ½ skill by gnomes and likewise. They are not restricted in what languages they know but they tend to be underearth languages.

Deep gnomes who do not forsake their Elemental pacts with the Lords of the Earth by trafficking in magic can have a Summon Elemental 1/2/3 Runespell that can be sacrificed for at any time for 3 X Point POW.

Deep Gnomes can also sacrifice POW at the start of the game for the following spells: blindness (2), blur (2), change self (1), and non-detection (2 due to a 1 POW discount since it effects the gnome alone) with level being set at POW/3.

Tinker Gnomes – These gnomes of Krynn have mental characteristics stemming from an ancestral curse, they solely follow a Tinker profession (TBD). Otherwise, they are identical to normal gnomes. Every year a Tinker gnome has a 1 in 10,000 chance (a roll of 00 followed by another roll of 00) of going mad and becoming “sane” by other world’s standards and more effective at tinkering (+5%). Likewise, a non-Krynn gnome has a 1% chance of developing technological skills but not the mentality of Tinker gnomes per 6 months on Krynn.

Elf – Elven characters have a 90% resistance to sleep and charm spells, if 91-00 is rolled, then normal POW: POW resistance rolls are made. Elves add +5% to hit with any bow other than a crossbow, short or long swords. Elves have infravision to 60 feet away.

They start with a Spot Hidden Item skill of 40% and if within 10’ of a Concealed door, they make a skill roll automatically. If alone and not in metal armor or 90 feet or more in advance of a party which does not consist entirely of elves and/or halflings) an elven character moves so silently that he or she +60% Move Silently skill unless some portal must be opened in order to confront the monster, where it drops to +30%.

All elven characters can speak the following languages in addition to that of their chosen alignment: elvish, gnome, halfling, goblin, hobgoblin, orcish, gnoll, and the “common tongue” of mankind. Elven characters of above 15 intelligence are able to learn one additional language for every point of intelligence over 15.

Dark Elf/Drow – Dark Elves normal have a +50% bonus to MP and POW rolls on the resistance table against magic directed at them including spells like Fireball. But this is not possessed by player characters, who have abandoned their homeland; it is likely that this power is the result of extended dabbling in the dark arts as well as the effects of their environment. Once having made the decision to embark upon an adventuring career, a drow player character can never regain this magic resistance short of the use of wish spells or similar. Outcast dark elves receive a bonus of +10% to all POW resistance rolls to spells effecting their person like Polymorph but not Fireball.

Dark elves do not gain the combat bonuses regarding swords and bow, but may fight with two weapons without penalty, provided each weapon may be easily wielded in one hand. They cannot use a shield when performing this type of combat but may use a spiked buckler as one of their two weapons. Dark elves have infravision out to a 12˝ range.

The base movement rate of female drow is Move 9, while that of male drow is Move 8. Drow can detect new construction, stonework traps, sliding walls, and depth underground with their Spot Hidden Items skill.

Dark elves have a +40% Listen skill to detecting ambushing foes.

All dark elves have the innate ability to use the following magic spells once per day by sacrificing POW equal to spell level at character creation, or POW x 3 to use at will; dancing lights, faerie fire, darkness, 5´ radius. Upon attaining a POW of 18, dark elves gain the ability to sacrifice POW for: detect magic, know alignment, and levitate, also once per day. Females of a POW of 18 or higher also can sacrifice for: clairvoyance, detect lie (or its reverse), suggestion, and dispel magic, each once per day.

In bright light or daylight, dark elves lose their surprise skill increases, treat their DEX at -2 and have -10% to their attacks and to their resistance rolls. If in shadows attacking into light, they have a -5% to attack and resistance rolls. They will prefer to travel either at night or in gloomy, overcast conditions when they venture out into the surface world.

Drow can speak the common tongue, the language of “undercommon” (a trade language of those who dwell beneath the earth), plus the elvish and gnomish languages, as well as other languages up to the limit prescribed by intelligence score. In addition, all dark elves “speak” the silent tongue of subterranean dwellers, a language of complex hand signals and gestures, combined with facial expressions and body language. The range of communication in this silent tongue is only 30´, but it is as informative as any other language within that range. Only the drow may fully master this tongue, though other races may be taught its basic signs and symbols.

Dargonesti or Krynn Sea Elves – They may shapeshift into Dolphins and possess webbed hands and feet with a Swim skill of 90%. The transformation takes place at SR + 5, can be done 3 times per day and is statistically a dolphin even if they can distinguish them from another. They cannot cast spells when shapeshifted.

Demernesti or Krynn Shoal Elves – They may shapeshift into Sea Otters and possess webbed hands and feet with a Swim skill of 90%. The transformation takes place at SR + 5, can be done 3 times per day and is statistically a dolphin even if they can distinguish them from another. They cannot cast spells when shapeshifted.

Half-Elf - Half-Elves have a 30% immunity to sleep and charm spells, if 31-00 is rolled they have a normal resist roll as well. Half-elves have infravision to 60 feet. They can detect secret or concealed doors as normal for elves.

All half-elven characters can speak the “common tongue” of men, their alignment language, and the following: elvish, gnome, halfling, goblin, hobgoblin, orcish, and gnoll. Half-elven characters of above 16 intelligence are able to learn one additional language for every point of intelligence above 16.

Wood Elf - They speak elvish, common, treant, and the tongue of woodland mammals (much as gnomes may communicate with burrowing mammals), but no other languages to start with.

Wild Elf/grugach - Wild elves deal with other woodland creatures as if they are friendly to it and can be trained to do simple tricks. Grugach have a +45% bonus to the Set Trap skill. As they shun others and civilisation, they cannot have credit for training in skills from the Armourer Guild, Sages or Thieves Guild.

Most of them speak the elvish language exclusively, though a player character grugach may know some of the common tongue as well.

Valley Elf - Valley elves can speak the gnomish language as well as their other languages. They live in the Valley of the Mage on Oerth and are shunned by other elves as not being true elves.

Halfling - All halfling add a bonus to Resist Rolls for MP, POW and CON rolls against poisons. This bonus is as follows: CON/Bonus% 4/+5%, 7/+10%, 11/+15%, 14/+20%, and 18/+25%. Halflings have a Masonry skill of 60% to note if a passage is an up or down grade or determine direction only when concentrating and doing nothing for a round. Halflings cannot start with any skill in swimming.

If alone and not in metal armor or 90 feet or more in advance of a party which does not consist entirely of elves and/or halflings) a halfling character moves so silently that he or she has +60% Move Silently skill unless some portal must be opened in order to confront the monster, where it drops to +30%.

All halfling characters can speak the following languages in addition to mankind’s “common tongue” and the alignment language: dwarven, elven, gnome, goblin, halfling, and orcish. Halflings with intelligence above 16 can learn one additional language for every point of intelligence they possess above the 16 minimum.

Harfoot and Mixed Halflings – Possesses infravision up to 30 feet.

Stout Halfling - Possesses infravision up to 60 feet. Speaks Dwarfish as well. May learn Swimming.

Tallfellow – Possesses infravision up to 30 feet. Speaks elvish as well.

Half-Orcs – Representing the “one-tenth of orc-human mongrels [that] are sufficiently non-orcish to pass for human.” Playable half-orcs look human to observers. They have infravision to 60 feet. The limit of CHA does not apply when dealing with other Half-Orcs and Orcs.

Half-orc characters can speak the “common tongue” of humanity, their alignment language, and orcish as well. These characters can learn a maximum of two additional languages.

Hengeyokai – These are intelligent shape-changing animals. The ability to change is natural and not lycanthropy but hengeyokai do not normally hold political power in human lands. They do sometimes take a role of a family or village protector and live on offerings. The Characteristics modifications occur after characteristics are rolled and cannot raise them above the maximums.

The hengeyokai can transform between human, animal and a bipedal hybrid form a number of times per day equal to POW/3. Transformation takes 1 round and does not change the equipment. Skills and characteristics other than SIZ do not change, HP is recalculated though based on the new SIZ.

Besides the common trade language, hengeyokai can speak their own language in all 3 forms.

Animal forms means the hengeyokai is indistinguishable from a normal version of the animal and is not an illusion. They do not transform on death. They gain infravision to 120 feet and can speak with normal animals. However, they cannot speak languages other than native animal and hengeyokai, nor can they use normal equipment or cast spells. But they can understand languages they already understand.

Bipedal forms retain the human SIZ and possess hands to use equipment and cast spells. They gain infravision to 120 feet and can speak with normal animals and normal languages. They cannot use special movements like flying and swim using normal rules, they move as humans.

Human form means they retain some distinctive feature that hints at their nature like a streak of hair or prominent nose. They can still understand animal speech even if they cannot speak it.

This table outlines the differences between the creatures.

Creature	SIZ	Damage	+Defence	Move	Fly	Swim	Characteristics
Carp	1	-	7%	-	-	8	+1 POW -1 STR
Cat	1d2	D3	2%	8	-	-	+1 DEX -1 POW
Crab	1	D3	5%	2	-	4	+2 STR -2 CHA
Crane	1d2+1	D2	2%	4	8	-	+1 POW -1 DEX
Dog	1d2+1	D6	2%	8	-	-	+1 CON -1 INT
Drake	1d2+1	-	7%	4	8	6	+1 CHA -1 DEX
Fox	1d2	D3	10%	10	-	-	+1 INT -1 POW
Hare	1	-	12%	12	-	-	+POW -1 STR
Monkey	1d2+1	-	10%	8	-	-	+2 DEX -2 POW
Racoon Dog	1d2+1	D6	2%	6	-	-	+2 STR -2 POW
Rat	1	D3	12%	6	-	-	+2 CON -CHA
Sparrow	1	-	7%	2	10	-	+2 CHA -2 CON

 

Irda – An ogre race which has not degenerated from their beautiful original forms, which on Krynn was due to a curse. They can after many years of practice, which is assumed for player characters, be able to alter their height by 2 feet/60 cm and their features to any humanoid.

Kender – Kender are the result of a magical disaster and are thought as such by other people. As the result of this origin, they cannot learn spells and make pacts. They cannot join the Assassin career due to high natural empathy nor can they be monks due to their lack of attention spans. They have infravision to 30 feet. They have +25% to the Climb skill and +5% to other Thieves Guild trained skills.

Kender’s Pockets follow the table on Dragonlance Adventures pp.53-54,  Divide DEX by 3 and multiple that by 2% and add +1d6 to SR when used in combat.

Kender can taunt foes who speaks the same language with a CHA: INT roll, this makes the foe solely attack the Kender for 1d10 rounds at -10% to hit and -5% to Defence due to their irrationality.

Kender are immune to fear magically generated by monsters or magic.

Korobokuru – They add a bonus to Resist Rolls for MP, POW and CON rolls against poisons. This bonus is as follows: CON/Bonus% 5/+5%, 9/+10%, 14/+15%, 18/+20%. They have infravision to 120 feet.  They also have extensive knowledge of normal plants and animals, with a base 66% skill in Plant Lore/Identify Plant, and the chance to identify normal animals using the same skill.  They are +5% to hit against bakemono, goblins, goblin rats, and hobgoblins, Due to size they have a +10% to Defence when fight foes of SIZ 25+.  Most favour spears, bows, blowguns, and short swords.

They speak the trade language and the language of their own tribe, spirit folk, and hengeyokai.  They are unable to learn additional languages, including their alignment language, except as mandated by their career/learned during play.

 “They are seldom perceived as equals to the other races.”

Minotaur of Krynn – On Krynn they are mutant ogres and so have humanoid feet and their faces, although reminiscent of bulls, are still humanoid.  The horns of females may reach 12", and those of males are twice that long. Elsewhere they may be different. Minotaur on Krynn cannot get training from th Thieves Guild or Sages.

They may butt foes of SIZ 8 or higher for 2d4 with their horns or bite those SIZ 7 or smaller for 1d4.

They speak their own language and Common.

Spirit Folk – Descendants of nature spirits who co-mingled with humanity. All have 120 feet of infravision. They are bound to obey powerful beings of the natural world which must take priority over anything else. This is represented by them starting with them automatically being lay members in the cult of their lord. They may also start gaining Elan immediately by serving their lord.

Bamboo Spirit Folk – These spirit folk are related to the Lord of the Wood, and as such live near forests or jungles.  They have a base 75% skill in Identify Plant, and a 50% chance to identify normal animals using the same skill.  In woodlands, forests, or grasslands they can pass without leaving a trail, and the presence of a spirit folk in any group reduces the tracking percentage of anyone following them by -20%.  They may hide in shadows in woods or forests, with a +70% to their Hide in Cover skill in those environments.

  Bamboo spirit folk have +5% to resistance rolls against all magic related to earth or wood.

  The life force of a bamboo spirit folk is tied to a grove of bamboo deep in the forest; if it damaged will cause the character to suffer an identical amount of damage, and if it is destroyed the character will die.  If the character enters the grove, he is immediately cured of all injury and disease.  The grove may not be moved, and shoots from it have no special value or use.

They know the trade language and learn the languages of forest animals, one animal per INT/3.

River Spirit Folk – River spirit folk typically live near the particular river or stream with which they are associated.  They can breathe freely in any fresh water, and can swim as quickly as they can walk, given their encumbrance.  While they are in the water, nothing they wear or carry will get wet or suffer water damage of any type, including exposed tinder, even if they are submerged.

  These spirit folk also have the power, once per day, to lower water of any type by 10', allowing others to cross; this depth reduction may be maintained for five rounds.  They also gain a +5% to resistance rolls against all water-related magic.  However, they suffer -5% to resistance rolls for fire-based attacks.  They speak the trade language, the court language, and the language of fish.

  The life force of river spirit folk is connected to their river (chosen during the creation of the character).  Bathing in the river will cure the river spirit folk of all diseases and injuries.  This only refers to the river itself, and not the water of the river if it's drawn or diverted from it.  On the other hand, changes in the river will affect the character.  Droughts will reduce hit points and ability scores; damming and engineering will weaken the character and could kill him; flooding will make him wild and uncontrollable.

Sea Spirit Folk – Sea spirit folk are the most numerous.  They can breathe normally in any salt water, and swim at their normal walking rate (reduced for encumbrance) in any water; and as with river spirit folk, that which they carry will not get wet.  They have a 75% chance once per day of predicting the weather for the next 24 hours.  They speak the trade language, the court language, and the language of the sea lords.  These have a +5% resistance against fire-based attacks.

  The sea spirit folk do not gain healing benefits from the sea; however, neither are they affected by changes in it.  They may receive one favour from the sea each year, such as good winds, rain, a storm, even the return of an item lost at sea.  The favour must be specifically requested, and if it is opposed by the request of another sea spirit folk neither favour is granted, and both lose their requests for the year.

  The Lord of the Sea is more interested in his children than the other spirit lords and has the most authority.  Any sea spirit folk whose reaches Rune Level will receive a gift, such as a valuable treasure from a sunken ship, or a special service, or a sea-related magic item such as the pearl of rising tide.  This gift does not require repayment and has no conditions.