How to convert an NPC to a playable character in 5e?

[Syldar]

Hi, everyone.

Fantasyground have amazing npc generators, or with templates we can easily modify npcs to create unique threats. But for a campaign I plan to have my players to be monsters.
So, how do I convert a unique NPC to a playable character?

For example, how can I easily make a player be a Beholder? I know it's crazy, but that would be fun for a while.

Please let me know what you think. I tried to export the NPC as xml, then edit the text, replacing the <npc> to <character> at the beginning and end of the file.
It worked, but it did not populated everything, like traits, actions, and so on.

Do you have any ways? I remember for a campaign I managed to make a players sheet being a figurine of wondrous power, but I totally forgot how I did it, many years ago.

Thanks a lot in advance for your kind help. And please, makers of FantasyGrounds, please give the ability to convert PCs to NPCs or NPCs to PCs, that would be so practical.

[Zacchaeus]

Welcome to the forums.

There's no automatic way to do this. You'll have to create the character from scratch; or create races so that the player can drag those into their character sheet. You don't say if the characters classes and backgrounds will also me monster related but if so you may need to create those as well. It may be easier and quicker to just do everything manually.

[LordEntrails]

I do this for polymorph and such. I just create a blank character sheet and type in all the info. I do not use the character wizard or drag and drop. Given that they (normally) don't level up, it's not very difficult. Annoying yes, but not difficult.

[Bonkon]

Good Day Syldar :)
I use this extension for polymorphing:

https://forge.fantasygrounds.com/shop/items/170/view

I put the NPC they are polymorphed to in the Cohorts tab that is created then drag it to the combat tracker. It allows the player it was pulled from to use the NPC sheet. Then I just drag the NPC (Player) to the map. It should work for your players to play an NPC. :)

[Syldar]

Hi, Bonkon.

Thank you very much for sharing your extension, it works! It is great for polymorphy or other uses!
But do you think you could give later the possibility to add the cohort character to the party list, so it could receive XP? I don't even know if that is possible.

But frankly speaking, I think Smiteworks could really work on a converter from NPC to Character or Character to NPC, I opened both XML files, the differences seems not crazy.

Anyway, thanks again, Bonbon !
And thanks to LordEntrails and Zacchaeus for your kind help too.

[Bonkon]

Good Day Syldar :)
It is not my extension, it was created by MeAndUnique!

I just use it. SiletRuin also makes an extension for Polymorph, I have not tried that one yet, but it is on my radar. :)

[Laerun]

There used to be tools for importing NPCs and such into FGU for the DnD5e rule set, but that project went away last year with the NPC stat block import tool. NPCs don't normally have the same amount of automation or details like a PC. One might be able to get close, but the extra data or the lack of data from one to the other would not be complete or perhaps lacking or missing, so therefore potentially breaking a PC build or NPC record. Also, imagine if you had an NPC player character from another source that's third party or something like that and you are able to convert it into a player character...It would be difficult to level up without the official source book, or you'd not have access to the player facing content. So the conversion idea is good, but it assumes that one owns most everything rules and supplement wise. This also doesn't consider potential licensing terms with the publishers either.

Assuming DnD5e, there are several modules on the DM's Guild that are in FG format that have attempted to create NPC versions of various builds, with classes considered for different archetypes. They make good templates when you need them.

[astromath]

Good Day Syldar :)
I use this extension for polymorphing:

https://forge.fantasygrounds.com/shop/items/170/view

I put the NPC they are polymorphed to in the Cohorts tab that is created then drag it to the combat tracker. It allows the player it was pulled from to use the NPC sheet. Then I just drag the NPC (Player) to the map. It should work for your players to play an NPC. :)

I tried the link but it came up with the following:

This item is currently not available.

[Zacchaeus]

I tried the link but it came up with the following:

This item is currently not available.

That extension has been rebranded as pets https://forge.fantasygrounds.com/shop/items/1960/view

[astromath]

Ah. I already have that. Thx.