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Hey friends, Pax here with a rediculously n00b question:
Why is this guy and other NPCs like him 1 level lower than his classes.
I should know this...
Sorcerer/Monk CR 6
XP 2,400
Male human sorcerer 5/monk 2
LE Medium humanoid
Init +0; Senses Perception +9
Defense
AC 17, touch 13, flat-footed 16; (+4 armor, +1 dodge, +2 Wis)
hp 58 (5d6+2d8+19 plus 10 false life)
Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +9
Defensive Abilities evasion; Resist fire 10
Offense
Speed 30 ft.
Melee flurry of blows +5/+5 (1d6+2)
Ranged elemental ray +3 touch (1d6+2 fire)
Special Attacks elemental ray 6/day, stunning fist (2/day, DC 15)
Spells Known (CL 5th)
2nd (5/day)—bull’s strength, false life, scorching ray
1st (7/day)—alarm, burning hands (DC 14), color spray (DC 14),
mage armor, magic missile
0 (at will)—detect magic, detect poison, mage hand, message,
read magic, touch of fatigue (DC 13)
Bloodline elemental (fire)
Tactics
Before Combat Egarthian casts mage armor and false life in the
morning, renewing both of them in the afternoon.
During Combat Egarthian waits for the right time to enter
combat. He uses his collar of the inferno at the first
opportunity, and prefers targeting weak opponents.
Morale Egarthis is not above sacrificing acolytes, priests, or even
other heralds to ensure victory or his own escape, and flees
when at 15 hp or less.
Statistics
Str 14, Dex 10, Con 12, Int 8, Wis 14, Cha 17
Base Atk +3; CMB +5; CMD 17
Feats Combat Casting, Dazzling Display, Deflect Arrows, Dodge,
Eschew Materials, Improved Unarmed Strike, Lightning Reflexes,
Stunning Fist, Toughness, Weapon Focus (unarmed strike)
Skills Heal +5, Intimidate +9, Knowledge (arcana) +4, Perception
+9, Spellcraft +4, Stealth +7
Languages Common
SQ bloodline arcana (change damage spells to fire damage)
Combat Gear brooch of shielding (85 points), collar of the inferno
(single-use item, summons 1d3 hell hounds as if using
summon monster V), potion of cure moderate wounds (2), potion
of stabilize, wand of shield (42 charges); Other Gear black
robes, iron mask, ring of protection +1
[Mask of the Living God p27]
a creatures CR (even a PC's) is 1 level lower than his CR.
Mathematically it works out that if you have 4 PC's and they face 4 same level NPC's it will be an epic fight.
And a group 4th level PC's (APL 4) will not have a hard time with 1 4th level NPC (CR3).
When you think about it, it makes sense given that the CR is based off of a 4 pc group. so why would a single same level npc be as tough as a group of 4 of the same level?
Are you asking why as a rules question or as sort of a game design question?
If the former, then it's (Total Class Level) -1 because the rules say so. Player Class levels result in Level -1 for CR. NPC class levels are Level -2 for CR.
If it's a design philosophy thing, I have no idea.
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Are you asking why as a rules question or as sort of a game design question?
If the former, then it's (Total Class Level) -1 because the rules say so. Player Class levels result in Level -1 for CR. NPC class levels are Level -2 for CR.
If it's a design philosophy thing, I have no idea.
It seems an important point for gamemasters to understand.
I just cannot wrap my mind around why?For example, if Player class levels result in -1 for CR, then is the APL CR of six level 3 players still CR4?
And, when I calculate monsters' CR... I usually use the CR listed, but for other NPC-type enemies, should I be reducing their overall CR -1?
That is, I might be handing out too much XP for the ones I create then.
And probably not challenging player in some places when I could be.
I feel pretty dumb right now on this topic, I'm trying to understand the guidelines I should use when planning encounters and handing out xp commensurate with the challenge ratings.
Somehow... for an eternity... and maybe because I just use the CR listed, I've overlooked this info, and probably didn't consider it when creating my own foes not listed in books.
Because with relatively equal power levels, four on one is not a hard fight!
PCs =/= NPCs in WBL and assumed stat arrays. A level 10 Fighter with NPC stat array and NPC wealth level is not equal to a level 10 Fighter with PC stat array and PC wealth level.
For example, if Player class levels result in -1 for CR, then is the APL CR of six level 3 players still CR4?
true, but you have to be careful with the wealth you give a 'Boss' because it's an in game assumption that slaying a foe entitles you to thier property. if you want to include some rich npc with millions of platinum pieces worth of assets. i'd recommend you divide the treasure between the estate, the servants, the family, and the guards. richer bosses with absurd amounts of wealth are nothing more than easy XP and free loot for thier CR, it's best to include servants and guards at the very minimum if you want to use a villan with a noble title.
but NPCs are very weak for thier CR anyway. and they are your best friend for encounter design because you have more control over them and can make them nastier through the synergy gained from including multiple types of NPCs for different roles.
it's an in game assumption that slaying a foe entitles you to thier property.
Where is this written, I've never seen it.
It's true that looting the bodies is fairly well established, but killing a guy does make his family you slaves or invalidate their inheritance.
As mentioned by the other posters, an on-CR fight is supposed to take up 1/4 of a party's resources. Let's say your party is level 5. Since the CR system is based around a 4-person party, you have 4 level 5 characters. If the system gave Level=CR as the standard, you should expect that a single level 5 fighter all by his lonesome would be a decent challenge for this party and would consume 1/4 of their resources.
In practice, this is very much not the case. A single level 5 fighter (or wizard or whatever) vs 4 level 5 characters might take less than a single round to complete. This is why class-leveled creatures have a lowered CR. Since PC classes assume a good array and a decent amount of wealth, their CR is Level -1. Since NPC classes assume a bad array and little wealth, they get Level -2 for their CR.
Does that make sense? CR is supposed to be Challenge Rating. An equally leveled solo character is not really a challenge for a full party, so it's challenge rating needs to be below the APL of the party.
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It may have something to do with the fact that the toughest encounter a party can encounter and reasonably fend off (with some possible losses) is a CR of their party level+3 - so for a 1st level party, around CR 4.
Since a standard party (for CR purposes) is probably four to six (let's say four) adventurers, it follows that a group of the same number of NPCs at the same (heroic) level should be a potentially survivable, albeit very difficult, fight (so of CR level+3). Since each doubling of a number of creatures of the same CR increases an encounter's effective CR by 2, a party of 4 NPCs collectively at CR (level+3) should be at CR (level+3)-4 individually, or, in other words, of CR (level-1).
(Admittedly, I could be mistaken about the logic behind the decision, but that's the way I've always conceptualized where it's coming from.)
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It's because the possibility of adding class levels to monsters with racial hit dice. From the CRB:
Adding NPCs: Creatures whose Hit Dice are solely a
factor of their class levels and not a feature of their race,
such as all of the PC races detailed in Chapter 2, are
factored into combats a little differently than normal
monsters or monsters with class levels. A creature that
possesses class levels, but does not have any racial Hit
Dice, is factored in as a creature with a CR equal to its class
levels –1. A creature that only possesses non-player class
levels (such as a warrior or adept—see page 448) is factored
in as a creature with a CR equal to its class levels –2. If this
reduction would reduce a creature’s CR to below 1, its CR
drops one step on the following progression for each step
below 1 this reduction would make: 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/6, 1/8.