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How do I calculate the CR of a monster with an existing NPC class if I add more levels of that class? For example, if I add 1 or 2 extra levels of warrior to a goblin, what would be the CR of the goblin?
This is hard because certain classes act different when you add them to monsters, but I usually count 1.5 class lvs= +1 to CR.
How do I calculate the CR of a monster with an existing NPC class if I add more levels of that class? For example, if I add 1 or 2 extra levels of warrior to a goblin, what would be the CR of the goblin?This is hard because certain classes act different when you add them to monsters, but I usually count 1.5 class lvs= +1 to CR.
The goblin presented in the Bestiary already has 1 warrior level and is CR 1/3. I would say that one with 3 warrior levels would be around CR 1. But that's just an approximation. The 2 additional warrior levels add +2 to hit, which is similar to what the Advanced Creature template adds (hit-wise) and it increases the CR by 1.
The rules for monsters with class levels in the Bestiary focus on adding PC classes and not NPC ones. The only note about NPC classes in the section is that: "Creatures with NPC class levels do not receive adjustments to their ability scores."
I found the exact rule. It's in the core rulebook page 398 under Adding NPCs.
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 level -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
So as I estimated, a level 3 goblin warrior will be CR 1 (3 - 2 = 1).
What I wonder is how a creature with NPC class levels would ever get below 1/3 on the above progression. That seems to be impossible.
I found the exact rule. It's in the core rulebook page 398 under Adding NPCs.
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 level -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, 1/8So as I estimated, a level 3 goblin warrior will be CR 1 (3 - 2 = 1).
What I wonder is how a creature with NPC class levels would ever get below 1/3 on the above progression. That seems to be impossible.
A bat (cr 1/8) with a warrior NPC class added? O.o ? Or even better a bat with adept classes stacked on. since the bat has a Wis of 14, it should be able to cast up to 4th level spells...
Man, looking at those, they would be some bad bats.. each one could cast Scorching ray with a +4 to hit, sleep with a 13 DC, and obscuring mist....
I found the exact rule. It's in the core rulebook page 398 under Adding NPCs.
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 level -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, 1/8So as I estimated, a level 3 goblin warrior will be CR 1 (3 - 2 = 1).
What I wonder is how a creature with NPC class levels would ever get below 1/3 on the above progression. That seems to be impossible.
A bat (cr 1/8) with a warrior NPC class added? O.o ? Or even better a bat with adept classes stacked on. since the bat has a Wis of 14, it should be able to cast up to 4th level spells...
Man, looking at those, they would be some bad bats.. each one could cast Scorching ray with a +4 to hit, sleep with a 13 DC, and obscuring mist....
As I read it, a bat with a warrior level would still be CR 1/3 according to this:
class level 1 - 2 = -1, meaning taking 2 steps (from 1 to 0 and then from 0 to -1) back on the above-mentioned progression.
His original CR of 1/8 doesn't seem to be part of the formula. I don't see how any creature with at least one NPC class level could get to a CR of 1/4, 1/6 or 1/8.
