
Neithan |

As much as I like E6, how do you handle monsters with class levels?
If you only have bugbears and lizardfolk, its rather easy. 2 racial HD + 4 class levels are 6 HD and you start giving feats from that point on.
But what about creatures like giants, which start at 12 HD, but only CR 7? You could give them up to 5 levels in cleric and they would still make good encounters for epic groups, or even more levels and make them puzzle bosses.
But how would you handle that?
If you say racial HD count as levels to determine the maximum number of levels, creatures with 6 or more racial HD can't gain levels at all.
If you ignore racial HD and allow all creatures to get up to 6th class levels, characters with racial HD will have much more hit points, base attack bonus, base save bonuses, and skill points.
I searched a lot, but this seems have never been dealt with by the creators.

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E6 works like D&D at 6th Level.
You should take care when giving powerful characters, like your 12 HD, CR 7 giant, levels that play to their strengths. Four levels of Barbarian push that monster to CR 11. A battle with that kind of opponent will leave a mark.
Classes which don't play to the monster's strength, like giving a CR 7 boggart levels in Barbarian, or giving that hill giant levels in Rogue, only 2:1 for CR. So a CR 7 hill giant with 4 levels of Rogue is a CR 9 opponent.