I'm running my first campaign in a long time, and I'm just now tallying up XP for the first session. Some of the XP awards for creatures make no sense to me. Any thoughts on the following would be appreciated:
[1] How can an Orc and a Goblin both be the same CR? In my mind, Orcs are substantially more powerful (especially because of ferocity).
[2] How much XP would a Lvl 2 Duergar fighter be worth? I assume this falls under the category of "creatures whose hit dice are solely a factor of their class levels" (Core Rulebook p.398)? This would make the fighter CR 1, with 400 XP assigned. This seems off to me, since the Lvl 2 Duergar seems much more powerful than, for example a Gnoll (also CR 1).
Am I perhaps mistaken in giving the Duergar full hit points for the first fighter HD (this contributes to the Duergar having much higher hit points than a gnoll)? Or should I be using the "adding a class level to a monster that stacks with its existing abilities" category (Bestiary p.297)?
[3] How much XP would a Lvl 2 Half-Orc fighter be worth? CR1 with 400XP?
Thanks for any help/clarification that you all can offer.
Commander Salamander wrote: [1] How can an Orc and a Goblin both be the same CR? In my mind, Orcs are substantially more powerful (especially because of ferocity). No, they're pretty equivalent, especially if you swap Improved Initiative for Weapon Finesse (or sticked to ranged weapons) for the goblin. Goblins deal less damage per hit, but are harder to hit. Ferocity isn't really a big deal; staggered is a pretty bad condition. Also, don't forget that orcs have light sensitivity and goblins don't.
Quote: [2] How much XP would a Lvl 2 Duergar fighter be worth? I assume this falls under the category of "creatures whose hit dice are solely a factor of their class levels" (Core Rulebook p.398)? This would make the fighter CR 1, with 400 XP assigned. This seems off to me, since the Lvl 2 Duergar seems much more powerful than, for example a Gnoll (also CR 1). Yes, CR 1.
Quote: Am I perhaps mistaken in giving the Duergar full hit points for the first fighter HD (this contributes to the Duergar having much higher hit points than a gnoll)? Only PCs get maximized first HD. No NPCs or monsters do, nor do cohorts, followers, animal companions, special mounts, or eidolons.
Quote: [3] How much XP would a Lvl 2 Half-Orc fighter be worth? CR1 with 400XP? Yes.
Thanks for the assistance!
Zurai wrote:
Only PCs get maximized first HD. No NPCs or monsters do, nor do cohorts, followers, animal companions, special mounts, or eidolons.
I just looked up the source of my confusion on this point. On p.292 of the Bestiary it says "Remember that PC class levels provide the maximum number of hit points at 1st level". Since this is in a section on "building a monster", I thought that it was referring to any class that could be taken by a PC (as opposed to Warrior, Adept, etc.) rather than saying this only holds true for PCs.
Commander Salamander wrote: Zurai wrote:
Only PCs get maximized first HD. No NPCs or monsters do, nor do cohorts, followers, animal companions, special mounts, or eidolons.
I just looked up the source of my confusion on this point. On p.292 of the Bestiary it says "Remember that PC class levels provide the maximum number of hit points at 1st level". Since this is in a section on "building a monster", I thought that it was referring to any class that could be taken by a PC (as opposed to Warrior, Adept, etc.) rather than saying this only holds true for PCs. It is true for NPCs/Monsters with PC class levels as well, so you were not confused at all.
Just look at the sample Aasimar in the Bestiary. It is a first-level cleric, and has maximum hit points.
Are wrote: Commander Salamander wrote: Zurai wrote:
Only PCs get maximized first HD. No NPCs or monsters do, nor do cohorts, followers, animal companions, special mounts, or eidolons.
I just looked up the source of my confusion on this point. On p.292 of the Bestiary it says "Remember that PC class levels provide the maximum number of hit points at 1st level". Since this is in a section on "building a monster", I thought that it was referring to any class that could be taken by a PC (as opposed to Warrior, Adept, etc.) rather than saying this only holds true for PCs. It is true for NPCs/Monsters with PC class levels as well, so you were not confused at all.
Just look at the sample Aasimar in the Bestiary. It is a first-level cleric, and has maximum hit points.
Thanks! In that case I stand by my assertion that it seems WAY off that a Lvl 2 Duergar fighter would have the same CR as a Gnoll.
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Huh. My bad. I always thought that was a PC privilege, not a PC class privilege.
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