Newb DM confused about encounter CRs

[TheKiltedStranger]

Hey, all.

So, I just ran my PCs through the Beginner Box, which has all the encounters already planned out so YOU don't have to. We've finished that adventure, and now I'm working on one of my own.

As I understand CR, you add up the levels of the PCs and then divide by the number of PCs: I have 5 lvl 1 pcs, so that means regular fights should be CR1, correct?

Well, after last week's game, I'm not so sure: they breezed through everything. Am I doing something wrong, did I miss something somewhere? Any assistance would be much appreciated.

-TKS

[blaznee]

Not quite :).. That wouldn't really make sense either if your party levels up together.. No matter what, a CR X creature would then be an equal challenge to 2 lvl X players or 10 lvl X players.

A normal encounter for your party would be 5 CR1 creatures, or 1 CR5 creature.. Or a mix using the rules in the CR section.

And remember, your party really should breeze through a normal encounter.. You then bump the CR for hard and epic encounters using the stated rules..
And always be aware of your partys abilities.. A CR 1 flying creature can suddenly turn into a very unlucky Total Party Kill if noone has ranged abilities :D.. Or you bring an incorporeal creature and noone has magic weapons :P..

[Azreal423]

5 CR1 mobs at level one will KILL your party!
you are right Stranger, a equal challenging fight will be at a total of CR1. so that can be several CR1/3'rds, 1/2s whichever combo you want. if you want it to be less challenging make it a total of less than CR 1, and if you want it more then make it more then CR1 (generally never make an encounter more then +3CR higher then the party). though be very careful at lower levels, as hit points are very low and monsters can do 1/3rd to 3/4ths a PC's HP in one round.

[blaznee]

Heh, I just doublechecked the rules.. I guess I'm used to playing with a bit more of an "optimized" group :P.. They routinely take down what the rules state as "epic" encounters from a CR perspective.

I'd still wager that 1 CR1 creature would be utterly destroyed by a party of 5, especially at low levels.

Which just goes to show that the CR is just a general guideline.. And I can only stress that you know your partys strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes it's good to through something at them they think is tough, but is basically just a bag of hitpoints with a high CR.. Othertimes that frail little magic user rips them a new one because he has spells designed to target their weak saves.

Oh and lastly, if you don't REALLY know if an encounter is bordering on TPK, try it out.. It's in your power to suddenly make them miss a whole lot, or get a reduction in hitpoints ;)

[Gwyrdallan]

blaznee wrote:

Not quite :).. That wouldn't really make sense either if your party levels up together.. No matter what, a CR X creature would then be an equal challenge to 2 lvl X players or 10 lvl X players.

A normal encounter for your party would be 5 CR1 creatures, or 1 CR5 creature.. Or a mix using the rules in the CR section.

The above statement is incorrect.

The way to use the CR is in comparison to the average party level. a CR equal to APL will be a fairly minor encounter (I think the rough aproximation in 3.5 was 20% of party resources consumed, resources being spells, HP, etc). For a challenging encounter you can go up to APL +1 or 2, this will get you a moderately difficult fgight. APL +3(Or more, my group just finished a +6) will be a very hard fight. All that being said I would highly recomend not going above CR 3 maximum at 1st level. The difference between 1st and 4th is MUCH bigger than 12th and 15th, many CR4 creatures could easilly one-hit even your frontline characters. A CR 5 creature would most likely steamroll your party.