Monster Class Levels- Retroactive Benefits?


Rules Questions


I've been experimenting with adding class levels to monsters recently in my Kingmaker game and my general understanding was that it was basically the same as multi-classing. You add the class levels on top of the racial HD and add what benefits you'd get from those levels. However, I then came across Ngara.

She appears to be getting the benefit of a full lvl 10 Sorcerer instead of just the 3 bonus levels. Specifically access to all the bloodline bonuses. Is this the correct way of doing this? Should I be treating, for example, the Hill Giants I gave 2 Barbarian levels as being level 9 Barbarians? And would this only apply to key classes or to any classes added?


In general no.

Some monster might say that you treat them as a specific class for certain abilities, but usually not all abilities. I can't access whatever you linked at work, but I'm guessing it may have some specific reason why it says it works.

Generally speaking you just add the class levels on top of the existing monster. So add class HD to racial HD. Add class BAB to racial BAB. Add class saves to racial saves, etc.

I think that characters stats are just an error.


Spirit Naga are base default 7th level sorcerers so adding 3 levels makes her level 10.


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Naga's have spell casting as 7th level sorcerers. Which means 3 levels of sorcerer should have them casting as 10th level sorcerers.

But, they should only count as 3rd level for bloodlines and or anything else that isn't spell casting.

They are not "default 7th level sorcerers".

Now that I am able to look at the character stat block I am certain that its an error if they are giving it the other abilities of a 10th level sorcerer.


Giving it 10th level bloodline powers is, rules wise, an error. It was likely done to make the NPC more interesting.

As far as DM creatures, focus whats more fun for the game rather than what is entirely rules legal. If you have fun, and your players have fun, everything is fine.


Bloodlines are, in general, flavorful boosts that aren't very powerful. Tacking them on there isn't going to make her particularly more powerful, but will probably make her more cool.

I could see designers and GMs 'cheating' and adding full bloodline benefits to a creature.

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