How do you stats NPCs

[Mederig Halgand]

Well, the question is in the title how do you give certain stats to a NPC and how do you determine its level ?

I find it awkward that they did not put some guidelines in the book for NPCs. I really want to get the best out from this playtest and want to create my own adventures but as a newbie GM i just don't know how to handle the math behind it all.

[Goddity]

I think you could just build an NPC the same way you'd build a PC. Or alternatively, the same way you'd build a monster.

I thought there would be rules for building monsters like in Starfinder, but I can't find them. If there were, I'd say to use those.

[Alric Rahl]

I’ve been converting Rise of the Runelords and have used PC rules to build the boss NPCs. So far it’s workig out to pretty close to the same bonuses as the original encounters.

For example Tsuto has +9 for his attacks in 1e, so far in conversion he has +8 or +9 with Expert handwraps. I’ll have more info on if this is ideal once my PCs get there.

[MrVergee]

J have the same issue. I'm all in favor of NPC stat blocks being simpler that a full-blown PC character's. Yes please! But as a GM I would like to know how to create these NPCs. Now I don't have a clue.

[Mederig Halgand]

I tought about using PC creation rules and twist it a little but a lot of people are complaining that if you pit two PCs against each other, their AC are too high for the attack bonus they get and it would be just a flurry of misses.

Yeah i tought there were be rules for monster creation just like in Starfinder. Really disapointed they didn't put it in the playtest :/

[The Sideromancer]

Tangentially related, but Lich is no longer a template, forcing you to dig through the entire stablock to modify it if, for example, an arcanist decides they want some extra safety after the PCs got them down to single-digit HP. (said arcanist was level 15 at the time)

[Alric Rahl]

ummmmm then they must be calculating AC wrong. My Alchemist has an Ac of 15 and a ranged attack of +4 that means I hit myself on an 11 or better, and I have 1 less then max dex. A fighter with max dex and medium Armor at 1st level would have 17 or 18, which means I would hit on a 13 or 14, and that’s how it should be to hit a fighter. Pretty sure the devs wanted this to be a challengeing game, which is why all the monsters have lower to hits than they did in star finder. I found that with the monsters in Starfinder I only missed my PCs on a 1 or a 2 it would have been a little more even if the AC base had remained at 10.