Class levels of monsters

EverSoar · Jul 30, 2002

Just a quick question, how do you know what class level a monster counts as. Like playing aasimar, has a class level of 1, and centaur has five.

How do you know what others are, like the githyanki.

It can't be CR, because aasimar is 1/2, but its class levels of one.

Vaxalon · Jul 30, 2002

ECL and CR are different. Don't use CR.

Generally speaking, ECL will be roughly equal to hit dice, with adjustments based on the bonuses and penalties associated with the race.

mikebr99 · Jul 30, 2002

Hit Dice
This line gives the number and type of Hit Dice the creature has and any bonus hit points. A parenthetical note gives the
creature’s average hit points. A creature’s Hit Dice total is also its level for determining how spells affect the creature, its rate
of natural healing, and its maximum ranks in a skill.

Grazzt · Jul 30, 2002

mikebr99 said:
Hit Dice
This line gives the number and type of Hit Dice the creature has and any bonus hit points. A parenthetical note gives the
creature’s average hit points. A creature’s Hit Dice total is also its level for determining how spells affect the creature, its rate
of natural healing, and its maximum ranks in a skill.

Epic Level Handbook changes this (page 24) where monsters levels are no longer equal to just a monster's HD. Monster level is now equal to the total ECL + class levels.

But under the "old" rule (or whatever you wanna call it), a monster's HD is equal to its monster levels.

EverSoar · Jul 31, 2002

Okay,

i'm a little confused.

I'm talking about in the dmg, where it lists the creatures, and says class levels. And that means, does it not, that if you want to play that monster, your equivalent to that level?

And the way you say it works, if you look at HD, then the minotaurs does not equal, nor does the centaur. The class level equivalent are not the same.

I'm quite confused.

mikebr99 · Jul 31, 2002

EverSoar said:
Okay,

i'm a little confused.

I'm talking about in the dmg, where it lists the creatures, and says class levels. And that means, does it not, that if you want to play that monster, your equivalent to that level?

And the way you say it works, if you look at HD, then the minotaurs does not equal, nor does the centaur. The class level equivalent are not the same.

I'm quite confused.

The FRCS ( I think...) has some good rules on playing monster characters, including their respective ECL.

A Minotaur's ECL is +4 and his HD is 6, with +8 STR, +4 CON, -4 INT, & -2 CHR.

A 1st level Minotaur Fighter would be a 5th level character, with std. minotaur hps and needing 16000 exp. to go to 2nd.

Hope that helps...

dcollins · Jul 31, 2002

EverSoar said:
I'm talking about in the dmg, where it lists the creatures, and says class levels. And that means, does it not, that if you want to play that monster, your equivalent to that level?

According to the Core Rules:

* The ECL ("level equivalent") is used to determine when a monster PC is allowed into the campaign. (For example, an ogre with no class levels is allowed into the game when other players are allowed 5th-level characters -- see DMG p. 22, "Starting Monster Levels", 2nd paragraph.)

* The additional racial Hit Dice are actually counted as added "monster levels" for the monster PC. (For example, an ogre with no class levels is considered to be 4th level -- see DMG p. 24, "Experience for Monsters", 2nd paragraph.)

So, there are in fact two separate determinations for these two separate issues.
Other books contain alternative rules for these determinations.

EverSoar · Aug 2, 2002

mikebr99 said:
The FRCS ( I think...) has some good rules on playing monster characters, including their respective ECL.

A Minotaur's ECL is +4 and his HD is 6, with +8 STR, +4 CON, -4 INT, & -2 CHR.

A 1st level Minotaur Fighter would be a 5th level character, with std. minotaur hps and needing 16000 exp. to go to 2nd.

Hope that helps...

Ok, so if he has a HD of 6, why is his ECL not equal to 6?

I'm totally missing something here,

kreynolds · Aug 2, 2002

EverSoar said:
Ok, so if he has a HD of 6, why is his ECL not equal to 6?

I'm totally missing something here,

Because the FRCS ECL method doesn't have a thing to do with your Hit Die. The ECL of a creature is determined by it's CR (you gotta do some work to figure it out though, since it's not a direct 1 to 1 conversion), or if you prefer, everything that makes up it's CR. Hit die is only a small part of CR or ECL.

Class levels of monsters

EverSoar

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Vaxalon

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mikebr99

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Grazzt

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EverSoar

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mikebr99

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dcollins

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EverSoar

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kreynolds

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