Monster stats

[Stalker0]

Ice Archon: level 19, attack +24
Bodak Reacher: level 18, attack +23, vs Fort +20
War Devil: level 22, attack +26

Let's take a look at some of the regular monsters:

Ice Archon (solider): It actually has a +23 attack, the +24 is only against bloodied targets. So that's level +4.

Bodak (soldier): Level +5, has a -3 to attack rolls vs the fort save.

War Devil (brute): Level + 3

Pulling in some more monsters:

Bodak Skulk (lurker, level 16, attack +21): Level +5, -3 attack for fort attack.

Boneclaw (solider, lvl 14, attack +20): Level +6

Chull (solider, level 10, attack +17): Level +7, -3 to fort attacks.

Shadow Demon (skirmisher, level 11, attack +13 vs fort): Level +2, if we throw in a +3 against AC it would be level +5.


From this slightly larger pool of data, we can see that level + bonus formula isn't perfect, though its not usually off by more than 2 or so. We can see that it definitely does not hold over the range of levels.

I think this should show that we really can't say what is average yet with a handful of regular monsters.

 

[neceros]

More or less. Monsters have stats based on their level and class, and then tweaked a few points from there. The level bonus is equal to their full level; unlike the PCs, that's almost all of the total. The "Customizing Monsters" spells this out fairly explicitly when it says that you add or subtract 1 for each level you change the monster by.

Incorrect. They use a table we don't have.

The article you're mentioning said if you need to quickly adjudicate the level of a monster you may do so by adding or subtracting 1 from defenses, etc. You got this part correct.

However, it also said that this only works -5/+5. Any more or less and it becomes too far gone. Those were rules for quick creation. The actual rules, I imagine, are similar to PC defenses. I still believe they will be roughly 1/2 monster level, based on monster archetype.

 

[cangrejoide]

So, what's going wrong? Am I missing some really big bonus? When a defense that has a class bonus and is backed by the primary stat is only mediocre, I'm worried.

I'lll tell you whats wrong:

You don't have the full rules yet.

 

[Chocobo]

Your enhancement bonuses are probably too low. The table we got in the monster customization is probably not intended to show what the average enhancement bonus is for that level, but more like a minimum. For instance, we know that level 2&3 items have a +1 bonus. That is way ahead of the table. Average enhancement bonuses for a level 22 guy are probably more like +6-7.

Also, armors have seem to have tiers just like PCs. That level 22 guy isn't wearing plate armor, he's wearing Godplate or Warplate armor. Unfortunately, we don't know what the stats on that are, only that it has "a higher armor bonus".

Oh, and the OP is right about shields having bonuses:

+1 HEAVY SHIELD OF PROTECTION (Level 3)
Body Slot: Arms
Enhancement: Armor Class and Reflex defense
Power (Encounter): Standard Action. You and an adjacent ally
gain resist all 5 until the end of your next turn.

Although that might not stack with the enhancement bonus from armor...

 

[Khaim]

Incorrect. They use a table we don't have.

There is certainly a table we don't have. However, I suspect it just has a list of standard bonuses by class, and instructions on how to apply them. A full table of 30 levels of monsters, with six classes and four ranks, would be huge. And I don't think it's needed.

However, it also said that this only works -5/+5. Any more or less and it becomes too far gone.

Granted. But is it because the numbers are too far off, or because the abilities need to scale too? I wanted to scale the Blazing Skeleton up to level 22 (because I have some of the minis, and it's a neat monster). Just changing the numbers resulted in a very boring monster, given its epic status. Likewise, if I tried to delevel a a Death Knight to level 9, it would be horribly overpowered, with over half a dozen abilities.

The actual rules, I imagine, are similar to PC defenses. I still believe they will be roughly 1/2 monster level, based on monster archetype.

Well, you can believe that, but everything I've seen says otherwise.

Just so everyone's clear, my formula for monsters is:
AC 10+level+bonus
Def 10+level+bonus
Attacks at level+bonus
HP (1+level)*(class hp)+Con score
"Bonus" varies by class. A soldier might have (I'm completely making this up) +4 AC, +4 Fort, +2 Ref, +0 Will, +4 attack. Elites get an extra +2 (although possibly not to attacks), solos a further +2. On top of this, you can fudge the numbers by +/-2, although most monsters are probably within 1 point of "standard".
The HP formula is blatantly stolen from another poster. Don't remember who. It, however, is nearly perfectly accurate. Class HP is 10 for brutes, 6 for lurkers and artillery, and 8 for the rest. Elites get double this, solos five times, and minions a fifth (roughly).

This is still speculative, of course. But the monsters we've seen (especially the newer ones) seem to fit. If you're still doubting:

Blood Drain (standard, encounter; recharges when an adjacent creature becomes bloodied) * Healing
Requires combat advantage. Level + 2 vs. Fortitude; 2d12 + Charisma modifier damage, and the target is weakened (save ends), and the vampire lord heals hit points equal to one-quarter of its normal total.