Alternate Challenge ratings

I couldn’t find anything on a quick search, so here goes:

Has anyone taken the time to come up with more specific challenge ratings?

I mean other than just the broad catchall number – we get now?

For example –

the fire giant is listed as CR 10 – (meaning an average 10th level party should expend 25% of their resources on it).

If a party favors cold attacks – the giant will go down much quicker – making it CR 9 or so (they won’t expend 25% of their resources if they are cold based)

If the party uses hold monster and other will based attacks often (and the DM knows this when planning the encounter) the giant is toast (with its +5 will save) and may provide substantially less challenge (-2 on the CR or so).

Pounding at the giant without spells of the will save variety –the party is going to get hit very hard.

So the Fire giant may be (This is extremely rough but hopefully will get the point across): CR 10/9 – to cold based/8 – against primarily will saves.

Has anyone developed something like this for a broad array of monsters?

I think you are making the CR very party-specific. I wouldn't want to do that just because of the time it would take to figure it all out, and if the party can roll over a fire-giant without much trouble, all the better for them. I wouldn't give them any extra XP, and I might decrease it a little if they just ambushed it for no real reason (just random encounter, doesn't fit into plot, etc.).

I like to give out XP in lump sums in between sessions or during breaks, and the PCs generally don't know how much XP comes from where. I put all of the XP together and then divide it between the players so that they all feel they are working as a team, with special rewards for the brave/clever PCs being magic items.

The CRs in the DMG are rather subjective IMO, and I use them only as a guide to balancing challenges and advancement for the PCs. I wouldn't adjust the CRs at all, just modify the encounter XP as necessary.

Hi there Mort!

This may interest you:

http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=45989

MarauderX said:

I think you are making the CR very party-specific. I wouldn't want to do that just because of the time it would take to figure it all out, and if the party can roll over a fire-giant without much trouble, all the better for them. I wouldn't give them any extra XP, and I might decrease it a little if they just ambushed it for no real reason (just random encounter, doesn't fit into plot, etc.).

I like to give out XP in lump sums in between sessions or during breaks, and the PCs generally don't know how much XP comes from where. I put all of the XP together and then divide it between the players so that they all feel they are working as a team, with special rewards for the brave/clever PCs being magic items.

The CRs in the DMG are rather subjective IMO, and I use them only as a guide to balancing challenges and advancement for the PCs. I wouldn't adjust the CRs at all, just modify the encounter XP as necessary.

Click to expand...

Hmm, I'm not looking at it from an XP giving perspective - I tend to be very free form in giving xp's as I've been running long enough (1st-3rd edition) that I can pretty acurately gauge what a party deserves.

I was just looking for something that makes eyeballing chalanges easier because as you said the CRs in the MM are rather subjective - It is somewhat party specific - but that's not necessarily bad (most parties favor certain tactics which a DM gets to know fairly quickly and most of these tactics can be grouped rather easily.

Upper_Krust said:

Hi there Mort!

This may interest you:

http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/show...&threadid=45989

Click to expand...

Upper_Krust,
Thanks!
I looked at that briefly earlier but maybe should give it a closer look - which I'll do after work.