Calculating CR??

[martynq]

Sorry to ask what is probably a "newby" question, but for some reason the messageboard won't let me try to search for an answer.

I was reading the thread on updating previous conversions to v3.5 and I saw a reference to calculating CR. I thought it wasn't possible to calculate CR and that the only thing one can do is compare with other monsters and then playtest. (This, at least, is how I interpret the comments in MMv3.5 and in an earlier Dragon magazine article.)

Thanks, and sorry for asking something probably raised years ago!

Martyn

 

[Knight Otu]

Well, CR can really only be "guesstimated", though there are efforts to calculate it. One of the best, IMHO
(but also sometimes confusing ), is Upper_Krust's, but his numbers are not immediately compatible with the official CRs - they are about 1.5 times higher that the official ones (he has guidelines converting them, however). All in all, these are still only guidelines, and should't take precedence over common sense.

The point is, there are a number of more or less reliable factors in guesstimating, which makes calculating a rough CR possible, such as Hit Dice and power and number of abilities.

Does that help?


[as for search - that is only available for community supporters.]

 

[martynq]

Thanks for the info... what an excellent and useful pdf file that is.

One obvious question remains: Can similar calculations be done for Level Adjustment?

I had noted that it asserts that CR equals ECL within those rules, so I had presumed that if I calculate CR using Upper_Krust's rules, then I can use this as the ECL also, so subtracting HD should give me the LA. However, this seems to give a number too low (or at least did based on gut feeling when I did it with a white abishai).

Thanks once again!

Martyn

 

[Upper_Krust]

Hi martynq!

Thanks for the info... what an excellent and useful pdf file that is.

Thanks for the kind words.

One obvious question remains: Can similar calculations be done for Level Adjustment?

I had noted that it asserts that CR equals ECL within those rules, so I had presumed that if I calculate CR using Upper_Krust's rules, then I can use this as the ECL also, so subtracting HD should give me the LA. However, this seems to give a number too low (or at least did based on gut feeling when I did it with a white abishai).

Thanks once again!

Well it does indeed factor CR and ECL to be the same thing, however a number of people have pointed out that because ability scores are not rated exactly in my system that its less accurate for ECL.

So at the moment I am working on a version 4.2 which rates ability scores exactly, and simplifies a number of other elements.

It should be ready within a day or so.

One other point is that (with v4) you shouldn't use the Golden Rule to modify an ECL, otherwise you would have to recalculate the ECL every level and thats not such a good idea.

 

[magnusmalkus]

Well, CR can really only be "guesstimated", though there are efforts to calculate it. One of the best, IMHO
(but also sometimes confusing ), is Upper_Krust's, but his numbers are not immediately compatible with the official CRs ...

This link does not seem to be working and I would very much like to check out this PDF. Is it a dead link?