D&D 4E A Couple 4E Questions...

[Ogrork the Mighty]

After reading the new previews, I have a couple questions...

1) Will it be possible to advance monsters at all, either with class levels or via some other means?

One of the things I like about 3E was the ability to tailor monsters as I see fit. Yes, it can be a lot more work but I don't mind. Granted, having electronic aids on the D&D website would have made it so much easier.

If there's no ability to tailor, then aren't we stuck with only the monsters as they appear in print? That's quite limiting.

2) Is experience progression (in terms of the amount of XP needed) going to remain the same in 4E or has it changed?

 

[Simon Marks]

1) Yes
2) Different, I think, but not released yet.

 

[SpydersWebbing]

You can advance/devolve monsters. They told us how to do that several weeks ago in one of the previews.

For each CR level added add one to everything except damage.

For each 2 CR levels added add one to the damage.

Pretty simple, eh?

They haven't released anything on experience, I think..

 

[abyssaldeath]

WotC has said if one of the printed monster don't fit your idea it will be easy to create your own. Based on that it seems it will be easy to customise monters. Also, you can advance npc's fairly easily as expressed in this excerpt. http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/4ex/20080418a

 

[Shroomy]

Just to add, there are also "class templates" that you can apply to monsters. Not much has been revealed about them, but it seems that they give monsters access to PC class powers.

 

[Surgoshan]

If you go to the Pre-Release Rules Compilation and scroll down to page 15 of the document, you'll find a table detailing XP needed to level. It's a constructed table based on information provided about monsters of various levels (an encounter of level X is such and such experience, and ~10 encounters to a level)

If you scroll down to page 62 you'll find the DM section, and starting on page 64, the info about monster customization.