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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Kerrick" data-source="post: 4473993" data-attributes="member: 4722">After playing around with things and testing stuff out, I've discovered a few things. (Note: I'll refer to racial HD as RHD hereafter to save space.)Since racial abilities are part of the HD (much like class abilities are already factored into class levels), the formula ECL = HD + LA + class level is totally screwed - they're taxing you twice for those racial abilities. Not only that, but they're counting RHD as equal to class levels, which they're not. UK accounted for the differing saves, BAB, and skill points of each type by giving them different values, but even the best (dragon) is only 3/4 as good as a class level (assuming appropriate gear for the level; otherwise they're nearly equal).Here's how it works:Find the CR modifier for the monster's type (since we're using the stone giant, giant HD are 0.55) and convert that to class levels (1.0/level). Effectively, you divide 0.55 by 1 - so each racial HD is worth roughly half a class level. So, as the PC gains levels, he swaps his RHD for the newly gained levels. His ECL is 1/2 RHD (round down) + class level. For example, a stone giant Ftr 1 is ECL 6 (13/2, round down) + 1 = 7. At L5, he'd be ECL 4 (9/2) + 5 = 9. If you use this method, however, you can't calculate XP requirements based on ECL, since the ECL only increases every 4 levels (for this PC). Instead, the number of XP required is based on his character level as normal, and his ECL is used ONLY for determining his effective power level for things like what kind of enemies (and his party) can handle, or for the Leadership feat. Since the number of total HD (racial + class levels) remains static until class level exceeds the original RHD total, he doesn't suffer against spells and effects based on HD.Effectively, his "level adjustment" decreases as he gains levels, until it becomes 0 when his class levels exceed his original RHD.A stone giant Ftr 1 is ECL 7A stone giant Ftr 4 is ECL 9A stone giant Ftr 7 is ECL 10A stone giant Ftr 10 is ECL 12A stone giant Ftr 14 is ECL 14.To use another example: the minotaur. Monstrous humanoid HD are 0.6, so we'd count 2/3 of the minotaur's HD as class levels.A minotaur Ftr 1 is ECL 4.A minotaur Ftr 4 is ECL 5.A minotaur Ftr 7 is ECL 7.So basically, a monster's entry would read something like: "Subtract the monster's class levels from its HD total, multiply the remaining HD by [CR modifier], and add that to the class level (round down)."</blockquote>

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