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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Daedrova" data-source="post: 912317" data-attributes="member: 11835">It is important to understand how and why the CR system is set up as it is before we start to alter it.  I do see why it could make sense that a CR 9 encounter should be all that the party can deal with, but that is simply not how the system operates.  The same CR 9 would take a single 9th level character to his/her limits (100% of resources), and the character would have a 50% chance of dying.  Note that a CR 9 creature is an EL 9, and about an even match, in combat, with a 9th level character (or should be).  And a 9th level character would be a CR 9 against any other opponent.  The reason an equal CR takes only 25% of a 4 person party's resources is precisely that each of the four people would need only to contribute 25% of his or her resources to give the 100% required to overcome that CR 9 encounter (or EL 9).  Take a look at the tables of the DMG and you will see why the system is figured as it is for experience as well.  Also, the way the encounter system is set up is necessary for equivalencies when considering higher or lower ELs or CRs.  Notice that two CR 9 will give the same amount of experience that a CR 11 will give when compared against the same party level.  This is in figuring that two CR 9 creatures will also make a EL 11.  Likewise, two 11 CR creatures would make a EL 13, as would four 9 CR creatures, and which is why Ridley's Cohort stated that if all four of these CR 9s did show up at the same time they are just as likely to fail at overcoming the encounter as to succeed, since it will demand that each of the 4 characters (note again, they would also be CR 9) give 100% of his or her resources.  I hope that this has helped to clarify and not created any confusion.  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />edit: and sidenote, when considering the CR for monsters vs characters/parties above, it is more likely that a monster will need much more HP since the amount of damage per round will increase when faced with more creatures.  Though that problem is eliminated when multiple monsters are faced at the same time (the whole party is not focused on defeated the one monster in the encounter... granted, they could and likely should concentrate on just one monster at a time, other monsters/characters will have the oppurtunity to deal out their damage/take the expected amount of recources or HP from the party [members].)</blockquote>

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