Adding class levels to monsters

[The_Dood]

Just seeking some clarification, if I add a level of warrior to a medium-sized skeleton does the skeleton become a level 1 or level 2 warrior? I seem to remember reading somewhere that humaniod races are assumed to have a level of warrior included.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

But a skeleton isn`t a humanoid.

If in the description is noted "xyz-size humanoid", than it is humanoid, in all other case it is not.
If I remember correctly, only 1-hit dice humanoids are assumed to be level 1 warriors, but I might be wrong.

Mustrum Ridcully

 

[LordAO]

Skeletons are unintelligent undead and therefore can't have class levels. Of course, you can always make an intelligent skeleton.

 

[Berk]

mmm intelligent undead
I love using undead in my campaign, especially intelligent ones

 

[Thanee]

IIRC, only creatures with 1 HD (and which can aquire class levels) will replace their stated hit points and work much like PC races with class levels.

All other creatures will become multiclassed with their monster class as one and their character class as another.

The DMG has the rules for this, but as I do not have it with me, I can't get any more specific on this topic.

Bye
Thanee

 

[The_Dood]

I'm still unclear on this. Ignoring a skeletons intelligence for a moment, if I add a level of warrior does it become a level 1 or level 2 warrior for purposes of determining class abilities?

what happens if I then add a level of warrior to an Orc, does the orc become a level 1 or 2 warrior?

 

[dcollins]

- Any creature with 1 or fewer HD has their monster hit die replaced by a first character level. (DMG p. 24, MM p. 14). Therefore giving a medium skeleton a level in Warrior would make it a 1st-level Warrior with 1d8 Hit Dice.

- The MM Orc is already a 1st-level Warrior (MM p. 147). Therefore adding another level of Warrior would clearly make one a 2nd-level Warrior with 2d8 Hit Dice.


Giving class levels to skeletons really breaks the rules structure in a number of ways, not only (1) because of their lack of intelligence. There's also: (2) their "advancement" specification which does not include class levels, (3) the fact that their Hit Dice and hit points go down with class levels (as above), and (4) the specification for the animate dead spell which says "statistics for a skeleton depend on its size; they do not depend on what abilities the creature may have had while alive".

 

[Grazzt]

- Any creature with 1 or fewer HD has their monster hit die replaced by a first character level. (DMG p. 24, MM p. 14). Therefore giving a medium skeleton a level in Warrior would make it a 1st-level Warrior with 1d8 Hit Dice.

1d12 HD right? Not 1d8. Undead have 1d12 for hp and I dont see why it would change for adding warrior class levels (I know the warrior has 1d8 for hp, but still...)

 

[Caliber]

Obviously a classed skeleton is not your usual run of the mill skeleton. Further, I don't think a skeleton would lose HPs if it took a few levels in a class.

Doesn't the rule about replacing the 1st HD with class HD have some kind of stipulation? Like only humanoids? Or only races that traditionally advance by class?

 

[Grazzt]

From the Skeleton template that WotC posted on their site:

"Drop any Hit Dice gained from experience and raise remaining Hit Dice to d12. If the creature has more than 20 Hit Dice, it can’t be made into a skeleton by the animate dead spell."


http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/mm/mm20010126a