Advancement bonus: CL or ECL?

[Brother Shatterstone]

When do you get the ability bonus, at ECL or CL?

An example: A bugbear with 11 "real" character levels, but also has a +1 level adjustment, would it qualify for the 12th level ability bonus or would it need to wait an another level?

 

[Li Shenron]

IIRC a Bugbear has 3 HD. If you give him 11 levels in a core class, he will have a total of 14HD and has already received 3 ability increases (next one will be at 16HD = his 13th level in the class).

For the purpose of feats and ability increases, use ECL = race HD + CL.

Use ECL + LAdj only to count how many Xp are needed to gain the next class level.

 

[Brother Shatterstone]

His humanoid levels where already included, but thanks for the answer.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

IIRC a Bugbear has 3 HD. If you give him 11 levels in a core class, he will have a total of 14HD and has already received 3 ability increases (next one will be at 16HD = his 13th level in the class).

For the purpose of feats and ability increases, use ECL = race HD + CL.

Use ECL + LAdj only to count how many Xp are needed to gain the next class level.

Note that ECL already is the final value. It means HD + levels + level adjustment. At least AFAIK.

For feats and ability increases, you use your total hit dice, or total class level (where racial hd are "levels in a monster class".