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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Thorin Stoutfoot" data-source="post: 311503" data-attributes="member: 1887">Here's somebody who doesn't understand the difference between CR (Challenge Rating) and EL (encounter level). CR is an indicator of how hard a monster is. EL is an indicator of how tough an encounter is. When you design encounters, you aim for a specific EL that centers around your particular PCs. In other words, if you have more characters, the EL should go up. (The rule of time is that for a party of 5, you can safely kick the ELs up by 1, and a party of 6, you can kick the ELs up by 2) CRs have no real game use, other than to generate ELs AND provide an xp value.Furthermore, if you read any of the published modules carefully (particularly Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil), you find pretty good guidelines for how to modify XP for particular circumstances. Check out the module, it's really good for an understanding of how the CR/EL system is intended to be used, even if you never run it.The system works really well within its limits. It does have limits, but in my conversations and discussions with other DMs and players, it seems to me that the real limits are various DM's understanding of CRs and ELs. (I've lost count of how many DMs, for instance, don't understand that an EL of a particular level is intended to only absorb 20% of the party's resources --- boss monsters should be set at EL +3 of the party's average party level (APL))And don't get me started on how few DMs actually understand the difference between CR and ECL (effective character levels).</blockquote>

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