D&D 3E/3.5 Help me break my 3e addiction: NPCs with levels

[MrMyth]

Which certainly works, though I would recommend using the NPC creation rules on DMG page 187. Only really takes a couple minutes longer, but less need to make any real guesswork or arbitrary decisions, compared to using the rules for designing your own monsters.

Step One: Choose Level (20)

Step Two: Choose Race and Class (Human Fighter)
Check the NPC listings on page 188 for what class features you get: NPC Fighters get Combat Challenge, so they can mark enemies, and take an attack as an Immediate Interrupt if their mark shifts or attacks someone other than them.

Step Three: Determine Ability Scores
Start with the standard array, resulting in:
Str: 16, Con: 12, Dex: 14, Int: 11, Wis: 13, Cha: 10
Apply your Human bonus to Str, and then add in level bonuses:
Str: 23, Con: 13, Dex: 19, Int: 12, Wis: 14, Cha: 11

Step Four: Determine Hit Points and Healing Surges:
Fighter NPCs have 8 per level, plus Con score, so: 173 hp.
As a paragon tier NPC, the character has 2 Healing Surges.
Note that, as an NPC, it can use Second Wind once per combat.

Step Five: Calculate Defenses
AC and Defenses are calculated using the normal formula (10 + 1/2 level + relevant ability modifier), with armor or shields added in the usual fashion. Then it gains an NPC level bonus to represent various extra bonuses, magical or otherwise. For a 20th level character, this bonus is +7. Finally, add in any racial or class bonuses. Thus:
AC: 10 (base) + 10 (1/2 level) + 7 (Scale) + 7 (NPC bonus) = AC 34
Fort: 10 (base) + 10 (1/2 level) + 6 (Str) + 7 (NPC) + 1 (Human) + 2 (Fighter) = Fortitude 36
Ref: 10 (base) + 10 (1/2 level) + 4 (Dex) + 7 (NPC) + 1 (Human) = Reflex 32
Will: 10 (base) + 10 (1/2 level) + 2 (Wis) + 7 (NPC) + 1 (Human) = Will 30

Step Six: Choose Powers
At Will Powers: Choose One (Reaping Strike). Choose a second, due to being Human (Cleave)
Encounter Powers: Choose one of the NPC's level, and a second one (at a lower level) if it is 11th level or higher. (Exacting Strike, Anvil of Doom)
Daily Powers: Choose one of the NPC's level, and a second one (at a lower level) if it is 21st level or higher. (Reaving Strike)
Utility Powers: Choose one of the NPC's level, and a second one (at a lower level) if it is 11th level or higher, and another if it is 21st level or higher. (Iron Warrior, Into the Fray)
Iron Warrior: Daily Power, Minor Action, Spend a Healing Surge to regain 2d6+44 hitpoints and make a save against one (save ends) effect.
Into the Fray: Encounter Power, Minor Action, Move 3 squares, as long as you end adjacent to an enemy.

Step Seven: Choose Skills
Fighter NPCs can choose two skills from the Fighter class list. Choose a third, due to being Human. (Athletics, Endurance, Heal.)
Athletics: 10 (1/2 level) + 5 (Trained) + 6 (Str) = +21
Endurance: 10 (1/2 level) + 5 (Trained) + 1 (Con) + 16
Heal: 10 (1/2 level) + 5 (Trained) + 2 (Wis) = +17

Step Eight: Choose Equipment
Maul, Scale Armor

Step Nine: Calculate Attack and Damage Bonuses
Calculate bonuses in the normal method, plus the NPC bonus as mentioned in Step Five.
Basic Attack with Maul: 10 (1/2 level) + 6 (Str) + 7 (NPC) + 2 (Profiency) = +25 vs AC. Damage: 2d6 + 6 (Str) + 7 (NPC) = 2d6+13.
Running similar numbers for our powers, we get the following:
Reaping Strike: +25 vs AC: 2d6+13. Miss: 6 damage.
Cleave: +25 vs AC: 2d6+13, and a different adjacent enemy takes 6 damage.
Exacting Strike: +31 vs AC: 4d6+13 damage.
Anvil of Doom: +25 vs AC: 4d6+13 damage, and the target is stunned until the end of your next turn.
Reaving Strike (Reliable): +25 vs AC: 10d6+13, and push the target 1 square.

Step Ten: Choose Rituals
Not needed for this character.

NPC generation: Complete! Total Time: 10-15 minutes. Completely by the books, and resulting in a simple and easy to run NPC, that still feels and functions completely like a Fighter.

 

[MrMyth]

Just to give an overall summary, here are the various ways to make NPCs:

1) You want to make a levelled NPC of one of the PHB Races (or any other player races), or one of the NPC Races on pages 274-279 of the MM.

Solution: Use the NPC creation rules found on pages 186-188 of the DMG.

2) You want to make a pre-existing monster in the MM more powerful by giving it a class.

Solution: Use the Class Templates found on pages 182-183 of the DMG, making the monster Elite. Also refer to the normal rules for applying Templates, as found on page 175 of the DMG.

3) You want to give a pre-existing monster in the MM a class... but don't want to make it Elite in doing so.

Solution: Your best option here is to simply swap out existing powers for powers from a specific class, in order to give it the flavor of that class. For example, say I want to take an Angel of Valor, and make it feel like a Rogue. I could replace it's Lightning Strike ability with the level 7 Rogue Encounter Power Sand in the Eyes, and replace his Fiery Blades power with Sneak Attack +1d6. Unfortunately, this is generally a tricky solution - weighing these powers against each other is going to be a guessing game at best, and could easily be too little or too much.

A different option would be to create my own NPC Race for the Angel of Valor - while they don't have guidelines for doing so, it is pretty easy to look over the various monster races (on pages 274-279 of the MM), and see how they went about it. Copying their method, we might end up with the following:

Ability Scores: +2 Strength, +2 Dexterity
Size: Medium
Speed: 6 squares
Vision: Normal

Languages: Common, Supernal
Skill Bonuses: +2 Intimidate
Angelic Presence: Attacks against you take a -2 penalty while you are undamaged.
Angelic Flight: You can use angelic flight as an encounter power.
Angelic Flight: Angel of Valor Racial Power
Encounter
Move Action Personal
Effect: You fly 8 squares.

Now we have a nice NPC race - and can go and use the solution for situation 1 (above) to create a full-fledged NPC of whatever level we like.

But, again, this method requires a bit of guess-work - giving enemies classes without making them more powerful is, unsurprisingly, not something the system is really designed to do.

Finally, if you want to build your Angel of Valor Rogue entirely from scratch, use the Creating Monsters rules on pages 184-185 of the DMG.

4) You want to create an enemy with multiple classes.

Solution: This is actually quite easy if you are using an NPC race. Make a levelled NPC as with the solution to situation number 1 (above). Then, applying a class template as with the solution to situation number 2 (above) - you now have an Elite enemy who is perfectly multi-classed! Your Drow Fighter/Rogue makes for a formidable enemy in combat. You can even go a step further and add another class template, resulting in a Solo NPC with powers and features from three different classes!

If you want to make a pre-existing monster multiclassed, you can mix and match some of these methods. Add two class templates, which results in it being a Solo enemy with powers and features from two different classes. Alternatively, you can simply swap its existing powers with powers from multiple classes - though, again, balancing can be somewhat tricky, and many creatures don't start with enough powers to really trade them all in without losing everything that made them a unique monster in the first place.