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<blockquote data-quote="Ryan Koppenhaver" data-source="post: 1131178" data-attributes="member: 2423">Because ECL and CR are two different things.Challenge Rating is a measure of how difficult a creature is for the player characters to defeat.&nbsp; Effective Character Level tells you how useful a creature is as a player character.The major difference is that the PCs are expected to win most or all of the encounters they face, using up resources in the process.&nbsp; NPC foes are expected to lose an encounter with the PCs, wearing the party down somewhat as they go.&nbsp; Given the diferent circumstances, different abilities may be more or less useful.A good example of this is a troll's regeneration ability.&nbsp; When (adequately equipped) PCs fight a troll, they typically spend a few rounds doing nonlethal damage to the troll until it's unconcious, then they burn or pour acid on it to really kill it.&nbsp; The troll's regeneration probably gives it an extra round or two before it gets knocked out, allowing it to do a few extra points of damage.&nbsp; Thus, having regeneration makes a troll worth a slightly higher CR than a similar monster without regeneration.But if one of the PCs is a troll too, then a few minutes after the combat is over, all of his wounds are healed, without the need to use up other resources such as healing spells.&nbsp; For someone who's likely to get into several combats between periods of rest, that's a huge advantage.&nbsp; Thus, a troll PCs ECL is greater than the CR of an equivalent troll NPC.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Ryan Koppenhaver, post: 1131178, member: 2423"] Because ECL and CR are two different things. Challenge Rating is a measure of how difficult a creature is for the player characters to defeat. Effective Character Level tells you how useful a creature is as a player character. The major difference is that the PCs are expected to win most or all of the encounters they face, using up resources in the process. NPC foes are expected to lose an encounter with the PCs, wearing the party down somewhat as they go. Given the diferent circumstances, different abilities may be more or less useful. A good example of this is a troll's regeneration ability. When (adequately equipped) PCs fight a troll, they typically spend a few rounds doing nonlethal damage to the troll until it's unconcious, then they burn or pour acid on it to really kill it. The troll's regeneration probably gives it an extra round or two before it gets knocked out, allowing it to do a few extra points of damage. Thus, having regeneration makes a troll worth a slightly higher CR than a similar monster without regeneration. But if one of the PCs is a troll too, then a few minutes after the combat is over, all of his wounds are healed, without the need to use up other resources such as healing spells. For someone who's likely to get into several combats between periods of rest, that's a huge advantage. Thus, a troll PCs ECL is greater than the CR of an equivalent troll NPC. [/QUOTE]

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