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<blockquote data-quote="I'm A Banana" data-source="post: 3587578" data-attributes="member: 2067">That statement is kind of nonsensical. The CR system is largely independent of how you design challenges as a DM. It doesn't assume you're using Tailored encounters or Status Quo encounters, and both kinds of encounters use the CR system to tell you what level these things are generally appropriate challenges and what awards a party who overcomes them should get. There is no &quot;default&quot; encounter style for the CR system, or for the game.The assumptions of the CR system are expressly stated, as is the fact that it is not a mechanical computation, but a rough approximation. Any game with as many options for party make up, monster abilities, and character options as D&amp;D 3e has cannot have a reliable absolute number system for determining challenge. CR tells you at a glace if most PC parties are likely to endure a combat with a given beast. That's about as good as it does. That's about as good as *any* system can do.In Tailored encounters, you specifically cater to a PC's abilities -- high HP foes for high-damage characters, heavy-hitting foes for high HP characters, foes with DR to cater to the spellcasters, foes with SR to cater to the physical fighters, etc. If you know your party doesn't have much HP (less than an &quot;average party&quot; might,) you avoid heavy-hitting characters.Not every monster of a given CR is going to be an exactly equal challenge to all types of parties.All the CR system wants to do is give you a place to start -- four pillars, specifically. Which is a more easily understood place to start than any D&amp;D has had before.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="I'm A Banana, post: 3587578, member: 2067"] That statement is kind of nonsensical. The CR system is largely independent of how you design challenges as a DM. It doesn't assume you're using Tailored encounters or Status Quo encounters, and both kinds of encounters use the CR system to tell you what level these things are generally appropriate challenges and what awards a party who overcomes them should get. There is no "default" encounter style for the CR system, or for the game. The assumptions of the CR system are expressly stated, as is the fact that it is not a mechanical computation, but a rough approximation. Any game with as many options for party make up, monster abilities, and character options as D&D 3e has cannot have a reliable absolute number system for determining challenge. CR tells you at a glace if most PC parties are likely to endure a combat with a given beast. That's about as good as it does. That's about as good as *any* system can do. In Tailored encounters, you specifically cater to a PC's abilities -- high HP foes for high-damage characters, heavy-hitting foes for high HP characters, foes with DR to cater to the spellcasters, foes with SR to cater to the physical fighters, etc. If you know your party doesn't have much HP (less than an "average party" might,) you avoid heavy-hitting characters. Not every monster of a given CR is going to be an exactly equal challenge to all types of parties. All the CR system wants to do is give you a place to start -- four pillars, specifically. Which is a more easily understood place to start than any D&D has had before. [/QUOTE]

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