Iconics' stats?

[Kichwas]

The iconics in official sources are all built on 15 14 13 12 10 8. Or 25 point buy.

That's what CR's are supposedly 'balanced' against.

You can extrapolate out the levels by giving them half their hit die in hit points per level; as per the DMG (is it half or half minus 1?), then as per the DMG assume the standard amount of equipment value per level.

For a starting character assume the average die roll on initial gold.

Doing this removes all random factors thus giving you a set that will recreate the iconics as well as allow you to make your own 'iconics' for any new character classes you wish to test out.

 

[James McMurray]

Thanks everyone! I think I'll probably end up just doing as arcady suggested and building them from scratch (making sure to use errattaed item prices of course).

I was really ho[ing some other person had done this and would save my lazy butt the trouble.

 

[Heretic Apostate]

Then there's always the NPCs listed in the DMG. Just up the amount of treasure (since the treasure given is a good baseline, just add more of the same, I guess; or compare to the iconics, to see what treasure they'll have).

 

[Kichwas]

There's another question to this too:

Are you trying to balance CRs for your own game or for something you wish to publish?

The iconics form the 'official power level' of DnD. But if you ask around here you'll find most people play games where the stats are above 25 points.

If you're balancing for your own game you'll need your own 'iconics' built to be average for you expect one of your groups PCs to be.

If you're balancing for published then go with the official iconics balance point of 25 even if it is below the real average of many play groups. Simply because it is an official standard and it makes it easier for DMs to customize if you stick to it. Mind you a lot of publishers don't which ends up creating more work for DMs...

 

[James McMurray]

For publication. I try not to balance creaturess for my current campaign. If it turns out to be too much or too little, the party can just deal with it (by running away or stomping all over it. Then again, I don't use a lot of new creatures in my game either, as I'm currently running a converted return to the Tomb of Horrors and so far most of the opponents have been human NPCs.

Later on they'll get to face some of them. For instance, I'm replacing the ordinary run of the mill asps in a treasure chest in the Tomb with cockroach demons. They're scarier to veteran players because they're new, and you don't have to try to figure out how those snakes survive for thousands of years. I'm replacing the giant skeleton with a Soul Ravager demon, since theyre incorporeal and thus more able to fit inside a chest as well. Also, the demons tie into the Etheral / Astral guardians of the Tomb.