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<blockquote data-quote="(Psi)SeveredHead" data-source="post: 2857665" data-attributes="member: 1165">I'm going to answer &quot;by level&quot;. Should a 7th-level PC fighter be &quot;better&quot; than a 7th-level NPC fighter? IMO, the answer in no. However, in DnD, magic item issues ensure that PCs will be more powerful than equal-levelled NPCs* by about 5th-level, at least if the class in question isn't a primary spellcaster.(* This doesn't take into account tactics, position, PrC availability, point buy, and a bunch of other things.)Primary spellcasters don't need magic items the way other classes do, and an NPC with a full load of spells could even be more powerful than a PC who has either already used spells or needs to save spells for later in the day.D20 Modern is much more balanced on that regard. Compared to PCs, NPCs usually get fewer action points, but they're &quot;on screen&quot; for a shorter period of time (even if recurring), so their &quot;AP per round availability&quot; is often higher than that of the PCs. (A D20 Modern NPCs is worth his CR.)Alternity didn't use a CR system, but generally there was nothing that would make an NPC better than a PC of equal level.In these systems, it's up to the GM how common higher and lower level NPCs will be.Many non-D20 settings don't have the same focus on balance as D20. I haven't the faintest clue what the &quot;CR equivalent&quot; of most of the vampires in the Chicago supplement was. Many were more powerful than the heroes, either through having a &quot;better generation&quot; or having spent lots and lots of skill points, etc.Anyway, I voted &quot;no&quot;, but it's a qualified no.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="(Psi)SeveredHead, post: 2857665, member: 1165"] I'm going to answer "by level". Should a 7th-level PC fighter be "better" than a 7th-level NPC fighter? IMO, the answer in no. However, in DnD, magic item issues ensure that PCs will be more powerful than equal-levelled NPCs* by about 5th-level, at least if the class in question isn't a primary spellcaster. (* This doesn't take into account tactics, position, PrC availability, point buy, and a bunch of other things.) Primary spellcasters don't need magic items the way other classes do, and an NPC with a full load of spells could even be more powerful than a PC who has either already used spells or needs to save spells for later in the day. D20 Modern is much more balanced on that regard. Compared to PCs, NPCs usually get fewer action points, but they're "on screen" for a shorter period of time (even if recurring), so their "AP per round availability" is often higher than that of the PCs. (A D20 Modern NPCs is worth his CR.) Alternity didn't use a CR system, but generally there was nothing that would make an NPC better than a PC of equal level. In these systems, it's up to the GM how common higher and lower level NPCs will be. Many non-D20 settings don't have the same focus on balance as D20. I haven't the faintest clue what the "CR equivalent" of most of the vampires in the Chicago supplement was. Many were more powerful than the heroes, either through having a "better generation" or having spent lots and lots of skill points, etc. Anyway, I voted "no", but it's a qualified no. [/QUOTE]

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