NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="frankthedm" data-source="post: 2965092" data-attributes="member: 1164">Associated classes are classes that work really well with a monster that inceases it's CR 1 for one. Non Associated classes are classes that don't help a monster enough and add only 1/2 a CR per class level.A minotaur barbarian 4 is a CR 8 because ever level of barbarian is adding on plenty of potential for each of the rounds the minotaur will live in combat with PCs.A minotaur Sorcerer 4 is a CR 6 because each level of sorcerer adds much less potential for each of the rounds the minotaur will live in combat with PCs.ADDING CLASS LEVELSIf you are advancing a monster by adding player character class levels, decide if the class levels directly improve the monster’s existing capabilities.When adding class levels to a creature, you should give it typical ability scores appropriate for that class. Most creatures are built using the standard array of ability scores: 11, 11, 11, 10, 10, 10, adjusted by racial modifiers. If you give a creature a PC class use the elite array of ability scores before racial adjustments: 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8. Creatures with NPC classes use the nonelite array of 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8. Associated Class LevelsClass levels that increase a monster’s existing strengths are known as associated class levels. Each associated class level a monster has increases its CR by 1.Barbarian, fighter, paladin, and ranger are associated classes for a creature that relies on its fighting ability.Rogue and ranger are associated classes for a creature that relies on stealth to surprise its foes, or on skill use to give itself an advantage. A spellcasting class is an associated class for a creature that already has the ability to cast spells as a character of the class in question, since the monster’s levels in the spellcasting class stack with its innate spellcasting ability.Nonassociated Class LevelsIf you add a class level that doesn’t directly play to a creature’s strength the class level is considered nonassociated, and things get a little more complicated. Adding a nonassociated class level to a monster increases its CR by 1/2 per level until one of its nonassociated class levels equals its original Hit Dice. At that point, each additional level of the same class or a similar one is considered associated and increases the monster’s CR by 1.Levels in NPC classes are always treated as nonassociated.</blockquote>

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