Monster character class & skills?

[Wolffenjugend]

If a normal 8-HD mind flayer has 12 levels of sorcerer (making it CR 20), does the 1st level of sorcerer receive skill points as per an entirely "new" 1st level character or does the mf only receive the "per level" skill points (2+Int mod)? Thanks.

 

[dcollins]

At the "per level" rate -- bonus skill points are only awarded with the first hit die (unless Savage Species or some other supplement recently changed this).

 

[Wolffenjugend]

Thanks!

 

[Grazzt]

If a normal 8-HD mind flayer has 12 levels of sorcerer (making it CR 20), does the 1st level of sorcerer receive skill points as per an entirely "new" 1st level character or does the mf only receive the "per level" skill points (2+Int mod)? Thanks.

It only gets the 2 + Int mod. Think of it as a multi-classed character. Its "monster" levels are its HD and its class levels are its sorcerer levels, so it doesnt get the x4 bonus skill points that 1st-level characters get (because its 1st level would have been in the "mind flayer class").

This is stated in uh....either the DMG or PHB (DMG I think), the playing monsters as characters or some such area (and may have even been cleared up further in Sage Advice or the FAQ, IIRC).