My Elemantals have class.

[Dagger75]

In the monster manuel it says elemental advancment is by HD increase. I plan on giving an Earth Elemental a few levels of Barbarian. A large Earth Ele has a 6 int, Thats the average int of some PC barbarians I have seen. Is it wrong to give class levels to some monsters that have only HD advancement listed??


mmmmm.... Invisible Stalker Rogue/Assassins

 

[Breakdaddy]

It doesnt seem right to me to do this. Elementals will never receive the benefit of formal training in fighting or the rigorous lifestyle of a barbarian. These sort of things are what make a classed character what he is. Barbarians participate in games, hunting, fighting, and other events that help make them Barbarians. Fighters receive formal training under a master or masters that formally train them in tactics/strategy and the other skills necessary to be a fighter. It seems to me that your average elemental would never have the opportunity to take advantage of this sort of training. I think this is why they made the elemental a classless HD-based creature in the MM to begin with. Of course, it is YOUR game, and as the DM you can do whatever you like...

 

[Cerubus Dark]

In the monster manuel it says elemental advancment is by HD increase. I plan on giving an Earth Elemental a few levels of Barbarian. A large Earth Ele has a 6 int, Thats the average int of some PC barbarians I have seen. Is it wrong to give class levels to some monsters that have only HD advancement listed??


mmmmm.... Invisible Stalker Rogue/Assassins

Scary thought! Give them a wisdom of 19 and levels of Cleric, hehe that should scare the crap out of the pc's

 

[Moe Ronalds]

IMC there are always a few oddballs in every group. The rule I use is: If it opperates on its own free will, and is as smart as the dumbest PC (int: 3), then it can choose it can have whatever alignment it wants, and it can advance in a class if it chooses to do so.

 

[d20Dwarf]

Y'all that like tinkering with your monsters should keep an eye out for the Monster's Handbook later this month from Fantasy Flight Games. We've packed it full of prestige classes, feats, new uses for skills, templates, and everything that the players usually get to toy with.....only this time it's the monsters' turn.

We should have an entire chapter as a preview up later this week!

 

[2WS-Steve]

I like giving monsters classes too. Frankly I find it a bit more plausible than having some monsters grow to gigantic size. Are they all catfish? I'm with Moe that I'd usually require the creature have some sort of intelligence though I imagine you could have an animal prestige class represent special training, like a warhorse.

Another reason I prefer classes is because I find them easier to apply. Looking up the rules for skill points and feats gained by monster type and then calculating the effects of size changes is more work (for me at any rate) than going to a class since all the class info is in one place. Even better, you get a lot more variation out of a critter when you add class levels to it.

I guess all this means the Monster's Handbook is another $25 gone this month

 

[Stephenls]

Last time I checked, the general rule was this: any creature can advance by class. Some will do it quite badly (vermin, for example, having no Intelligence, would make really, really innefectual wizards).

Some creatures can advance by HD. Elementals can advance by HD or by class. Orcs can only advance by class.

It seems reasonable to me.

 

[Dragongirl]

......though I imagine you could have an animal prestige class represent special training, like a warhorse.

Look at Warbeast template in MM2

 

[RangerWickett]

Some will do it quite badly (vermin, for example, having no Intelligence, would make really, really innefectual wizards).

Heh heh, 5th/10th/5th level mosquito rogue/assassin/shadowdancer!

 

[2WS-Steve]

Look at Warbeast template in MM2

That's a nice quick-fix but I thought it would be even more cool if a druid/paladin/etc. could customize their animal companion with a wide variety of special training programs represented via classes and feats. I offer something like this with the Alpha Beast PrC in Masters of Arms but I think a book devoted purely to animal training could be a lot of fun.