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<blockquote data-quote="Quickleaf" data-source="post: 6752402" data-attributes="member: 20323"><p>I've done a bunch of NPC creation in this manner: Using <em>mostly</em> PC creation rules with a few unique touches, holding a goal CR roughly in mind, and then using the DMG to determine actual CR, and adjusting as needed.</p><p></p><p>What I've found is that there is no hard and fast rule to equate level to CR, but there are some guidelines you can use to "eyeball it":</p><p></p><p>Non-caster CR ~ level *.33 OR level * 0.5</p><p></p><p>Caster CR ~ level * 0.5 OR level *0.75</p><p></p><p>This is just a <strong>guideline</strong> to get you in the right ballpark. For example, I made an optimized half-orc 13th level barbarian (berserker) and he ended up a CR 8 because his defenses were just that good. Likewise, a caster without serious offensive power would have a significantly lower CR. My 13th level diviner ended up somewhere around CR 4 or 5. In both cases, my goal was an NPC of about CR 6-9, so I was on target with the barbarian but the diviner needs some more offensive / area effect spells to bring her CR up .</p><p></p><p>You'll <strong>need</strong> to run the actual numbers, however.</p><p></p><p>As a quick check against the Monster Manual NPCs, take the Knight and the Mage.</p><p></p><p>The Knight is CR 3, similar to 8th level fighter. My guideline gives you an expected CR of 2.64 - 4.</p><p>The Mage is CR 6, similar to a 9th level wizard. My guideline gives you an expected CR of 3 - 6.75.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Quickleaf, post: 6752402, member: 20323"] I've done a bunch of NPC creation in this manner: Using [I]mostly[/I] PC creation rules with a few unique touches, holding a goal CR roughly in mind, and then using the DMG to determine actual CR, and adjusting as needed. What I've found is that there is no hard and fast rule to equate level to CR, but there are some guidelines you can use to "eyeball it": Non-caster CR ~ level *.33 OR level * 0.5 Caster CR ~ level * 0.5 OR level *0.75 This is just a [B]guideline[/B] to get you in the right ballpark. For example, I made an optimized half-orc 13th level barbarian (berserker) and he ended up a CR 8 because his defenses were just that good. Likewise, a caster without serious offensive power would have a significantly lower CR. My 13th level diviner ended up somewhere around CR 4 or 5. In both cases, my goal was an NPC of about CR 6-9, so I was on target with the barbarian but the diviner needs some more offensive / area effect spells to bring her CR up . You'll [B]need[/B] to run the actual numbers, however. As a quick check against the Monster Manual NPCs, take the Knight and the Mage. The Knight is CR 3, similar to 8th level fighter. My guideline gives you an expected CR of 2.64 - 4. The Mage is CR 6, similar to a 9th level wizard. My guideline gives you an expected CR of 3 - 6.75. [/QUOTE]
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