What is the Encounter Level?

[der_kluge]

Ok, can someone help me determine the EL of this:

It's a CR 13 NPC, with about 100 1st level Commoners (CR 0 apiece).

The PCs probably want to avoid the commoners since they are good and if they attacked, would be manipulated by the CR 13 NPC.

Is it EL 13, or something higher?

 

[Vaxalon]

Burger time

"CR 0" doesn't exist. I'd make commoners CR 1/4, so the 100 of them would count as about 25 CR 1's. That would be about 12 EL 3's or 6 EL 5's, or 3 EL 7's, or one EL 9 or 10. Since it isn't even close to the CR 13 big baddie, I'd say that they'd have no impact on the encounter and leave the whole thing at EL 13.

When counting experience, if the average party level 9th or higher (which it should be, if they're encountering a CR 13 critter) then they'll get no experience at all for offing the groundlings. They're just meat for the slaughter.

 

[Petrosian]

I would not count the commoners as CR creatures but rather as "favorable terrain" and adjust the El upward by how much you estimate they will hinder the party... by making them not use AoE spells like fireball for not wanting to wipe out a dozen or more innocents, by blocking movement options, cover bonuses, etc...

In this case, the commoners are more like fighting from behind a wall or in a fortified structure... they make the big guys combat easier...

So give the EL for the main bad guy and raise it by 1 or 2 or even 3 depending on how well he can make use of the "terrain with feet"

 

[der_kluge]

Thanks for the input. This is for an entry to the Encounter competitiion.

I was thinking EL 14, which is what I have it, and I think that's probably accurate. EL seems to be a fairly ambiguous thing, anyway, but it's certainly in that ballpark.

Thanks again.