What's the CR on a PC?

[pawsplay]

I'm pretty sure that many standard 20th level barbarians can take a balor, straight up.

 

[Drowbane]

I'm pretty sure that many standard 20th level barbarians can take a balor, straight up.

I'm fairly confident that my Psion by level 20 could take a Balor, straight up... in melee.

 

[Bacris]

I agree with you, but normally(50%) the Balor is stronger than the PC, than in these circunstances i give CR - 2 for the PC, but when the pc gets the groups in a ambush for example the XP is CR ou MORE...

Did you know that 80% of statistics are made up on the spot?

 

[Artoomis]

I agree with those who say no XP for PC vs. PC combat.

If it is as a result of some external influence (Dominate, et. al.), then the XP is based upon the encounter that causes the problem, not the PC vs. PC combat.

The actual CR should be around what causes the PC to go "bad" and attack the rest of the party, not the PC vs. PC combat.

It's generally a very bad idea to give experience for PC vs. PC combat - that's the sort of behavior that should be penalized, not rewarded.

As for keeping track of NPC experience, this is generally not an issue. NPCs have other encounters besides those with the PCs, and, unless the DM is tracking all the off-line encounters (who would actually do that??) the experience for NPCs should be estimated more than anything else.

I cannot really think of a single time when it is necessary to know the CR of a PC.

 

[glass]

So, you are saying that a PC 20 is so difficult to defeat as a Balor for example? (a monster designed to fight with FOUR pcs).

I'm sorry, but I am not quite sure what you are getting at with the bracket portion. All CRs are worked out based on groups of four PCs. What makes the balor special?



glass.

 

[Nail]

You know my players?

Could be!

...my players builds destroy the Balor

Which is exactly my point. Exactly.

Why are you claiming that "normally(50%) the Balor is stronger than the PC", when in your own experience, this is not the case? Think the question through again; I'll bet you come up with a different answer.

 

[styker]

Hum... how could i say (it´s terrible to explain with my terrible english), i was thinking that in general a balor for example was built to be more stronger than pcs with levels equals to his ND since he is designed to fight with four pcs, so, i was thinking about that a balor is equal to
(4 x PC) because of this. Probably, i think i´m wrong.

Backing to the principal topic, i agree in don´t give XP to pc VS pc combat, but, expading the problem we could think: if a group has to get information from a balor (he again, i know... i could´t resist hehehe) but the group KILLS the Balor and no information was get, they gain XP? Because i think the main quest and challenge was to take the information and kill the guy... what do you think?

 

[Brother MacLaren]

No CR. The other PCs are not the challenges they have been tasked with overcoming. Intraparty fighting is simply a failure in the decision making process.

There are many reasons PCs can fight other PCs... sometimes even with the DM's conniving.
"Hey, I think it'd be really cool if one of the PCs betrayed the party because they'd never see it coming. What you you think about playing a sleeper agent of Vecna's cult?"

or

"I'm sorry, did you read from that book? Hand me your character sheet, please."

 

[pawsplay]

Hum... how could i say (it´s terrible to explain with my terrible english), i was thinking that in general a balor for example was built to be more stronger than pcs with levels equals to his ND since he is designed to fight with four pcs, so, i was thinking about that a balor is equal to
(4 x PC) because of this. Probably, i think i´m wrong.

CR = party level means an encounter consumes 1/4 of a party's resources, in other words, a run of the mill challenge. A party of four 20th level characters should find a balor about as tough as a party of four 1st level characters find a wolf.

A roughly equal death match is CR = party level + 2

 

[Cerowyn]

It's the first time I've seen an official book acknowledge that PCs may have a CR higher than their level suggests, due to gear.

Ptolus goes both ways (ha, ha). The encounter descriptions often include a modifier to the XP based on the equipment or special advantages/disadvantages of the opponent.