Why Doesn't LA figure into CR?

[BralRocker]

This is a D&D 3.5 question.

Why doesn't Level Adjustment figure into calculated Challenge Rating?

For example I'm looking at the Giff as presented in Dragon #339 and this quality rendition of the classic race gives the bipedal hippopotamus two racal HD and a LA of +3.

That's great but when the sidebar discusses NPC Giffs it describes those that have, say, 4 level of a fighter and thus a CR of 6. Shouldn't the CR be a little higher considering the sizable LA of +3?

 

[Dandu]

LA is an imperfect way of compensating for a race's innate powers and would not factor into CR in a linear fasion.

 

[BralRocker]

LA is an imperfect way of compensating for a race's innate powers and would not factor into CR in a linear fasion.

That does make sense.

Having heard that maybe it would be a good idea to up lower CRs by +1 CR per +2 LA and for higher CRs +1 CR per +3 LA.

 

[Alexander123]

By the way I would note the inconsistency of the concept of level adjustments.

If a race has innate advantages, this should only help, not hinder its advancement and mastery of classes.

 

[Dandu]

That does make sense.

Having heard that maybe it would be a good idea to up lower CRs by +1 CR per +2 LA and for higher CRs +1 CR per +3 LA.

Why don't you revise some monsters and we'll see how they do?

 

[Belisarius]

Cr != la

LA is a measure of how powerful a creature is as a low-level PC over a typical adventuring day.

CR is a measure of how powerful a creature is as an antagonist that will survive only a few rounds.

I read a really good explanation somewhere once, but basically:

Invisibility 1/day = +1 CR, +1 LA

Invisibility at-will = +1 CR, +5 LA

A monster is likely to be dead in four rounds, so it doesn't matter if his ability is 1/day or at-will (+1 CR either way). He's only going to get to use it once.

A PC is likely to appear in almost every encounter, so it makes a huge difference if his ability is 1/day or at-will. +1 LA for 1/day, +5 for at-will.

So CR != LA, and there is no real way to convert them.

 

[irdeggman]

By the way I would note the inconsistency of the concept of level adjustments.

If a race has innate advantages, this should only help, not hinder its advancement and mastery of classes.

ECL was designed to give parity for PCs.

That is so that no 1 player could have a character that was vastly more powerful than another of the same "level".

ECL = Hit Dice + LA

As is everything in D&D it is an approximation and not everything is as it works out mechanically.

Specifically CR is adjustable based on the encounter (situation) and a CR of a specific creature should be "eyeballed" by the DM as the acid test.

 

[Runestar]

Basically, cr and ECL (HD+LA) measure 2 very different things, and so would have no correlation with each other.

 

[BralRocker]

Thanks. That really cleared a lot of things up and I especially like the way Belisarius explained it.

 

[Pergentile]

Then give him a green thumbs up and say so. ^^