Why Doesn't LA figure into CR?

[humboldtscott]

I understand all the arguments that CR!=ECL, my problem is it leads to some weird effects.

For example, a party of 4 9th level human fighters (ECL 9) face an Illithoid with one level of sorcerer (CR 9). That would be a standard encounter for them. A single 9th level human fighter would also be a CR 9 standard encounter.

Now take that same level one illithoid sorcerer and make him a PC. A party of 4 1st level Illithoid Sorcerers (ECL 16) would be expected to face an 8th level illithoid sorcerer or a 15th level human fighter for a CR 16 standard encounter.

That hardly seems fair.

 

[Empirate]

Two things to say to that:

1. Levels in spellcasting classes count as non-associated for the purpose of calculating CR. So an Illithid Sorcerer 1 has a CR of 8, while an Illithid Sorcerer 2 would have a CR of 9.

2. An NPC Illithid can likely only use his Mind Blast once, and his Charm Monster ability once, and so on. He's an encounter. He doesn't have much of a history, and if he's accompanied by extra monsters or has access to extra gear, those increase the encounter's EL.

A PC Illithid is very, very likely to just Charm every damn thing to cross his path, Mind Blast his way through tons of powerful-but-weak-willed foes, abuse Astral Projection in connection with Plane Shift to make himself a duplicate body (thus becoming nigh unkillable), and so on. He's probably accompanied by a gang of charmed Giants, Hydras, and whatever else the DM previously threw at him. He's also in possession of the entire contents of the last half dozen shops he visited, gladly handed over to him by the charmed shopkeepers.
This makes Illithid PCs vastly more powerful at the things PCs are expected to do.

 

[humboldtscott]

This is a very good reply, Empirate. Thanks!

I must say to any players at my table though, that anyone who thinks they can go around knocking over stores without repercussions better think twice. Charms eventually wear off, and even permanent mood shifts will be noticed by those around them, who might look into matters. So, keep that business up and expect visits from low-level town guardsman to escalate into the merchants guild hiring high level-assassins and/or bounty hunters, sergeants-of-the-guard investigating the slaying of their men, etc. Eventually someone with the power and ability to get past the mind blast and charm will come calling.

Just saying...