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big teej
2011-01-01, 04:14 PM
if a baddie (say a bugbear)
starts taking class levels (say 2 levels in rogue, 2 in fighter)

does his CR increase at a 1:1 ratio with his class levels?

does he take his monstrous humanoid HD? or the class's hit die?


I have orc scouts set to ambush the party in about a week (in game) and I wanna make sure I've tailored the CR correctly

(if anyone's curious I can post up the whole adventure thus far later tonight)

Mastikator
2011-01-01, 04:20 PM
Yes. He increases CR on a 1:1 bases if his class levels correlate with his abilities. Otherwise they increase at half rate (until they become the majority of hit dice, then they start increasing on a 1:1 base again).

The class levels replace his racial hit die if he has only 1.

Angry Bob
2011-01-01, 04:21 PM
There's an entry on associated classes in the monster manual on page 294, it gives a way to estimate CR for creatures with class levels. For the other question, a look at the monster's Advancement entry will tell you whether to advance it by adding hit dice or by giving it class levels. How to advance CR by hit dice is on the same page.

big teej
2011-01-01, 04:28 PM
thankyou much

I'm going to do the math tonight and probably put it up here to make sure I've got it right.

Angry Bob
2011-01-01, 04:59 PM
Keep in mind that the CR system has its issues, and that even with these calculations, don't use it as the be-all end-all of encounter appropriateness. With a few glaring exceptions, you can use it as an estimate, but consider as well what the beastie can actually do, especially to your particular party.

For instance, if your party has no one with spot/listen, something with sneak attack that gets a surprise round isn't going to set them back a little, it's going to instagib one of the party members in the first round. Similarly, it's entirely possible to underestimate the party's strength and get steamrolled, but that's usually better than the alternative, depending on your playstyle.

And then there's the things you don't have any control over, like the dire weasel or whatever that triple-crits the party caster in the surprise round.