Simple question- wondering about NPC Challenge Ratings..

[Almost_Elven]

Quick question- I've probably just overlooked something, but here goes.

In D&D 3.5e, the MM says that CR is
"the average level of a party of adventurers for which one creature would make an encounter of moderate difficulty. Assume a party of four fresh characters (full hit points, full spells..."

Now, why is it that in the DMG, a fifth level fighter is CR 5?
Doesn't that mean that their average 1st level fighter is CR 1?

Are PCs so supernaturally weak that it takes a 4:1 ratio to have an encounter of moderate difficulty?

The lyrical DM, Almost_Elven

[Vladislav]

"encounter of moderate difficulty" means the party is supposed to defeat it with almost no risk of anyone dying, but will have to expend some resources (spells, hit points, etc).

A single 5th level NPC vs. a party of four 5th level PCs is just that - a non-lethal encounter, which nonetheless forces them to expend some resources. Of course, several such encounters over the course of a day can add up to a large toll on the party.

[Almost_Elven]

OK, makes sense.
I guess I just wasn't thinking... :smallredface:
Thanks.

[Urpriest]

OK, makes sense.
I guess I just wasn't thinking... :smallredface:
Thanks.

Basically, the reason why most adventures have four encounters per day is because each encounter is supposed to use up 1/4 of the party's resources, since there are four members to the one monster in each encounter.

[Flickerdart]

Basically, the reason why most adventures have four encounters per day is because each encounter is supposed to use up 1/4 of the party's resources, since there are four members to the one monster in each encounter.
1/5th, actually, since a single level 1 character is CR 1, but four of them are CR 5. That last 20% is the HP they have left, otherwise you'd end up using 100% of the party's resources and they all die!

[Keld Denar]

So, if 1 5th level character is a CR5=EL5 encounter, 2 would be EL7, and 4 (an even number of even level PCs) is EL9, which is APL+4, a "boss" encounter which is likely to result in PC deaths. Which makes sense...if 2 groups of 4 even level PCs faced off, someone is probably gonna die, right?