problem with LA for hamatula (barbed devil)?

[flamewolf393]

There is a passage in the savage species guide stating that the LA for the hamatula is only a +5.

"...Its level adjustment is only +5, so it does
not suffer greatly compared to fighters..." pg 176 savage species guide

Now this is a challenge rating 11 creature, and the racial class progression in the same book is 14 levels. Obviously this is not a +5 LA creature. In no possible way can that be right. So why would it say that, and what should the actual LA be?

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

That's based on the 3.0 version of that monster, which has nine racial hit dice. A monster with a +5 LA and nine levels of Outsider is ECL 14. Racial hit dice are never optional, and always count toward your character level the same way class levels do. The 3.5 version of the Barbed Devil is 12 HD, so the monster class would need to be updated to 17 levels.

[Flickerdart]

Incidentally, the Hamatula in 3.5 does not have a level adjustment. Given that its stats have changed, it is no longer appropriate to just give it what it had in 3.0.