PDA

View Full Version : Official Monster Manual CR index



Envyus
2014-09-19, 08:18 PM
http://dnd.wizards.com/products/tabletop-games/rpg-products/monster-manual Also noted is that it shall be included in the DMG along with guidance on how to build your own monsters and adventures.

SaintRidley
2014-09-19, 10:08 PM
Wait a minute. The lich is stronger than the demilich?

Gnomes2169
2014-09-19, 10:20 PM
Wait a minute. The lich is stronger than the demilich?

My guess is 1) someone dun goofed that typing and switched them up accidentally, or 2) demi-lich means psuedo lich in this edition, or a spellcaster transitioning into a lich.

I guess we'll see which guess is right. :P

hachface
2014-09-19, 10:42 PM
Wait a minute. The lich is stronger than the demilich?

Yes.
The fluff has been changed accordingly.

squashmaster
2014-09-19, 10:43 PM
Well I scanned the MM earlier, (can't afford one atm) and the Demilich listed in the book is indeed that level and is indeed a demilich ala Acererak, who is in fact named in the book and even given instructions how to model a demilich after him specifically.

I did pass over the normal Lich, though, so not sure what the reasoning behind having them higher level is. Maybe incorporeal is considered weaker this time?

hachface
2014-09-19, 10:44 PM
My guess is 1) someone dun goofed that typing and switched them up accidentally, or 2) demi-lich means psuedo lich in this edition, or a spellcaster transitioning into a lich.

I guess we'll see which guess is right. :P

Neither. A demilich is now what happens when a lich fails to recharge its phylactery with souls.

Edit: There is also a variant demilich, which represents what happens when a lich voluntary becomes a demilich in order to ascend to a higher state of existence. This is the classic demilich, of which Acererak is the iconic example. This kind of a demilich has a CR of 21 (or 23 in its lair).

Ranting Fool
2014-09-20, 10:34 AM
Death Via Awakened shrub! This must happen when I finally convince people to move over to 5th :P ... OK well maybe not death but Attack Of The Awakened Shrub could work just as well :smallbiggrin:

Also a few things like Thug and Bandit Captain. Is it true that NPC's aren't built like PC's?

Jacob.Tyr
2014-09-20, 10:40 AM
Death Via Awakened shrub! This must happen when I finally convince people to move over to 5th :P ... OK well maybe not death but Attack Of The Awakened Shrub could work just as well :smallbiggrin:

Also a few things like Thug and Bandit Captain. Is it true that NPC's aren't built like PC's?

They don't have class levels, so much, no. But their abilities are more of just a pared down list of options PC's can have at that HD, for the most part.

hachface
2014-09-20, 11:27 AM
Also a few things like Thug and Bandit Captain. Is it true that NPC's aren't built like PC's?

None of the NPCs in the Monster Manual are built like PCs.

However, if a DM wants to create an NPC using PC creation rules, that shouldn't be a problem.

Greylind
2014-09-20, 11:42 AM
None of the NPCs in the Monster Manual are built like PCs.

However, if a DM wants to create an NPC using PC creation rules, that shouldn't be a problem.

This works for me, because I like rivals for the PC's to have similar capabilities, but I don't want to have to create new stats for practically every NPC.

Thoughts on CR for PC-build NPC's? Figure a party of 4 1st level characters is probably a Deadly encounter for the same, that gives about 100 XP per, or CR 1/2, and scale up as levels increase?

hachface
2014-09-20, 12:02 PM
This works for me, because I like rivals for the PC's to have similar capabilities, but I don't want to have to create new stats for practically every NPC.

Thoughts on CR for PC-build NPC's? Figure a party of 4 1st level characters is probably a Deadly encounter for the same, that gives about 100 XP per, or CR 1/2, and scale up as levels increase?

Very deadly. If the parties are truly evenly matched and played intelligently, you have to figure that each side has about a 50% chance of a TPK.

And actually, the edge would go to the NPC party, since they have no reason not to use absolutely every time-limited resource they to destroy the PCs. The PCs, meanwhile, will be either conserving resources for future encounters or will have already used up resources in previous encounters.