Npc cr

[Ixil]

Hi all!!!

It's a bit of a dumb question but I just can't understand it...

How to calculate the appropriate level for a NPC for a party to face... DM'ing a party of 4 3rd level characters... They are to face a Halfling Sorcerer. What level should he be?

I really can't wrap my head around calculation CR for NPC's...

Thank you!

[Unoriginal]

First: have you read the DMG's section on creating NPCs?

Second: how tough a challenge do you want the halfling Sorcerer to be when facing the group?

Third: is the Sorcerer alone in this fight

Fourth : what are the other factors of the fight? In which environment does it happen/does one side have intel on the other/what are each side's goals?

[CheddarChampion]

There are rules for CR calculation (which can easily be found online) but long rest-based spellcasting throws the proposed CR calculations out of the window.

Just having the one enemy spellcaster and expecting the fight to play out normally isn't going to work out:
If the sorcerer can cast fireball (or another big damage spell) that's about half the party dead. If the sorcerer can do that twice, well...
If the sorcerer can't immediately put the party on the defensive, the party can readily debuff/CC the lone enemy to the point of trivializing the fight. Especially if the sorcerer is vulnerable to wisdom saves.

I recommend doing one of these
1. Having the halfling be a sorcerer 4/another spellcaster 3 (bard, warlock come to mind) to put a limit on the highest level spell known.
2. Having meatshield minions for the level 4 sorcerer to attack whoever is concentrating on a spell.
3. Putting the party through a few fights that drain their spellcasters of spell slots first.

[Unoriginal]

There are rules for CR calculation (which can easily be found online) but long rest-based spellcasting throws the proposed CR calculations out of the window.

They do not. CR is calculated on three rounds of activity for that very reason.

[Bloodcloud]

1. Don't build a character. Build a monster who happens to be a halfling sorcerer. Using an NPC/monster as a base to customize from a monster book is a greatr way to start. It,s unclear because the game is built to give a CR to monsters, not characters.

2. Kobold fight club is a great tool to calculate appropriate challenge per encounter and over the adventuring day. Link: https://kobold.club/fight/#/encounter-builder

3. As others have said, a single spellcaster might go down a bit quick. Giving him minions/really favorable terrain would help make the encounter challenging. Ressources depletion before said encounter will also affect how it goes.

4. CR means, more or less: a single monster of CR X should be a medium encounter for a party of 4 Lvl 4 players. A party should be able to go through 8ish medium encounter in a day, assuming 2 short rest. They would then be gassed out and need a long rest. Party cohesion, terrain condition, smart/dumb play, char op level, high rolled stats, additionnal players, RNGesus will all affect this number, but that is the baseline assumption.

So, a 3 deadly encounter day can more or less be the same as a 8 medium/easy/hard mix. The harder the encounter, the less you need of them.

Single encounter in a day, you basically need a monster who can bring a player to 0hp in a single round for the players to feel threatened at all, which need carefull handling. I recently runned such an encounter, with a Remoraz, and it was great, but I dropped lots of info on the monster to the players, and they could prepare. It's a monster with a single attack, so they could manage it.

5. Good luck and have fun!

[CheddarChampion]

They do not. CR is calculated on three rounds of activity for that very reason.

Well my bad then.

[Ixil]

Thank you all for the suggestions!

[StoicLeaf]

I find this pretty awesome!

http://blogofholding.com/?p=7338

[Ixil]

The situation will be a halfling wild sorcerer killed a bunch of people by accident with a wild surge... The PC's need to find him... Knowing the players, tey'll probably attack... He will be in a cave...