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View Full Version : Hit die? Caster levels?



shadow_archmagi
2007-12-14, 06:12 AM
I'm a bit confused. I am going to explain what I think is the correct ruleset. You tell me if and where I'm wrong, and then I'll have it right.

Monsters, it seems, are referred to by their HD, or Hit Die. A Hit Die is the kind of die you roll to get its HP. If a monster's entry says something like 10d6 that means it has a HD of 10. HD determines a few spell results, and HP, but not much else.


A player has three levels. Estimated Character Level, which is the sum total of all their levels in everything, Spell level, which determines what kind of spells they can cast and Caster Levels, which seems to be the sum total of every level in any casting class they've ever taken. Caster level affects how strong your spells are, Spell Level affects what powerful spells you can learn.

Would it therefore be possible to have, say, a cleric 1 wizard 1 sorc 1 and so on, with a caster level of 20, but only a vast horde of level 1 spells?

Dhavaer
2007-12-14, 06:29 AM
You are mistaken about Spell and Caster levels. Your Caster level applies to each casting class seperately; they do not stack unless specifically stated. Spell levels are not applied to characters; they are a feature of individual spells. Which spell levels you can cast is determined by your level in a casting class.

Fuzzy_Juan
2007-12-14, 06:38 AM
yes and no.

There are some abilities that raise your caster level without granting you additional spell progression, but not too many. Monster HD typically only effects their spell like abilities and not any actual 'spellcasting' powers, so no dice there. Also, any monsters that would have casting potential that might stack with levels in a class would just count their base and stack the casting classes on top of that...like the Raksasha.

So...a custom creature that is innately magical can have an innate +20 to their caster level for determining spell effects, SR penetration, duration, etc, but not for spell progression (spell levels you can cast, spells known, spells per day).

However, no monster that I know of really has any bonus so wacky that the above scenario would ever happen. There are ways to get your CL up above your level though, just not too much above your level...like the 1-20 you are proposing. Not with the rules as written or with any suppliment I have seen...only homebrew....and that is cause anything goes then.

Duke of URL
2007-12-14, 08:06 AM
It's more complicated even then that... :smalleek:

Character Level / Hit Dice - Monsters without class levels use total HD as their "level"; anything with class levels use their total class levels from all classes plus any racial hit die (note that races with 1 HD or fewer "trade in" that racial HD for their first class level). The awarding of general feats, skill points, level-based ability increases, etc., are based on this level.

Effective Character Level (ECL) - Character Level plus any level adjustment (LA) as the result of a special race or template. This is used primarily to determine the amount of XP awarded for encounters and the amount of XP needed to reach the next level.

Class Level - The number of levels taken in a particular class.

Caster Level - Kept separately for each spellcasting class. Normally equal to class level in the spellcasting class (or half class levels for "half casters" like Paladins and Rangers), though some prestige classes raise the caster level of one or more qualifying base classes.

Spell Level - In the non-epic game, this ranges from 0 to 9, and refers to the relative power of the spell. Typically, a caster must meet a minimum caster level (varies by class) before (s)he can cast a spell of a particular level.

For example, a Bugbear Sorcerer 5 / Cleric 3 / Mystic Theurge 2 has:
a character level of 13 (10 total class levels plus 3 racial hit dice); effective character level of 14 (character level 13 + level adjustment of 1); class levels of: Sorcerer 5, Cleric 3, and Mystic Theurge 2; caster levels of: Sorcerer 7, Cleric 5; and can cast spells of Sorcerer level 3 and lower and Cleric level 3 or lower

More insanity on the overloaded terms. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0012.html)