Monsters to Test Against

[Rasman]

I'm wanting to test my monk against different creatures solo, to see what I do well against and what I don't, just so I can get a feel of what I should do against different types of creatures. As of now, I'm currently level 7 and I'm wanting to fight both 1 monster of my level and SEVERAL monsters that would add up to my level. Any specific suggests as to what to look at?

Books and Page Numbers, as well as the number of creatures, would be helpful as well since I'm just looking for a broad range of "encounters" at this point.

[Optimystik]

Two Shadows, CR 3 each.

Have fun!

[Longcat]

Warforged Titan (Eberron Campaign Setting)
3 Vampire Spawn (Monster Manual I)

[bosssmiley]

The Gaming Den's Same Game Test is probably relevant to your interests.

A solo character should have roughly even W/L/D scores against the following selection of CR-appropriate critters/situations. Excess loses = weak class (or poorly designed character); excess wins = overpowered class (or over-optimisation).

EL 5

• A huge Animated iron statue.
• A Basilisk.
• A Large Fire Elemental.
• A Manticore on the wing.
• A Mummy.
• A Phase Spider.
• A Troll.
• A chasm.
• A moat filled with acid.
• A locked door behind a number of pit traps.
• A couple of Centaur Archers in the woods.
• A Howler/Allip tag team.
• A pit filled with medium monstrous scorpions.
• A Grimlock assault team.
• A Cleric of Hextor (with his zombies)

EL 7

• 40 ft spiked pit trap with a proximity trigger Fireball (8d6) at the bottom.
• A Chimera
• A Succubus
• A Huge Air Elemental
• A Lillend
• A Spectre
• A pair of Achaierai
• A pair of Green Hags
• Six Chokers
• An Elf Wizard 7

EL 10

• A hallway filled with magical runes.
• A Fire Giant.
• A Young Blue Dragon.
• A Bebilith.
• A Vrock.
• A tag team of Mind Flayers.
• An Evil Necromancer.
• 6 Trolls.
• A horde of Shadows.

EL 15

• A Marut.
• A Hullathoin (with its army of skeletons and bloodfiend locusts).
• A Nightmare Beast deep in a hedge maze.
• A Yakfolk cleric with a party of Dao.
• A Drow Priestess with an army of ghouls.
• A warparty of Cloud Giants.
• A Mature Adult White Dragon.
• A Death Slaad riding a Titanic Toad.
• A Cornugon.
• A Gelugon and his Iron Golem bodyguard.
• A Rube Goldberg series of contingent weirds triggered to a set of symbols of pain surrounding the artifact.
• A pair of Glabrezus
• A harem of Succubi.
• Twenty Dire Bears.
• A dozen Medusa mounted archers on Hellcats.
• A forest made out of lava and infested with hostile fire-element dire badgers.
• A pair of Beholders.

[Kol Korran]

do note though that trying to fight againsst an EL 7 should be (by the rules at least), quite hard, if not deadly.
i'd suggest you go over the manster manual, and try to face against creatures with various elements:
- mainly ranged/ melee combat (and what ability do the monster has to keep in range or close to you)
- resistences/ DR/ immunities
- powers working on AC/ Fort/ Ref/ Will
- single monster and many monsters (or many attacks, like the hydra)
- various sizes, especially for grapple techniques.

i think a CL5 is about what you're supposed to face on your own. pick from the ones below and check to see how you do.

[Xenogears]

do note though that trying to fight againsst an EL 7 should be (by the rules at least), quite hard, if not deadly.
i'd suggest you go over the manster manual, and try to face against creatures with various elements:
- mainly ranged/ melee combat (and what ability do the monster has to keep in range or close to you)
- resistences/ DR/ immunities
- powers working on AC/ Fort/ Ref/ Will
- single monster and many monsters (or many attacks, like the hydra)
- various sizes, especially for grapple techniques.

i think a CL5 is about what you're supposed to face on your own. pick from the ones below and check to see how you do.

An ECL 7 character is also a CR 7 encounter though. But the whole CR system is rather messed up.

[Zeta Kai]

The Gaming Den's Same Game Test is probably relevant to your interests.

A solo character should have roughly even W/L/D scores against the following selection of CR-appropriate critters/situations. Excess loses = weak class (or poorly designed character); excess wins = overpowered class (or over-optimisation).

That is a LOT of playtesting to check the relative power of a build, but I guess that it's the only real way to be sure.

Also, two creatures of the same CR (or equal ECL) should be evenly matched, in theory. That means each opponent has a 50% of defeating the other. Which is why the CR "system" is based off a group of 4 PC's of an equal ECL.

[Zaydos]

Theoretically an EL 3 encounter requires the equivalent resources from 1 level 7 character as an EL 7 encounter from 4 level 7 characters... it doesn't work too well though.

Personally for 3.5 when testing a character's AC I find a true dragon of equal CR and compare it's attack bonus. If the dragon needs an 11 or higher to hit I tend to be happy.