Help me out with CR

[Iden]

In my d20 modern book it lists CR as being a good measure of an encounter, that is about equal to a party whose average level is equal to the CR. But I never understood what it means by average of the party. The average level of two people both at level 5 is 5. But the average level of 6 people all at level 5 is also 5. Is this cleared up in another book?

[brian c]

In my d20 modern book it lists CR as being a good measure of an encounter, that is about equal to a party whose average level is equal to the CR. But I never understood what it means by average of the party. The average level of two people both at level 5 is 5. But the average level of 6 people all at level 5 is also 5. Is this cleared up in another book?

Average is written with the assumption of a four-person party. With more (or less) than 4 PCs, the party's "average" level for that sort of calculation varies a little bit. This encounter calculator is a great help.