CRs
-
Shadowsworn
- Agent of the Fraternity
- Posts: 94
- Joined: Wed Dec 03, 2003 11:18 am
- Location: Toronto
- Contact:
CRs
The DMG (3.0, it may have been corrected in 3.5) doesn't ever state how you calculate CRs for monsters you've created. Is there any definitive way to calculate CRs besides playtesting that you've come up with?
"Death is the great equalizer"
Proof that the Grim Reaper is a communist.
Proof that the Grim Reaper is a communist.
-
Igor the Henchman
- Evil Genius
- Posts: 793
- Joined: Tue Dec 02, 2003 6:50 pm
Playtesting is the only one. Any other way of calculating CRs proves faulty in one way or other. With all the flexibility offered by DnD you can never tell the CR of a new creature without involving human judgement at some point. The trick is not in what abilities the monster possesses, but how well those abilities perform when put together.
-
alhoon
- Invisible Menace
- Posts: 8851
- Joined: Thu Dec 11, 2003 6:46 pm
- Location: Chania or Athens // Greece
I agree with Igor. While I have a system to calculate CR, it is always a matter of judgement.
While the calculation may result in "CR 4" The result may be 3 or 5... Or sometimes 6.
And as my players always comment, I tend to overestimate a character's power (or a player's creativity) and underestimate a creature.
Since I mostly create monsters instead of picking them out (except when I don't have time, like in random encounters) I can tell you that not even playtesting is always correct.
What it may be a CR 7 for a certain party, it may be CR 5 for another party. Example:
Flesh Golem vs: 2 wizards, a cleric and a rogue (7th level) and the same flesh Golem vs 2 fighters, a ranger (Archer) and a cleric.
Cleric casts magic weapon on whatever weapon isn't magical (or Bull's strength or prayer etc) as the golem approaches (can't run, while the characters can, so they easily get 1 -2 rounds to repare) and then the fighters hack it appart easily. The DR 5/adamantine isn't that much)
While the calculation may result in "CR 4" The result may be 3 or 5... Or sometimes 6.
And as my players always comment, I tend to overestimate a character's power (or a player's creativity) and underestimate a creature.
Since I mostly create monsters instead of picking them out (except when I don't have time, like in random encounters) I can tell you that not even playtesting is always correct.
What it may be a CR 7 for a certain party, it may be CR 5 for another party. Example:
Flesh Golem vs: 2 wizards, a cleric and a rogue (7th level) and the same flesh Golem vs 2 fighters, a ranger (Archer) and a cleric.
Cleric casts magic weapon on whatever weapon isn't magical (or Bull's strength or prayer etc) as the golem approaches (can't run, while the characters can, so they easily get 1 -2 rounds to repare) and then the fighters hack it appart easily. The DR 5/adamantine isn't that much)
"You truly see what a person is made of, when you begin to slice into them" - Semirhage
"I am not mad, no matter what you're implying." - Litalia
My DMGuild work!
"I am not mad, no matter what you're implying." - Litalia
My DMGuild work!
-
Stygian Inquirer
- Evil Genius
- Posts: 286
- Joined: Sat Dec 04, 2004 11:55 pm
- Location: Aurora, Ontario, Canada
In the October 2000 (I think) issue of Dragon Magazine, there was an article called 'How to Create a Monster'. At the end it had a CR "guesstimater" and I have found this article very useful for creating monsters and calculating CRs fairly accurately, but it still helps to playtest.
Information seems to come my way whether by chance or by fate, but all this means, is that I have yet to find out what will kill me and why. - The Stygian Inquirer