LA Question !! [Archive] - Wizards Community

LA Question !! [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Poodle
05-22-07, 04:11 AM hi i am sorry to bother i know this will sound stupid but i need to know, i was wondering when working out the effective character level, i always thought it was you level adjustment plus class and to get to your lvl adjustment you would factor in Racial HD (if any) , special ability's, stat bonuses and minuses ect but i have recently been told that HD is not factored into la but is a part of your ECL so it would be your HD + la + class level as opposed to Class level + Level adjustment, and i was wondering which one was correct. thanks
Karui_Kage
05-22-07, 04:26 AM To answer this, it's helpful to think of a Class level and an HD level as the same. An HD level is any time you take a level and are granted a Hit Die. A level adjustment is a number assigned to represent the number of levels certain abilities would get, but does not give any hit dice, feats, skills, etc.

Hit Dice + LA = ECL

For example:

A level 2 Aasimar (+1 LA) Paladin would be 3 ECL, and appropriate in power in a group of level 3 characters that have no Level Adjustment. The difference, besides him leveling up in classes slower, is that he also gains the feats, new ability points, etc. at the Hit Die rate, not his ECL rate.

Using the same Aasimar, he would receive a new feat at level 3 Paladin (total ECL 4), and a new ability point at level 4 Paladin (total ECL 5). Feats and Ability points are always based on Hit Dice.

For some starting races, there is no class, but monster hit dice. I don't have my monster manual with me, but let's say you have made up monster A. This monster has 2 Hit Dice of Humanoid, and a +2 Level Adjustment. If the party was starting at 6th level (or lower if you use a monster progression), then this race could feasibly be used with two class levels.

Now, when he is ready and 6th level, you'll have a character that has 2 Hit Dice of Humanoid, 2 Class levels, and a +2 level adjustment. He is, for experience and related issues, a 6th level character (ECL 6). For purposes of taking feats and ability points, he only has 4 Hit Dice (2 Humanoid, 2 Class), and earns them at that rate. He wouldn't get his next feat until he was ECL 8 (when he gets his 6th Hit Dice from class), and his next ability point until ECL 10 (when he gets his 8th Hit Dice from class).

So to clarify, HD is not factored into LA, it is separate. If using a monster with both, treat the HD levels as a 'class' in that monster type, though usually only Skills, hit points, and possibly feats/ability points are provided. LA is there purely for high abilitys.

Monster Hit Dice + Class Hit Dice + LA = Total ECL
Monster Hit Dice + Class Hit Dice = Number used to keep track of feat/ability score gain.

Hope this helps.
Kouk
05-22-07, 05:31 AM hi i am sorry to bother i know this will sound stupid but i need to know, i was wondering when working out the effective character level, i always thought it was you level adjustment plus class and to get to your lvl adjustment you would factor in Racial HD (if any) , special ability's, stat bonuses and minuses ect but i have recently been told that HD is not factored into la but is a part of your ECL so it would be your HD + la + class level as opposed to Class level + Level adjustment, and i was wondering which one was correct. thanks

Determining LA can be tricky, I usually avoid inventing it. Most creatures you would want to use as player characters have their Level Adjustment listed in the text of their MM entry. If templates or something else adds LA it will mention it as well. The ECL (which determines when they level up and get their feats/3 levels) is Class levels + HD from just being whatever they are + LA.

I don't think LA has to do with racial HD at all.

See page 172 of the DMG about this.
Poodle
05-22-07, 06:20 PM Thanks to both of you for your help :)

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Poodle 05-22-07, 04:11 AM	hi i am sorry to bother i know this will sound stupid but i need to know, i was wondering when working out the effective character level, i always thought it was you level adjustment plus class and to get to your lvl adjustment you would factor in Racial HD (if any) , special ability's, stat bonuses and minuses ect but i have recently been told that HD is not factored into la but is a part of your ECL so it would be your HD + la + class level as opposed to Class level + Level adjustment, and i was wondering which one was correct. thanks
Karui_Kage 05-22-07, 04:26 AM	To answer this, it's helpful to think of a Class level and an HD level as the same. An HD level is any time you take a level and are granted a Hit Die. A level adjustment is a number assigned to represent the number of levels certain abilities would get, but does not give any hit dice, feats, skills, etc. Hit Dice + LA = ECL For example: A level 2 Aasimar (+1 LA) Paladin would be 3 ECL, and appropriate in power in a group of level 3 characters that have no Level Adjustment. The difference, besides him leveling up in classes slower, is that he also gains the feats, new ability points, etc. at the Hit Die rate, not his ECL rate. Using the same Aasimar, he would receive a new feat at level 3 Paladin (total ECL 4), and a new ability point at level 4 Paladin (total ECL 5). Feats and Ability points are always based on Hit Dice. For some starting races, there is no class, but monster hit dice. I don't have my monster manual with me, but let's say you have made up monster A. This monster has 2 Hit Dice of Humanoid, and a +2 Level Adjustment. If the party was starting at 6th level (or lower if you use a monster progression), then this race could feasibly be used with two class levels. Now, when he is ready and 6th level, you'll have a character that has 2 Hit Dice of Humanoid, 2 Class levels, and a +2 level adjustment. He is, for experience and related issues, a 6th level character (ECL 6). For purposes of taking feats and ability points, he only has 4 Hit Dice (2 Humanoid, 2 Class), and earns them at that rate. He wouldn't get his next feat until he was ECL 8 (when he gets his 6th Hit Dice from class), and his next ability point until ECL 10 (when he gets his 8th Hit Dice from class). So to clarify, HD is not factored into LA, it is separate. If using a monster with both, treat the HD levels as a 'class' in that monster type, though usually only Skills, hit points, and possibly feats/ability points are provided. LA is there purely for high abilitys. Monster Hit Dice + Class Hit Dice + LA = Total ECL Monster Hit Dice + Class Hit Dice = Number used to keep track of feat/ability score gain. Hope this helps.
Kouk 05-22-07, 05:31 AM	hi i am sorry to bother i know this will sound stupid but i need to know, i was wondering when working out the effective character level, i always thought it was you level adjustment plus class and to get to your lvl adjustment you would factor in Racial HD (if any) , special ability's, stat bonuses and minuses ect but i have recently been told that HD is not factored into la but is a part of your ECL so it would be your HD + la + class level as opposed to Class level + Level adjustment, and i was wondering which one was correct. thanks Determining LA can be tricky, I usually avoid inventing it. Most creatures you would want to use as player characters have their Level Adjustment listed in the text of their MM entry. If templates or something else adds LA it will mention it as well. The ECL (which determines when they level up and get their feats/3 levels) is Class levels + HD from just being whatever they are + LA. I don't think LA has to do with racial HD at all. See page 172 of the DMG about this.
Poodle 05-22-07, 06:20 PM	Thanks to both of you for your help :)