Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Elghinn99 04-18-08, 02:58 AM	I've been playing D&D for a while and have thought I have been creating my character correctly but reading more and more and Starting to DM and getting more question like how to create a werewolf I have started to question my way of creating character. ECL is confusing me the most, making a drow rogue lvl 1(ECL +2)my favorite char. to make. Is the hp roll lvl 1 rogue (d6) + 2 more d6 for the ECL or a d8? or no roll is the char still lvl 1 so thats the hps it gets? Then also with a ECL char. DE Rog. Lvl 1 since the ECL is 3 (right?) does the base attacks, saves, etc go up? I might be thinking to much into things since I started DMing or I guess I'm starting to see my mistakes and want to fix them...
RellenMarn 04-18-08, 03:18 AM	A 1st level Drow Rogue has an ECL of three, he will have the skills and hit points of a first level character. Only hit dice influence base saves and base attack bonus. The only way a level adjusted race will get extra hit dice beyond its actual class levels is if it has racial hit dice. If it does ave racial hit dice each of these adds to its ECL. For example lets use a Bugbear Barbarian 4... His total ECL is 8, 4 for his Barbarian levels, 3 for his three Humanoid racial hit dice, and 1 for his +1 level adjustment. He has 7 hit dice, but is te equivilent of an 8th level character. Hope that helps.
Sakaki22 04-18-08, 03:22 AM	A level one Drow Rogue has an ECL of three and one hit die. He does indeed get only that one d6 for his hit dice. He gains exactly what it says he gains as a Drow, and as a level one Rogue, complete with one feat. A level one Werewolf Rogue (just keeping Rogue for example), using Human for it's base race and assuming it's afflicted to keep things simple, gains one hit die (d6) from Rogue, and two hit dice (d8) from lycanthropy, in particular from the monster wolf. Those hit dice give him [(2+int)x2] skill points that treat Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Spot, and Survival as class skills. He also has three feats (one from Human, one for having one hit die, and a third for having a total three hit dice). His ECL is a total of 5 (LA +2, two wolf HD, one rogue HD). Does this help?
Elghinn99 04-18-08, 02:18 PM	Many thanks to both of you. I guess I did get a little thrown off by others and my willingness to think to much. So ECL is more of determining exp for encounter and such than character abilities, or ECL is based off character strength just giving the DM a number to challenge them by. Hope I'm getting this :)
Shaggy_Shaggs 04-18-08, 02:52 PM	ECL = xp, wealth, what levels of other characters you're (theoretically*) balanced against. Character level (class levels + racial hitdice) = everything else. *: Level Adjustment is a rough estimate at best and sometimes doesn't work too well. The vampire's LA +8 is a good example of LA being too high (and ironically too low as well). The main reason that LA is so monstrously high is attempting to balance the vampire's ability to create an unlimited number of controlled minions (I spawn two new vampires, then they each spawn two new vampires for four total, and so on and so forth, with all of it following the chain of command upward back to me). The thing is, no level adjustment is high enough to compensate for an unlimited amount of minions. However, the lost class levels from the huge LA +8 cripples their ability to fight, use magic, or use skills to such a degree that the only thing they really can contribute is an unlimited spawn chain. Essentially the preventive measure to stop them breaking the game forces them to break the game just to get by. Those guys just plain shouldn't be PCs as written even though they do have a listed LA.
ArochanoX 04-19-08, 04:05 AM	Here is the werewolf racial class. Use the guidelines presented on the web page. http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20040117a Note that if you're the DM, and you want to create a monster, use CR rather than ECL to estimate the monster's value. Of LA (level adjustment), ECL (effective character level), RHD (racial hit dice) and stuff like that, read Dungeon Master's Guide pg 172 "Monsters as Characters".
Elghinn99 04-21-08, 02:36 AM	:) Thanks all for the answers definetly feel better about how I am having characters made now.