Appropriate equipment level: CR or HD? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Appropriate equipment level: CR or HD? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Mooncalf
01-04-08, 10:14 PM I like to equip my adversaries for an encounter. The DMG has a table for how much wealth an NPC should have. Thing is, for an NPC such as a rogue, CR and HD are the same. This cannot be said for, say, a doppelganger or a dragon.

So should I base how much gear the baddie totes around on its CR, or on its HD?
Magrus
01-05-08, 03:01 PM I would go by ECL instead of CR, if the entry provides for it. Thats just me though. Treat it as you would a PC in that respect. So, if you had say, a Doppleganger Rogue? The creature had 4 Rogue levels, it's ECL would be 12. 4 Rogue levels, 4 Racial HD, and +4 LA. Scroll down the chart for 12th level NPCs and there you go.
ppirilla
01-05-08, 06:23 PM Your choices are: Go by ECL and equip them by either PC or NPC wealth by level or go by CR and equip them based on treasure tables.

The first one will make combat more difficult, while the second will keep you from having to deal with super-rich PC's if you have a lot of class-leveled opposition for your party.
StevenO
01-05-08, 06:41 PM I believe the proper method is to either use the greater of creature's listed treasure OR its NPC equipment which is based on CR = level.

Do NOT use ECL for determining equipment for your NPCs. Look at the DMG section dealing with NPC statistics (begining on pg 110 and running to 127) and take note of the Mindflayer. As a "monster" it just uses its CR 8 as its base (class levels are reduced in the random table) but as a PC its is ECL 16.

A Doppelganger is only CR3 so if you give it two levels of rogue it would have the equipment of a 5th level NPC inspite of having 6 HD. If that same Doppelganger Rogue 2 was a PC you'd be equiping it based on its ECL 10 using PC wealth.
runestar
01-05-08, 09:02 PM Always go with cr. Else, you get all sorts of funny discrepancies with high HD, low cr foes somehow accessing more wealth than a low HD, higher cr foe.
Tequila_Sunrise
01-06-08, 01:16 AM I think it makes most sense to give it standard monster treasure (based on the base monster) and then to add NPC wealth (based on just class levels).

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Mooncalf 01-04-08, 10:14 PM	I like to equip my adversaries for an encounter. The DMG has a table for how much wealth an NPC should have. Thing is, for an NPC such as a rogue, CR and HD are the same. This cannot be said for, say, a doppelganger or a dragon. So should I base how much gear the baddie totes around on its CR, or on its HD?
Magrus 01-05-08, 03:01 PM	I would go by ECL instead of CR, if the entry provides for it. Thats just me though. Treat it as you would a PC in that respect. So, if you had say, a Doppleganger Rogue? The creature had 4 Rogue levels, it's ECL would be 12. 4 Rogue levels, 4 Racial HD, and +4 LA. Scroll down the chart for 12th level NPCs and there you go.
ppirilla 01-05-08, 06:23 PM	Your choices are: Go by ECL and equip them by either PC or NPC wealth by level or go by CR and equip them based on treasure tables. The first one will make combat more difficult, while the second will keep you from having to deal with super-rich PC's if you have a lot of class-leveled opposition for your party.
StevenO 01-05-08, 06:41 PM	I believe the proper method is to either use the greater of creature's listed treasure OR its NPC equipment which is based on CR = level. Do NOT use ECL for determining equipment for your NPCs. Look at the DMG section dealing with NPC statistics (begining on pg 110 and running to 127) and take note of the Mindflayer. As a "monster" it just uses its CR 8 as its base (class levels are reduced in the random table) but as a PC its is ECL 16. A Doppelganger is only CR3 so if you give it two levels of rogue it would have the equipment of a 5th level NPC inspite of having 6 HD. If that same Doppelganger Rogue 2 was a PC you'd be equiping it based on its ECL 10 using PC wealth.
runestar 01-05-08, 09:02 PM	Always go with cr. Else, you get all sorts of funny discrepancies with high HD, low cr foes somehow accessing more wealth than a low HD, higher cr foe.
Tequila_Sunrise 01-06-08, 01:16 AM	I think it makes most sense to give it standard monster treasure (based on the base monster) and then to add NPC wealth (based on just class levels).