How do I determine an Effective Character Level for a party of characters? [Archive] - Wizards Community

How do I determine an Effective Character Level for a party of characters? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
battletank55
06-25-06, 05:42 AM I am using an encounter calculator on a d20 site, and it asks me to enter the "Effective Character Level" of the players' characters. I am playing through the basic game, and I have Eberk, Regdar etc. and I want to enter their ECL. How do I determine this? :weep: Is it the average of their character levels?

I am a little confused, because after doing some reading, I got the impression that ECL is used for monsters when "translating" them to player's characters and assigning them a character level. :confused:

Do I just enter the average of my normal characters level? :confused:

And do I round the average up or down, if the characters have different levels? :(
Radijs
06-25-06, 05:46 AM If I recall correctly the party's EL (effective level) is the same as the sum of every characters ECL (effective Character level) divided by four.

A characters ECL == Level adjustment(if any)+monstrous hit dice(if any)+class levels(if any).
battletank55
06-25-06, 05:59 AM Thanks Radijs, :D

Okay, so if I have a party of just two, would I divide the sum of all players' ECLs by two, in effect, giving the average ECL?

And if that average is not a whole number, do I round it up or down?
Radijs
06-25-06, 06:40 AM Once you have a party wherein the character levels differ or you have a party smaller or larger then 4 you're bound to wind up with decimals.

You always divide by 4. A party's EL is a good way to determine how tough you can make the encounters.
A party of 2 level 5 characters will have a lower effective level then a party of 4 level 5 characters.
steenan
06-25-06, 07:29 AM It's not a good idea to divide total of party ECL's by 4 to get effective party level. Surely 2 10-level characters are much stronger than 4 5-level ones, and 6 level 12 characters are weaker than 4 18-level ones.

IMO the best method is to use the same formula as for calculating encounter levels. Doubling number of characters increases party level by 2, increasing number by half increases level by 1, halving number lowers level by 2. Thus, if you increase or decrease number of enemies by the same percentage by which party size differs from standard 4, you still get balanced encounter - and that's how it ought to be.
SeraphimDominion
06-26-06, 05:03 PM It's not a good idea to divide total of party ECL's by 4 to get effective party level. Surely 2 10-level characters are much stronger than 4 5-level ones, and 6 level 12 characters are weaker than 4 18-level ones.

IMO the best method is to use the same formula as for calculating encounter levels. Doubling number of characters increases party level by 2, increasing number by half increases level by 1, halving number lowers level by 2. Thus, if you increase or decrease number of enemies by the same percentage by which party size differs from standard 4, you still get balanced encounter - and that's how it ought to be.

That's how I do it, and it works well. I usually run for a group of 6, so I always treat them as 1 level higher than they are for XP and CR purposes. IE, when the 6 of them are 10th level, I treat them as an 11th level party when calculating XP or designing encounters.
Redginald
06-27-06, 02:52 AM A very easy encounter calculator: http://www.d20srd.org/encounterCalculator.htm

Here you can enter the ECL of each individual party member and it then calculates according to the DMG-rules the EL of the party. You can also enter the CR's en the number of monsters en get the EL of the monsters and on top of that it calculates the XP each character receives according to his/her ECL

It's my best help when I'm DM'ing and want to award the xp at the end of the session.
Redginald
06-27-06, 02:59 AM A very easy encounter calculator: http://www.d20srd.org/encounterCalculator.htm

Here you can enter the ECL of each individual party member and it then calculates according to the DMG-rules the EL of the party. You can also enter the CR's en the number of monsters en get the EL of the monsters and on top of that it calculates the XP each character receives according to his/her ECL

It's my best help when I'm DM'ing and want to award the xp at the end of the session.
battletank55
06-27-06, 07:26 AM Thanks for the replys.

I have since found the encounter table and it certainly simplifies the issue :D

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
battletank55 06-25-06, 05:42 AM	I am using an encounter calculator on a d20 site, and it asks me to enter the "Effective Character Level" of the players' characters. I am playing through the basic game, and I have Eberk, Regdar etc. and I want to enter their ECL. How do I determine this? :weep: Is it the average of their character levels? I am a little confused, because after doing some reading, I got the impression that ECL is used for monsters when "translating" them to player's characters and assigning them a character level. :confused: Do I just enter the average of my normal characters level? :confused: And do I round the average up or down, if the characters have different levels? :(
Radijs 06-25-06, 05:46 AM	If I recall correctly the party's EL (effective level) is the same as the sum of every characters ECL (effective Character level) divided by four. A characters ECL == Level adjustment(if any)+monstrous hit dice(if any)+class levels(if any).
battletank55 06-25-06, 05:59 AM	Thanks Radijs, :D Okay, so if I have a party of just two, would I divide the sum of all players' ECLs by two, in effect, giving the average ECL? And if that average is not a whole number, do I round it up or down?
Radijs 06-25-06, 06:40 AM	Once you have a party wherein the character levels differ or you have a party smaller or larger then 4 you're bound to wind up with decimals. You always divide by 4. A party's EL is a good way to determine how tough you can make the encounters. A party of 2 level 5 characters will have a lower effective level then a party of 4 level 5 characters.
steenan 06-25-06, 07:29 AM	It's not a good idea to divide total of party ECL's by 4 to get effective party level. Surely 2 10-level characters are much stronger than 4 5-level ones, and 6 level 12 characters are weaker than 4 18-level ones. IMO the best method is to use the same formula as for calculating encounter levels. Doubling number of characters increases party level by 2, increasing number by half increases level by 1, halving number lowers level by 2. Thus, if you increase or decrease number of enemies by the same percentage by which party size differs from standard 4, you still get balanced encounter - and that's how it ought to be.
SeraphimDominion 06-26-06, 05:03 PM	It's not a good idea to divide total of party ECL's by 4 to get effective party level. Surely 2 10-level characters are much stronger than 4 5-level ones, and 6 level 12 characters are weaker than 4 18-level ones. IMO the best method is to use the same formula as for calculating encounter levels. Doubling number of characters increases party level by 2, increasing number by half increases level by 1, halving number lowers level by 2. Thus, if you increase or decrease number of enemies by the same percentage by which party size differs from standard 4, you still get balanced encounter - and that's how it ought to be. That's how I do it, and it works well. I usually run for a group of 6, so I always treat them as 1 level higher than they are for XP and CR purposes. IE, when the 6 of them are 10th level, I treat them as an 11th level party when calculating XP or designing encounters.
Redginald 06-27-06, 02:52 AM	A very easy encounter calculator: http://www.d20srd.org/encounterCalculator.htm Here you can enter the ECL of each individual party member and it then calculates according to the DMG-rules the EL of the party. You can also enter the CR's en the number of monsters en get the EL of the monsters and on top of that it calculates the XP each character receives according to his/her ECL It's my best help when I'm DM'ing and want to award the xp at the end of the session.
Redginald 06-27-06, 02:59 AM	A very easy encounter calculator: http://www.d20srd.org/encounterCalculator.htm Here you can enter the ECL of each individual party member and it then calculates according to the DMG-rules the EL of the party. You can also enter the CR's en the number of monsters en get the EL of the monsters and on top of that it calculates the XP each character receives according to his/her ECL It's my best help when I'm DM'ing and want to award the xp at the end of the session.
battletank55 06-27-06, 07:26 AM	Thanks for the replys. I have since found the encounter table and it certainly simplifies the issue :D