Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Chaosmancer Sep 03, 2014 15:34:12	I was reading the "Customizing NPC's" section of the MM/DM preview and I was a little confused.   If I was to customize something like goblins with, for example, the berserker template what all would change?   Would I add the Hp totals together or simply use the template? Should I just use whichever is higher if I was doing something like a troll or ogre that does have a lot of hp?   What happens with the CR? An Acolyte is CR 1/4 but orcs are 1/2. Are Acolyte orcs tougher than CR 1/2 or should they be weaker? What happens if I make them a beserker?   Do the ability scores change?   Here's an oddity: Priests are Level 5 casters, but CR 2 creatures. Mages are level 9 spellcasters, but CR 6 creatures   Essentially, how are these templates supposed to be used. I think I know but I want to hear what other people say so I don't end up doing it wrong and making things too difficult or too easy
#2 Chaosmancer Sep 06, 2014 10:01:40	Okay, is this really such an obvious thing that I'm the only one confused?
#3 Darth_Sephiroth Sep 06, 2014 22:20:51	I'd just use the higher of the two CRs   It's what I'm doing in an adventure that I've been hammering out using Kobolds (Not useing them as basic Kobolds, but small, unknown reptilian creatures) that moved into a lost temple exposed via earthquake and are now worshiping a c'thuloid god of some sort while raiding a local village for sacrifices (was livestock, but the adventurers showed up right after a kid was grabbed)
#4 eleran Sep 07, 2014 19:28:21	Darth_Sephiroth wrote:
#5 DM_HEEGZ Sep 07, 2014 19:39:10	Your examples of customizing goblins, ogres, and trolls does not fit in this section. Use the data for humans and other non-human races in the PHB. If you want to modify creatures, you can start by maxing out their HP for a boss creature. Further modifications to creatures will need to wait for the DMG to customize. NPCs are not generally monsters, so that is where you are finding your problems. I have no advice really on the CR situation, though there is one good thing going in this regards. Check out Surf Archer's blog posts from this summer:   http://surfarcher.blogspot.com/
#6 Chaosmancer Sep 07, 2014 22:18:14	Ah, that would make a bit more sense. Though that is a little inconvienent since I was hoping to be able to customize some goblins (more than just more hp) to make them an empire but I suppose that can wait a little longer
#7 Oraibi Sep 08, 2014 1:59:08	You can just use the stats for NPCs and give them one or two abilities from goblins and call them goblins.   And don't sweat the XP/CR that much. It's all an abstraction anyway, and really your players probably shouldn't be getting the majority of their XP from killing dudes.
#8 Darth_Sephiroth Sep 09, 2014 13:55:35	eleran wrote:
#9 DM_HEEGZ Sep 09, 2014 19:52:40	If you aren't DMing Adventurer's League, really the sky is the limit. For example, you can take the Berserker and combine it with the Orc to come up with something a bit different and tougher for an Orc Champion type. Or overlay one of the NPC casters like the priest with the kobold to come up with some sort of sorcerer elder.   I haven't had time to try building anything properly yet, mostly due to constant playing and reading of adventures before DMing. However, the MM is so close to releasing that I'll probably just wait a couple of weeks and get some better ideas from it.