CR and magic items

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RandomCasualty
Prince
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Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm

CR and magic items

Post by RandomCasualty »

Ok, this one has bothered me for a while...

We got a creature out of the monster manual. It has a CR. This assumes no magical items.

Then we've got NPCs, who supposedly have CR equal to their level and are equipped with the NPC level of magic items.

Finally we get PCs, who supposedly have CR equal to their level also but are equipped with the PC level of wealth (significantly more than NPCs).

Now first, how can PCs and NPCs have the same CR but different levels of gear?

And second, how would you determine the CR on a monster that had NPC gear, a monster that had PC gear, or an NPC that had PC gear?
Username17
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Re: CR and magic items

Post by Username17 »

Now first, how can PCs and NPCs have the same CR but different levels of gear?


This assumes a level of "disposable" gear that many groups do not play with. Most people don't simply fire off all the charges in their rod of cone of cold at the first opportunity. An NPC, on the other hand, is himself disposable and has no reason to husband resources.

The concept is that limited use magic items can jack an NPC up to high levels of relative effect and still end up having the character having a lower amount of wealth than the PCs. Most groups, in my experience, do not actually do this - but that's the idea.

And second, how would you determine the CR on a monster that had NPC gear, a monster that had PC gear, or an NPC that had PC gear?


A monster or NPC which is equipped and played like a PC actually has the same CR. If they are hoarding the uses on their necklace of fireballs, if they aren't busily quaffing the potion of heroism, they aren't getting more for their wealth than the NPC with the lower bank account who is played as disposable as he is.

A Monster which normally doesn't use equipment which is using equipment now is generally about 1 or 2 CR higher, depending upon what it is.

-Username17
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