Hi All... long time player on previous editions and trying to get up to speed with D&D 5E and 2024 rules in particular.
I like to create rich NPC type enemies and Homebrew Monsters or monster customizations in my campaigns. I have read loud and clear to not over complicate NPC's... don't use Player Character sheets, and make them monsters. My difficulty is that when I create any monster I don't have a good feel for how to set the Challenge Rating for a given creature. Is there any guidance for how to set the Challenge Rating for a Homebrew Monster?
The 5.0 DMG has a decent starting point for guidelines. Essentially it's a mix of Offensive CR (how good your monster is at doing damage) and Defensive CR (how good your monster is at avoiding/taking hits.) There's a decent set of tables and also a list of how some monster traits affect CR. For example a sahuagin's blood frenzy, giving advantage on attack rolls against damaged creatures, effectively boosts its real attack bonus above the listed one for the purpose of calculating CR. Or a balor's magic resistance is effectively an increase of its AC for calculations. Whereas more flavorful traits, such as darkvision, don't impact CR.
Those guidelines do have flaws where not every ability has a one-to-one correlation. And I've heard the behind-the-scenes CR calculations were done with a different system than that in the DMG. (Though the DMG gets pretty close.) And if you're making a spellcaster then its guidelines on spells are woefully underwhelming once you get past pure-damage spells and such.
But they do offer a nice baseline for guidance.
EDIT: Somehow missed the 2024 emphasis until after posting. The 5.5 DMG doesn't really have the guidance the 5.0 one offered. Its advice is more, "You can edit a pre-existing statblock with flavorful changes. Such as swapping a longsword to rapier won't change CR. Or something with fire resistance could get a cold resistance variant. And changing damage types." But there is some speculation the 5.5 Monster Manual will have the more detailed version. (No guarantees.)
Hi All... long time player on previous editions and trying to get up to speed with D&D 5E and 2024 rules in particular.
I like to create rich NPC type enemies and Homebrew Monsters or monster customizations in my campaigns. I have read loud and clear to not over complicate NPC's... don't use Player Character sheets, and make them monsters. My difficulty is that when I create any monster I don't have a good feel for how to set the Challenge Rating for a given creature. Is there any guidance for how to set the Challenge Rating for a Homebrew Monster?
Thanks In Advance for any insights.
The 5.0 DMG has a decent starting point for guidelines. Essentially it's a mix of Offensive CR (how good your monster is at doing damage) and Defensive CR (how good your monster is at avoiding/taking hits.) There's a decent set of tables and also a list of how some monster traits affect CR. For example a sahuagin's blood frenzy, giving advantage on attack rolls against damaged creatures, effectively boosts its real attack bonus above the listed one for the purpose of calculating CR. Or a balor's magic resistance is effectively an increase of its AC for calculations. Whereas more flavorful traits, such as darkvision, don't impact CR.
Those guidelines do have flaws where not every ability has a one-to-one correlation. And I've heard the behind-the-scenes CR calculations were done with a different system than that in the DMG. (Though the DMG gets pretty close.) And if you're making a spellcaster then its guidelines on spells are woefully underwhelming once you get past pure-damage spells and such.
But they do offer a nice baseline for guidance.
EDIT: Somehow missed the 2024 emphasis until after posting. The 5.5 DMG doesn't really have the guidance the 5.0 one offered. Its advice is more, "You can edit a pre-existing statblock with flavorful changes. Such as swapping a longsword to rapier won't change CR. Or something with fire resistance could get a cold resistance variant. And changing damage types." But there is some speculation the 5.5 Monster Manual will have the more detailed version. (No guarantees.)
This is a signature. It was a simple signature. But it has been upgraded.
Belolonandalogalo, Sunny | Draíocht, Kholias | Eggo Lass, 100 Dungeons
Talorin Tebedi, Vecna: Eve | Cherry, Stormwreck | Chipper, Strahd
We Are Modron
Get rickrolled here. Awesome music here. Track 48, 5/23/25, Immaculate Mary