Changes: Effective character level

Revision as of 21:10, 3 June 2010

Effective character level (ECL) is a way to compensate for certain classes having a harder time at low levels in Neverwinter Nights (especially in single player). This is implemented in NWN by considering a killed monster to have a higher challenge rating (CR) based on the class levels of the killer. With the expansion packs, NWN abandoned the use of ECL; thus it is only used in the original campaign and in modules made with a Toolset that does not have the expansions. For a multiclassed character, the bonus to CR for the monsters killed is the sum of the bonus for each class (by its class level).

Current level	CR bonus
Current level	bard	cleric	druid	monk	rogue	sorcerer wizard	others
1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	1	1	1	0	1	1	0
3	1	2	1	0	1	2	0
4	2	2	2	1	2	2	0
5	1	3	2	2	1	3	0
6	1	2	2	1	1	2	0
7	1	0	0	0	1	1	0
8	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
9	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
10	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
11	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
12	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
13	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
14-20	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Levels beyond 20

The original campaign did not factor in classes going beyond 20 levels (as there was a level 20 cap when it was released). However, playing this module (or a module made with a Toolset without the expansions) with a character with classes beyond level 20 (see hordes of the underdark expansion) will cause that class to give a CR bonus equal to the entire class level. Thus a Wizard 5/Cleric 5/Sorcerer 30 would cause a CR bonus of 3 + 3 + 30 = 36, and thus would get as much experience points for killing a creature with a challenge rating of 4 as killing one with a challenge rating of 40 (40CR is the maximum for XP calculation).

Pen and paper comparison

In pen and paper D&D, ECL is used to compensate for the traits of the more powerful races. The average drow, for example, has several powerful abilities that make her more powerful than a human, and so would always be considered to be two levels higher than the sum of her class levels. Thus a drow character would gain levels slower than a human, balancing out the racial advantages. BioWare did not implement this racial ECL presumably because they implemented neither subraces nor monster races, which are the main sources of racial ECL.

Notes

Some modules have scripted various systems to implement subraces, and some of these include pen-and-paper style ECL. One such system utilizes racial hit dice, but this solution has the drawback of using one of the character's three potential classes for these racial hit dice, limiting characters with racial hit dice to two "real" classes.

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-'''Effective character level (ECL)''' is a way to compensate for certain [[class]]es having a harder time at low levels in Neverwinter Nights (especially in single player). DnD accomplishes this by counting some classes as a lower level when calculating the [[experience point]]s for killing monsters, though NWN implements this by instead considering the monsters killed to have a higher [[challenge rating]] (CR) based on the class levels of the killer.  With the [[expansion pack]]s, NWN abandoned the use of ECL, and thus it is only used in the [[original campaign]] and in modules made with a Toolset that does not have the expansions.  For a multiclassed character, the bonus to CR for the monster's killed is the sum of the bonus for each class (by its class level).
+'''Effective character level''' ('''ECL''') is a way to compensate for certain [[class]]es having a harder time at low levels in Neverwinter Nights (especially in single player). This is implemented in NWN by considering a killed monster to have a higher [[challenge rating]] (CR) based on the class levels of the killer.  With the [[expansion pack]]s, NWN abandoned the use of ECL; thus it is only used in the [[original campaign]] and in modules made with a Toolset that does not have the expansions. For a multiclassed character, the bonus to CR for the monsters killed is the sum of the bonus for each class (by its class level).
 {| class="centertable" style="text-align:center"
@@ Line 140: / Line 140: @@
 |}
-==Levels Beyond 20==
+== Levels beyond 20 ==
 The original campaign did not factor in classes going beyond 20 levels (as there was a level 20 cap when it was released).  However, playing this module (or a module made with a Toolset without the expansions) with a character with classes beyond level 20 (see [[hordes of the underdark]] expansion) will cause that class to give a CR bonus equal to the entire class level.  Thus a Wizard 5/Cleric 5/Sorcerer 30 would cause a CR bonus of 3 + 3 + 30 = 36, and thus would get as much experience points for killing a creature with a challenge rating of 4 as killing one with a challenge rating of 40 (40CR is the maximum for XP calculation).
@@ Line 147: / Line 148: @@
 In [[pen and paper]] D&D, ECL is used to compensate for the traits of the more powerful [[race]]s. The average [[drow]], for example, has several powerful abilities that make her more powerful than a [[human]], and so would always be considered to be two levels higher than the sum of her class levels. Thus a drow character would gain levels slower than a human, balancing out the racial advantages.
 [[BioWare]] did not implement this racial ECL presumably because they implemented neither [[subrace]]s nor monster races, which are the main sources of racial ECL.
 == Notes ==
-*Some [[module]]s have [[script]]ed various systems to implement subraces, and some of these include pen-and-paper style ECL. One such system utilizes racial [[hit dice]], but this solution has the drawback of using one of the character's three potential classes for these racial hit dice, limiting characters with racial hit dice to two "real" classes.
+Some [[module]]s have [[script]]ed various systems to implement subraces, and some of these include pen-and-paper style ECL. One such system utilizes racial [[hit dice]], but this solution has the drawback of using one of the character's three potential classes for these racial hit dice, limiting characters with racial hit dice to two "real" classes.