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ECL Calculator
Soldarin's Roleplaying Pages

Automated version of the ECL Calculator (by Gab)

Guessing ECLs

To find the Equivalent Character Level (ECL) for a race, use the following system. Begin by recording the modifiers for the abilities below.

Size: +1 per size category greater than medium or smaller than small.

Hit Dice: Treat 1 HD creature as 0 HD ones, as this takes only creature HD into account. (Note that a creature's minimum ECL is its number of Hit Dice.)
· +0.4 per HD for Constructs, Oozes, Plants and Vermin
· +0.5 per HD for Abberations, Animals, Beasts, Elementals, Fey, Giants, Humanoids and Undead
· +0.6 per HD for Magical Beasts, Monstrous Humanoids and Shapechangers
· +0.8 per HD for Dragons and Outsiders.

Speed: Greater speed than warranted by size +0.2 per 50% of base land speed (minimum +0.2 if greater, round down). Lower speed gives a negative level modifier (minimum 0.2 if smaller, round down). More than one mode of movement (swim, burrow, etc.) over 10 ft. adds another +0.2. Flight adds another +0.5.

AC: Natural armor or deflection bonus to AC +0.2 per +1.

Attacks: More attacks than usual due to extra arms, heads etc. +0.2. (Add in only once.)

Reach: Greater or smaller reach than usual for the size category +/-0.5. If reach differs more than one category (i.e. a huge creature with the reach of a medium sized creature) thats another +/-0.2.

Special powers
[Abilities, like SR, that scale with level should be rated one category higher than their base value would indicate. Minor to medium, medium to major. Major powers remain major. Things you cant seem to fit in this system can often be taken to be minor powers. For example the availability of psionic feats to a psionic creature would be counted as a +0.2]
Major powers: +1, examples include:
· Regeneration 3 (or greater)
· Spell Resistance (SR) 15 (or greater)
· Damage Reduction (DR) 10/x (or greater) or x/+2 (or greater)
· Multiple resistances of which at least one is 15 (or greater)
· Immunities to more than 1 energy type (includes Undead and Constructs)
· Breath weapon that increases with level
· Baatezu Qualities
· Tanar'ri Qualities
Medium powers: +0.5, examples include:
· Regeneration 2 (or lower)
· SR 14 (or lower)
· DR 9/+1 (or lower in one or both traits)
· Natural cunning, Multiple resistances 15 (or lower)
· Immunity for 1 energy type (or single resistance 15+)
· Breath weapon
· Energy drain
· Fast healing
· Fear (DC 15 or greater)
· Ethereal (able to manifest; this is in addition to the +2 for being incorporeal)
· Poison (DC 15 or greater)
· General combat modifier (against all enemies, per +5 bonus)
Minor powers: +0.2, examples include:
· Single energy resistance of 15 or less
· Immunities to a handful of spells
· Fear (DC 14 or less), Poison (DC 14 or less)
· Blindsight
· Saving throw bonuses (saving throw bonuses for particular effects count for half)
· Special combat modifiers (per +5 bonus)
· Feats beyond what an elf rogue would have of the same amount of HD (per feat) [1 HD races do NOT get more feats than 1, unless specifically noted as bonus feats!], Improved grab, Swallow whole, Trample, Scent, Turn resistance, Stonecunning, Charge

Special: Incorporeal is too powerful for a +1 increase, I'd suggest a +2 increase for this special quality in and of itself.

Spell-like abilities
(Of all abilities on the list, this requires special judgement; if very powerful, add as much as 1 point.)
Major powers, +1
· Any spell level over 4th, once or more per day
· 10 spells/day
· more than 3 spells at will
Medium Powers, +.5
· At least one spell level 2 or 3.
· 3-9 spells per day
· Any spell over 1st level at will
Minor Powers, +.2
· Anything else
· Any 0th level powers not included in a "package" of spells above.

Equivalence to casting spells/using psionic powers as a class:
· +0.6 per level as cleric, bard, or druid
· +0.8 per level as sorcerer, wizard, or psion

Special weaknesses
Major weaknesses: -1, examples include:
· Unability to exist in sunlight
· Cannot use equipment
Medium weaknesses: -0.5, examples include:
· Can be turned
· Double damage from energy type
· Take moderate damage in sunlight
· Can hardly use any equipment (usually these creatures can still use adapted items like barding or special miscellaneous equipment; this weakness does not apply to incoporeal creatures, as these can use ethereal equipment)
· No hands
Minor weaknesses: -0.2, examples include:
· Light sensitivity
· Normal vision
· Hard to get armor due to body form
· Cannot be raised from the dead

Ability adjustments: the MM gives the average ability adjustments for each ability score, subtract 10 if the score is even, subtract 11 if the score is odd. (e.g. a score of 7 is 7 - 11 = -4, a score of 20 is 20 - 10 = +10.)
Total all the STR, DEX, and CON ability adjustments (not modifiers, adjustments are what you have left after the substraction. Actually ability adjustment equals ability modifier x 2). Add +0.1 x total adjustments.
Total all the INT, WIS, and CHA ability adjustments. Add +0.05 x total adjustments.
Note that if the totals are negative, this lowers the total ECL rating.
If the STR is greater than or equal to 20, add an addition +0.2.

Skills bonuses: Some races (such as the Kobold) have bonuses to skills because of race, explicitly listed at the end of the MM entry. Provisional modifiers count only for half.
Add +0.05 per bonus skill rank.

Final ECL
Add all modifiers together. Round down.

A list of calculated ECLs can be found here.

Automated version of the ECL Calculator (by Gab)

RaceCalc (loosely based on these rules, but created by Hamilton Meyer)