2

So let's picture ourselves a pretty drow priestess of Lolth, CLR3 which would make her a CR4 creature.

Add to her entourage Cuddles, an Owlbear Skeleton, CR 2 according to the MM and "Useless lot", three former priestess apprentices, now Drow skeletons (we'll use the HUMAN skeleton for ease of use) CR 1/3 each all controlled with rebuke.

should i consider it a CR 4 or up the gains for a CR 5-6 encounter?

if she also raised/created undead and controlled them (assuming she was of a higher level) prior to meeting the group, would THAT change the CR?

Bottom line question: Would a lonely cleric, a cleric of the same level with rebuked undead and a cleric of the same level with both rebuked and created undead have the same CR?

Mouhgouda
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  • I think this may be a duplicate of this question, although there may be enough of a misunderstanding between Challenge Rating (which is for individual creatures) and Encounter Level (which is for groups of creatures) to make a new answer. Would such an answer be valuable, or should I close this question? – Hey I Can Chan Sep 27 '17 at 18:08
  • well, that question is quite instructive on my issue, but raises some other concerns on my part.... what if the cleric in the group would have a boatload of undeads, should they reduce the XP the group receive? its still only a class ability and a spell... i'm not sure the 200-ish gold they pay would prevent them from losing XP, but then again, they paid for that ability.... i'm in an ambiguous gray zone... – Mouhgouda Sep 27 '17 at 18:15
  • I think you've switched seats. This question is from the DM's angle — the DM being the one who cares about Challenge Rating —, and that comment's from the player-character angle — Do the PCs' hangers-on share an encounter's XP? Since you've two upvotes for this question as it stands, if the PC angle's now your concern, I recommend posing a new question. – Hey I Can Chan Sep 27 '17 at 18:22
  • oh, i didn't imply this question was a player's angle, the other question got me wondering and i went off track... sorry.... i'll go think out loud somewhere else... – Mouhgouda Sep 27 '17 at 18:56
  • but then again... the result should be the same for both sides of the GM's screen, shouldn't it? – Mouhgouda Sep 27 '17 at 18:58
  • actually, i've been reading the question and the answer a second time and i'd vote to close my own question as a duplicate because it's covering quite well my question but i have no idea how... – Mouhgouda Sep 27 '17 at 19:10
  • The result isn't the same, really. PCs can easily muster forces on their behalf so as to skew an encounter in their favor, but the DM's supposed to anticipate the encounter's difficulty using the guidelines in the DMG, which are much more strict. From the DM's side, things are a constant; from the PC side, things are variable. Anyway, I closed this as a dupe; take some time and formulate the followup. – Hey I Can Chan Sep 27 '17 at 19:36

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