Minion Villain Class [3.5 and associates]

[treehouse]

I have mixed feelings about 4E, but one of the things that I discovered I love is the minions. 'Hordes of weak enemies attacking in waves' is one of my all-time favorite tropes in entertainment (regardless of the medium), and when pulled off correctly, can make the PCs feel like total badasses as they fight off a small army of nameless mooks.

The lack of such a mechanic in 3.5 is, in my opinion, a serious weakness. Sure, you could just throw a bunch of 3rd level warriors at your party, but they'll be wiped out in a couple of rounds, they won't do any damage, and it will feel like a waste of session time once you're done.

A solution that I am trying in Iron Heroes (with mixed results so far, but I'm still tweaking it) involves incorporating damage saves as a replacement for hit points on NPCs with the 'Minion' template (http://online-roleplaying.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10554). Damage saves are a mechanic in Spycraft 2.0.

I don't think that damage saves will work well in D&D 3.5 because they are too 'different'. I also don't think that the Minion template is perfect, because it vastly increases the damage potential of the minions in the first two or three rounds, depending on how quickly the PCs start focusing them down. AoE capability (or the lack of it) is also a consideration. Too much party AoE and minions are a joke. Too little and the party might get killed.

My second attempt at a solution to the conundrum comes from Iron Heroes instead of Spycraft - the villain class! For those unfamiliar, villain classes in IH are available only to NPCs and have a set progression. It allows NPCs of various archetypes to be drafted up mid-session in a matter of seconds at the expense of customization.

This will not totally function as a villain class; I'm eschewing the 'preset abilities/feats/skills' and instead trying to allow the minion to be whatever the situation demands.

So, with those basic design notes in mind, here is the first draft of the 3.5 Minion. I'm not bothering with charts and grids at the moment since it will probably change quite a bit. Oh, and the reason 'gestalt' gets mentioned a few times is because almost all of the 3.5 games I am running right now are gestalt (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/gestaltCharacters.htm), and I want my players in those games to understand how the minion villain class would affect them.

MINION

Special Note: An NPC with levels in the Minion villain class cannot have levels in any other class, nor can they benefit from a second simultaneous class per the gestalt rules. NPCs with more than three racial HD cannot go into the Minion villain class. Minions always benefit from the elite array.

Hit Points: 1 per level + Con modifier.

Design Note: They die easily. simple enough! Just in case the wording is not clear enough, they get their Con modifier applied once, not once per level.

Class Skills: Choose any four.
Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + Int modifier) x4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier

Design Note: Skills for minions should be few, and based on their role.

Base Attack Bonus: Good (as Fighter)
Base Fortitude: Poor (as Fighter's Will Save)
Base Reflex: Poor (as Fighter's Will Save)
Base Will: Poor (as Fighter's Will Save)

Design Note: They have good attack bonus by default because their lack of appropriate gear for their CR will have a substantial impact on their ability to hit similar level PCs. Their save bonuses are all poor initially; they get one good save based on their specialty.

Class Features

Proficiencies: A minion is proficient with one simple weapon, one martial weapon, one type of armor and one type of shield.

Design Note: Minions are not versatile warriors with many different weapons handy. They generally know how to use what they are holding, and that's it.

1st level: Minions gain evasion (as a 2nd level rogue, except that they benefit from it when using medium or heavy armor) and mettle (as a 3rd level hexblade).

Design Note: These prevent a minion from dying when they make a save (unless they get hit by an effect that does damage anyway).

1st level: Strong In Numbers... - minions come in groups (squads) equal to (number of PCs + equivalent allies) x 2, and award experience as a single monster of the appropriate CR.

Design Note: This is the most important mechanic of the minion class.

1st level: ...But Not Alone - minions never gain iterative attacks from a high base attack bonus. They can never take more than a -3 to hit, +3 to damage from the Power Attack feat, and never benefit from wielding a weapon two handed for the purpose of the Power Attack feat. Minions may gain up to one extra attack from any source (be it feat, spell or natural attack).

Design Note: This is my initial idea to keep minion damage reasonable. This may be too strong or too weak, I really don't know.

4th level: Specialty - minions gain one specialty: martial, sneaky, or acolyte. At the DM's option, minions in a gestalt campaign may benefit from two specialties, but their CR increases by two. Minions cannot benefit from three specialties.



Martial - martial minions gain a bonus feat every 4 levels that must be chosen from the fighter's bonus feat list. They are considered a fighter of half their current level for the purpose of qualifying for feats such as Weapon Specialization. Martial minions' Fortitude save progression becomes good (as a Fighter's).
Sneaky - sneaky minions gain +1d6 sneak attack every 4 levels, and Stealthy as a bonus feat. At 12th level, they may use hide in plain sight as the rogue special ability once per day. Sneaky minions' Reflex save progression becomes good (as a Rogue's).
Acolyte - acolyte minions have limited spell-casting ability. They learn a 1st level spell from the sorcerer/wizard list that they may cast twice per day (save DCs are Charisma-based, caster level equals half the minion's level). At 8th level, they may learn a 2nd level spell. At 12th level, they learn a 3rd level spell, and they may begin casting their 1st level spell at will. At 16th level they may learn a 4th level spell, and they may begin casting their 2nd level spell at will. At 20th level, they may learn a 5th level spell, and they may begin casting their 3rd level spell at will. Acolyte minions' Will save progression becomes good (as a Sorcerer's).

Design Note: Specialties are how the DM defines the flavor of the minion - it allows me to create a horde of ninjas or sentries pretty easily. This is probably the ability that deserves the most scrutiny. Acolyte minions may be a bit too powerful, and sneaky minions may be a bit too weak.

[LeadPal]

Ridiculously powerful at low levels. Imagine four level 1 PCs ambushed by eight sneaky minions with Rapid Shot. Of course you're probably intending this more for higher levels, but that will take me much more time to think about.

[treehouse]

Low level balance does need work - I don't have any games going with PCs below 9th level, so that's basically where my mind is right now.

For the record though, there aren't any 1st level sneaky minions - they get their specialty (or specialties) at 4th.

[LeadPal]

For the record though, there aren't any 1st level sneaky minions - they get their specialty (or specialties) at 4th. Oh, I see. The way it's worded makes it sound like they should still get stealthy though.

Current thoughts:

A second attack is so easy to get it's practically a given after the first few levels. I'm not sure if that's a problem or not, though.

Martial specialties should allow access to fighter-only feats (and maybe the others to their respective classes, though it's less important). Weapon Specialization would make a significant difference if you wanted an especially hard-hitting group, and later on the PHII's fighter stuff could really help them to keep up.

I don't think Sneaky minions are too weak, especially if they attack from hiding while the party is distracted by a normal monster or two. They've got a lot of dice between them, and the numbers to make flanking easy.

[treehouse]

Maybe they shouldn't get access to a second attack no matter what? I wanted to keep my options open (not power-wise, flavor-wise), but definitely not at the expense of balance. Alternatively, prevent them from gaining a second attack until they reach a higher level. Thoughts?

Martial specialties should allow access to fighter-only feats

That's already in there.

I don't think Sneaky minions are too weak, especially if they attack from hiding while the party is distracted by a normal monster or two. They've got a lot of dice between them, and the numbers to make flanking easy.

Those are good points...kind of makes me wonder if sneaky minions are in fact too powerful.

[treehouse]

Here is a human martial minion at various stages of progression. Keep in mind while reviewing that the minion's gear is based off of the NPC gear value table in the DMG (page 127) and then divided by 8.

I think this progression shows that minions are still too powerful at CR 4. They seem like an appropriate challenge at CRs 8 and 12, begin looking like an inferior challenge by CR 16, and a total joke by CR 20.

Oh, and I need to change the names of the 'strong in numbers...' '...but not alone' class abilities to something else, because they look stupid in a stat block.

Name: Test Human Minion Level 4
Hit Dice: 4 HD (6 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares)
Armor Class: 16 (+1 Dex, +5 armor), touch 11, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+7
Attack: Great sword +8 melee (2d6+4)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: But not alone…, evasion, mettle, specialty (martial), strong in numbers…
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +2, Will +2
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 10
Skills: Listen +8, Spot +8
Feats: Adaptable Flanker*, Combat Reflexes, Vexing Flanker*, Weapon Focus (great sword)
Organization: Squad of 8
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: Great sword, breastplate
*from Player’s Handbook II

(compare to barghest, minotaur or owlbear)


Name: Test Human Minion Level 8
Hit Dice: 8 HD (10 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares)
Armor Class: 17 (+1 Dex, +6 armor), touch 11, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +8/+11
Attack: Great sword +13 melee (2d6+6)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: But not alone…, evasion, mettle, specialty (martial), strong in numbers…
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +3, Will +3
Abilities: Str 17, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 10
Skills: Listen +12, Spot +12
Feats: Adaptable Flanker*, Combat Reflexes, Power Attack, Vexing Flanker*, Weapon Focus (great sword), Weapon Specialization (great sword)
Organization: Squad of 8
Challenge Rating: 8
Treasure: Masterwork great sword, breastplate +1
*from Player’s Handbook II

(compare to elder xorn, mind flayer, stone giant or tyrannosaurus rex)


Name: Test Human Minion Level 12
Hit Dice: 12 HD (14 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares)
Armor Class: 17 (+1 Dex, +6 armor), touch 11, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +12/+16
Attack: Great sword +18 melee (2d6+9)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: But not alone…, evasion, mettle, specialty (martial), strong in numbers…
Saves: Fort +10, Ref +5, Will +5
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 10
Skills: Listen +12, Spot +12
Feats: Adaptable Flanker*, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Mobility, Power Attack, Spring Attack, Vexing Flanker*, Weapon Focus (great sword), Weapon Specialization (great sword)
Organization: Squad of 8
Challenge Rating: 12
Treasure: great sword +1, breastplate +1
*from Player’s Handbook II

(compare to eleven-headed pyrohydra, displacer beast pack lord, purple worm)


Name: Test Human Minion Level 16
Hit Dice: 16 HD (18 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares)
Armor Class: 18 (+1 Dex, +6 armor, +1 deflection), touch 12, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +16/+21
Attack: Great sword +28 melee (2d6+10)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: But not alone…, evasion, mettle, specialty (martial), strong in numbers…
Saves: Fort +12, Ref +6, Will +6
Abilities: Str 21, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 10
Skills: Listen +20, Spot +20
Feats: Adaptable Flanker*, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Greater Weapon Focus (great sword), Mobility, Power Attack, Spring Attack, Vexing Flanker*, Weapon Focus (great sword), Weapon Specialization (great sword)
Organization: Squad of 8
Challenge Rating: 16
Treasure: great sword +1, breastplate +1, gauntlets of ogre power, ring of deflection +1
*from Player’s Handbook II

(compare to horned devil, greater stone golem, nightwalker)


Name: Test Human Minion Level 20
Hit Dice: 20 HD (22 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares)
Armor Class: 18 (+1 Dex, +6 armor, +1 deflection), touch 12, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +20/+25
Attack: Great sword +32 melee (2d6+12 + 1d6 fire)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: But not alone…, evasion, mettle, specialty (martial), strong in numbers…
Saves: Fort +17, Ref +12, Will +12
Abilities: Str 22, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 10
Skills: Listen +24, Spot +24
Feats: Adaptable Flanker*, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Greater Weapon Focus (great sword), Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Mobility, Power Attack, Spring Attack, Vexing Flanker*, Weapon Focus (great sword), Weapon Specialization (great sword)
Organization: Squad of 8
Challenge Rating: 20
Treasure: flaming great sword +1, breastplate +1, gauntlets of ogre power, ring of deflection +1, cloak of resistance +3
*from Player’s Handbook II


(compare to balor, pit fiend, tarrasque)

[LeadPal]

It occurs to me that critical hits are vastly more valuable to a team of minions than to a single monster of the same CR, since the minions will be attacking way more often. In fact, swinginess is a real problem for minions, which is why 4e gives them flat damage.

I suggest giving them a quality like this:

1st level: Luckless - a minion's critical is always 20/x2. If their critical after all modifiers is 20/x2 already, they can't inflict critical hits at all.So, a team of minions can't expect to one-shot a PC just by rolling dozens of scythe attacks.

Maybe they shouldn't get access to a second attack no matter what? I wanted to keep my options open (not power-wise, flavor-wise), but definitely not at the expense of balance. Alternatively, prevent them from gaining a second attack until they reach a higher level. Thoughts?It's a problem, definitely, and I'm not sure what to do about it. Perhaps they could have a maximum number of attacks equal to the number of iterative attacks they would otherwise get?

Those are good points...kind of makes me wonder if sneaky minions are in fact too powerful.Try giving that specialty medium BAB. With the above suggestion this even makes it impossible for them to get multiple sneak attacks in a round until level 8, although that level then becomes a huge jump in power, though. Maybe they could get a low, flat sneak attack, something like 1 point every two levels. It could still be improved with rogue options if you want something nastier.

Now that I think of it, you could drop the acolyte BAB to medium or poor, and give them a 0-level spell at level 1. That distinguishes all specialties at all levels.

That's already in there.But paying attention takes effort!

[LeadPal]

I think this progression shows that minions are still too powerful at CR 4. They seem like an appropriate challenge at CRs 8 and 12, begin looking like an inferior challenge by CR 16, and a total joke by CR 20.I just realized that scaling the number of minions to the number of PCs is a really bad idea. Against less than 4 PCs, the minions are severely penalized compared to a monster of equal CR; against more than 4 PCs, the minions have a huge bonus.

[treehouse]

I just realized that scaling the number of minions to the number of PCs is a really bad idea. Against less than 4 PCs, the minions are severely penalized compared to a monster of equal CR; against more than 4 PCs, the minions have a huge bonus.

Not really - the assumption is that (once everything is balanced) each PC can effectively deal with two minions at a time.

1st level: Luckless - a minion's critical is always 20/x2. If their critical after all modifiers is 20/x2 already, they can't inflict critical hits at all.

This reminds me that in my original write-up of the minions, they couldn't score critical hits at all. I might put that back in. Or this.

It's a problem, definitely, and I'm not sure what to do about it. Perhaps they could have a maximum number of attacks equal to the number of iterative attacks they would otherwise get?

I could just say 'minions can't benefit from Rapid Shot, Two Weapon Fighting or benefit from haste until 6th level'?

I don't want to give sneaky minions average base attack - they're going to have trouble hitting as it is without appropriate gear for their CR.

I'm thinking of scrapping the acolyte minion for now and just letting the DM decide which save is good.

[LeadPal]

Not really - the assumption is that (once everything is balanced) each PC can effectively deal with two minions at a time.Yeah, but it obscures the meaning of the CR, which makes it harder to balance them versus other monsters. It'd be easier to have just a flat number of minions for each single "monster pick", like in 4e. That adds a new way to increase power too, since you can rule that higher CRs add more minions that lower ones.

I suppose it's more of a gripe than a genuine problem, though.

[BigRedRod]

I think you could take a lot more from the 4e minions.

-No damage rolls (it also means they can't crit, which really is a good thing)

-1 HP (I know you don't like this, and I can see your point as 3e parties are balanced differently to 4e ones, but one of the key points about minions is "less work for the DM")

-I wouldn't bother with feats and just set all skills to "+minion level"

I will have a deeper look at the specifics when I shouldn't be working.

[Gralhruk]

Maybe I'm looking at this wrong, but isn't the entire point of the mook to get killed more or less instantly by the badass hero? Why all the work with a class and stuff? I should think one hit point plus some fixed bonus to hit / damage ought to cover you (ie. +1 to hit / damage for every two party levels or something).

That'd at least give them a chance to do something before they die but not much of an opportunity to really wipe a party out.

[treehouse]

Thank you all for the honest feedback - the more I think about it, the more I think that this entire concept is wrong for what I want to do. I'm going to scrap it completely and start over (look for an update soon).

One point to make - giving them all 1 HP doesn't work in 3.5. In 4E, PC mechanics are very structured and organized so that only a few classes (controllers such as wizards) can harm multiple enemies at once with ease. In 3.5, magic missile would be the ultimate minion-killer, taking out up to five at a time without them even getting a save. There are plenty of other examples of spells, or spell and feat combos that would kill many minions at once with 100% efficiency. I could just say 'minions cannot die from effects that don't require an attack roll or grant a save', but that seems...clunky.

My IRL 3.5 players are the sort that will want hard, well-defined mechanics, so this has to be polished, not 'patched', if that makes any sense.

[Gralhruk]

I guess I'm just wondering what the problem is with killing minions with efficiency - at the end of the day, someone is still wasting a round to do it. And you can always throw more at them.

[treehouse]

It depends on how much XP they are worth...my Eberron group just hit 13th level and I still have three and a half story arcs to cover. I hate the 3.5 epic rules (4E handled it so much better), so I'm determined to get it all done within the scope of my 7 remaining levels.

[Gralhruk]

Ah, well I can't help you there. We always just did XP by feel - "Yeah, seems like we ought to have gained a level by now".

[Cadrius]

Why not base the experience on the total encounter and not a sum of the minions? If, say, you rate the encounter as medium difficulty and worth Y experience then you can throw more/less minions at them throughout to keep the fight at that appropriate difficulty level without having to worry about tallying that each one was worth 2.33 points each.

[treehouse]

I'm pretty solidly in the 'defined reward system' camp, both as a DM and as a player. Plot and character are important, but the fundamental backbone of the RPG genre is that characters gain levels and collect loot after killing bad guys. If you start blurring that line too much, you can risk player disillusionment.

I say this to make the following point: there definitely needs to be a relationship between the number of minions and the experience reward. The difference between 10 minions and 100 minions in a single encounter has a tangible effect on the consumption of party resources (and thus, the overall challenge).

[Gralhruk]

the fundamental backbone of the RPG genre is that characters gain levels and collect loot after killing bad guys
Well, my half assed system follows that model - just without a spreadsheet ;). But anyway, point taken.

How about this: Minions always have a leader, right? So make "Hoard of Minions" a quality of the leader and give that quality an XP amount, just like you would if he had poison or could turn invisible at will. Then you could make a few different categories of Hoard (from 10 to unlimited or something). With this model you don't get XP for killing minions, you get XP for killing the leader.

Edit: Or maybe instead of a set number, maybe give him a set number of times he could call upon his minions.

[treehouse]

So make "Hoard of Minions" a quality of the leader and give that quality an XP amountI love that idea so much it hurts. It would need to be a template with a CR boost...looks like I have a new mechanic to play with.

[BigRedRod]

Yeah, I don't have much of a problem with a wizard being able to wipe out minions. Fighters will be cleaving through them like nobodies business, so it's not overly stacking the wizard's hand. And it still burns resources. Obviously, they should have the whole "if an attack deals damage on a failed save, then the minion takes no damage" thing they have in 4e.

In fact, tying their level and CR to how many an appropriate wizard can kill in a round seems like a good idea to me.

Edit: Gral's idea is pretty good. Just make it a feat or a template.

[treehouse]

It's not that I don't want wizards to kill minions easily, I just don't want them to get a lot of experience for a minimal resource expenditure (i.e. a magic missile).

The problem is the CR system being linked to experience rewards directly, which is by far my least favorite thing about 3.5 (as a DM). I love that in 4E, a monster is worth a flat amount of XP no matter what.

[Black Plauge]

My take on this idea:

MINION

Special Note: An NPC with levels in the Minion villain class cannot have levels in any other class, nor can they benefit from a second simultaneous class per the gestalt rules. NPCs with more than three racial HD cannot go into the Minion villain class. Minions always benefit from the elite array.

Hit Points: 1 per level + Con modifier.

I haven't changed anything here, I think this seems reasonable. It prevents stuff that isn't supposed to be a mass minion killer from being one while still letting those things which are be a mass minion killer.

Class Skills: Choose any two.
Class Skill Modifier: Level + ability modifier
Cross-class Skill Modifier: 1/2 level + ability modifier

I'm simplifying this significantly. No need to track and spend skill points.

Base Attack Bonus: Good (as Fighter)
Base Fortitude: Poor (as Fighter's Will Save)
Base Reflex: Poor (as Fighter's Will Save)
Base Will: Poor (as Fighter's Will Save)

I'm not changing this. It seems reasonable.

Class Features

Proficiencies: A minion is proficient with one simple weapon, one martial weapon, one type of armor and one type of shield.

No changes here.

1st level: Minions gain evasion (as a 2nd level rogue, except that they benefit from it when using medium or heavy armor) and mettle (as a 3rd level hexblade).

This is the classic minion feature and you'll see no objections here.

1st level: Strong In Numbers... - minions come in groups (squads) which are treated as a single creature for CR and XP issues (CR = level of minion). Squad size is based on level: 1-7: 3 minions/squad; 8-13: 4 minions/squad; 14-20: 5 minions/squad

I agree with this in principle, but like others think that the squad size should be fixed by the level/CR rather than the party size. I've also taken a page from the new 4e minions by having the number increase as level increases.

1st level: ...But Not Alone - minions cannot have more than one attack on a permanent basis (i.e. from a feat, natural attack, etc.). They may gain up to one extra attack from a temporary source (such as a spell), but always take a -5 penalty on that second attack.
Minons with the Power attack feat always gain -3 to hit, +3 to damage (reduced at levels 1 & 2), and never benefit from wielding a weapon two handed for the purpose of the Power Attack feat.
Minions cannot score a critical hit and always roll average damage..

Again, I'm simplifying here. Less to track. Fewer decisions for the DM to make in play.

4th level: Specialty - minions gain one specialty: martial, sneaky, or acolyte. At the DM's option, minions in a gestalt campaign may benefit from two specialties, but their CR increases by two. Minions cannot benefit from three specialties.



Martial - martial minions gain a bonus feat every 4 levels that must be chosen from the fighter's bonus feat list. They are considered a fighter of half their current level for the purpose of qualifying for feats such as Weapon Specialization. Martial minions' Fortitude save progression becomes good (as a Fighter's).
Sneaky - sneaky minions gain +3 sudden strike damage every 4 levels, and Stealthy as a bonus feat. At 12th level, they may use hide in plain sight as the rogue special ability once per day. Sneaky minions' Reflex save progression becomes good (as a Rogue's).
Acolyte - acolyte minions have limited spell-casting ability. They learn a cantrip and a 1st level spell from the sorcerer/wizard list. They can cast each spell they know twice per day (save DCs are Charisma-based, caster level equals half the minion's level). At 8th level, they may learn a 2nd level spell and their cantrip can be cast at-will. At 12th level, they learn a 3rd level spell, and they may begin casting their 1st level spell at will. At 16th level they may learn a 4th level spell, and they may begin casting their 2nd level spell at will. At 20th level, they may learn a 5th level spell, and they may begin casting their 3rd level spell at will. Acolyte minions' Will save progression becomes good (as a Sorcerer's).

I haven't touched the martial minion, but have changed the other two. For the sneaky minion, I've made the SA damage flat (though it still scales with level) and changed it to sudden strike damage (i.e. no bonus damage from flanking). Since minions always come in numbers, this prevents them from always benefiting from it. For the acolyte, I added the cantrip (as was suggested by someone else). I might consider increasing the level at which the at-will frequency kicks in.


To the above I add the following:

Equipment: Minion equipment is never magical or masterwork. Minions don't get the good stuff.

Inherent Bonuses: Minions gain an inherent bonus to AC and Saves equal to 1/6th their level. This offsets their lack of magical equipment to keep them a respectable threat (much like giving them the good BAB did).

Critical Vulnerability: A critical hit always kills a minion. It may seem redundant, but in 3.5 its still possible to roll poor damage on a critical hit. If you hit the minion with a critical hit then the minion should die, regardless of the damage roll.

[treehouse]

Just an update on how I ended up going with this.

I ended up hijacking and house ruling the standard NPC classes until they worked for me, as follows:

1) Characters who only have levels in NPC classes have a CR equal to half their level (rounded down).

2) Characters who only have levels in NPC classes have half the gear appropriate for an NPC whose level is equal to their CR (see table in DMG, page 127).

3) Adepts, commoners, experts and magewrights get 1 hp + Con per level. Warriors get 2 hp + Con per level.

So a level 12 warrior will be a CR 6. If he has a 12 Con, he'll have 24 hit points. He'll have 2,800 gp worth of gear.

A squad of eight of these guys pitted against a group of level 12 PCs would be worth 3,600 XP and carry 22,400 gp worth of gear.

In comparison, a single NPC who has 12 levels in wizard would be worth 3,600 XP and 27,000 gp worth of gear.

It doesn't always work out quite that neatly at all levels of play, but for the most part it will suit my purposes.

Thanks again for all the comments and advice.