How to Build: Enemies with Class

Oftentimes, a dungeon master will want to include npcs in the game that have class levels, whether as mentors, allies, or enemies. However, 5e does not build npcs and monsters under the same assumptions as player characters, which means that just adding class levels to a monster is not necessarily the right choice for these scenarios.

This guide includes a discussion of the concerns and caveats for converting class levels into monster features as well as an example of this process in detail.

The Cover Image is the resulting monster statblock for an Open Hand Monk enemy designed to face a party of level 5 player characters while supported by minions.