"Leveling up Pathfinder monsters to face a high level party" Topic

My group will face a pack of gnoll slavers, but being 8th level I need to level them up for an appropriate challenge. I could throw oodles of the cr1 versions against them to no avail. I was thinking add levels of ranger or barbarian to the warrior types or level up their cr rating if I can decipher how. A cleric, sorcerer, or maybe a fiendish gnoll with the caster type. Any advice or suggestions?

Yes, the easiest way to do this for humanoid style monsters is to add class levels to the monster. You could just make them higher level warriors ( link ) , an 8th level warrior is almost but not quite as tough as an 8th level fighter. Throwing in a spellcaster Gnoll would also change things up a bit.

-Will

I have not tried this but it stands to reason, and is the strength of the Pathfinder/3.x system. Your monsters and NPC's can be scaled up or down. I find this more appetizing than "trick" monsters at higher level parties. Requires a lot of work from the GM, though.

Never played Pathfinder, but the 3.x DMG has several charts of 'average' NPC stats by class by level. Take the base gnoll stat block, add the stats of the appropriate NPC class at desired level to it and you are good to go. Not much work really. For Gnolls ranger and barbarians supported by a cleric.

In the Pathfinder/3.x system you can spend a lot of time on mid-to-high level NPCs if you get lost in the feats and what not. All that matters for a Gnoll ranger is: BAB, Damage modifier, HP and Saves. Don't spend too much time on an NPC who will live 2-4 combat rounds.

The other way to cheat without changing the stats is to use the terrain or other tactical factors against them.

Maybe some of the gnolls are hiding behind a human shield of slaves and shooting at them.

Maybe fleeing slaves hamper the PCs' movement or use of missile or template weapons.

Maybe the gnolls are trained in anti-ambush drill and have a quick response to the PCs' attack.

Maybe the gnolls set booby traps.

Make them inverse, all the damage has no effect, only healing spells will harm them.

"Make them inverse, all the damage has no effect, only healing spells will harm them."

You mean llongs?