Monster Level

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There are some vague or non-exact figures and information on this page. Some spading is required. See the "Needs Research" section.

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Monster Level

A monster's level is used mainly to characterize its attack strength; modifying a monster's level can also change its defense stat, hit points, and the number of stat points gained by defeating it. By definition:

 ML = Atk

For a normal combat monster:

• All monsters of that type have a set specific attack and defense stat (comparable to a character's Muscle and Moxie).
• Actual defense is equal to 90% of (base defense + ML Modifiers + Random Variation), rounded up.
• For most monsters, base attack is equal to base defense. However due to the above formula, actual defense will normally be significantly less.
• The number of hit points is typically equal to 80% of its level, though this can vary significantly.
• The number of stat points gained is equal to 25% of its attack rating:

 XP = Atk / 4

• If this gives a fractional result, the amount of stat gain is randomly rounded up or down based on the amount of that fraction.

For monsters which scale to your level:

• The attack value is equal to your Moxie plus some offset specific to that monster.
• The defense value is equal to your Muscle plus some offset specific to that monster.
• The HP is equal to your HP times some fraction specific to that monster.
• The number of stat points are calculated as above (25% of Attack).
• Scaling monsters are never affected by ML modifiers.

Changing Monster Level

The level of a monster can be raised or lowered as you encounter it, based on your equipment, buffs, active effects, and the current setting of the Canadian Mind-Control Device, The Annoy-o-Tron 5000 or detuned radio. This adjustment affects all of the monster's point ratings.

After combat begins, the level of the monster can also be altered by combat skills and combat items, but these changes only affect the attack and defense of the monster, leaving the hit points and stat gain points unchanged. If you repeatedly face stab a monster down to 0 level you will still receive XP based on its stats at the beginning of the fight.

As mentioned above, monster level modifiers in effect before the fight begins do not affect scaling monsters in any way. Monster level modifiers used while fighting a scaling monster work normally.

The objects and familiars that affect Stat Gains from Fights do not affect monster levels. For example, bringing a Blood-Faced Volleyball familiar will increase your stats per fight but will not make the fight more difficult.

Monster Level Variance

Sometime in the summer of 2006, monster level variance was added to the game. Monsters' Atk, Def, and HP are all now found to vary by ±5 points.

• All three statistics independently vary by 5% of their base value, rounded down and capped at 5.
• Thus variance does not occur on monsters whose base ML, attack and defense are less than 20.
• XP remains constant.
• Fernswarthy's Basement monsters do not vary. They stay at the ML they are given depending on the floor that they're on. It is currently unknown whether scaling monsters are affected by this variance or not.

Strategy Implications

Based on this, here are some basic adventuring strategies:

• Know the peak monster level of an area, and don't enter it until your Moxie is at least 7 greater than that level, guaranteeing that you can only be hit by monster critical hits.
• Know the average monster level of an area, and go ahead and enter that area when your attack stat is equal to or greater than that level, so that you will hit at least 50% of the time, but you will have to heal during or after each battle.
• In combination with either of the above, wear equipment that raises monster levels to set up the monsters you will encounter with higher stat point gains, and then use combat skills that lower monster level to make the monsters beatable again (although you will still have to deal damage equal to the raised hit point value).

Monster Level Modifiers

Here's a list of everything in the game that is currently known or suspected to alter the level of your opponents.

True Modifiers

The following directly modify the ML of monsters, increasing or reducing attack, defense, HP, and stat gains.

Combat Effects

The following table lists modifiers applied during combat. Although they might alter a monster's power in some way, it is not a true change of ML.

Modifiers Dependent on Another Mechanic

Some modifiers vary with moonlight or even player choice.

Needs Research

The following ML boosters require further research.

Notes

• Jick confirmed on the radio show that "delevel on hit" weapons act for 10% to 20% of weapon power in -ML.

History

• Before November 30, 2005 a monster's hit points did not increase with its level. This allowed the LTSynergy strategy to be very effective before this "nerf."

Monster Level and Combat Rate Modifiers

This section is no longer applicable as of the January 15, 2009 trivial update: "The much-maligned, super-secret hidden interaction between +Monster Level and +Noncombat Chance has been removed." It is left here only for historical purposes.

With the introduction of NS13, a hidden Combat Frequency modifying effect was added to ML increasers, leading to an anti-synergy between net combat decreasers and +ML. This anti-synergy has no effect on the base combat rate, and leads to a flat 1% combats per +5ML applied.

The strategic implications of this effect are powerful: you now have a choice between boosting +ML to get increased stats from an area, or boosting non-combats in order to complete certain quests faster. While leveling in non-combat-heavy stat zones such as The Haunted Gallery or The Palindome, it is thus better to run no +ML and boost non-combats. Meanwhile, in zones such as The Penultimate Fantasy Airship where both leveling and non-combats are required, a delicate balance between +ML and +non-combat skills must be maintained.

The full effect of +ML as a combat rate modifier is as follows:

• -ML has no combat frequency effect
• If the net combat frequency modifier, pre-ML, is negative (i.e., you are running net non-combat boosters)
  • Then:
    • Decimal net combat modifiers are truncated once
    • MCD/Annoy-o-Tron/radio do not contribute to this anti-synergy
    • Otherwise, +1ML adds +0.2% combats
    • Decimal values are then truncated a second time
    • Combat rate cannot be modified beyond the base rate (i.e., the most the ML effect can do is nullify the net non-combat modifier)
  • Otherwise, there is no additional effect on combat frequency.

Example: through some combination of effects, you are running +10% non-combats and +5% combats, for a net effect of +5% non-combats. You are also running +40ML. The +40ML translates into a non-combat modifier anti-synergy of 40×0.2%=8%, which is greater than the net non-combat modifier. Hence the final situation is +40ML and +0% non-combats.

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