TerribleSorcery
Should be playing D&D instead
The variance is not that wide in my experience. CR 1 is more or less CR 1, whether it's a monster or a classed & leveled NPC. It shakes out to be the same ballpark. Although as you see below, that ballpark can be kinda wide from time to time.
** Except ** Classed & levelled NPCs are equipment-dependent. IIRC, with "npc gear" (whatever the fuck that is) an NPC has CR equal to their class levels-1, but with the presumably more upscale PC-grade gear, their CR would equal their level. This makes sense: under-equipped players would likewise be less effective, and have an "average party level" functionally lower than what it looks like on paper. My campaign demonstrates this firsthand since the setting is really stingy with even basic equipment. The 4th-level group is fighting weaker enemies because they lack good gear, especially armour. A quick perusal of any PF adventure path will show standard mook enemies carrying armfuls of potions, magic weapons, etc. ****
We can look at this with examples from the Archives of Nethys (they have compiled all? of the monsters from adventure paths, supplements, etc. Great place to crib statblocks so you don't have to do so much fucking work):
The CR1 category includes:
Drow Scout (2nd level rogue) - https://aonprd.com/MonsterDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Drow Scout
HP 16, Spell Resistance 8, 120' darkvision, a couple spell-like abilities, some masterwork equipment, poison and a healing potion.
Gnoll (2 HD monster) - https://aonprd.com/MonsterDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Gnoll
HP 11, and... a spear? Why am I scared of this guy? I don't know.
Ghoul (2 HD monster) - https://aonprd.com/MonsterDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Ghoul
HP 13, multiple attacks, disease and paralysis. FML
As you see, the 2nd level rogue makes sense as a CR1 enemy, and is about on par with other monsters in his bracket. But without all his sweet equipment it would be a different story.
You might also want to look at a breakdown in this PDF here, he explains it better than I:
Here, I'll just quote the relevant passage:
** Except ** Classed & levelled NPCs are equipment-dependent. IIRC, with "npc gear" (whatever the fuck that is) an NPC has CR equal to their class levels-1, but with the presumably more upscale PC-grade gear, their CR would equal their level. This makes sense: under-equipped players would likewise be less effective, and have an "average party level" functionally lower than what it looks like on paper. My campaign demonstrates this firsthand since the setting is really stingy with even basic equipment. The 4th-level group is fighting weaker enemies because they lack good gear, especially armour. A quick perusal of any PF adventure path will show standard mook enemies carrying armfuls of potions, magic weapons, etc. ****
We can look at this with examples from the Archives of Nethys (they have compiled all? of the monsters from adventure paths, supplements, etc. Great place to crib statblocks so you don't have to do so much fucking work):
The CR1 category includes:
Drow Scout (2nd level rogue) - https://aonprd.com/MonsterDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Drow Scout
HP 16, Spell Resistance 8, 120' darkvision, a couple spell-like abilities, some masterwork equipment, poison and a healing potion.
Gnoll (2 HD monster) - https://aonprd.com/MonsterDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Gnoll
HP 11, and... a spear? Why am I scared of this guy? I don't know.
Ghoul (2 HD monster) - https://aonprd.com/MonsterDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Ghoul
HP 13, multiple attacks, disease and paralysis. FML
As you see, the 2nd level rogue makes sense as a CR1 enemy, and is about on par with other monsters in his bracket. But without all his sweet equipment it would be a different story.
You might also want to look at a breakdown in this PDF here, he explains it better than I:
Here, I'll just quote the relevant passage:
Class Levels: When determining a humanoid’s CR, use its total PC class level –1 as its CR. For example, a 5th level Fighter is a CR 4 encounter. For NPC classes, use its total NPC class level –2. For example, a 2nd level Commoner is a CR ½ encounter. Multiclassing NPC classes and PC classes is messy CRwise; avoid it if possible.
Equipment: Your character’s equipment factors into its CR as well. If the character has NPC wealth appropriate for its level, its CR remains the same. If the character has no wealth, reduce its CR by 1. If the character has PC wealth, increase its CR by 1. This means that if a character has all PC class levels and is equipped appropriately for a PC of its level, its CR equals its class level. This is why the wealth guidelines are so important; if you do not keep your PCs up to date with treasure, you actually reduce the quality of the challenges that your party can face because like the total number of players in your party, the game makes assumptions about how well equipped your players are.