Café de Nuit

All I can find on changing a creature's CR is how to calcualte it from the creature as listed in MM. Where do I find the info on how to calculate it from scratch? I just looked through the DMG and SRD and didn't find it -- but they're big enough I could've easily missed it.

I think you are getting something wrong.

Calculating CR is no science.
It is an ART.
...
By saying this, I mean we're talking about something extremely aleatory.

This is one of the many reasons I took away exp points from my games.

Anyway, I think you should read page 296 of Monster Manual 3.5. It has a brief paragraph on calculaing CR.

EDIT: Sorry, I forgot that mine is the Italian edition of the MM... The page number will SURELY be different.

Found it. Thanks.

And for Ravenloft, the VRGttWD and VRGtSFey have useful guidelines for adjusting CR with added powers / abilities, minus weaknesses.

But indeed for new monsters there's a part of guess in it.

Joël