Secret Lesson 98

Combat Encounters, Challenge Rating, and Building Encounters

Lesson 97 completed our study of:

TRAPS

Now we reach the final lesson of the:

GAMEPLAY TOOLBOX

and one of the most important subjects for anyone who wants to become a:

GAME MASTER

How do you decide:

WHICH MONSTERS THE CHARACTERS SHOULD FIGHT?

How many enemies should there be?

How dangerous should the battle feel?

What does:

CHALLENGE RATING

actually mean?

How do you turn monster XP values into:

A LOW-DIFFICULTY ENCOUNTER

A MODERATE-DIFFICULTY ENCOUNTER

or:

A HIGH-DIFFICULTY ENCOUNTER?

And once the mathematical budget is correct:

HOW DO YOU MAKE THE BATTLEFIELD INTERESTING?

The SRD 5.2.1 provides a three-step encounter-building system based on:

PARTY LEVEL

NUMBER OF CHARACTERS

DESIRED DIFFICULTY

and:

MONSTER XP VALUES

It then provides several troubleshooting rules because:

THE NUMBERS ARE GUIDELINES

not a guarantee of exactly what will happen at the table.

PART ONE — COMBAT ENCOUNTERS ARE MORE THAN MONSTERS

Before discussing difficulty calculations, the SRD gives four ways to make a combat encounter:

MORE INTERESTING

or:

MORE CHALLENGING

These are:

CHANGES IN ELEVATION

DEFENSIVE POSITIONS

MIXED MONSTER GROUPS

and:

REASONS TO MOVE

 

This is an important GM lesson.

An encounter isn't only:

“FOUR HEROES STAND HERE AND FIVE MONSTERS STAND THERE.”

The:

BATTLEFIELD

can matter just as much as the creatures.

PART TWO — CHANGES IN ELEVATION

The SRD recommends terrain that creates differences in:

HEIGHT

Examples include:

STACKS OF EMPTY CRATES

LEDGES

and:

BALCONIES

 

These features reward:

CLEVER POSITIONING

and encourage characters to use movement options such as:

JUMPING

CLIMBING

FLYING

or:

TELEPORTATION

FLAT BATTLEFIELD

Imagine a room containing:

FOUR HEROES

and:

FOUR MONSTERS

Everything is on one flat floor.

The encounter might function perfectly well.

But movement may become:

PREDICTABLE

ELEVATED BATTLEFIELD

Now add:

A BALCONY

A STONE STAIRCASE

and:

STACKED CRATES

Suddenly:

The archer might want:

THE BALCONY

The Fighter might climb:

THE CRATES

A flying creature can exploit:

VERTICAL SPACE

A teleporting Wizard might bypass:

THE STAIRS

The monster statistics haven't changed.

But the encounter has gained:

TACTICAL DECISIONS

PART THREE — DEFENSIVE POSITIONS

The SRD recommends placing enemies in:

HARD-TO-REACH LOCATIONS

or:

DEFENSIVE POSITIONS

 

This can force characters who normally prefer to remain at range to:

MOVE

EXAMPLE

A party's archer normally wants to stand:

FAR FROM THE ENEMY

But the enemy archers are firing from behind:

DEFENSIVE COVER

on a fortified platform.

Remaining stationary might no longer be:

THE BEST PLAN

The party may need to:

ADVANCE

CLIMB

TELEPORT

FLANK

or:

FORCE THE ENEMIES OUT

IMPORTANT

The SRD is not saying:

“DEFENSIVE POSITION = AUTOMATIC BONUS”

Use the actual rules for whatever the position provides.

For example:

COVER

ELEVATION

DISTANCE

DIFFICULT TERRAIN

or another existing mechanic.

The phrase:

DEFENSIVE POSITION

is encounter-design guidance.

It does not invent a new universal modifier.

PART FOUR — MIXED MONSTER GROUPS

Different types of monsters can:

WORK TOGETHER

and combine their abilities.

The SRD compares this to player characters with different:

CLASSES

and:

ORIGINS

A diverse group of enemies can therefore be:

MORE POWERFUL

than a less varied force.

EXAMPLE

Imagine an encounter containing only:

MELEE CREATURES

The players may solve the encounter by controlling:

DISTANCE

Now replace some of those creatures with enemies that:

ATTACK FROM RANGE

The melee creatures pressure the front.

The ranged enemies pressure the back.

The XP budget might remain similar.

But the enemy team now has:

COMPLEMENTARY CAPABILITIES

IMPORTANT

This is one reason encounter XP should not be treated as:

A PERFECT PREDICTION MACHINE

Monster abilities can interact.

Terrain can favor one side.

Tactics can matter.

The party's resources can matter.

PART FIVE — REASONS TO MOVE

The SRD recommends battlefield features that encourage both:

CHARACTERS

and:

ENEMIES

to move.

Examples include:

CHANDELIERS

KEGS OF GUNPOWDER OR OIL

and:

ROLLING STONE TRAPS

 

WHY THIS MATTERS

A combat becomes less dynamic if everyone chooses:

ONE SQUARE

on round 1

and remains there until:

SOMEONE REACHES 0 HP

A reason to move can transform the scene.

EXAMPLE

A keg of oil sits beside:

THE ENEMY POSITION

Now the players have a reason to:

REPOSITION

The enemies have a reason to:

PROTECT IT

or:

MOVE AWAY FROM IT

The actual mechanical consequences of interacting with such an object depend on:

THE RULES USED FOR THAT OBJECT OR EFFECT

The important encounter-design principle is:

GIVE CREATURES REASONS TO CHANGE POSITION

PART SIX — CHALLENGE RATING

Before building encounters, remember:

CHALLENGE RATING

or:

CR

Challenge Rating summarizes the threat a monster poses to:

A GROUP OF FOUR PLAYER CHARACTERS

 

BASIC CR COMPARISON

Compare:

MONSTER CR

to:

CHARACTER LEVEL

If the monster's CR is:

HIGHER

the monster is likely to be:

DANGEROUS

If its CR is:

LOWER

the monster likely presents:

LESS THREAT

But the SRD immediately warns that actual threat can change significantly based on:

CIRCUMSTANCES

and:

NUMBER OF PLAYER CHARACTERS

 

CR IS NOT

“THE LEVEL OF THE MONSTER”

A CR 5 monster isn't literally:

A LEVEL 5 PLAYER CHARACTER

Challenge Rating is its own:

MONSTER THREAT MEASURE

CR IS ALSO NOT

“FOUR LEVEL 5 CHARACTERS MUST ALWAYS BEAT CR 5”

The SRD describes threat in:

GUIDELINE TERMS

Actual play can change the result.

PART SEVEN — CR AND A PARTY OF FOUR

The Combat Encounter rules give an especially useful rough guideline.

For:

FOUR CHARACTERS

a single monster whose CR equals:

THE CHARACTERS' LEVEL

generally represents:

A LOW-DIFFICULTY CHALLENGE

 

EXAMPLE

Four characters are:

LEVEL 5

A single:

CR 5

monster will generally represent approximately:

LOW DIFFICULTY

under this rough guideline.

But:

THIS IS ONLY A ROUGH GUIDELINE

The full encounter-building system uses:

XP BUDGETS

PART EIGHT — THE THREE-STEP ENCOUNTER-BUILDING SYSTEM

To build a combat encounter:

STEP 1 — CHOOSE A DIFFICULTY

STEP 2 — DETERMINE YOUR XP BUDGET

STEP 3 — SPEND YOUR XP BUDGET

 

That's the entire core procedure.

The complexity comes from:

MAKING GOOD CHOICES WITHIN THOSE STEPS

PART NINE — STEP 1: CHOOSE A DIFFICULTY

The SRD gives:

THREE DIFFICULTY CATEGORIES

They are:

LOW

MODERATE

and:

HIGH

There is no fourth category in this SRD table called:

EASY

HARD

or:

DEADLY

for this encounter-building procedure.

Use:

LOW

MODERATE

HIGH

PART TEN — LOW DIFFICULTY

A:

LOW-DIFFICULTY ENCOUNTER

may still contain:

ONE OR TWO SCARY MOMENTS

But the characters should normally emerge:

VICTORIOUS

with:

NO CASUALTIES

They may still need to spend:

HEALING RESOURCES

 

IMPORTANT

Low does not mean:

“THE MONSTERS CAN'T HURT ANYONE.”

A low encounter can still:

DEAL DAMAGE

FORCE SAVES

SPEND SPELL SLOTS

USE HEALING

or:

FRIGHTEN THE PLAYERS

It simply isn't expected to be a major lethal threat under ordinary circumstances.

PART ELEVEN — MODERATE DIFFICULTY

A:

MODERATE-DIFFICULTY ENCOUNTER

can become dangerous if the adventurers lack:

HEALING

and:

OTHER RESOURCES

Weaker characters might be:

TAKEN OUT OF THE FIGHT

There is also:

A SLIM CHANCE

that one or more characters might:

DIE

 

MODERATE DOES NOT MEAN

“50 PERCENT CHANCE OF DEATH.”

The SRD does not assign:

A NUMERICAL PROBABILITY

It gives:

A PRACTICAL DESCRIPTION

of the intended danger.

PART TWELVE — HIGH DIFFICULTY

A:

HIGH-DIFFICULTY ENCOUNTER

can be:

LETHAL

for:

ONE OR MORE CHARACTERS

Survival may require:

SMART TACTICS

QUICK THINKING

and perhaps:

SOME LUCK

 

IMPORTANT

High difficulty does not mean:

GUARANTEED CHARACTER DEATH

It means:

CHARACTER DEATH IS A REAL POSSIBILITY

PART THIRTEEN — DIFFICULTY SUMMARY

Difficulty General Expectation
Low Scary moments possible; victory expected; healing may be needed
Moderate Could go badly without resources; weaker characters may drop; slim chance of death
High Potentially lethal; strong tactics and quick thinking may be needed

These descriptions are:

EXPECTATIONS

not guarantees.

PART FOURTEEN — STEP 2: DETERMINE THE XP BUDGET

Once you know:

PARTY LEVEL

and:

DESIRED DIFFICULTY

use the:

XP BUDGET PER CHARACTER TABLE

Then multiply that amount by:

NUMBER OF CHARACTERS

 

FORMULA

ENCOUNTER XP BUDGET = XP PER CHARACTER × NUMBER OF CHARACTERS

EXAMPLE

Party:

FOUR LEVEL 3 CHARACTERS

Desired:

MODERATE

Table value per character:

225 XP

Multiply:

225 × 4 =

900 XP

Encounter budget:

900 XP

PART FIFTEEN — COMPLETE XP BUDGET PER CHARACTER TABLE

Party Level Low Moderate High
1 50 75 100
2 100 150 200
3 150 225 400
4 250 375 500
5 500 750 1,100
6 600 1,000 1,400
7 750 1,300 1,700
8 1,000 1,700 2,100
9 1,300 2,000 2,600
10 1,600 2,300 3,100
11 1,900 2,900 4,100
12 2,200 3,700 4,700
13 2,600 4,200 5,400
14 2,900 4,900 6,200
15 3,300 5,400 7,800
16 3,800 6,100 9,800
17 4,500 7,200 11,700
18 5,000 8,700 14,200
19 5,500 10,700 17,200
20 6,400 13,200 22,000

 

This table is one of the most useful references a GM can keep nearby.

PART SIXTEEN — EXAMPLE: FOUR LEVEL 1 CHARACTERS

Desired encounter:

LOW

Per-character budget:

50 XP

Characters:

4

Calculation:

50 × 4 =

200 XP

So the GM can spend up to:

200 XP

on monsters while following the Low-difficulty budget.

This is the first worked example given by the SRD.

PART SEVENTEEN — EXAMPLE: FIVE LEVEL 3 CHARACTERS

Desired:

MODERATE

Per-character budget:

225 XP

Characters:

5

Calculation:

225 × 5 =

1,125 XP

Encounter budget:

1,125 XP

 

PART EIGHTEEN — EXAMPLE: SIX LEVEL 15 CHARACTERS

Desired:

HIGH

Per-character budget:

7,800 XP

Characters:

6

Calculation:

7,800 × 6 =

46,800 XP

Encounter budget:

46,800 XP

 

The same three-step system works from:

LEVEL 1

all the way to:

LEVEL 20

PART NINETEEN — STEP 3: SPEND THE BUDGET

Every creature has:

AN XP VALUE

in its:

STAT BLOCK

When adding a creature to the encounter:

SUBTRACT ITS XP VALUE FROM THE BUDGET

Continue until you've spent as much of the budget as practical:

WITHOUT GOING OVER

 

IMPORTANT

You do not have to spend:

EVERY LAST XP

The SRD explicitly says it is fine to have:

A FEW XP LEFT OVER

EXAMPLE

Budget:

1,000 XP

Chosen monsters:

950 XP TOTAL

Remaining:

50 XP

Is the encounter invalid?

NO

You do not need to force another creature into the encounter merely to make the total:

EXACTLY 1,000

PART TWENTY — NO MULTI-MONSTER XP MULTIPLIER IN THIS PROCEDURE

This is an important SRD 5.2.1 rule distinction.

The procedure says:

ADD CREATURE XP VALUES DIRECTLY

and deduct them from:

THE XP BUDGET

It does not instruct the GM to apply a separate encounter multiplier merely because there are:

TWO

FIVE

or:

TEN MONSTERS

 

So when following this SRD 5.2.1 procedure:

SUM THE ACTUAL XP VALUES

Do not silently import a different encounter multiplier system from:

AN OLDER RULESET

EXAMPLE

Three monsters worth:

100 XP EACH

Encounter value:

100 + 100 + 100 =

300 XP

Not:

600

or another adjusted number unless:

ANOTHER SPECIFIC RULE

tells you otherwise.

PART TWENTY-ONE — XP BY CHALLENGE RATING

Monster stat blocks already provide XP, so you normally don't need to calculate it yourself.

For reference, the SRD links monster XP to:

CHALLENGE RATING

as follows.

CR XP
0 0 or 10
1/8 25
1/4 50
1/2 100
1 200
2 450
3 700
4 1,100
5 1,800
6 2,300
7 2,900
8 3,900
9 5,000
10 5,900
11 7,200
12 8,400
13 10,000
14 11,500
15 13,000
16 15,000
17 18,000
18 20,000
19 22,000
20 25,000
21 33,000
22 41,000
23 50,000
24 62,000
25 75,000
26 90,000
27 105,000
28 120,000
29 135,000
30 155,000

PART TWENTY-TWO — SRD EXAMPLE 1: LEVEL 1 LOW DIFFICULTY

Party:

FOUR LEVEL 1 CHARACTERS

Budget:

200 XP

The SRD gives several possible encounters.

OPTION A

1 BUGBEAR WARRIOR

XP:

200

Total:

200

OPTION B

2 GIANT WASPS

Each:

100 XP

Total:

100 + 100 =

200 XP

OPTION C

6 GIANT RATS

Each:

25 XP

Total:

6 × 25 =

150 XP

This leaves:

50 XP UNSPENT

and the encounter is still an acceptable example.

IMPORTANT LESSON

These encounters all fit under the same:

200 XP LOW-DIFFICULTY BUDGET

Yet they don't necessarily:

PLAY THE SAME WAY

One Bugbear Warrior means:

ONE ENEMY TURN

Two Giant Wasps means:

TWO ENEMY CREATURES

Six Giant Rats mean:

SIX ENEMY CREATURES

The XP budget establishes:

A DIFFICULTY GUIDELINE

It does not make these encounters tactically identical.

PART TWENTY-THREE — SRD EXAMPLE 2: LEVEL 3 MODERATE

Party:

FIVE LEVEL 3 CHARACTERS

Budget:

1,125 XP

The SRD provides two possible encounter groups.

OPTION A

2 DRUIDS

450 XP each:

450 × 2 =

900

plus:

9 STIRGES

25 XP each:

25 × 9 =

225

Total:

900 + 225 =

1,125 XP

Exactly the entire:

MODERATE BUDGET

OPTION B

1 WIGHT

700 XP

plus:

1 WARHORSE SKELETON

100 XP

plus:

6 SKELETONS

50 XP each:

6 × 50 =

300

Total:

700 + 100 + 300 =

1,100 XP

Remaining:

1,125 − 1,100 =

25 XP

This is still a valid Moderate encounter example.

PART TWENTY-FOUR — SRD EXAMPLE 3: LEVEL 15 HIGH DIFFICULTY

Party:

SIX LEVEL 15 CHARACTERS

Budget:

46,800 XP

The SRD example uses:

2 ADULT RED DRAGONS

18,000 XP each:

18,000 × 2 =

36,000

plus:

2 FIRE GIANTS

5,000 XP each:

5,000 × 2 =

10,000

Total:

36,000 + 10,000 =

46,000 XP

Budget:

46,800

Unspent:

800 XP

 

Again:

EXACTLY MATCHING THE BUDGET IS NOT REQUIRED

PART TWENTY-FIVE — ORIGINAL EXAMPLE: LEVEL 5 PARTY

Now build one ourselves using the SRD procedure.

Party:

FOUR LEVEL 5 CHARACTERS

Desired difficulty:

MODERATE

From the table:

750 XP PER CHARACTER

Calculation:

750 × 4 =

3,000 XP

Encounter budget:

3,000 XP

OPTION

A:

CR 6 CREATURE

is worth:

2,300 XP

Remaining:

3,000 − 2,300 =

700 XP

A CR 3 creature is worth:

700 XP

Final encounter:

CR 6 CREATURE + CR 3 CREATURE

Total:

2,300 + 700 =

3,000 XP

Mechanically this fills the Moderate budget.

But before using it:

CHECK THE TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDANCE

The CR 6 creature is:

HIGHER CR THAN THE PARTY'S LEVEL 5

That deserves:

EXTRA CAUTION

We will soon see why.

PART TWENTY-SIX — WHAT THE XP BUDGET DOES

The XP budget helps answer:

“HOW MUCH MONSTER THREAT SHOULD I PUT INTO THIS ENCOUNTER?”

It accounts for:

PARTY LEVEL

PARTY SIZE

and:

DESIRED DIFFICULTY

That is powerful.

But it cannot perfectly account for:

TERRAIN

INITIATIVE

LUCK

PARTY COMPOSITION

MONSTER SYNERGY

CURRENT RESOURCES

UNUSUAL MONSTER FEATURES

or:

CLEVER TACTICS

The SRD therefore follows the mathematical procedure with:

TROUBLESHOOTING

 

PART TWENTY-SEVEN — TROUBLESHOOTING 1: MANY CREATURES

More creatures mean:

MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO ACT

and more chances that a lucky run of rolls can deal:

MORE DAMAGE THAN EXPECTED

The SRD gives a specific guideline:

If the encounter contains:

MORE THAN TWO CREATURES PER CHARACTER

include:

FRAGILE CREATURES

that can be defeated:

QUICKLY

 

EXAMPLE

Party:

4 CHARACTERS

Two creatures per character:

4 × 2 =

8 CREATURES

If the encounter includes:

MORE THAN 8 CREATURES

the Many Creatures guideline becomes especially relevant.

IMPORTANT

The SRD does not say:

“YOU MAY NEVER USE MORE THAN TWO MONSTERS PER CHARACTER.”

It says if you do:

INCLUDE FRAGILE CREATURES THAT CAN BE DEFEATED QUICKLY

PART TWENTY-EIGHT — LEVEL 1 AND 2 ARE ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE

The Many Creatures warning is:

ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT

for characters at:

LEVEL 1

and:

LEVEL 2

 

Why?

Because low-level characters generally have:

LESS HP

FEWER RESOURCES

and fewer options for recovering from:

A BAD ROUND

So encounter variance matters enormously.

EXAMPLE

A level 1 Wizard could be:

HEALTHY

at the beginning of a round

and:

AT 0 HP

or worse after only a few strong hits.

The SRD explicitly later uses a similar warning with:

AN OGRE

PART TWENTY-NINE — TROUBLESHOOTING 2: ADJUSTMENTS

Encounter difficulty is not frozen when the GM finishes:

PREPARATION

Circumstances can change.

For example:

A PLAYER IS ABSENT

That reduces:

PARTY SIZE

and therefore changes how difficult the prepared encounter may be.

The SRD suggests that this can justify:

REMOVING CREATURES

to preserve the intended difficulty.

EXAMPLE

Encounter designed for:

5 PLAYERS

But session begins with:

4

The GM doesn't have to pretend:

NOTHING CHANGED

Removing an enemy can help restore:

THE INTENDED DIFFICULTY

PART THIRTY — ADJUSTING DURING THE FIGHT

Dice can also make an encounter:

EASIER

or:

HARDER

than expected.

The SRD explicitly allows the GM to adjust:

ON THE FLY

Examples:

MAKE IT EASIER

Have creatures:

FLEE

MAKE IT HARDER

Add:

REINFORCEMENTS

 

IMPORTANT

This isn't a rule saying:

“ALWAYS SECRETLY CHANGE THE BATTLE SO THE PLAYERS CAN'T LOSE.”

It is GM guidance saying:

ENCOUNTER DIFFICULTY CAN BE ADJUSTED

when actual play develops differently than expected.

EXAMPLE — EASIER

A Moderate encounter unexpectedly becomes devastating because:

THE MONSTERS SCORE SEVERAL CRITICAL HITS

Some enemies might decide the battle is no longer worth:

THEIR LIVES

and flee.

That is both:

A STORY EVENT

and:

A DIFFICULTY ADJUSTMENT

EXAMPLE — HARDER

A High encounter is collapsing too quickly because the party executes:

AN EXCELLENT PLAN

A second group of enemies might arrive as:

REINFORCEMENTS

if that development makes sense in the scene.

PART THIRTY-ONE — TROUBLESHOOTING 3: CR 0 CREATURES

Creatures with:

CR 0

should be used:

SPARINGLY

especially those worth:

0 XP

 

WHY?

If something costs:

0 XP

then purely following XP arithmetic could let you add:

AN UNLIMITED NUMBER

without consuming:

THE BUDGET

But actual creatures can still:

OCCUPY SPACE

TAKE TURNS

INTERACT WITH THE BATTLE

and potentially alter:

THE ENCOUNTER

So:

0 XP DOES NOT MEAN “ADD INFINITE CREATURES”

PART THIRTY-TWO — USE SWARMS FOR MANY CRITTERS

If you want many:

CR 0 CREATURES

the SRD recommends using:

SWARMS

instead.

This keeps the encounter easier to:

RUN

and avoids creating:

DOZENS OF INDIVIDUAL TURNS

PART THIRTY-THREE — TROUBLESHOOTING 4: NUMBER OF STAT BLOCKS

Mixed groups are good.

But:

TOO MANY DIFFERENT STAT BLOCKS

can make the encounter difficult for the:

GM

to run.

The SRD says excellent encounters often pair:

ONE KIND OF CREATURE

with:

ANOTHER

Example given:

FIRE GIANTS

with:

HELL HOUNDS

 

PRACTICAL GUIDELINE

Be cautious when an encounter requires more than:

TWO OR THREE STAT BLOCKS

especially if those creatures are:

COMPLEX

WHY?

Imagine simultaneously running:

SIX COMPLETELY DIFFERENT MONSTERS

Each might have:

  • different AC

  • different Speed

  • different attacks

  • different saves

  • different reactions

  • different recharge abilities

  • different conditions

  • different spell effects

The difficulty for the:

GM

can become greater than the difficulty for:

THE PLAYERS

BETTER APPROACH

Instead of:

SIX MONSTER TYPES

use:

TWO OR THREE

whose abilities:

COMPLEMENT ONE ANOTHER

This preserves:

TACTICAL VARIETY

without unnecessary:

BOOKKEEPING

PART THIRTY-FOUR — TROUBLESHOOTING 5: POWERFUL CREATURES

A particularly important warning:

If a monster's:

CR IS HIGHER THAN THE PARTY'S LEVEL

it might deal enough damage with:

A SINGLE ACTION

to take out:

ONE OR MORE CHARACTERS

 

SRD EXAMPLE

The SRD gives:

OGRE — CR 2

against:

LEVEL 1 WIZARD

An Ogre can potentially:

KILL THE LEVEL 1 WIZARD WITH ONE BLOW

 

IMPORTANT

This is why you cannot say:

“THE XP TOTAL FITS, SO IT MUST BE SAFE.”

A single high-CR monster can have:

HIGH DAMAGE PER ACTION

Even if the total encounter XP seems to fit some budget.

PART THIRTY-FIVE — BIG MONSTER VS MANY SMALL MONSTERS

Compare two encounters with the same total XP.

ENCOUNTER A

One powerful monster.

ENCOUNTER B

Several weaker monsters.

The XP budget might be:

IDENTICAL

But the danger can feel different.

ONE POWERFUL MONSTER

Potential strengths:

VERY LARGE SINGLE HITS

STRONG DEFENSES

UNUSUAL FEATURES

Potential weakness:

FEWER CREATURE TURNS

MANY CREATURES

Potential strengths:

MANY ACTIONS

MANY ATTACK ROLLS

GREATER BATTLEFIELD COVERAGE

Potential weakness:

INDIVIDUAL CREATURES MAY FALL QUICKLY

This comparison is:

GAMEPLAY INTERPRETATION

supported by the SRD's troubleshooting warnings.

It is not a new encounter formula.

PART THIRTY-SIX — TROUBLESHOOTING 6: UNUSUAL FEATURES

Some monsters have abilities that lower-level characters simply:

CAN'T EASILY OVERCOME

The SRD advises the GM to consider:

NOT USING THAT MONSTER

against characters whose level is lower than:

THE MONSTER'S CR

when such a feature exists.

EXAMPLE

Imagine a monster has a defense that the current party:

HAS NO PRACTICAL WAY TO BYPASS

The XP math might look possible.

But the actual fight might become:

MUCH HARDER

than the budget suggests.

THIS IS WHY THE GM MUST READ THE STAT BLOCK

Do not choose monsters based only on:

CR NUMBER

or:

XP VALUE

Read:

WHAT THEY ACTUALLY DO

PART THIRTY-SEVEN — CHALLENGE RATING IS A SUMMARY, NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR READING

CR summarizes:

THREAT

It does not tell you:

HOW THE MONSTER CREATES THAT THREAT

One monster might be dangerous because of:

RAW DAMAGE

Another because of:

MOBILITY

Another because of:

CONDITIONS

Another because of:

DEFENSE

Another because of:

SPELLS

Another because of:

A STRANGE FEATURE

The GM should therefore use:

CR + XP BUDGET

and also:

READ THE STAT BLOCK

PART THIRTY-EIGHT — A COMPLETE ENCOUNTER-BUILDING PROCEDURE

Here is the full practical workflow.

STEP 1 — KNOW YOUR PARTY

Record:

NUMBER OF CHARACTERS

and:

PARTY LEVEL

STEP 2 — CHOOSE DIFFICULTY

Choose:

LOW

MODERATE

or:

HIGH

STEP 3 — READ THE XP TABLE

Find:

XP PER CHARACTER

for that level and difficulty.

STEP 4 — MULTIPLY BY PARTY SIZE

XP PER CHARACTER × NUMBER OF CHARACTERS

This gives:

TOTAL XP BUDGET

STEP 5 — SELECT MONSTERS

Use their:

STAT BLOCK XP

STEP 6 — ADD XP DIRECTLY

Keep total:

AT OR BELOW THE BUDGET

A little unused XP is:

FINE

STEP 7 — CHECK CR

Be cautious if:

MONSTER CR > PARTY LEVEL

STEP 8 — CHECK CREATURE COUNT

If monsters exceed:

TWO PER CHARACTER

consider making many of them:

FRAGILE

STEP 9 — CHECK STAT BLOCK COUNT

Try to avoid unnecessary complexity beyond:

TWO OR THREE DIFFERENT STAT BLOCKS

especially with complex creatures.

STEP 10 — CHECK SPECIAL FEATURES

Ask:

CAN THE PARTY REASONABLY DEAL WITH THIS MONSTER'S IMPORTANT ABILITIES?

STEP 11 — DESIGN THE BATTLEFIELD

Add appropriate:

ELEVATION

DEFENSIVE POSITIONS

MONSTER SYNERGY

and:

REASONS TO MOVE

STEP 12 — BE READY TO ADJUST

During play:

FLEEING CREATURES

can lower difficulty.

REINFORCEMENTS

can increase it.

That is a complete SRD-supported encounter-building workflow.

PART THIRTY-NINE — COMPLETE EXAMPLE: LOW ENCOUNTER

The party contains:

4 LEVEL 4 CHARACTERS

The GM wants:

LOW DIFFICULTY

Table:

250 XP PER CHARACTER

Calculation:

250 × 4 =

1,000 XP

Budget:

1,000

MONSTER CHOICE

CR 3:

700 XP

Remaining:

1,000 − 700 =

300 XP

The GM could add lower-CR creatures whose total keeps the encounter:

AT OR BELOW 1,000

NOW CHECK THE BATTLEFIELD

Instead of placing every creature on:

FLAT GROUND

the GM creates:

A SMALL BALCONY

and:

STACKED CRATES

This adds:

CHANGES IN ELEVATION

without changing the XP total.

RESULT

Mathematically:

LOW-DIFFICULTY BUDGET

Tactically:

MORE INTERESTING BATTLEFIELD

PART FORTY — COMPLETE EXAMPLE: MODERATE ENCOUNTER

Party:

5 LEVEL 7 CHARACTERS

Desired:

MODERATE

Per character:

1,300 XP

Calculation:

1,300 × 5 =

6,500 XP

Total budget:

6,500 XP

MONSTER SELECTION

The GM selects:

ONE CR 8 CREATURE

XP:

3,900

Remaining:

6,500 − 3,900 =

2,600

The GM then chooses additional creatures worth no more than:

2,600 XP

WARNING

The CR 8 creature is:

ONE CR ABOVE THE PARTY'S LEVEL

The Powerful Creatures warning applies.

The GM should inspect:

ITS DAMAGE

and:

ITS SPECIAL FEATURES

before deciding this is:

APPROPRIATE

PART FORTY-ONE — COMPLETE EXAMPLE: HIGH ENCOUNTER

Party:

4 LEVEL 10 CHARACTERS

Desired:

HIGH

Per character:

3,100 XP

Calculation:

3,100 × 4 =

12,400 XP

Budget:

12,400 XP

POSSIBLE MONSTER XP

A CR 13 creature is:

10,000 XP

That mathematically fits.

But CR 13 is:

THREE ABOVE PARTY LEVEL 10

The GM should immediately think:

POWERFUL CREATURE WARNING

and:

UNUSUAL FEATURES WARNING

A mathematically legal total is not automatically:

A GOOD ENCOUNTER

ALTERNATIVE DESIGN

The GM may instead spend the 12,400 XP among:

MULTIPLE LOWER-CR CREATURES

That might reduce the risk of:

ONE ENORMOUS SINGLE HIT

But increasing creature count introduces:

THE MANY CREATURES ISSUE

Encounter design is therefore not:

FIND ONE NUMBER AND STOP THINKING

It is:

BUDGET + JUDGMENT

PART FORTY-TWO — MIXED MONSTER GROUP EXAMPLE

Suppose the GM wants a battlefield with:

TWO MONSTER ROLES

One monster type specializes in:

CLOSE COMBAT

The other specializes in:

RANGED ATTACKS

That produces:

A MIXED MONSTER GROUP

Now add:

DEFENSIVE POSITIONS

for the ranged creatures.

The melee monsters protect:

THE APPROACH

The ranged monsters exploit:

DISTANCE

WHY THIS MAY BE HARDER

The monsters' abilities:

SUPPORT EACH OTHER

The SRD specifically warns that diverse enemy forces can be:

MORE POWERFUL

 

Therefore:

DON'T ASSUME XP TOTAL TELLS THE WHOLE STORY

PART FORTY-THREE — REASONS TO MOVE EXAMPLE

Imagine the heroes fight:

FOUR ENEMIES

inside a warehouse.

If nothing changes:

EVERYONE MAY STAND STILL

Now place:

A HANGING CHANDELIER

OIL KEGS

and:

AN ELEVATED PLATFORM

The encounter now asks:

WHO CONTROLS THE PLATFORM?

WHO MOVES AWAY FROM THE OIL?

WHO REACHES THE CHANDELIER?

Those are:

TACTICAL QUESTIONS

created without adding:

EXTRA MONSTER XP

PART FORTY-FOUR — WHAT THE PLAYER ACTUALLY EXPERIENCES

Players normally don't need to know:

THE XP BUDGET

during the battle.

They experience:

THE FICTION

GM:

“TWO LARGE CREATURES BLOCK THE STAIRS WHILE ARCHERS FIRE FROM THE BALCONY.”

The players decide:

WHO ENGAGES THE FRONT LINE?

WHO TAKES COVER?

WHO CLIMBS?

WHO TELEPORTS?

WHO TARGETS THE ARCHERS?

The math happens primarily during:

GM PREPARATION

The gameplay should still feel like:

AN ADVENTURE

PART FORTY-FIVE — WHAT THE GM ACTUALLY TRACKS

Before the session:

PARTY LEVEL

PARTY SIZE

DIFFICULTY

XP BUDGET

MONSTER XP

CR

SPECIAL FEATURES

BATTLEFIELD

During the session:

INITIATIVE

HP

CONDITIONS

MONSTER FEATURES

and whether the encounter is developing:

EASIER

or:

HARDER

than intended.

The GM doesn't need to continuously recalculate:

THE ENCOUNTER BUDGET EVERY ROUND

The XP budget is primarily:

A BUILDING TOOL

PART FORTY-SIX — THE BUDGET DOES NOT GUARANTEE AN OUTCOME

Consider two groups.

PARTY A

Four level 8 characters beginning the fight with:

FULL HP

FULL SPELL SLOTS

ALL LIMITED FEATURES

PARTY B

The same four characters after:

SEVERAL PREVIOUS ENCOUNTERS

with:

LOW HP

FEW SPELL SLOTS

LIMITED HEALING

Same character levels.

Same encounter.

Same XP budget.

But actual danger can be:

VERY DIFFERENT

The Moderate difficulty description itself warns that lack of:

HEALING

and:

OTHER RESOURCES

can make the encounter go badly.

PART FORTY-SEVEN — TERRAIN CAN CHANGE EFFECTIVE DIFFICULTY

Imagine a group fights:

FLYING MONSTERS

in:

OPEN TERRAIN

Now imagine the same monsters attack the party inside:

A NARROW LOW-CEILING TUNNEL

Their mobility may be:

LESS USEFUL

Or imagine ranged monsters attacking from:

AN ELEVATED FORTIFICATION

Their positioning may make them:

MORE EFFECTIVE

The XP doesn't change.

The encounter circumstances do.

This is exactly consistent with the CR definition:

CIRCUMSTANCES CAN SIGNIFICANTLY ALTER THREAT

 

PART FORTY-EIGHT — PARTY SIZE MATTERS

Challenge Rating summarizes threat against:

FOUR PLAYER CHARACTERS

But your party might contain:

THREE

FIVE

SIX

or another number.

That is why the encounter budget formula multiplies:

PER-CHARACTER XP

by:

ACTUAL NUMBER OF CHARACTERS

EXAMPLE

Level 6 Moderate:

1,000 XP PER CHARACTER

3 characters

1,000 × 3 =

3,000 XP

4 characters

1,000 × 4 =

4,000 XP

6 characters

1,000 × 6 =

6,000 XP

The same level doesn't imply:

THE SAME ENCOUNTER BUDGET

when party size changes.

PART FORTY-NINE — WHAT IF CHARACTERS HAVE DIFFERENT LEVELS?

The specific XP Budget table is organized by:

PARTY'S LEVEL

The SRD section shown here does not provide a separate formula for a party containing:

MIXED CHARACTER LEVELS

So do not invent one and present it as:

AN SRD 5.2.1 RULE

If a campaign uses mixed character levels, the GM will need:

JUDGMENT

because this exact section doesn't establish an additional mixed-level calculation.

That distinction is important:

RULE VS INTERPRETATION

PART FIFTY — A GM SHOULD NOT BUILD FROM CR ALONE

Bad procedure:

“PARTY IS LEVEL 7, SO I WILL ONLY USE CR 7 MONSTERS.”

That is not the encounter-building system.

Correct procedure:

CHOOSE DIFFICULTY

CALCULATE XP BUDGET

SELECT MONSTERS USING XP

then:

CHECK CR AND FEATURES FOR DANGER

CR provides:

CONTEXT

XP budget provides:

THE CONSTRUCTION SYSTEM

PART FIFTY-ONE — A GM SHOULD NOT BUILD FROM XP ALONE EITHER

Opposite mistake:

“THE TOTAL IS UNDER THE BUDGET, SO THE ENCOUNTER MUST BE PERFECT.”

Also wrong.

The SRD gives troubleshooting precisely because:

MONSTER COUNT

CR

SPECIAL FEATURES

STAT BLOCK COMPLEXITY

PLAYER ABSENCE

and:

ACTUAL DICE RESULTS

can alter the situation.

The correct philosophy is:

USE THE BUDGET

then:

APPLY GM JUDGMENT

PART FIFTY-TWO — COMMON BEGINNER MISTAKES

MISTAKE 1 — THINKING EVERY COMBAT SHOULD HAPPEN ON A FLAT EMPTY FLOOR

The SRD recommends:

ELEVATION

DEFENSIVE POSITIONS

and:

REASONS TO MOVE

MISTAKE 2 — THINKING BATTLEFIELD FEATURES MUST CHANGE MONSTER XP

They normally don't unless some specific rule changes:

THE CREATURE

The encounter-design guidance is separate from:

XP VALUES

MISTAKE 3 — USING ONLY ONE MONSTER TYPE FOREVER

Mixed groups can create:

INTERESTING SYNERGY

MISTAKE 4 — USING TOO MANY MONSTER TYPES

The SRD warns that more than:

TWO OR THREE STAT BLOCKS

can become daunting, especially if complex.

MISTAKE 5 — THINKING CR IS MONSTER LEVEL

It isn't.

CR summarizes:

MONSTER THREAT

MISTAKE 6 — THINKING A CR EQUAL TO PARTY LEVEL IS A MODERATE ENCOUNTER

The SRD's rough guideline says a single monster of equal CR against:

FOUR CHARACTERS

is generally:

LOW DIFFICULTY

MISTAKE 7 — THINKING CR ALONE BUILDS ENCOUNTERS

The actual encounter procedure uses:

XP BUDGETS

MISTAKE 8 — USING “EASY, MEDIUM, HARD, DEADLY” AS THIS SRD'S CURRENT CATEGORIES

The SRD 5.2.1 procedure uses:

LOW

MODERATE

HIGH

MISTAKE 9 — THINKING LOW MEANS ZERO RISK

Low encounters can still require:

HEALING

and contain:

SCARY MOMENTS

MISTAKE 10 — THINKING MODERATE MEANS SAFE

A Moderate encounter can:

GO BADLY

especially without resources.

MISTAKE 11 — THINKING HIGH GUARANTEES DEATH

It doesn't.

But it can be:

LETHAL

MISTAKE 12 — FORGETTING PARTY SIZE

Budget is:

PER CHARACTER × NUMBER OF CHARACTERS

MISTAKE 13 — USING THE TABLE VALUE AS THE ENTIRE PARTY BUDGET

It is:

PER CHARACTER

MISTAKE 14 — CALCULATING LEVEL 5 MODERATE FOR FOUR CHARACTERS AS 750 XP TOTAL

Wrong.

750 is:

PER CHARACTER

Correct:

750 × 4 =

3,000 XP

MISTAKE 15 — APPLYING AN OLD MULTI-MONSTER XP MULTIPLIER

The SRD 5.2.1 procedure here says:

ADD CREATURE XP DIRECTLY

MISTAKE 16 — THINKING YOU MUST SPEND EVERY XP

The SRD says:

A FEW UNSPENT XP ARE FINE

MISTAKE 17 — GOING OVER THE BUDGET WHILE CLAIMING TO FOLLOW THAT DIFFICULTY

Step 3 says spend as much as possible:

WITHOUT GOING OVER

MISTAKE 18 — ASSUMING TWO ENCOUNTERS WITH THE SAME XP WILL PLAY IDENTICALLY

Monster number, abilities, terrain, and luck can differ.

MISTAKE 19 — ADDING HUGE NUMBERS OF CREATURES WITHOUT CAUTION

More creatures create a higher risk of:

UNEXPECTED DAMAGE

MISTAKE 20 — IGNORING THE TWO-CREATURES-PER-CHARACTER GUIDELINE

If you exceed it:

INCLUDE FRAGILE CREATURES THAT CAN BE DEFEATED QUICKLY

MISTAKE 21 — FORGETTING LEVEL 1 AND 2 CHARACTERS ARE ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE TO MANY CREATURES

The SRD specifically highlights:

LEVELS 1 AND 2

MISTAKE 22 — ADDING UNLIMITED CR 0 CREATURES BECAUSE THEY COST 0 XP

Use them:

SPARINGLY

MISTAKE 23 — RUNNING 30 INDIVIDUAL CR 0 CREATURES WHEN A SWARM WOULD SERVE BETTER

The SRD recommends:

SWARMS

for many such creatures.

MISTAKE 24 — REFUSING TO CHANGE AN ENCOUNTER WHEN A PLAYER IS ABSENT

The SRD says absence can justify:

REMOVING CREATURES

MISTAKE 25 — THINKING ENCOUNTERS CAN'T CHANGE ONCE INITIATIVE IS ROLLED

The GM can adjust.

Examples:

CREATURES FLEE

or:

REINFORCEMENTS ARRIVE

MISTAKE 26 — ADDING A MONSTER WHOSE CR IS WELL ABOVE PARTY LEVEL WITHOUT READING ITS DAMAGE

It might take a character out with:

ONE ACTION

MISTAKE 27 — ASSUMING HIGH CR ONLY MEANS MORE HP

A high-CR creature can also have:

STRONG OFFENSE

STRONG DEFENSE

and:

SPECIAL FEATURES

MISTAKE 28 — IGNORING UNUSUAL MONSTER FEATURES

Some lower-level parties may have no practical way to:

OVERCOME THEM

MISTAKE 29 — CHOOSING MONSTERS WITHOUT READING THEIR STAT BLOCKS

CR and XP aren't substitutes for:

KNOWING WHAT THE MONSTER DOES

MISTAKE 30 — THINKING MIXED MONSTER GROUPS ARE ALWAYS AUTOMATICALLY BALANCED BECAUSE XP FITS

Different monsters can combine abilities and become:

MORE POWERFUL TOGETHER

MISTAKE 31 — MAKING THE GM RUN TOO MANY COMPLEX STAT BLOCKS

Complexity affects:

PLAY SPEED

and:

GM ACCURACY

MISTAKE 32 — THINKING DEFENSIVE POSITIONS HAVE ONE UNIVERSAL BONUS

Use the actual rules created by:

THE POSITION

such as Cover or distance.

MISTAKE 33 — FORGETTING TO GIVE PLAYERS REASONS TO MOVE

Environmental features can make a fight much more:

DYNAMIC

MISTAKE 34 — THINKING THE XP BUDGET GUARANTEES AN EXACT DIFFICULTY

The SRD calls these:

GUIDELINES

Actual circumstances matter.

MISTAKE 35 — IGNORING CURRENT PARTY RESOURCES

The Moderate description specifically notes the importance of:

HEALING

and:

OTHER RESOURCES

MISTAKE 36 — SECRETLY IMPORTING AN UNSUPPORTED MIXED-LEVEL PARTY FORMULA

This section doesn't establish one.

If needed:

USE GM JUDGMENT

and clearly identify it as such.

QUICK RECAP

MAKE COMBAT MORE INTERESTING WITH

CHANGES IN ELEVATION

DEFENSIVE POSITIONS

MIXED MONSTER GROUPS

and:

REASONS TO MOVE

CHALLENGE RATING

CR summarizes threat to:

FOUR PLAYER CHARACTERS

Higher CR than character level:

LIKELY DANGEROUS

Lower CR:

LIKELY LESS THREATENING

but:

CIRCUMSTANCES AND PARTY SIZE MATTER

ROUGH CR GUIDELINE

One monster against four characters, where:

MONSTER CR = CHARACTER LEVEL

generally:

LOW DIFFICULTY

THREE ENCOUNTER DIFFICULTIES

LOW

MODERATE

HIGH

BUILDING AN ENCOUNTER

STEP 1 — CHOOSE DIFFICULTY

STEP 2 — FIND XP PER CHARACTER

STEP 3 — MULTIPLY BY NUMBER OF CHARACTERS

STEP 4 — SPEND THAT XP ON MONSTERS WITHOUT GOING OVER

FORMULA

XP BUDGET = XP PER CHARACTER × PARTY SIZE

MONSTER XP

Use:

XP LISTED IN THE STAT BLOCK

Add monster XP:

DIRECTLY

No separate multi-monster multiplier is given in this SRD procedure.

MANY CREATURES

If there are more than:

TWO CREATURES PER CHARACTER

include creatures that can be defeated:

QUICKLY

especially at:

LEVEL 1 OR 2

PLAYER ABSENCE

May justify:

REMOVING CREATURES

ON-THE-FLY ADJUSTMENT

Easier:

CREATURES FLEE

Harder:

REINFORCEMENTS ARRIVE

CR 0

Use:

SPARINGLY

For many tiny creatures:

CONSIDER SWARMS

STAT BLOCKS

More than:

TWO OR THREE DIFFERENT STAT BLOCKS

can become difficult for the GM to manage.

POWERFUL CREATURES

If:

MONSTER CR > PARTY LEVEL

watch for:

VERY HIGH SINGLE-ACTION DAMAGE

UNUSUAL FEATURES

If lower-level characters can't reasonably overcome a feature:

CONSIDER ANOTHER MONSTER

PRIME HERO CHALLENGE

You are the Game Master.

Your party contains:

FIVE LEVEL 8 CHARACTERS

You want to design:

A MODERATE-DIFFICULTY COMBAT ENCOUNTER

Resolve the entire process.

CHALLENGE 1 — FIND THE PER-CHARACTER BUDGET

Level:

8

Moderate:

1,700 XP PER CHARACTER

CHALLENGE 2 — PARTY BUDGET

Characters:

5

Calculation:

1,700 × 5 =

8,500 XP

Total encounter budget:

8,500 XP

CHALLENGE 3 — MONSTER OPTION A

You select:

ONE CR 9 MONSTER

CR 9 XP:

5,000

Remaining:

8,500 − 5,000 =

3,500 XP

Does it fit mathematically?

YES

CHALLENGE 4 — CR WARNING

Party level:

8

Monster CR:

9

Is there a reason for caution?

YES

The monster's CR exceeds:

PARTY LEVEL

So the GM should inspect:

ITS DAMAGE

and:

SPECIAL FEATURES

CHALLENGE 5 — ADD ANOTHER MONSTER

You add one CR 7 creature.

CR 7:

2,900 XP

Current total:

5,000 + 2,900 =

7,900 XP

Budget:

8,500

Remaining:

600 XP

Valid?

YES

The encounter remains:

UNDER BUDGET

CHALLENGE 6 — DO YOU NEED TO SPEND THE LAST 600 XP?

NO

The SRD explicitly permits:

UNSPENT XP

CHALLENGE 7 — OLD MULTIPLIER?

Should the GM now multiply 7,900 because there are:

TWO MONSTERS?

NO

Not in this SRD 5.2.1 encounter-building procedure.

Use:

ACTUAL XP TOTAL = 7,900

CHALLENGE 8 — BATTLEFIELD

The GM adds:

A BALCONY

A STAIRCASE

and:

A LOWER FLOOR

What encounter-design feature is this?

CHANGES IN ELEVATION

CHALLENGE 9 — DEFENSIVE POSITION

One enemy begins behind:

COVER

on the balcony.

Does “defensive position” itself create a new universal bonus?

NO

Use the actual:

COVER RULE

and other relevant positioning rules.

CHALLENGE 10 — REASON TO MOVE

A heavy chandelier hangs above the center of the battlefield.

Does the SRD specifically encourage features such as chandeliers to:

CREATE REASONS TO MOVE?

YES

CHALLENGE 11 — PLAYER ABSENCE

At the last moment, one player can't attend.

Now there are:

FOUR LEVEL 8 CHARACTERS

Moderate budget:

1,700 × 4 =

6,800 XP

Previously prepared monster total:

7,900 XP

The encounter now exceeds the Moderate budget for the smaller party.

What does the SRD suggest may be appropriate?

REMOVE CREATURES

or otherwise adjust the encounter to preserve:

INTENDED DIFFICULTY

CHALLENGE 12 — MANY CREATURES

Instead, the GM designs an encounter for four characters containing:

10 MONSTERS

Two monsters per character would be:

4 × 2 =

8

Ten is:

MORE THAN TWO CREATURES PER CHARACTER

What does the SRD advise?

Include:

FRAGILE CREATURES THAT CAN BE DEFEATED QUICKLY

CHALLENGE 13 — CR 0 ARMY

The GM wants:

50 CR 0 CREATURES

because many are worth 0 XP.

Good idea purely because the budget remains unchanged?

NO

The SRD says CR 0 creatures should be:

USED SPARINGLY

For large groups of tiny creatures, consider:

SWARMS

CHALLENGE 14 — TOO MANY STAT BLOCKS

The encounter contains:

EIGHT COMPLETELY DIFFERENT MONSTER TYPES

Could this be difficult to run?

YES

The SRD warns that more than:

TWO OR THREE STAT BLOCKS

can become daunting, particularly when the creatures are complex.

CHALLENGE 15 — ENCOUNTER BECOMES TOO EASY

The heroes perform extremely well.

The GM wants the fight to become more difficult.

One explicit SRD option:

ADD REINFORCEMENTS

CHALLENGE 16 — ENCOUNTER BECOMES TOO HARD

Several monsters roll exceptionally well.

One explicit way to lower difficulty:

HAVE CREATURES FLEE

LESSON 98 — KEY TAKEAWAYS

Combat encounter design combines:

MATHEMATICS

with:

GAME MASTER JUDGMENT

The XP system provides:

STRUCTURE

The battlefield and monster selection provide:

TACTICAL CHARACTER

And actual play provides:

UNCERTAINTY

Remember:

CHALLENGE RATING SUMMARIZES A MONSTER'S THREAT TO FOUR PLAYER CHARACTERS

CR IS NOT THE SAME AS CHARACTER LEVEL

CIRCUMSTANCES AND PARTY SIZE CAN SIGNIFICANTLY ALTER THREAT

A SINGLE MONSTER WITH CR EQUAL TO THE LEVEL OF FOUR CHARACTERS IS ROUGHLY A LOW-DIFFICULTY CHALLENGE

THE SRD 5.2.1 USES LOW, MODERATE, AND HIGH DIFFICULTY

LOW ENCOUNTERS SHOULD USUALLY END IN VICTORY WITHOUT CASUALTIES, THOUGH HEALING MAY BE NEEDED

MODERATE ENCOUNTERS CAN GO BADLY WITHOUT RESOURCES

HIGH ENCOUNTERS CAN BE LETHAL

XP BUDGET IS CALCULATED PER CHARACTER

MULTIPLY THE TABLE VALUE BY THE NUMBER OF CHARACTERS

EVERY MONSTER'S STAT BLOCK PROVIDES AN XP VALUE

ADD MONSTER XP DIRECTLY

SPEND AS MUCH OF THE BUDGET AS PRACTICAL WITHOUT GOING OVER

YOU DO NOT NEED TO SPEND EVERY LAST XP

THIS SRD 5.2.1 PROCEDURE DOES NOT USE A SEPARATE MULTI-MONSTER XP MULTIPLIER

MORE CREATURES CAN MAKE AN ENCOUNTER MORE VOLATILE

MORE THAN TWO CREATURES PER CHARACTER CALLS FOR CAUTION AND FRAGILE ENEMIES

THIS WARNING IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT AT LEVELS 1 AND 2

CR 0 CREATURES SHOULD BE USED SPARINGLY

SWARMS CAN REPRESENT LARGE NUMBERS OF SMALL CREATURES

TWO OR THREE DIFFERENT STAT BLOCKS ARE OFTEN EASIER TO MANAGE THAN MANY DIFFERENT MONSTER TYPES

MONSTERS WITH CR ABOVE PARTY LEVEL CAN DEAL DANGEROUS AMOUNTS OF DAMAGE IN ONE ACTION

MONSTERS WITH UNUSUAL FEATURES MAY BE TOO DIFFICULT FOR LOWER-LEVEL PARTIES EVEN WHEN THE NUMBERS LOOK ACCEPTABLE

PLAYER ABSENCE CAN JUSTIFY REMOVING CREATURES

ENCOUNTERS CAN BE ADJUSTED DURING PLAY

CREATURES CAN FLEE TO MAKE AN ENCOUNTER EASIER

REINFORCEMENTS CAN MAKE AN ENCOUNTER HARDER

CHANGES IN ELEVATION REWARD POSITIONING

DEFENSIVE POSITIONS FORCE PLAYERS TO ADAPT

MIXED MONSTER GROUPS CAN COMBINE THEIR ABILITIES

BATTLEFIELD FEATURES CAN GIVE BOTH SIDES REASONS TO MOVE

and the central GM principle is:

THE XP BUDGET TELLS YOU WHERE TO START

It does not tell you:

EXACTLY HOW THE BATTLE WILL END

A skilled Game Master uses:

CR

XP

MONSTER ABILITIES

TERRAIN

PARTY RESOURCES

CREATURE COUNT

and:

ACTUAL EVENTS AT THE TABLE

together.

That is how a collection of monster statistics becomes:

AN ENCOUNTER

GAMEPLAY TOOLBOX COMPLETE

With Lesson 98, you have completed the entire:

GAMEPLAY TOOLBOX

Across Lessons 91–98, you learned:

ADVANCED TRAVEL

CREATING CUSTOM BACKGROUNDS

CURSES AND MAGICAL CONTAGIONS

ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS

FEAR AND MENTAL STRESS

POISON

TRAPS

and:

COMBAT ENCOUNTER DESIGN

You now possess many of the additional tools needed to begin thinking not only like:

A PLAYER

but like:

A GAME MASTER

Now we move into one of the most exciting sections of fantasy role-playing games.

NEXT LESSON

LESSON 99 — MAGIC ITEM BASIC RULES

The next major section is:

MAGIC ITEMS

Before studying individual legendary objects, we must first understand how magic items work as:

GAME OBJECTS

Lesson 99 will cover:

MAGIC ITEM CATEGORIES

ARMOR

POTIONS

RINGS

RODS

SCROLLS

STAFFS

WANDS

WEAPONS

WONDROUS ITEMS

MAGIC ITEM RARITY

IDENTIFYING MAGIC ITEMS

ATTUNEMENT

WEARING AND WIELDING ITEMS

MULTIPLE ITEMS OF THE SAME KIND

PAIRED ITEMS

ACTIVATING MAGIC ITEMS

SPELLS CAST FROM MAGIC ITEMS

CHARGES

THE NEXT DAWN

CURSED ITEMS

and:

MAGIC ITEM RESILIENCE

Then Lesson 100 will continue with:

CRAFTING MAGIC ITEMS

and:

SENTIENT MAGIC ITEMS

before Lessons 101–103 begin the complete:

MAGIC ITEMS A–Z

SRD 5.2.1 ATTRIBUTION

This work includes material from the System Reference Document 5.2.1 (“SRD 5.2.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available at https://www.dndbeyond.com/srd. The SRD 5.2.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.