[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":543},["ShallowReactive",2],{"page-\u002Fwiki\u002Fdungeon-mastering\u002Fbuilding-an-encounter":3,"navigation-main":423},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"description":415,"extension":416,"meta":417,"navigation":418,"path":419,"seo":420,"stem":421,"__hash__":422},"wiki\u002Fwiki\u002F6.dungeon-mastering\u002F5.building-an-encounter.md","Building an Encounter",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":407},"minimark",[9,13,18,27,323,326,330,337,340,354,358,376,380,383,386,399,402],[10,11,12],"p",{},"The budget below gets you into the right neighbourhood and no further. It\ntells you roughly how dangerous a fight will be on paper; it does not tell\nyou how the fight will actually go once initiative starts. Read it for that\nmuch, and no more.",[14,15,17],"h2",{"id":16},"the-budget","The Budget",[10,19,20,21,26],{},"Every ",[22,23],"tooltip",{"label":24,"tooltip-key":25},"encounter","rules\u002Fencounter"," has an XP\nbudget, and building one is arithmetic before it is anything else. Pick a\ndifficulty — Low, Moderate or High — and read the number in that column for\neach character's level. Add those numbers together to get your total budget,\nthen spend it on monsters, whose XP values you add up the same way until you\nare close to the total.",[28,29,30,49],"table",{},[31,32,33],"thead",{},[34,35,36,40,43,46],"tr",{},[37,38,39],"th",{},"Character level",[37,41,42],{},"Low",[37,44,45],{},"Moderate",[37,47,48],{},"High",[50,51,52,67,80,93,107,120,134,147,159,172,186,200,214,227,240,253,267,281,295,309],"tbody",{},[34,53,54,58,61,64],{},[55,56,57],"td",{},"1",[55,59,60],{},"50",[55,62,63],{},"75",[55,65,66],{},"100",[34,68,69,72,74,77],{},[55,70,71],{},"2",[55,73,66],{},[55,75,76],{},"150",[55,78,79],{},"200",[34,81,82,85,87,90],{},[55,83,84],{},"3",[55,86,76],{},[55,88,89],{},"225",[55,91,92],{},"400",[34,94,95,98,101,104],{},[55,96,97],{},"4",[55,99,100],{},"250",[55,102,103],{},"375",[55,105,106],{},"500",[34,108,109,112,114,117],{},[55,110,111],{},"5",[55,113,106],{},[55,115,116],{},"750",[55,118,119],{},"1,100",[34,121,122,125,128,131],{},[55,123,124],{},"6",[55,126,127],{},"600",[55,129,130],{},"1,000",[55,132,133],{},"1,400",[34,135,136,139,141,144],{},[55,137,138],{},"7",[55,140,116],{},[55,142,143],{},"1,300",[55,145,146],{},"1,700",[34,148,149,152,154,156],{},[55,150,151],{},"8",[55,153,130],{},[55,155,146],{},[55,157,158],{},"2,100",[34,160,161,164,166,169],{},[55,162,163],{},"9",[55,165,143],{},[55,167,168],{},"2,000",[55,170,171],{},"2,600",[34,173,174,177,180,183],{},[55,175,176],{},"10",[55,178,179],{},"1,600",[55,181,182],{},"2,300",[55,184,185],{},"3,100",[34,187,188,191,194,197],{},[55,189,190],{},"11",[55,192,193],{},"1,900",[55,195,196],{},"2,900",[55,198,199],{},"4,100",[34,201,202,205,208,211],{},[55,203,204],{},"12",[55,206,207],{},"2,200",[55,209,210],{},"3,700",[55,212,213],{},"4,700",[34,215,216,219,221,224],{},[55,217,218],{},"13",[55,220,171],{},[55,222,223],{},"4,200",[55,225,226],{},"5,400",[34,228,229,232,234,237],{},[55,230,231],{},"14",[55,233,196],{},[55,235,236],{},"4,900",[55,238,239],{},"6,200",[34,241,242,245,248,250],{},[55,243,244],{},"15",[55,246,247],{},"3,300",[55,249,226],{},[55,251,252],{},"7,800",[34,254,255,258,261,264],{},[55,256,257],{},"16",[55,259,260],{},"3,800",[55,262,263],{},"6,100",[55,265,266],{},"9,800",[34,268,269,272,275,278],{},[55,270,271],{},"17",[55,273,274],{},"4,500",[55,276,277],{},"7,200",[55,279,280],{},"11,700",[34,282,283,286,289,292],{},[55,284,285],{},"18",[55,287,288],{},"5,000",[55,290,291],{},"8,700",[55,293,294],{},"14,200",[34,296,297,300,303,306],{},[55,298,299],{},"19",[55,301,302],{},"5,500",[55,304,305],{},"10,700",[55,307,308],{},"17,200",[34,310,311,314,317,320],{},[55,312,313],{},"20",[55,315,316],{},"6,400",[55,318,319],{},"13,200",[55,321,322],{},"22,000",[10,324,325],{},"The budget is per encounter, and every figure in it is per character — a\nparty of four spends four times the number in the table. A High encounter is\nmeant to be genuinely dangerous rather than lethal, but that assumes the\nparty walks in with its resources intact. A group that is already low on\nspell slots and hit points from the last fight can find a Moderate encounter\nplays like a High one, which is why pacing across a session matters as much\nas any single budget.",[14,327,329],{"id":328},"what-challenge-rating-is-worth","What Challenge Rating Is Worth",[10,331,332,336],{},[22,333],{"label":334,"tooltip-key":335},"Challenge Rating","rules\u002Fchallenge-rating"," is a\nrough guide to how tough a single monster is, not a promise of how a fight\ninvolving it will feel. It is least reliable at the extremes — a very low CR\nmonster can still kill a careless first-level character, and a very high CR\nmonster can fold fast against a party built to counter exactly what it does.",[10,338,339],{},"It is also worth knowing that one monster at the party's level is usually a\ndisappointing fight rather than a dangerous one. Four characters get four\nturns to a lone monster's one, so it is almost always dead before it has\ndone much — the party simply gets to act more often than it does. Several\nweaker monsters that can all act in the same round are a much sharper test\nthan a single strong one worth the same total XP.",[10,341,342,343,348,349,353],{},"The ",[344,345,347],"a",{"href":346},"\u002Fdb\u002Fmonsters","monster list"," carries every\n",[22,350],{"label":351,"tooltip-key":352},"monster","rules\u002Fmonster"," in the database, with\nits CR, and its CR filter is the fastest way to see what is available at the\nlevel you are building for.",[14,355,357],{"id":356},"what-to-check-before-you-commit","What to Check Before You Commit",[10,359,360,361,365,366,370,371,375],{},"CR alone will not tell you whether a monster is dangerous — glance at its\n",[22,362],{"label":363,"tooltip-key":364},"stat block","rules\u002Fstat-block"," before you settle\non it. Its ",[22,367],{"label":368,"tooltip-key":369},"Armor Class","rules\u002Farmor-class"," and\nits attacks are the two numbers worth a second look: a monster with a\nfrightening CR but an unremarkable attack is a smaller threat than the\nnumbers suggest, and the reverse also happens. This is only about choosing —\nfor how a stat block plays out turn by turn once the fight starts, see\n",[344,372,374],{"href":373},"\u002Fwiki\u002Fdungeon-mastering\u002Frunning-a-combat","Running a Combat",".",[14,377,379],{"id":378},"the-levers-that-matter-more","The Levers That Matter More",[10,381,382],{},"The XP budget is a starting point. These four move a fight's difficulty\nfurther than its total ever will.",[10,384,385],{},"Numbers matter more than the total suggests. As above, several weak monsters\nthat all act in the same round outpace one strong monster worth the same\nXP, because the party is contending with more turns, not more hit points.",[10,387,388,389,393,394,398],{},"Terrain changes what the numbers mean. ",[22,390],{"label":391,"tooltip-key":392},"Cover","rules\u002Fcover","\nprotects monsters that fight from range, and\n",[22,395],{"label":396,"tooltip-key":397},"difficult terrain","rules\u002Fdifficult-terrain"," can\nstrand melee characters exactly when they need to close the distance. The\nsame monsters in an open room and a cluttered one are not the same fight.",[10,400,401],{},"An objective beyond \"kill everything\" changes what winning means. Holding a\ndoor, reaching the far side of a room, or keeping one NPC alive all put\npressure on the party that a straight brawl does not, often without adding\na single extra monster.",[10,403,404,405,375],{},"What the monsters do when a fight turns against them matters more than any\nof the above. Give them a reason to want out, and most fights end at the\nright time on their own rather than grinding on past the point they have\nmade. For what that looks like at the table, see\n",[344,406,374],{"href":373},{"title":408,"searchDepth":409,"depth":409,"links":410},"",2,[411,412,413,414],{"id":16,"depth":409,"text":17},{"id":328,"depth":409,"text":329},{"id":356,"depth":409,"text":357},{"id":378,"depth":409,"text":379},"Judging whether a fight is dangerous before you run it — the XP budget, what challenge rating is worth, and the levers that move difficulty more.","md",{},true,"\u002Fwiki\u002Fdungeon-mastering\u002Fbuilding-an-encounter",{"title":5,"description":415},"wiki\u002F6.dungeon-mastering\u002F5.building-an-encounter","RxFbTsFpYlK1RYGzr0h88IdSkxYCFfm83x8bS1gmRq0",[424],{"title":425,"path":426,"stem":427,"children":428},"Wiki","\u002Fwiki","wiki\u002F1.index",[429,430,434,480,510,514],{"title":425,"path":426,"stem":427},{"title":431,"path":432,"stem":433},"Introduction","\u002Fwiki\u002Fintroduction","wiki\u002F2.introduction",{"title":435,"path":436,"stem":437,"children":438},"Playing the Game","\u002Fwiki\u002Fplaying-the-game","wiki\u002F3.playing-the-game\u002F1.index",[439,440,444,448,452,456,460,464,468,472,476],{"title":435,"path":436,"stem":437},{"title":441,"path":442,"stem":443},"Damage and Healing","\u002Fwiki\u002Fplaying-the-game\u002Fdamage-and-healing","wiki\u002F3.playing-the-game\u002F10.damage-and-healing",{"title":445,"path":446,"stem":447},"Conditions","\u002Fwiki\u002Fplaying-the-game\u002Fconditions","wiki\u002F3.playing-the-game\u002F11.conditions",{"title":449,"path":450,"stem":451},"Rhythm of Play","\u002Fwiki\u002Fplaying-the-game\u002Frhythm-of-play","wiki\u002F3.playing-the-game\u002F2.rhythm-of-play",{"title":453,"path":454,"stem":455},"The Six Abilities","\u002Fwiki\u002Fplaying-the-game\u002Fthe-six-abilities","wiki\u002F3.playing-the-game\u002F3.the-six-abilities",{"title":457,"path":458,"stem":459},"D20 Tests","\u002Fwiki\u002Fplaying-the-game\u002Fd20-tests","wiki\u002F3.playing-the-game\u002F4.d20-tests",{"title":461,"path":462,"stem":463},"Proficiency","\u002Fwiki\u002Fplaying-the-game\u002Fproficiency","wiki\u002F3.playing-the-game\u002F5.proficiency",{"title":465,"path":466,"stem":467},"Actions","\u002Fwiki\u002Fplaying-the-game\u002Factions","wiki\u002F3.playing-the-game\u002F6.actions",{"title":469,"path":470,"stem":471},"Social Interaction","\u002Fwiki\u002Fplaying-the-game\u002Fsocial-interaction","wiki\u002F3.playing-the-game\u002F7.social-interaction",{"title":473,"path":474,"stem":475},"Exploration","\u002Fwiki\u002Fplaying-the-game\u002Fexploration","wiki\u002F3.playing-the-game\u002F8.exploration",{"title":477,"path":478,"stem":479},"Combat","\u002Fwiki\u002Fplaying-the-game\u002Fcombat","wiki\u002F3.playing-the-game\u002F9.combat",{"title":481,"path":482,"stem":483,"children":484},"Creating a Character","\u002Fwiki\u002Fcreating-a-character","wiki\u002F4.creating-a-character\u002F1.index",[485,486,490,494,498,502,506],{"title":481,"path":482,"stem":483},{"title":487,"path":488,"stem":489},"Choosing a Class","\u002Fwiki\u002Fcreating-a-character\u002Fchoosing-a-class","wiki\u002F4.creating-a-character\u002F2.choosing-a-class",{"title":491,"path":492,"stem":493},"Origin","\u002Fwiki\u002Fcreating-a-character\u002Forigin","wiki\u002F4.creating-a-character\u002F3.origin",{"title":495,"path":496,"stem":497},"Ability Scores","\u002Fwiki\u002Fcreating-a-character\u002Fability-scores","wiki\u002F4.creating-a-character\u002F4.ability-scores",{"title":499,"path":500,"stem":501},"Alignment and Details","\u002Fwiki\u002Fcreating-a-character\u002Falignment","wiki\u002F4.creating-a-character\u002F5.alignment",{"title":503,"path":504,"stem":505},"Equipment","\u002Fwiki\u002Fcreating-a-character\u002Fequipment","wiki\u002F4.creating-a-character\u002F6.equipment",{"title":507,"path":508,"stem":509},"Beyond Level 1","\u002Fwiki\u002Fcreating-a-character\u002Fbeyond-level-1","wiki\u002F4.creating-a-character\u002F7.beyond-level-1",{"title":511,"path":512,"stem":513},"Rules Glossary","\u002Fwiki\u002Frules-glossary","wiki\u002F5.rules-glossary",{"title":515,"path":516,"stem":517,"children":518},"Dungeon Mastering","\u002Fwiki\u002Fdungeon-mastering","wiki\u002F6.dungeon-mastering\u002F1.index",[519,520,524,528,532,533,535,539],{"title":515,"path":516,"stem":517},{"title":521,"path":522,"stem":523},"Running the Game","\u002Fwiki\u002Fdungeon-mastering\u002Frunning-the-game","wiki\u002F6.dungeon-mastering\u002F2.running-the-game",{"title":525,"path":526,"stem":527},"Preparing a Session","\u002Fwiki\u002Fdungeon-mastering\u002Fpreparing-a-session","wiki\u002F6.dungeon-mastering\u002F3.preparing-a-session",{"title":529,"path":530,"stem":531},"Setting Difficulty","\u002Fwiki\u002Fdungeon-mastering\u002Fsetting-difficulty","wiki\u002F6.dungeon-mastering\u002F4.setting-difficulty",{"title":5,"path":419,"stem":421},{"title":374,"path":373,"stem":534},"wiki\u002F6.dungeon-mastering\u002F6.running-a-combat",{"title":536,"path":537,"stem":538},"Between Scenes","\u002Fwiki\u002Fdungeon-mastering\u002Fbetween-scenes","wiki\u002F6.dungeon-mastering\u002F7.between-scenes",{"title":540,"path":541,"stem":542},"Rewards","\u002Fwiki\u002Fdungeon-mastering\u002Frewards","wiki\u002F6.dungeon-mastering\u002F8.rewards",1767225600000]