5e Encounter Builder

Enter your party, add monsters by challenge rating or XP, and the builder rates the fight from Easy to Deadly using the encounter rules from the 2014 Dungeon Master's Guide.

How encounter difficulty is calculated

1. Party thresholds. Every character level has four XP thresholds: Easy, Medium, Hard and Deadly. The builder adds them up for each character in the party.
2. Monster XP. Each challenge rating has an XP value. CR 1 is worth 200 XP and CR 5 is worth 1,800.
3. Group multiplier. More monsters means more attacks against the party, so total monster XP is multiplied: ×1 for one monster, ×1.5 for two, ×2 for three to six, ×2.5 for seven to ten, ×3 for eleven to fourteen and ×4 for fifteen or more.
4. Comparison. The adjusted XP is checked against the party thresholds. If it reaches the Hard threshold but not Deadly, the fight is Hard.

Worked example

Four level 5 characters have thresholds of 1,000 (Easy), 2,000 (Medium), 3,000 (Hard) and 4,400 (Deadly). One CR 5 monster is worth 1,800 XP, multiplied by 1, so the fight is Easy. Swap it for three CR 3 monsters at 700 XP each: 2,100 XP raw, doubled to 4,200 adjusted, and the same party is now in a Hard fight. The XP the characters earn is still the raw 2,100, or 525 each.

Adjusting for party size

The guide suggests shifting the multiplier for unusual groups: one step higher for parties of fewer than three characters, and one step lower for six or more. It's off by default here. Tick the box under the monster list to use it.

Using it with the 2024 rules

The 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide replaced this system with a simpler XP budget per character and dropped the group multiplier. Monster XP values didn't change, so this builder still gives you the raw XP of any group, but its difficulty labels follow the 2014 method.

Still building the party? Roll their scores with the stat roller or use the point buy calculator.

Questions

What is adjusted XP?

It's the total monster XP after the group multiplier. It's only used to judge difficulty. Players earn the raw XP.

What does Deadly mean?

The guide describes a Deadly encounter as one that could kill one or more characters. It isn't a guaranteed wipe, but the party will need good tactics and some luck.

How many encounters should a party face per day?

The 2014 guide plans for six to eight Medium or Hard encounters per adventuring day, with two short rests. Most groups run fewer, which is why tougher single fights are common.

Can I mix character levels?

Yes. Use "Add characters at another level" for each group. Thresholds are added per character, so a level 3 and a level 7 count separately.