About This Tool
### Balance Your Battles
As a Dungeon Master, you want battles to be exciting, not accidental massacres. A "Medium" encounter for a Level 5 party is very different from a "Medium" encounter for a Level 1 party.
**Encounter Calculator** does the math for you.
### How It Works
It uses the official 5e "XP Threshold" logic:
1. **Party Strength**: Calculates the total XP budget your party can handle.
2. **Monster Strength**: Sums up the XP of your monsters.
3. **Action Economy**: Multiplies the monster XP if there are many foes (because 10 goblins are harder than 1 ogre due to more attacks per round).
Key Features
- **Adjusted XP**: Automatically applies the 'Action Economy' multiplier.
- **Difficulty Ratings**: Instantly categorizes battles as Easy, Medium, Hard, or Deadly.
- **Party Scaling**: Works for parties of any size (3 to 6+ players).
- **5e Compliant**: Matches the Dungeon Master's Guide rules.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Adjusted XP?
In 5e, fighting multiple monsters is harder than fighting one strong monster due to 'Action Economy'. Adjusted XP accounts for this by multiplying the XP value based on the count of foes.
What does 'Deadly' mean?
A Deadly encounter *could* be lethal for one or more player characters. It requires good tactics and resource expenditure (spells/potions) to survive.
Do I award Adjusted XP or Base XP?
You only award the **Base XP** to your players. The Adjusted XP is purely for you (the DM) to estimate difficulty.