5e Encounter Calculator
Add your party and the monsters. The builder totals the XP, applies the right rules and tells you how hard the fight really is.
Party
Monsters
Below low
Encounter XP 400
| Low | 600 XP |
| Moderate | 900 XP |
| High | 1,600 XP |
XP reward 400 total, 100 each
Same XP, very different fight
Take a CR 5 troll's worth of experience, 1,800 XP, and split it across more and more monsters. On paper nothing changes. At the table, every extra creature is another attack per round and another body to block the corridor. The 2014 multiplier is the rules' attempt to price that in.
1 × about 1,800 XP each · multiplier ×1 · counts as 1,800 XP for difficulty (four characters).
The 2024 rules removed the multiplier and give bigger per-character budgets instead, trusting the DM to notice that eight monsters are harder than one. If your group melts swarms with area spells, the 2024 number is closer to reality; if they're a melee-heavy party, the 2014 number may be.
XP by challenge rating
| CR | XP | CR | XP | CR | XP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 10 | 9 | 5,000 | 21 | 33,000 |
| 1/8 | 25 | 10 | 5,900 | 22 | 41,000 |
| 1/4 | 50 | 11 | 7,200 | 23 | 50,000 |
| 1/2 | 100 | 12 | 8,400 | 24 | 62,000 |
| 1 | 200 | 13 | 10,000 | 25 | 75,000 |
| 2 | 450 | 14 | 11,500 | 26 | 90,000 |
| 3 | 700 | 15 | 13,000 | 27 | 105,000 |
| 4 | 1,100 | 16 | 15,000 | 28 | 120,000 |
| 5 | 1,800 | 17 | 18,000 | 29 | 135,000 |
| 6 | 2,300 | 18 | 20,000 | 30 | 155,000 |
| 7 | 2,900 | 19 | 22,000 | ||
| 8 | 3,900 | 20 | 25,000 |
2014 encounter multipliers
1 monster ×1 · 2 monsters ×1.5 · 3–6 ×2 · 7–10 ×2.5 · 11–14 ×3 · 15+ ×4. For parties of fewer than three characters use the next multiplier up; for six or more use the next one down.
Questions
How do I calculate encounter difficulty in 5e?
Add up the XP of every monster. Under the 2014 rules, multiply that total by a factor for the number of monsters (×1.5 for two, ×2 for three to six, and so on) and compare it with the party's combined easy, medium, hard and deadly thresholds. Under the 2024 rules, skip the multiplier and compare the plain total with the party's low, moderate and high budgets.
What does CR mean?
Challenge Rating. A monster of CR equal to the party's level is roughly a fair fight for four characters. Each CR has a fixed XP value, for example CR 1 = 200 XP and CR 5 = 1,800 XP.
Why does the 2014 method multiply XP?
Action economy. Ten goblins get ten turns per round, which is far more dangerous than one creature with the same total XP. The multiplier inflates the XP to reflect that. The 2024 rules drop it and ask you to watch big groups by judgement.
How many encounters per day?
The 2014 Dungeon Master's Guide assumes six to eight medium or hard encounters per long rest, with two short rests. The 2024 guide is more flexible, but the idea stands: fewer, harder fights per day favour spellcasters.
Do the multipliers count for XP rewards?
No. The multiplier only measures difficulty. Characters earn the monsters' plain XP total, split between them.