Encounter budget for a level 10 party

Every number on this page is arithmetic you can check: Torchline budgets 1,200 XP per character at level 10 for a standard fight, scales it by party size, then by the difficulty band. Below each table are the SRD 5.1 creatures that actually land in that budget.

Budgets by party size and difficulty

Difficulty	Party of 3	Party of 4	Party of 5	Party of 6
Skirmish — resources barely dented	1,980	2,640	3,300	3,960
Standard — a real fight, rarely lethal	3,600	4,800	6,000	7,200
Hard — someone will probably go down	5,760	7,680	9,600	11,520
Brutal — a character can die here	8,640	11,520	14,400	17,280

These are effective-XP budgets: a group of monsters is multiplied up before it is compared against them, so a budget of 4,800 does not mean 4,800 XP of monsters.

What actually fits, for a party of four

The crowd multiplier is the part that catches people out. Two creatures count for 1.5× their XP, three to six count double, seven to ten count 2.5×, eleven or more count triple. So the XP you can spend per creature falls fast as the group grows.

Skirmish — budget 2,640

A lone threat — about 2,640 XP each (×1 crowd multiplier)

Creature	Type	Size	CR	AC	HP	XP
Giant Ape	Beast	Huge	7	12	157	2,900
Oni	Giant	Large	7	16	110	2,900
Shield Guardian	Construct	Large	7	17	142	2,900
Stone Giant	Giant	Huge	7	17	126	2,900
Young Black Dragon	Dragon	Large	7	18	127	2,900

A pair — about 880 XP each (×1.5 crowd multiplier)

Creature	Type	Size	CR	AC	HP	XP
Basilisk	Monstrosity	Medium	3	12	52	700
Bearded Devil	Fiend	Medium	3	13	52	700
Blue Dragon Wyrmling	Dragon	Medium	3	17	52	700
Doppelganger	Monstrosity	Medium	3	14	52	700
Giant Scorpion	Beast	Large	3	15	52	700

A group of four — about 330 XP each (×2 crowd multiplier)

Creature	Type	Size	CR	AC	HP	XP
Ankheg	Monstrosity	Large	2	14	39	450
Awakened Tree	Plant	Huge	2	13	59	450
Azer	Elemental	Medium	2	17	39	450
Bandit Captain	Humanoid	Medium	2	15	65	450
Berserker	Humanoid	Medium	2	13	67	450

A swarm of eight — about 132 XP each (×2.5 crowd multiplier)

Creature	Type	Size	CR	AC	HP	XP
Ape	Beast	Medium	1/2	12	19	100
Black Bear	Beast	Medium	1/2	11	19	100
Cockatrice	Monstrosity	Small	1/2	11	27	100
Crocodile	Beast	Large	1/2	12	19	100
Darkmantle	Monstrosity	Small	1/2	11	22	100

Build a skirmish encounter for a level 10 party

Standard — budget 4,800

A lone threat — about 4,800 XP each (×1 crowd multiplier)

Creature	Type	Size	CR	AC	HP	XP
Bone Devil	Fiend	Large	9	19	142	5,000
Clay Golem	Construct	Large	9	14	133	5,000
Cloud Giant	Giant	Huge	9	14	200	5,000
Fire Giant	Giant	Huge	9	18	162	5,000
Glabrezu	Fiend	Large	9	17	157	5,000

A pair — about 1,600 XP each (×1.5 crowd multiplier)

Creature	Type	Size	CR	AC	HP	XP
Air Elemental	Elemental	Large	5	15	90	1,800
Barbed Devil	Fiend	Medium	5	15	110	1,800
Bulette	Monstrosity	Large	5	17	94	1,800
Earth Elemental	Elemental	Large	5	17	126	1,800
Fire Elemental	Elemental	Large	5	13	102	1,800

A group of four — about 600 XP each (×2 crowd multiplier)

Creature	Type	Size	CR	AC	HP	XP
Basilisk	Monstrosity	Medium	3	12	52	700
Bearded Devil	Fiend	Medium	3	13	52	700
Blue Dragon Wyrmling	Dragon	Medium	3	17	52	700
Doppelganger	Monstrosity	Medium	3	14	52	700
Giant Scorpion	Beast	Large	3	15	52	700

A swarm of eight — about 240 XP each (×2.5 crowd multiplier)

Creature	Type	Size	CR	AC	HP	XP
Animated Armor	Construct	Medium	1	18	33	200
Brass Dragon Wyrmling	Dragon	Medium	1	16	16	200
Brown Bear	Beast	Large	1	11	34	200
Bugbear	Humanoid	Medium	1	16	27	200
Copper Dragon Wyrmling	Dragon	Medium	1	16	22	200

Build a standard encounter for a level 10 party

Hard — budget 7,680

A lone threat — about 7,680 XP each (×1 crowd multiplier)

Creature	Type	Size	CR	AC	HP	XP
Behir	Monstrosity	Huge	11	17	168	7,200
Chain Devil	Fiend	Medium	11	16	85	7,200
Djinni	Elemental	Large	11	17	161	7,200
Efreeti	Elemental	Large	11	17	200	7,200
Gynosphinx	Monstrosity	Large	11	17	136	7,200

A pair — about 2,560 XP each (×1.5 crowd multiplier)

Creature	Type	Size	CR	AC	HP	XP
Chimera	Monstrosity	Large	6	14	114	2,300
Drider	Monstrosity	Large	6	19	123	2,300
Invisible Stalker	Elemental	Medium	6	14	104	2,300
Mage	Humanoid	Medium	6	12	40	2,300
Mammoth	Beast	Huge	6	13	126	2,300

A group of four — about 960 XP each (×2 crowd multiplier)

Creature	Type	Size	CR	AC	HP	XP
Black Pudding	Ooze	Large	4	7	85	1,100
Chuul	Aberration	Large	4	16	93	1,100
Couatl	Celestial	Medium	4	19	97	1,100
Elephant	Beast	Huge	4	12	76	1,100
Ettin	Giant	Large	4	12	85	1,100

A swarm of eight — about 384 XP each (×2.5 crowd multiplier)

Creature	Type	Size	CR	AC	HP	XP
Ankheg	Monstrosity	Large	2	14	39	450
Awakened Tree	Plant	Huge	2	13	59	450
Azer	Elemental	Medium	2	17	39	450
Bandit Captain	Humanoid	Medium	2	15	65	450
Berserker	Humanoid	Medium	2	13	67	450

Build a hard encounter for a level 10 party

Brutal — budget 11,520

A lone threat — about 11,520 XP each (×1 crowd multiplier)

Creature	Type	Size	CR	AC	HP	XP
Adult Black Dragon	Dragon	Huge	14	19	195	11,500
Adult Copper Dragon	Dragon	Huge	14	18	184	11,500
Ice Devil	Fiend	Large	14	18	180	11,500
Adult Bronze Dragon	Dragon	Huge	15	19	212	13,000
Adult Green Dragon	Dragon	Huge	15	19	207	13,000

A pair — about 3,840 XP each (×1.5 crowd multiplier)

Creature	Type	Size	CR	AC	HP	XP
Assassin	Humanoid	Medium	8	15	78	3,900
Cloaker	Aberration	Large	8	14	78	3,900
Frost Giant	Giant	Huge	8	15	138	3,900
Hezrou	Fiend	Large	8	16	136	3,900
Hydra	Monstrosity	Huge	8	15	172	3,900

A group of four — about 1,440 XP each (×2 crowd multiplier)

Creature	Type	Size	CR	AC	HP	XP
Black Pudding	Ooze	Large	4	7	85	1,100
Chuul	Aberration	Large	4	16	93	1,100
Couatl	Celestial	Medium	4	19	97	1,100
Elephant	Beast	Huge	4	12	76	1,100
Ettin	Giant	Large	4	12	85	1,100

A swarm of eight — about 576 XP each (×2.5 crowd multiplier)

Creature	Type	Size	CR	AC	HP	XP
Basilisk	Monstrosity	Medium	3	12	52	700
Bearded Devil	Fiend	Medium	3	13	52	700
Blue Dragon Wyrmling	Dragon	Medium	3	17	52	700
Doppelganger	Monstrosity	Medium	3	14	52	700
Giant Scorpion	Beast	Large	3	15	52	700

Build a brutal encounter for a level 10 party

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