Encounter budget for a level 12 party

Every number on this page is arithmetic you can check: Torchline budgets 1,800 XP per character at level 12 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	2,970	3,960	4,950	5,940
Standard — a real fight, rarely lethal	5,400	7,200	9,000	10,800
Hard — someone will probably go down	8,640	11,520	14,400	17,280
Brutal — a character can die here	12,960	17,280	21,600	25,920

These are effective-XP budgets: a group of monsters is multiplied up before it is compared against them, so a budget of 7,200 does not mean 7,200 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 3,960

A lone threat — about 3,960 XP each (×1 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 pair — about 1,320 XP each (×1.5 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 group of four — about 495 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 198 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 skirmish encounter for a level 12 party

Standard — budget 7,200

A lone threat — about 7,200 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 2,400 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 900 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
Black Pudding	Ooze	Large	4	7	85	1,100
Blue Dragon Wyrmling	Dragon	Medium	3	17	52	700
Chuul	Aberration	Large	4	16	93	1,100

A swarm of eight — about 360 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 standard encounter for a level 12 party

Hard — 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 hard encounter for a level 12 party

Brutal — budget 17,280

A lone threat — about 17,280 XP each (×1 crowd multiplier)

Creature	Type	Size	CR	AC	HP	XP
Adult Gold Dragon	Dragon	Huge	17	19	256	18,000
Adult Red Dragon	Dragon	Huge	17	19	256	18,000
Androsphinx	Monstrosity	Large	17	17	199	18,000
Dragon Turtle	Dragon	Gargantuan	17	20	341	18,000
Adult Blue Dragon	Dragon	Huge	16	19	225	15,000

A pair — about 5,760 XP each (×1.5 crowd multiplier)

Creature	Type	Size	CR	AC	HP	XP
Aboleth	Aberration	Large	10	17	135	5,900
Deva	Celestial	Medium	10	17	136	5,900
Guardian Naga	Monstrosity	Large	10	18	127	5,900
Stone Golem	Construct	Large	10	17	178	5,900
Young Gold Dragon	Dragon	Large	10	18	178	5,900

A group of four — about 2,160 XP each (×2 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 swarm of eight — about 864 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 12 party

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