Encounter budget for a level 13 party

Every number on this page is arithmetic you can check: Torchline budgets 2,100 XP per character at level 13 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	3,465	4,620	5,775	6,930
Standard — a real fight, rarely lethal	6,300	8,400	10,500	12,600
Hard — someone will probably go down	10,080	13,440	16,800	20,160
Brutal — a character can die here	15,120	20,160	25,200	30,240

These are effective-XP budgets: a group of monsters is multiplied up before it is compared against them, so a budget of 8,400 does not mean 8,400 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 4,620

A lone threat — about 4,620 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 1,540 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 578 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 231 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 13 party

Standard — budget 8,400

A lone threat — about 8,400 XP each (×1 crowd multiplier)

Creature	Type	Size	CR	AC	HP	XP
Archmage	Humanoid	Medium	12	12	99	8,400
Erinyes	Fiend	Medium	12	18	153	8,400
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

A pair — about 2,800 XP each (×1.5 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 group of four — about 1,050 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 420 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 13 party

Hard — budget 13,440

A lone threat — about 13,440 XP each (×1 crowd multiplier)

Creature	Type	Size	CR	AC	HP	XP
Adult Bronze Dragon	Dragon	Huge	15	19	212	13,000
Adult Green Dragon	Dragon	Huge	15	19	207	13,000
Mummy Lord	Undead	Medium	15	17	97	13,000
Purple Worm	Monstrosity	Gargantuan	15	18	247	13,000
Adult Blue Dragon	Dragon	Huge	16	19	225	15,000

A pair — about 4,480 XP each (×1.5 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 group of four — about 1,680 XP each (×2 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 swarm of eight — about 672 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 13 party

Brutal — budget 20,160

A lone threat — about 20,160 XP each (×1 crowd multiplier)

Creature	Type	Size	CR	AC	HP	XP
Balor	Fiend	Huge	19	19	262	22,000
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

A pair — about 6,720 XP each (×1.5 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 group of four — about 2,520 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 1,008 XP each (×2.5 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

Build a brutal encounter for a level 13 party

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