Encounter budget for a level 3 party

Every number on this page is arithmetic you can check: Torchline budgets 180 XP per character at level 3 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	297	396	495	594
Standard — a real fight, rarely lethal	540	720	900	1,080
Hard — someone will probably go down	864	1,152	1,440	1,728
Brutal — a character can die here	1,296	1,728	2,160	2,592

These are effective-XP budgets: a group of monsters is multiplied up before it is compared against them, so a budget of 720 does not mean 720 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 396

A lone threat — about 396 XP each (×1 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 pair — about 132 XP each (×1.5 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

A group of four — about 50 XP each (×2 crowd multiplier)

Creature	Type	Size	CR	AC	HP	XP
Acolyte	Humanoid	Medium	1/4	10	9	50
Axe Beak	Beast	Large	1/4	11	19	50
Blink Dog	Fey	Medium	1/4	13	22	50
Boar	Beast	Medium	1/4	11	11	50
Constrictor Snake	Beast	Large	1/4	12	13	50

A swarm of eight — about 20 XP each (×2.5 crowd multiplier)

Creature	Type	Size	CR	AC	HP	XP
Bandit	Humanoid	Medium	1/8	12	11	25
Blood Hawk	Beast	Small	1/8	12	7	25
Camel	Beast	Large	1/8	9	15	25
Cultist	Humanoid	Medium	1/8	12	9	25
Flying Snake	Beast	Tiny	1/8	14	5	25

Build a skirmish encounter for a level 3 party

Standard — budget 720

A lone threat — about 720 XP each (×1 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 pair — about 240 XP each (×1.5 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

A group of four — about 90 XP each (×2 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

A swarm of eight — about 36 XP each (×2.5 crowd multiplier)

Creature	Type	Size	CR	AC	HP	XP
Bandit	Humanoid	Medium	1/8	12	11	25
Blood Hawk	Beast	Small	1/8	12	7	25
Camel	Beast	Large	1/8	9	15	25
Cultist	Humanoid	Medium	1/8	12	9	25
Flying Snake	Beast	Tiny	1/8	14	5	25

Build a standard encounter for a level 3 party

Hard — budget 1,152

A lone threat — about 1,152 XP each (×1 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 pair — about 384 XP each (×1.5 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

A group of four — about 144 XP each (×2 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

A swarm of eight — about 58 XP each (×2.5 crowd multiplier)

Creature	Type	Size	CR	AC	HP	XP
Acolyte	Humanoid	Medium	1/4	10	9	50
Axe Beak	Beast	Large	1/4	11	19	50
Blink Dog	Fey	Medium	1/4	13	22	50
Boar	Beast	Medium	1/4	11	11	50
Constrictor Snake	Beast	Large	1/4	12	13	50

Build a hard encounter for a level 3 party

Brutal — budget 1,728

A lone threat — about 1,728 XP each (×1 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 pair — about 576 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 216 XP each (×2 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

A swarm of eight — about 86 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 brutal encounter for a level 3 party

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