⚔️CritForge

Encounter Calculator

Calculate encounter difficulty with both 2014 and 2024 rules side-by-side. No account required — instant results.

1

Your Party

148
15101520
2

Creatures

1
200 XP

Encounter Difficulty

Raw XP

200

Multiplier

×1

Adjusted XP

200

Creatures

1

DMG 2014(with multipliers)

Trivial

Not a real threat

EasyMedHardDeadly
Easy: 1,000Medium: 2,000Hard: 3,000Deadly: 4,400
SRD 5.2 (2024)(no multipliers)

Trivial

Below budget

LowModHigh
Low: 2,000Mod: 3,000High: 4,400
Adventuring Day Budget
1%

200 of 14,000 daily XP budget used. Room for 4-5 more encounters today.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the D&D 5e encounter difficulty calculator work?
Add creatures by Challenge Rating (CR), set your party size and level, and the calculator instantly shows the encounter difficulty. It uses XP thresholds from the DMG (easy/medium/hard/deadly with multipliers) and XP budgets from the SRD 5.2 (low/moderate/high, no multipliers).
What's the difference between DMG 2014 and SRD 5.2 difficulty?
The DMG 2014 system applies XP multipliers based on the number of enemies (more enemies = harder). The SRD 5.2 system (2024 rules) uses flat XP budgets with no multipliers — you spend creature XP directly from the budget. Both are valid; many GMs use 2014 rules even at tables with the 2024 PHB.
What is the adventuring day XP budget?
The DMG recommends a total XP budget per adventuring day based on party level. A typical day has 6-8 medium-to-hard encounters that together consume the daily budget. The calculator shows what percentage of the daily budget this single encounter uses.
Is this encounter calculator free?
Yes, completely free — no account required. It runs entirely in your browser using standard D&D 5e math. No AI, no usage limits.