D&D Encounter Generator 5e: Balanced Random Encounters

How to use it

The math is done for you

Monsters are picked so the adjusted XP lands inside the budget for the difficulty you chose, using the XP thresholds and group multipliers from the Dungeon Master's Guide. The card shows the full calculation.

Easy isn't wasted

Several easy and medium fights in one adventuring day wear a party down more than one deadly one. Use easy encounters to drain spell slots and hit points before the boss.

Use the terrain and the twist

A fight in an open field is just dice. The terrain and twist give the monsters a reason to retreat, the party a reason to hurry, and everyone something to remember.

Look up the stat blocks

Every monster is from the free System Reference Document (SRD 5.1), so you'll find its stat block in the basic rules or any 5e SRD site.

5e encounter XP thresholds by level

The XP each character adds to the party's budget. Add up the column for every character in the party: an encounter whose adjusted XP reaches that total is at least that difficulty.

Level	Easy	Medium	Hard	Deadly
1	25	50	75	100
2	50	100	150	200
3	75	150	225	400
4	125	250	375	500
5	250	500	750	1,100
6	300	600	900	1,400
7	350	750	1,100	1,700
8	450	900	1,400	2,100
9	550	1,100	1,600	2,400
10	600	1,200	1,900	2,800
11	800	1,600	2,400	3,600
12	1,000	2,000	3,000	4,500
13	1,100	2,200	3,400	5,100
14	1,250	2,500	3,800	5,700
15	1,400	2,800	4,300	6,400
16	1,600	3,200	4,800	7,200
17	2,000	3,900	5,900	8,800
18	2,100	4,200	6,300	9,500
19	2,400	4,900	7,300	10,900
20	2,800	5,700	8,500	12,700

Encounter multipliers

More monsters means more attacks, so their total XP is multiplied before you compare it with the thresholds. For a party of fewer than three, use the next higher multiplier; for six or more, use the next lower one.

Number of monsters	Multiply XP by
1	× 1
2	× 1.5
3–6	× 2
7–10	× 2.5
11–14	× 3
15 or more	× 4

How to build an encounter by hand

Say you have four level-5 characters and want a hard fight. Each character's hard threshold is 750 XP, so the party's budget starts at 3,000 XP and runs up to the deadly line at 4,400. Six hobgoblins are worth 600 XP; with the ×2 multiplier for six monsters that's 1,200, an easy fight. Swap in a troll (1,800 XP) with four hobgoblins (400 XP): 2,200 XP × 2 for five monsters is 4,400, which tips into deadly. A troll with two hobgoblins is 2,000 × 2 = 4,000, a hard fight. That's the arithmetic the generator does for you on every roll.

The adjusted XP is only for judging difficulty. When the fight is over, the party shares the monsters' real XP, without the multiplier.

Questions

Is the D&D encounter generator free?

Yes. It's free with no account, up to 40 rolls a day.

How is the difficulty worked out?

With the 2014 Dungeon Master's Guide method: add up the monsters' XP, multiply it for the number of monsters (adjusted for parties smaller than 3 or larger than 5), and compare it with the party's XP thresholds for easy, medium, hard and deadly.

Which monsters can it use?

Around 180 monsters from the 5e System Reference Document, from goblins and wolves to giants, devils and ancient dragons, sorted by where they live.

Can I choose where the fight happens?

Yes: forest, dungeon, city, mountains, hills, grassland, swamp, coast, desert, arctic or underdark, or leave it to chance.

Does it work with the 2024 rules?

The XP budget follows the 2014 guidelines, which most tables still use. Monsters and challenge ratings are the same, so the encounters work fine with 2024 characters; just expect them to feel a little easier.

Is Quillroll affiliated with Wizards of the Coast?

No. Quillroll is an independent tool. Dungeons & Dragons is a trademark of Wizards of the Coast.