CR2.

0
Challenge Ratings 2.0

Combat is a core part of Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition.
Yet most Dungeon Masters have found 5th Edition's combat-
building system to be unreliable at best and misleading at
worst.
Some have written that the system is "hopelessly broken"
and that relying on it is a "mistake". Others have suggested
that combat-building is largely "experience and guesswork"
and that combat balance "is an art based on pseudoscience."
Most critics agree that the "action economy" lies at the
core of 5th Edition's shortcomings. Yet no combat-building
guides thus far have mathematically analyzed how combat
works and where 5th Edition goes wrong.
Challenge Ratings 2.0 is the first to do so. Built on a
comprehensive mathematical analysis of 5th Edition combat
rules, this system provides Dungeon Masters with a simple,
flexible, and resilient method for building encounters. From
mild skirmishes to overwhelming ordeals, Challenge
Ratings 2.0 allows Dungeon Masters to precisely calibrate
each encounter to its intended difficulty.
This system is split into two parts: a basic guide and an
advanced guide:
The basic guide features a simple, yet powerful method
for building balanced encounters.
The advanced guide allows Dungeon Masters to build
even more challenging encounters and accounts for
unique characteristics like magic items, multiclassing,
waves of monsters, and more.
To support my work and access an automated encounter-
building tool that uses this system, you can join my Patreon
here.
Thank you for playtesting Challenge Ratings 2.0, and
happy gaming.
—DragnaCarta

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 Step 2. Determine Encounter Difficulty
Part I. Basic Guide Find the intended Encounter Difficulty on the table below.
Building an Encounter Encounter Difficulty Multiplier Cost
Step 1. Calculate Party Power Mild. The PCs will win without a scratch. 0.40 2
Using the table below, add together the Power of each PC in Bruising. The PCs will win with minor
your party. This is the Party Power. injuries.
0.60 4

Level Power Level Power Level Power Level Power Bloody. The PCs will win with major
0.75 6
1 11 6 35 11 62 16 84 injuries.

2 14 7 41 12 68 17 103 Brutal. The PCs will win, but some may fall
0.90 8
unconscious.
3 18 8 44 13 71 18 119
Oppressive. The PCs can only win with a
4 23 9 49 14 74 19 131 1.00 10
little luck or skill.
5 32 10 53 15 82 20 141
Then, multiply the Party Power by the encounter's
Then, increase the Party Power by the total Power of all Multiplier. This is the Encounter Power Budget.
summoned monsters and NPC allies. (You can find this Step 3. Choose Monsters
information in the table in Step 3.) Using the table below, choose a number of monsters whose
total Power equals the Encounter Power Budget.
CR Power CR Power CR Power CR Power CR Power
0 1 4 48 11 105 18 160 25 300
1/8 5 5 60 12 115 19 165 26 325
1/4 10 6 65 13 120 20 180 27 350
1/2 16 7 70 14 125 21 200 28 375
1 22 8 85 15 130 22 225 29 400
2 28 9 85 16 140 23 250 30 425
3 37 10 95 17 150 24 275

You're done!
Building an Adventuring Day
Find the Fatigue Level for the adventuring day you'd like to
run on the table below. (Resources include hit dice, spell
slots, and abilities.)
Total Cost Fatigue Level
2 Light. The PCs will use few resources.
4 Moderate. The PCs will use some resources.
Taxing. The PCs will use a large minority of
6
their resources.
Draining. The PCs will use a majority of their
9
resources.
Debilitating. The PCs will use nearly all of their
12
resources.
Exhausting. The PCs will use all of their
15
resources.

Then, build a number of combat encounters whose total cost

(as given in the Cost column in Step 2 of Building an
Encounter) is equal to the Total Cost for that Fatigue Level.

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Example Encounter
Assume a party of four fourth-level PCs. Each PC has 23
Power, so the Party Power is 92.
The party also includes a CR 1/2 scout, who has 16 Power.
The Party Power is now 108.
We want to build a Bloody encounter. A Bloody encounter
has a Multiplier of 0.75. We multiply 108, the Party Power, by
0.75 to get 81, the Encounter Power Budget.
We need to choose any number of monsters whose total
Power adds up to 81. Let's choose:
One CR 1 bugbear (22 Power each),
Two CR 1/2 hobgoblins (16 Power each), and
Three CR 1/4 goblins (10 Power each).
That brings us to 84 Power, which is almost exactly equal
to the Encounter Power Budget. We're done!
Example Adventuring Day
Assume an adventuring day with the following encounters:
A Mild encounter (cost 2),
A Bruising encounter (cost 4), and
A Brutal encounter (cost 8).
The Total Cost is 14, making this a nearly Exhausting day.
Assuming they get enough short rests, the PCs will use
almost all of their resources, including hit points, hit dice,
spell slots, and abilities.
Note: Special Monsters
Be careful when building encounters with monsters whose
Power is twice as much as any individual PC's Power. These
monsters may deal enough damage to knock out a PC in a
single hit, removing them from combat and setting the PCs
onto a "death spiral" that may be impossible to recover from.
Additionally, the following monsters are Special CR and
should not be used except by an experienced Dungeon
Master: shadow, intellect devourer, sea hag, and banshee.

Credits
Challenge Ratings 2.0 is created by DragnaCarta. You
can read about the theory behind the system here.
(Note that this article is not yet complete.)
Special thanks to: Twi, whose feedback,
knowledge, and experience made this project
possible; and to Linus, whose mathematical insight
cracked the final code.
Additional thanks to: aldman123, Archer, Az,
Booyahg, Busdriver, Caesarr, CanadianCruelty,
Dragoncrown Games, Edgetaraz, EpicBlundersRPG,
Humanfarmerman, James Lorimer, JazzHammy,
nolonunez, Paintknight, PunchingPotato, Rolling
For What Now?, Schelling, StoryWeaver, Taffer, The
Count, and whatisaplunk for feedback and review.
Image credit to: Wizards of the Coast, used under
the Fan Content Policy. Dungeon Master's Guide
watercolor stains by Jared Ondricek.
Designed with: GMBinder.

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are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
Part II. Advanced Guide Step 1d. Determine Item Bonuses
Building an Encounter First, note the AC that the PC would have if they were still
using their starting equipment. Add every +1 bonus to AC
Step 1. Calculate PC Power that the PC has obtained by purchasing or finding new armor.
For each PC in the party, complete the following steps. (For example, if the PC began with chain mail, which
Step 1a. Determine Primary Level provides 16 AC, and has since upgraded to plate armor,
which provides 18 AC, the PC has received +2 bonuses.)
Find the PC's highest-leveled class. This is their primary Then, if the PC has obtained a shield, but their starting
class. (If two or more classes are tied, choose one.) equipment does not include a shield, add an additional +2
Write down the number of level points (LP) they gain from bonuses.
their primary class using the table below. Increase this number by every magical +1 bonus the PC
Level LP Level LP Level LP has to AC, attack rolls, saving throw DCs, and saving throws.
(For example, a +1 shield would provide an additional +1
1 2 8 23 15 32 bonus.)
2 7 9 24 16 32 Increase the PC's total level points by the number of
additional level points they gain, according to the table below.
3 10 10 25 17 35
Bonuses LP Bonuses LP Bonuses LP
4 13 11 28 18 37
1 1 5 3 9 4
5 18 12 29 19 39
2 1 6 3 10 5
6 20 13 30 20 40
3 2 7 4 11 5
7 22 14 30
4 2 8 4 12 6
If the PC has no other classes, skip to Step 1D.
Step 1b. Determine Auxiliary Levels Step 1e. Determine Other Bonuses
Determine the PC's auxiliary classes as follows: If the PC will have advantage on all of their attacks, increase
their total level points by 2, unless all enemies will also have
If the PC's primary class is a martial class, every other advantage on attacks against the PC.
martial or half-caster class that the PC has multiclassed If all enemies will have disadvantage to attack the PC,
into is an auxiliary class. All other classes are junk increase the PC's total level points by 3.
classes.
If the PC's primary class is a caster class, every half-caster Step 1f. Determine Power
class that the PC has multiclassed into is an auxiliary Find the PC's Power on the table below, given their total
class. All other classes are junk classes. Level Points.
If the PC's primary class is a half-caster class, every other
class that the PC has multiclassed into is an auxiliary LP Power LP Power LP Power LP Power
class.
0 11 12 24 24 55 36 125
Increase the PC's total level points by the number of 1 11 13 26 25 59 37 134
additional level points they gain from each auxiliary class,
using the table below. 2 12 14 28 26 63 38 143
Level LP Level LP Level LP 3 13 15 30 27 67 39 154
1 2 5 9 9 14 4 14 16 32 28 72 40 165
2 4 6 10 10 15 5 15 17 34 29 77 41 176
3 6 7 11 6 16 18 36 30 83 42 189
4 7 8 12 7 17 19 39 31 89 43 202
8 18 20 42 32 95 44 216
Step 1c. Determine Junk Levels 9 20 21 45 33 102 45 232
For each level that the PC has taken in a junk class, increase 10 21 22 48 34 109 46 248
their total Level Points by 1.
11 22 23 51 35 117

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Step 2. Calculate Party Power
Add together each PC's Power, including the Power of any Monster Power by Challenge Rating
monster summons or NPC companions (see Step 4 for this CR Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3 Tier 4
information). The result is the Party Power.
0 1 1 0 0
Step 3. Determine Encounter Difficulty 1/8 4 3 3 2
Find the intended Encounter Difficulty on the table below.
1/4 10 6 5 4
Encounter Difficulty Multiplier Cost
1/2 16 12 7 5
Mild. The PCs will win without a scratch. 0.40 2
1 22 17 15 8
Bruising. The PCs will win with minor
0.60 4 2 28 23 19 14
injuries.
3 37 30 25 19
Bloody. The PCs will win with major
0.75 6
injuries. 4 48 38 32 24
Brutal. The PCs will win, but some may fall 5 70 60 45 40
0.90 8
unconscious.
6 80 65 50 40
Oppressive. The PCs can only win with a
1.00 10 7 90 70 55 45
little luck or skill.
Overwhelming. The PCs can only win with 8 105 85 70 55
1.10 13
a lot of luck or skill. 9 110 85 70 55
Crushing. The PCs can only win with an 10 115 95 75 60
1.30 17
exceptional amount of luck or skill.
11 140 130 105 85
Devastating. The PCs can only win under
1.60 25 12 150 140 115 90
perfect conditions.
Impossible. The PCs cannot win. 2.25 50 13 160 150 120 95
14 165 155 125 100
Then, multiply the Party Power by the encounter's
Multiplier. This is the Encounter Power Budget. 15 175 165 130 105
16 185 175 140 110
Step 4. Choose Monsters
First, determine which tier of play your PCs are in: 17 250 200 190 150
18 260 210 200 160
Level Tier of Play Level Tier of Play
19 280 220 210 170
1-4 Tier 1 11-16 Tier 3
20 300 240 230 180
5-10 Tier 2 17-20 Tier 4
21 400 350 275 250
Using the table to the right, choose a number of monsters 22 450 375 300 275
whose total Power equals the Encounter Power Budget,
given the PCs' tier of play. 23 500 425 325 325
However, if a monster has resistance or immunity to all 24 550 450 375 350
nonmagical weapon damage, decrease its CR by 2 if all PCs
can consistently deal magical damage. If a monster can kill or 25 600 500 400 375
KO one or more PCs on the first turn of combat, increase its 26 650 525 425 400
CR by 4.
Note that the following monsters are Special CR and 27 725 600 475 450
should not be used except by an experienced Dungeon 28 775 625 500 475
Master: shadow, intellect devourer, sea hag, and banshee.
29 775 650 525 475
30 850 725 575 525
Why Does Power Change?
Why does a monster's Power vary with the PCs'
level? If a PC has a comparatively low AC and attack
bonus, the monster hits more often (increasing its
effective damage) and is hit less often (increasing
its effective HP). The inverse is also true!

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 Party Level Uncommon Rare Very Rare Legendary
1-4 15 (2) 120 (17) 360 (51) 600 (85)
5-10 2 (0) 15 (2) 45 (6) 75 (10)
11-16 1 (0) 5 (0) 15 (2) 25 (3)
17-20 0 (0) 3 (0) 9 (1) 15 (2)

Then, build a number of combat encounters whose total

cost (as given in the Cost column in Step 2 of Building an
Encounter) is equal to the Total Cost for that Fatigue Level.
In order to ensure that short-rest classes have as many
resources to spend as long-rest classes, aim to ensure that
your party takes an average of two short rests per day.
Example Encounter
Assume the following fourth-level party:
One 4th-level wizard with a wand of magic missile.
One 4th-level cleric with plate armor and a +2 holy
symbol.
One Paladin 2/Sorcerer 2 wielding a +1 shield.
One Fighter 2/Rogue 1/Wizard 1.
One CR 1/2 scout NPC ally.
According to Step 1A of Building An Encounter, each PC
gains the following level points from their primary class:
Wizard: 13 LP (Level 4)
Cleric: 13 LP (Level 4)
Paladin: 7 LP (Level 2)
Fighter: 7 LP (Level 2)
According to Step 1B, each PC gains the following number
Building an Adventuring Day of LP from auxiliary levels:
Find the Fatigue Level for the adventuring day you'd like to Wizard: +0 LP (Total: 13 LP)
run on the table below. (Resources include hit dice, spell Cleric: +0 LP (Total: 13 LP)
slots, and abilities.) Note down its Total Cost. Paladin: +4 LP (Total: 11 LP)
Fighter: +2 LP (Total: 9 LP)
Total Cost Fatigue Level
According to Step 1C, each PC gains the following number
2 Light. The PCs will use few resources. of LP from junk levels:
4 Moderate. The PCs will use some resources.
Wizard: +0 LP (Total: 13 LP)
6
Taxing. The PCs will use a large minority of Cleric: +0 LP (Total: 13 LP)
their resources. Paladin: +0 LP (Total: 11 LP)
Draining. The PCs will use a majority of their Fighter: +1 LP (Total: 10 LP)
9
resources. According to Step 1D, assuming the cleric began with
Debilitating. The PCs will use nearly all of their chain mail, each PC gains the following number of LP from
12
resources. item bonuses:
15
Exhausting. The PCs will use all of their Wizard: 0 Bonuses → +0 LP (Total: 13 LP)
resources. Cleric: 4 Bonuses → +2 LP (Total: 15 LP)
Paladin: 1 Bonus → +1 LP (Total: 12 LP)
Then, for each consumable magic item or fully-charged Fighter: 0 Bonuses → +0 LP (Total: 10 LP)
magical item that your PCs can use to deal damage, recover
hit points, or inflict debilitating conditions, find the item's The PCs have no other bonuses, so we skip Step 1E.
Resource Modifier on the table below and divide it by the According to Step 1F, each PC has the following amount of
number of PCs in the party. Add the result to the Total Cost. Power:
(For a consumable magic item, use the number in Wizard: 26 Power
parentheses instead.) Cleric: 30 Power
Paladin: 24 Power
Fighter: 21 Power

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According to the Monster Power chart in Step 4, the CR 1/2
scout NPC ally has 16 Power in Tier 1. Altogether, the Party
Power is 117.
Let's build a Bloody encounter: The PCs will be notably
injured, but will win the encounter. Accordingly, we multiply
the Party Power by 0.75, the Difficulty for a Bloody encounter,
to get the Encounter Power Budget: 88.
Now, we need to choose any number of monsters whose
total Tier 1 Power adds up to 88. Let's choose:
One CR 1 bugbear (22 power each) ,
Two CR 1/2 hobgoblins (16 power each) ,
Three CR 1/4 goblins (10 power each) , and
Four CR 0 rats (1 power each) .
This brings us to 88 monster power exactly.
Example Adventuring Day
Let's assume that this is the only encounter our PCs will face
today. The Total Cost for today starts at 6, which is the sum of
all Encounter Costs that the PCs will face.
Now, because our wizard has a fully-charged magic item
that can deal damage or inflict debilitating conditions (a
wand of magic missile), we need to subtract the item's
Resource Modifier from the Total Difficulty.
A wand of magic missile is an Uncommon charged magic
item. As such, its modifier for a party of level 4 is equal to 15
divided by the number of characters in the party (5).
The modifier is therefore equal to 3, which we then
subtract from the Total Cost (6) for a final result of 3 (Light).
Note: Waves of Monsters
For an encounter with multiple consecutive waves of enemies
(or a single enemy with multiple phases), build each wave as
a separate encounter. Then, add each wave's cost together to
determine the cost (and therefore the difficulty) of the overall
encounter.
Note: Creature Agency
Creature Power is only one component to evaluating an
encounter's difficulty. Monsters and PCs with access to spells
and spell-like effects, such as teleportation or flight, can reach
even greater heights with the right tactics and strategy. Look
out for a companion guide on "Creature Agency" to be
released soon on the Dragna's Den Substack.

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Changelog
Aug. 3, 2022. Updated Monster Power by Challenge
Rating table in the Advanced Guide to account for low-CR
monster power decay. Revised Step 1. Calculate PC
Power in the Advanced Guide to account for favorable
multiclass combinations.
Aug. 6, 2022. Updated Step 1B. Determine Auxiliary
Levels level points table in the Advanced Guide to key off
of proper multiclass benchmarks. Updated Step 1D.
Determine Item Bonuses Bonuses table in the Advanced
Guide to account for new Level Point scaling. Simplified
Step 1C. Determine Boost Ratio in the Advanced Guide.
Aug. 8, 2022. Simplified Step 1B. Determine Auxiliary
Levels in the Advanced Guide. Updated values for
Monster Power by Challenge Rating, Step 1A.
Determine Primary Level, and Step 1E. Determine
Power tables in the Advanced Guide.
Aug. 9, 2022. Fixed table in Step 1B. Determine
Auxiliary Levels to indicate aggregate Level Points,
rather than marginal Level Points. Changed heading of
Step 1C. Determine Junk Levels. Shrunk table in Step
1E. Determine Power to reflect current maximum Level
Point value.
Aug. 10, 2022. Added Step 1e. Determine Other
Bonuses to reflect level point adjustments for advantage
and disadvantage.
Aug. 12, 2022. Updated Example Encounter in the
Advanced Guide to reflect updated mathematics. Cleaned
up Bonuses table in Step 1D. Determine Item Bonuses
in the Advanced Guide. Removed A Point of Reference
text box in the Advanced Guide.
Nov. 17, 2022. Updated Example Encounter in the Basic
Guide to reflect updated mathematics.

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