ditions to the adjusted Hit Dice of the larger HD of the mount or rider.
• The Total Party Level (TPL) is equivalent to the adjusted Hit Dice value of the monster. The TPL (described and calculated below) is not adjusted for magical or special abilities. If the DM believes special abilities will play a major role in the encounter (for example, the entire party is made up of 18th level spellcasters), the DM will need to add power bonuses, as described below, to the TPL. • The party is at full strength. The DM may adjust the TPL downward when the party is not at full strength, as discussed below.
Balancing Encounters Checklist Follow these three steps to determine the impact of an encounter:
1. Determine the TPL (Total Party Level) of the PC party. 2. Determine the Individual Adjusted Hit Dice of the Monsters. 3. Determine the type of challenge faced.
Definitions The terms used in the Balancing Encounters Checklist are defined here and presented in the order of procedure. Determine the TPL The Total Party Level (TPL) is the sum of the experience levels of all the characters in the party. If the party consists of six 10th level characters, the TPL is 60 (6 x 10). The DM can adjust the TPL downward if the party is not at full strength. If a character has taken at least 1 hit point of damage for every experience level he has (that is, an 8th level character has taken 8 or more hit points of damage), treat him as being one experience level less than he is. If he has taken at least 2 hit points of damage for every level he has (in this case, 16 hit points of damage), treat him as being two levels less than he is. For the TPL figure, damage can reduce a character to no less than 1/2 (round down) his actual experience level. Example: An 8th level fighter with 40 hit points has taken 24 hit points in damage. This is 3 hit points for every experience level he has, so he is rated as being a 5th level fighter (8 - 3 = 5) for the Total Party Level. Determine the Individual Adjusted Hit Dice of the Monsters The Individual Adjusted Hit Dice figure represents the monster's overall effectiveness; it's a combination of its Hit Dice and special abilities. To find the Individual Adjusted Hit Dice, take the creature's Hit Dice. If there are additions to the Hit Dice, divide additional hit points by five, round up, and add the result to the number of Hit Dice. For example, a creature with 4 + 3 HD would count as 5 HD. If there are any subtractions from the Hit Dice, subtract 1/2 HD per 2 points subtracted. For example, a creature with 1-1 HD would count as 1/2 HD. Then add half of the original Hit Dice figure for each power bonus. Power bonuses include:
• Each asterisk next to a monster's hit dice. • Special NPC abilities. For NPC parties, award a power bonus for each of the following conditions: 1) Everyone in the party has +2 weapons or better; and 2) There are spellcasters in the party. (Take the highest level of spells that may be cast, divide by two, then divide that result by the number of characters in the party, rounding up; the result is the power bonus added to the Individual Adjusted Hit Dice figure of every character in the party.)
Example: A monster's description (from Chapter 14) says "HD 9**." For each asterisk, add in half the creature's basic HD; therefore, each asterisk is worth + 4 1/2 HD to this creature's rating, and its Individual Adjusted Hit Dice is 18. Example: An NPC party has four members; one can cast spells up to 8th level. The party's power bonus equals 1/4 (8 levels / 2 / 4 members = 1/4), or 1 power bonus to everyone in the party. If more than one monster is present in the encounter, add their Individual Adjusted Hit Dice figures together. Determine the Challenge The challenge of an encounter is expressed as a percentage number. To find that number, divide the combined Individual Adjusted Hit Dice of the monsters by the TPL of the player character party. Remember that a number such as ".5" actually translates into percentile form as "50%," as shown in the Challenge Percentage Table, found below. When a DM is using the balancing encounters optional rule, he or she should decide which level of challenge the encounter should be (see the Encounter Challenge Table). Then the DM can multiply the TPL by the challenge percentages (from the Challenge Percentable Table) to get a range of Hit Dice. Divide the highest number obtained by the adjusted monster Hit Dice to determine how many monsters should be present in the encounter. The DM can use any fraction to make one monster a larger leader or can treat a fraction as a youngster. When checking the impact of an encounter, the DM can take the total adjusted monster Hit Dice and divide by the TPL x 100 to determine the percentage. Then, he or she can look up the result in the challenge levels as listed in the Encounter Challenge Table.
Challenge Percentage Table Number = Percentage .1 = 10% .2 = 20% .3 = 30% .4 = 40% .5 = 50% .6 = 60% .7 = 70% .8 = 80% .9 = 90% 1.0 = 100%
Encounter Challenge Table Adj. HD of TPL Challenge Level Extremely dangerous 110% + Risky 90-110% Major 70-90% Challenging 50-70% Good fight 30-50% Distraction 20-30% Minor 10-20% Too easy 1-10% The terms presented in the Encounter Challenge Table are defined in the following text and are listed in the order of challenge. Extremely Dangerous: This encounter is a killer. If the PCs do not retreat or flee, they will probably be defeated and may die. This type of encounter is usually used for "no win" situations when the DM wants it obvious that the players cannot beat the monsters in a fight. Risky: The monsters are equal to the party and there is an even chance that either side may win. This encounter may require many of the party's resources, and some members may die. Risky-encounters are sometimes used for the grand finale to a quest. Major: This type of encounter is usually used as the main fight or climax of an adventure. If an adventure has little fighting, the DM may want to include one or two of these encounters. Challenging: This encounter will challenge a party's might, but the party has the odds in its favor if the encounter is played well. If the adventure is short, three to five of these encounters may be used. Good Fight: This is the most common level of encounter and can make up half of an adventure. A good fight may also include tough random encounters. Distraction: This is a smaller encounter that will cost the party some hit points but should be easy to overcome. This level should be used when there are many encounters and the party has little chance to recover from previous ones. Minor: Most random encounters should be of this level. Often minor encounters are used to warn a party of something worse ahead. Too Easy: An encounter that is too easy is best ignored or played for humor. It is not a real challenge unless the party is weaponless or injured.
Reversing the Process By finding the total Hit Dice of a group of monsters about to be encountered by a party (according to the encounter key), the impact of the encounter can be estimated in advance. If the DM sees that the likely result is not desirable, their numbers or hit points may be modified. There are many good reasons for modifying existing details (often called "winging it"). If the party is critically injured, the DM might want to avoid killing characters. If the party has been remarkably unlucky in treasure finding during the adventure, the DM might want to add more, with a corresponding increase in danger.