GM Tools

This chapter provides tools for Game Masters to create balanced encounters, manage NPCs, and run adventures.

Challenge Rating (CR)

Challenge Rating indicates a creature’s threat level. A CR X creature is a fair challenge for a party of four level X characters.

CR Quick Reference

CR	HP	Defense	Attack	DPR	XP
0	20	11	+2	5	25
1	40	12	+3	10	50
2	60	13	+3	15	100
3	80	14	+4	25	200
4	100	15	+4	30	400
5	120	15	+5	40	700
6	140	16	+5	50	1,100
7	160	16	+5	60	1,800
8	180	17	+5	70	2,900
9	200	17	+5	85	4,200
10	220	18	+5	100	6,000

DPR = Damage Per Round

Creature Types

Type	Examples	Typical Traits
Humanoid	Goblins, orcs, bandits	Tool use, social structure
Beast	Wolves, bears, eagles	Natural weapons, instincts
Undead	Skeletons, zombies	Immunity to poison/charm
Fiend	Demons, devils	Fire resistance, fearsome
Elemental	Fire elemental	Tied to element
Aberration	Mind flayers	Alien, psychic
Dragon	Dragons, wyverns	Breath weapons, flight
Construct	Golems	Immunity to many conditions
Fey	Pixies, dryads	Charm, illusion
Giant	Ogres, trolls	Large, strong
Monstrosity	Owlbears, griffins	Hybrid creatures
Plant	Treants	Unusual vulnerabilities
Ooze	Gelatinous cube	Mindless, corrosive
Celestial	Angels	Radiant damage, good

Creature Tiers

Tier	HP Mult	Reactions	Legendary	XP Mult	Use
Minion	0.5×	1	0	0.25×	Groups of weak enemies
Standard	1×	1	0	1×	Normal encounters
Elite	1.5×	2	0	1.5×	Mini-bosses
Boss	2×	2	3/round	2×	Major encounters

Minions die on any hit that deals damage (no HP tracking needed).

Boss creatures get 3 Legendary Actions per round, usable at the end of other creatures’ turns.

Encounter Building

Step 1: Determine XP Budget

Multiply the party’s threshold by party size:

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

Example: Party of 4 at level 3

Easy: 300 XP
Medium: 600 XP
Hard: 900 XP
Deadly: 1,600 XP

Step 2: Apply Enemy Count Multiplier

More enemies = harder encounter due to action economy.

Enemy Count	Multiplier
1	×1.0
2	×1.5
3-4	×2.0
5-6	×2.5
7-10	×3.0
11-14	×4.0
15+	×5.0

Step 3: Calculate Adjusted XP

Adjusted XP = (Sum of creature XP) × Enemy Count Multiplier

Compare adjusted XP to budget for difficulty.

Example Encounter

Party: 4 characters at level 5 (Medium budget: 2,000 XP)

Enemies: 1 Orc Leader (CR 3, 200 XP) + 4 Orc Warriors (CR 2, 100 XP each)

Calculation:

Base XP: 200 + (4 × 100) = 600 XP
Enemy count: 5 → ×2.5 multiplier
Adjusted XP: 600 × 2.5 = 1,500 XP
Difficulty: Medium (1,500 < 2,000)

Encounter Suggestions

Easy Encounters

Single creature of party level CR
2-3 minions + 1 standard creature

Medium Encounters

1 elite creature
2 standard creatures
4-6 minions + 1 standard

Hard Encounters

1 elite + 2-3 standard
3-4 standard creatures
1 standard + 6-8 minions

Deadly Encounters

1 boss creature
2 elite creatures
1 elite + 4-5 standard

Daily XP Budget

A party can handle approximately 7 medium encounters worth of XP per day before needing a long rest.

Party Level	Daily Budget (4 PCs)
1	350
3	1,050
5	3,500
7	5,250
10	8,400

Sample Creatures

Goblin (CR 0, Minion)

HP: 7 | Defense: 13 | Speed: 30 ft
Stats: MIG -1, FIN +2, INS +0, CUN +0
Attacks: Scimitar +4 (1d6+2) or Shortbow +4 (1d6+2)
Abilities: Nimble Escape (disengage/hide as bonus)
Morale: Cowardly (DC 5)

Wolf (CR 0, Standard)

HP: 11 | Defense: 13 | Speed: 40 ft
Stats: MIG +1, FIN +2, INS +1, CUN -3
Attacks: Bite +4 (2d4+2) - target makes Might save or is knocked prone
Abilities: Pack Tactics (advantage if ally within 5 ft)
Morale: Trained (DC 10)

Skeleton (CR 1, Standard)

HP: 13 | Defense: 13 | Speed: 30 ft
Stats: MIG +0, FIN +2, INS -1, CUN -2
Attacks: Shortsword +4 (1d6+2) or Shortbow +4 (1d6+2)
Immunities: Poison
Vulnerabilities: Bludgeoning
Morale: Mindless (never flees)

Orc (CR 2, Standard)

HP: 15 | Defense: 13 | Speed: 30 ft
Stats: MIG +3, FIN +1, INS +0, CUN -1
Attacks: Greataxe +5 (1d12+3)
Abilities: Aggressive (move toward enemy as bonus action)
Morale: Trained (DC 10)

Troll (CR 5, Elite)

HP: 84 | Defense: 15 | Speed: 30 ft
Stats: MIG +4, FIN +1, INS -1, CUN -2
Attacks: Multiattack (2 claws +7, 2d6+4 each)
Abilities: Regeneration (10 HP/round, stopped by fire/acid)
Morale: Fanatical (DC 15)

Young Dragon (CR 7, Boss)

HP: 178 | Defense: 18 | Speed: 40 ft, fly 80 ft
Stats: MIG +4, FIN +0, INS +2, CUN +3
Attacks: Multiattack (bite 2d10+4, 2 claws 2d6+4)
Breath Weapon (Recharge 5-6): 30 ft cone, 10d6 fire, Finesse save half
Legendary Actions: Tail attack, wing buffet, detect
Morale: Fanatical

Reaction Rolls

When PCs encounter a creature whose disposition is uncertain, roll 2d6 + Cunning modifier:

Roll	Disposition	Behavior
2-3	Hostile	Attacks immediately
4-5	Unfriendly	Threatens, demands
6-8	Neutral	Wary, open to negotiation
9-10	Friendly	Helpful, talkative
11-12	Helpful	Actively aids party

Situation Modifiers

Modifier	Value
Good reputation	+2
Bad reputation	-2
Offering tribute	+2
Armed and armored	-1
Peaceful approach	+1
Language barrier	-2
Shared enemy	+2

Morale Checks

When creatures face adversity, they may flee or surrender.

Morale Triggers

First ally killed
Half of group killed (-2 to check)
Leader killed (-4 to check)
Massive damage (>50% HP in one hit, -2)
Outnumbered 2:1 (-2)

Morale Types

Type	DC	Examples
Mindless	N/A	Undead, constructs, oozes
Fanatical	15	Fiends, dragons, zealots
Trained	10	Soldiers, professionals
Untrained	8	Bandits, beasts
Cowardly	5	Goblins, kobolds

Morale Check: d20 + Insight vs DC

Result	Outcome
Beat DC by 5+	Stands firm
Beat DC by 0-4	Shaken (Frightened)
Failed, can escape	Flees
Failed, can’t escape	Surrenders

Progress Clocks

Use progress clocks to track ongoing situations:

[●●●○○○] Alarm Raised (3/6)

Clock Types

Progress: PCs filling toward goal
Danger: Threat filling toward consequence
Racing: Two clocks competing

Segment Counts

4 segments: Quick, simple goals
6 segments: Standard challenges
8 segments: Complex endeavors
10 segments: Long-term projects

Loot and Treasure

Individual Loot by CR

CR	Typical Loot
0-1	1-6 sp, 10% chance common item
2-4	1-16 gp, 25% uncommon item
5-6	8-30 gp, 50% uncommon, 10% rare
7-8	15-60 gp, uncommon + 20% rare
9-10	30-120 gp, rare + 10% very rare