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How to Determine Difficulty Level

Difficulty Level, or DL, is a quick estimate of how dangerous a creature is compared with a fully built and properly equipped character. Hit Dice are a good place to start, but they do not determine DL on their own. Defenses, accuracy, damage, saving throw DCs, special abilities, and action economy all matter.

The method below is meant to be quick enough to use while writing a creature. Find its Offensive DL and Defensive DL, average the two, then check anything those numbers do not cover.

Quick Method

  1. Start with the creature's HD as its starting DL.
  2. Compare its normal attack bonus or most common hostile DC to the benchmark table. This gives its Offensive DL.
  3. Compare its HP, AC, and saves to the benchmark table. This gives its Defensive DL.
  4. Average Offensive DL and Defensive DL, rounding normally.
  5. Adjust the result by no more than 2 DL for advantages or limitations not already represented by its statistics.
  6. If the creature receives more than one full turn each round, account for those turns when calculating the encounter's EDL rather than increasing the creature's individual DL.

Quick Formula: (Offensive DL + Defensive DL) รท 2, rounded normally, then apply the Special Ability Check.

A creature built with a normal progression, appropriate wealth, and no unusual advantages should have a DL close to its HD. If the result is more than 3 DL away from its HD, check the creature's math again.

DL Benchmarks

These benchmarks come from 60 generic NPCs whose HD and DL are the same. They include martial characters, casters, specialists, companions, and constructs. Accurate Attack is based on characters that primarily use weapons. Common Hostile DC is based on the spell and ability DCs in those NPC entries.

DL HP AC Accurate Attack Low Save High Save Common Hostile DC
1 17 17 +6 +2 +6 16
5 68 20 +11 +3 +8 17
10 130 25 +20 +5 +11 22
15 196 31 +28 +7 +15 26
20 330 39 +38 +11 +24 34

Use the closest row and estimate between rows when necessary. A DL 12 creature, for example, should fall somewhere between the DL 10 and DL 15 benchmarks. These numbers do not need to be exact. A defender might have higher AC and lower damage. A caster might have a poor weapon attack but an appropriate hostile DC.

Determine Offensive DL

Use whatever the creature is expected to do during most of its turns.

  • For a weapon user, compare its primary attack bonus to Accurate Attack.
  • For a creature that attacks saving throws, compare its most frequently used hostile DC to Common Hostile DC.
  • If it uses both equally, use whichever gives it the higher Offensive DL. Its damage should still support that result.
  • Do not rate a caster by its weak backup weapon or a weapon user by one perfect attack it can only make once per day.

After finding the closest attack or DC, check the creature's routine damage. Routine damage is what it can do repeatedly without relying on a critical hit, a once-per-day ability, or several rounds of setup.

  • Increase Offensive DL by 1 if its routine damage is clearly stronger than other creatures at that benchmark.
  • Decrease Offensive DL by 1 if its routine damage is clearly weaker than other creatures at that benchmark.
  • An attack that rarely hits, or an effect that is usually resisted, is not strong offense just because it has high damage.
  • Judge area damage by how many targets it can reasonably hit, not by the maximum number of creatures that could fit inside the area.

A creature needs at least one useful offensive option for its DL. A massive pile of HP does not make a creature dangerous if the group can safely ignore it.

Determine Defensive DL

Compare HP, AC, and saves to the same benchmark row.

Start with HP. AC determines how quickly weapon users can remove those HP, while saves determine how easily spells and abilities can disable or destroy the creature.

  • High HP can compensate for low AC, but it cannot also compensate for every save being poor.
  • High AC can compensate for lower HP, provided the creature is not easily removed by one common saving throw.
  • A creature should have at least one strong save and can have one deliberately weak save.
  • Damage reduction, regeneration, warding, concealment, incorporeality, and reliable healing increase effective durability.
  • Vulnerabilities, self-damage, poor movement, and defenses that are easily bypassed reduce effective durability.

Choose the benchmark row that best represents the creature's defenses as a whole. Do not increase DL separately for HP, AC, and every save. They are all part of the same Defensive DL.

Special Ability Check

After averaging Offensive and Defensive DL, look for anything not already represented by attack, DC, damage, HP, AC, or saves. Most creatures will not need an adjustment here.

Increase DL by 1 for one of the following if it is reliable and important to the creature:

  • Action denial that can repeatedly remove turns.
  • Regeneration or healing that requires a specific answer to stop.
  • Flight, extreme range, or movement that prevents the expected party from engaging it.
  • Broad immunity to the party's likely attacks.
  • Strong battlefield control combined with good damage.
  • A reliable way to attack several creatures at full strength each round.

Decrease DL by 1 for one of the following if it meaningfully limits the creature:

  • A common vulnerability that deals substantially more damage or turns off its defenses.
  • No meaningful ranged option when enemies can easily keep their distance.
  • Severe action requirements before it can become dangerous.
  • An obvious weak save paired with little protection against disabling effects.
  • Abilities that are powerful on paper but too limited, slow, or situational to use in an ordinary encounter.

Do not adjust by more than 2 DL during this step. If it seems like the creature needs more, calculate its Offensive and Defensive DL again or rebuild it. Its statistics probably do not represent what it actually does.

Multiple Turns and Encounter EDL

DL assumes one normal turn per round. Additional full turns change how much the creature contributes to encounter EDL:

  • A creature with two full turns counts as one and a half creatures of its DL.
  • A creature with three full turns counts as two creatures of its DL.

Use these effective creature counts when averaging the DL of every creature in the encounter, then round down. Additional turns do not excuse weak statistics. Each turn should still perform near the creature's DL.

After finding the average enemy DL, compare the Effective Enemies to the total number of player characters and pets. Use the Creature Count Adjustment from Experience and Rewards to account for either side having more bodies and actions in the encounter.

Animal companions and personal constructs count as pets for this calculation. Familiars do not.

Extra attacks within a normal full attack, immediate actions, and small off-turn reactions are not additional turns by themselves. Only another meaningful set of actions changes the creature's effective count.