Solo RPG Dungeon5e Solo Encounter Helper
Made for 5eEnter your level, how many heroes you have and how hard you want the fight. You get the XP budget and the toughest foe that fits it, whether you face one monster or four. Built on the open fifth edition encounter rules, with advice for playing alone.
| How many | Each foe | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 1 foe | CR 1/2 or lower | 100 XP |
| 2 foes | CR 1/4 or lower | 100 XP |
| 3 foes | CR 1/4 or lower | 150 XP |
| 4 foes | CR 1/8 or lower | 100 XP |
Alone, pick the 1 or 2 foe rows: more foes means more enemy turns against your one.
How to use it alone
- Count your heroes. A companion who fights on your turn counts as a hero. A pet that only helps now and then does not.
- Start with Low. The difficulty steps assume a group sharing the danger. Alone, Low is a real fight and High can end a campaign; move up once you know how your hero handles it.
- Prefer fewer foes. Every extra foe is an extra turn against you. One creature at the top of your budget is fairer than four at the bottom, and easier to run.
- Pick the creature, then check it. Choose a monster that fits the scene and whose challenge rating is at or below the row you picked. Not sure what fits? Roll one from the monster generators and use the closest creature from your own books.
- Give it a way out. Decide when it flees or surrenders. The Enemy Tactics Roller plays its turns and rolls its morale, and the Turn Tracker keeps the order.
Why fewer foes are fairer for one hero
The budget treats a creature's challenge as one number, but turns are what hurt a lone hero. Four weak creatures get four attacks for every one of yours, and even when each misses most of the time, the hits add up. One stronger creature takes one turn, makes the fight about you and it, and gives the scene a clear villain. When a fight must have many foes, make them weaker than the budget allows and let them break and run when half are down.
The budget per hero
This is the XP budget for one hero at each level. Multiply by the number of heroes for the party's budget, which the helper does for you.
| Level | Low | Moderate | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 50 | 75 | 100 |
| 2 | 100 | 150 | 200 |
| 3 | 150 | 225 | 400 |
| 4 | 250 | 375 | 500 |
| 5 | 500 | 750 | 1,100 |
| 6 | 600 | 1,000 | 1,400 |
| 7 | 750 | 1,300 | 1,700 |
| 8 | 1,000 | 1,700 | 2,100 |
| 9 | 1,300 | 2,000 | 2,600 |
| 10 | 1,600 | 2,300 | 3,100 |
| 11 | 1,900 | 2,900 | 4,100 |
| 12 | 2,200 | 3,700 | 4,700 |
| 13 | 2,600 | 4,200 | 5,400 |
| 14 | 2,900 | 4,900 | 6,200 |
| 15 | 3,300 | 5,400 | 7,800 |
| 16 | 3,800 | 6,100 | 9,800 |
| 17 | 4,500 | 7,200 | 11,700 |
| 18 | 5,000 | 8,700 | 14,200 |
| 19 | 5,500 | 10,700 | 17,200 |
| 20 | 6,400 | 13,200 | 22,000 |
Back to Solo 5e, or read how to play 5e solo.
This work includes material from the System Reference Document 5.2.1 ("SRD 5.2.1") by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available at dndbeyond.com/srd. The SRD 5.2.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Solo RPG Dungeon is not affiliated with or endorsed by Wizards of the Coast.