Encounter Balance Review
Purpose
Analyze encounters in modules against expected party composition to identify deadly, trivial, or unbalanced fights using D&D 5e encounter math.
Analysis Process
1. Establish Party Parameters
Ask for or assume:
- •Number of players (default: 4)
- •Average party level
- •Party composition (optional, for tactical analysis)
2. Gather Encounter Data
code
get_campaign_details() list_modules() # For each module: get_module_details(module_id: module_id) # Extract monster list with counts # Also check maps for token placements list_maps(module_id: module_id) get_map(map_id: map_id) # includes token positions
Important: Verify the module exists and has monsters before analysis. If a monster is not found in the catalog via search_monsters, note it as homebrew.
3. Calculate Per Encounter
For each encounter:
- •Sum base XP — Add XP for each monster by CR (see references/5e-encounter-math.md)
- •Apply multiplier — Based on monster count
- •Compare to thresholds — Determine difficulty category
- •Flag concerns — Deadly, trivial, or resource-draining
4. Adventuring Day Analysis
D&D 5e assumes 6-8 medium encounters per long rest. Calculate:
- •Total adjusted XP across module
- •Expected adventuring days
- •Resource pressure (will the party run out of spell slots?)
Output Format
markdown
# Encounter Balance Report: [Module Name] **Party**: [X] players, level [Y] ## Daily XP Budget - Easy threshold: [X] XP - Medium threshold: [X] XP - Hard threshold: [X] XP - Deadly threshold: [X] XP - Daily budget: [X] XP (6-8 medium encounters) ## Encounter Analysis ### [Encounter Name/Location] | Monster | CR | Count | Base XP | |---------|-----|-------|---------| | [Name] | [CR] | [N] | [XP] | - **Total Base XP**: [X] - **Adjusted XP** (x[multiplier]): [X] - **Difficulty**: [Easy/Medium/Hard/Deadly] - **Assessment**: [Notes] ### Summary | Encounter | Difficulty | Adjusted XP | Concern | |-----------|------------|-------------|---------| | [Name] | Deadly | 5,400 | [WARNING] TPK risk | | [Name] | Easy | 200 | Filler | | [Name] | Hard | 2,100 | Good challenge | ## Concerns ### Deadly Encounters - [Encounter]: [Why it's dangerous] -> [Suggestion] ### Trivial Encounters - [Encounter]: [Why it's too easy] -> [Suggestion] ### Resource Pressure - Module contains [X] adjusted XP - Expected adventuring days: [Y] - Assessment: [Over/under tuned] ## Recommendations 1. [Specific adjustment] 2. [Specific adjustment]
Interactive Mode
- •Ask for party composition
- •Present module-by-module analysis
- •For deadly encounters, offer alternatives:
- •"This encounter is deadly. Should I suggest monster substitutions?"
- •Search catalog for CR-appropriate alternatives
- •For trivial encounters, suggest enhancements
Reference Data
For XP thresholds, CR-to-XP tables, and encounter multipliers, see references/5e-encounter-math.md.