Encounters per Level

I am deciding to use the number of encounters to advance characters to the next level. This replaces both xp and milestones.

Generally, the number of encounters is roughly 8 per level. However, it can be half this (about 4) if wanting to zoom thru a level. Or double this (about 16) if wanting to savor a level.

The standard xp table tends to zoom thru the apprentice tier (levels 1-4), to savor the professional tier (levels 5-8), and to stabilize from master tier onward (levels 9-12) to around 8 encounters per level.

Sometimes there is a feeling that at the end of a session everyone should level up. Simply keeping track of the number of encounters around 8, and whether zooming or savoring, helps inform that feeling to level.

The best part of encounters per level is, a substantial social encounter easily counts as one of the substantial encounters toward leveling. So there is no dependence on combat.

Interesting idea, assuming you ensure that all encounters are level appropriate. As a DM it's nice to throw something at the players beyond their assumed capabilities, to remind them of the scope of the world. Sometimes however, rather than fleeing, they rise to overcome the seemingly impossible challenge (the dragon in LMoP comes to mind). If this were to occur, would you count it as more than 1 challenge?

D&D has traditionally been a scaling combat-focused game. Naturally, the progression follows a design built on the premise of many combat encounters, which are the heart of the game itself. And xp has evolved into the currency by which balance and progression are measured in the game. And it is flexible.

For comparison, look to a different system that is completely different from D&D and it's clones. Games without levels and not as combat-focused. Star Wars (FFG), for example, recommends awarding 10-20 xp per session for each participant. These can be saved or spent to purchase talents, or skill ranks, or even new specializations. There are no set levels so you don't wait for the one time bump and a package level-up. Instead, you continually buy small boosts as your character grows and develops with the game, as opposed to certain checkpoints.

I know it doesn't apply here, but it is interesting to see how different systems handle similar ideas like experience points and leveling up, which affects the game as a whole. You can level up as quickly or as slow as you like in order to progress your campaigns as long as your group agrees on the same rate. And as I said, it is flexible so you can adjust as needed. Enjoy!

"Encounter per level" seems to limit what a gm can do as far as encounters if he wants to be consistent. Or it forces them to just redefine encounter on the fly.

Raiders grab loot and prisoners from village and run...

One group heads off to chase and kill.

One group spends time checking on this and that, gathering info, organizing backup etc. Then they go chase and kill.

Seems like both are valid with changes to in game events... But do either of them say "this group should level more"??

I am not saying xp for this or that is better than encounter counting... Instead suggesting just go further and make it sessions not encounters... Let what they do and how they do things in the game be driven or influenced by character, events and fun and not by an idea of which way gives most tic-tocs on the level meter.

It has been my experience that the number of encounter per level is more a sliding scale than a static number. 1st level to 2nd is 3 encounters, 3rd level is 6 more. My group going from 4th to 5th is around 15. I think that the game was designed to expand the sweet spot (I almost typed sweat spot, which would have been a problem)of the mid-levels and make them last longer before shortening back op at the higher levels.

Shiroiken said:

Interesting idea, assuming you ensure that all encounters are level appropriate. As a DM it's nice to throw something at the players beyond their assumed capabilities, to remind them of the scope of the world. Sometimes however, rather than fleeing, they rise to overcome the seemingly impossible challenge (the dragon in LMoP comes to mind). If this were to occur, would you count it as more than 1 challenge?

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Some encounters feel trivially easy. Each of these generally doesnt count toward the 8, unless several easy encounters seem to be accumulating.

Oppositely, some encounters feel tremendously difficulty. Worth more than an ordinary encounter.

Alternatively, a solution to a difficult challenge might prove ingenious and satisfying, obviating the difficulty in a meritorious way.

The beauty of counting encounters per level is, the toughness of the encounter can be assessed after it is over.

An encounter that was supposed to be easy, yet proved unexpectedly difficult, in hindsight, is a difficult encounter. Vice versa, an encounter that was supposed to be difficult but proved trivially easy, is an easy encounter. This is fine.

I also included encounters that are way too high a level − so the challenge might be to figure out how to avoid these overly dangerous encounters. The evasion might turn out to be easy or hard.



The main criterion is for an encounter that feels ‘substantial’. The gaming equivalent of a hearty meal. The rule of thumb is 8.

I record each substantial encounter informally as a one stroke (1). I guess I can also easily mark a minor encounter as a minus sign (−), and an overly difficult encounter as a plus sign (+), along with the one strokes. As the marks look like they are adding up toward 8, it is time think about leveling. There is flexibility about when to level. For some levels, leveling is deferred for the sake of savoring the sweet spot. At the same time, assessing the number of minuses and pluses can be taken into account.

The decision about when to level is always at the end of a gaming session. So players can work on their leveling options for their character outside of the game.

aco175 said:

It has been my experience that the number of encounter per level is more a sliding scale than a static number. 1st level to 2nd is 3 encounters, 3rd level is 6 more. My group going from 4th to 5th is around 15. I think that the game was designed to expand the sweet spot (I almost typed sweat spot, which would have been a problem)of the mid-levels and make them last longer before shortening back op at the higher levels.

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I organize the game into tiers, both mechanically and narratively.

Levels 1-4: student tier − known to a community (such as a school).
Levels 5-8: professional tier − known to a locale (such as a town).
Levels 9-12: master tier − known to a region (such as a population of about a million).
Levels 13-16: leader tier − known to a nation.
Levels 17-20: legend tier − known to a planet or plane.

The student tier tends to level faster, between 4 and 8 encounters per level. The professional tier tends to level slower, more than 8 and closer to 16 encounters per level.

I havent reached the master and leader tiers yet, so I am unsure about how these should level. By the book, these tiers would hug closer to 8.

However, in the master tier, I intend to strongly emphasize downtime activities − creating homes, families, research projects, gathering their own students and contacts, and so on. And in the leader tier, I intend to have the players think about running cities or regions, armies, businesses, guilds, academies, or so on. So, I am sure how this style of play will impact the feelings about leveling. In any case, challenges at these levels, including professional rivals and so on, still count as ‘encounters’ toward the 8.

Loving the advancement by number of encounters.

Simple encounter. Monster poses a meaningful challenge, and players end up beating the snot out of it. Reasonably, monster realizes it is outmatched. Monster flees. But players still get credit for the encounter, for overcoming a solid challenge.

Counting the encounter rather than the ‘xp’, allows me to make more realistic outcomes for sandbox style adventure.

Nonviolent resolution is also more practicable.

I'd probably break it down a little more - 8 easy encounters is not the same as 8 hard or deadly encounters. But other than that, I've done something similar in previous editions. If I ever get around to it, I'll probably recalculate for 5E.

In my experience there was less incentive to go in guns blazing ... um ... swords swinging all the time. I think it was something that even the players didn't realize; that they were seeking out combat simply to gain XP. Well, at least not most the time, we were joking in our game last night that we should stay in one spot after triggering two random encounters so that we could farm XP.

Shiroiken said:

Interesting idea, assuming you ensure that all encounters are level appropriate.

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They only need to be that on average.