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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Toric_Arthendain" data-source="post: 5850007" data-attributes="member: 9833">Celebrim - Yes, I had my CRs for orcs and skeletons messed up but I do understand how CRs and ELs work in 3e.  It has been awhile since I have run 3e and thus had forgotten about the low level monsters having fractions of CR1.  Orcs are a 1/2 CR creature and skeletons are a 1/3 CR.  But my intent was correct.  If a group of four level 1 PCs defeat a group of four CR1 creatures (let's say ghouls), they would each receive 300xp.  Is that a difficult encounter for them?  Absolutely.  It would be an EL4 encounter which with an EL3 above the party puts it well into the very difficult category.  It is not out of the question though as 15% of the encounters in an adventure will typically fall into the very difficult category.So 300xp each for the four ghouls.  Another 150xp each for the four orcs.  100xp each for the four skeletons.  Three encounters and they are more than halfway to level 2.  A little more than I was saying earlier when I had the CRs incorrect for orcs and skeletons but still pretty quick.  I know that encounter design advice in the DMG is pretty specific.  You have to be careful not to overburden the PCs with too many difficult encounters.  The four ghouls would be on the higher end of the very difficult category.  The four orcs would be just barely into the very difficult category at an EL one higher than the party level.  The four skeletons is basically EL1 (technically 3 skeletons would be an EL1 encounter for this party of four 1st level PCs).  I am fully aware that a single CR1 creature is considered an EL1 for a party of four 1st level PCs and that they would net 75xp each for defeating it.  And 10 EL1 encounters would net the PCs 750 xp each, still short of level 2.  But in my experience, particularly with published modules, there is more variety of ELs and it doesn't take 10 encounters to reach 750 xp.  I am aware that encounters can be scaled based on outside influences that might up the difficulty or reduce the difficulty and I know that individual DMs who have created their own adventures might offer smaller or bigger challenges based on the relative strengths of their PCs and the experience level of the players playing in their game.</blockquote>

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