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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Quickleaf" data-source="post: 8716091" data-attributes="member: 20323">Your daily (adjusted) XP budget is around 52,500. That's a decent soft target IME, so a little over or a little under is fine.Encounter 1 = 19,000 adj XP (or 7,600 flat XP if party has strong area effect & crowd control), also consider if there's a "short circuit" players can use such as taking gas masks off the NPCs and wearing the gas masks for themselves, or whether they have gust of wind or similar magic to move the stinking cloud effect – those would all merit using the flat XP or downgrading the XP value of the encounter somewhat.Encounter 2 = 26,250 adj XP (or 10,500 flat XP), I wouldn't really count the thugs (unless there are LOTS) as they're more for background flavor and can be easily taken out, if the PCs have shatter or construct targeting magic, or some kind of "short circuit" like a switch or overloading them with electricity, that would be worth downgrading the XP value of the encounter.Encounter 3 = 30,000 adj XP (or 15,000 flat XP), a rough encounter in melee, but if the PCs have the option (or create the option) to make this primarily a ranged attack, definitely worth downgrading the XP value of the encounter significantly, since champions are weaker at range. Another way to tip odds in PCs' favor is if they can deal a bunch of frontloaded damage / alpha strike champions to get their HP below half, thus negating the extra 2d6 champions deal when >half HP.Encounter 4 (eidolon option) = I'm not familiar with dolgaunts/dolgrims/living cloudkills, not in Kobold Fight Club, so can't easily comment on this one. I've had lots of fun running an eidolon + statues against 5th level PCs (it was a FLEE scenario that felt straight out of Indiana Jones). Sounds really nasty pairing with cloudkill and circle of death.Encounter 5 = 78,250 adj XP (or 31,300 flat XP) This one looks a bit tedious to me. You have lots of different types of enemies, including lots of different spellcasters you need to keep track of, hitting the PCs at the end of the adventure when they're most taxed for resources, and running several monsters (gladiators) they previously fought). It looks like a recipe for grind to me, and I would strongly encourage revising it to focus on what's unique about the scene / setup / motives / NPCs.Overall, I think that's my biggest comment – each encounter should have an implied story that leaps off your written description. That's always where I begin my encounter design - with the seed idea. Some of these - at least as you've written them here - feel too flat.Obviously, you're turning the dial past anything I've done at 11th level (EDIT: I've done one thing that came close, but there was lots of a sneaking & a "short-circuit" goal), and certainly well beyond what the DMG suggests for the Adventuring Day XP Budget. When I go hard like this, I try to include some kind of a trick to the encounter that, if players figure it out, makes the encounter significantly easier / tips it in their favor. You've got that in some of the encounters, I think, but I'd encourage more of that kind of thinking when you're going all out like this.</blockquote>

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