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Message: <blockquote data-quote="clearstream" data-source="post: 7208009" data-attributes="member: 71699">Mechanically, that would work. I have a concern that the level advancement table is more visible to players than the monster CRs are. The process of levelling has a few jobs to do. It allows new players to be introduced to the mechanics a piece at a time. It gives a strong sense of progress as things that once were major threats become trivial to deal with. It validates the acquisition of new toys, so players feel like they earned them. The new toys broaden the choice of answers, allowing encounters to be (potentially) more complex. One issue I have with story or milestone XP is that for me at least it feels less well connected with what players have actually done, and thereby less validated. That doesn't make it badwrongfun, of course. Bottom line is that I'd prefer to tweak something invisible to players, than something visible to them.Is it easier to implement? Well, with the monsters all conveniently arranged by CR - with XP values - at the back of the DMG, in theory it's easy to go that route. Unfortunately those values are now embedded in the game tools. So you're correct: right now it would be easier to tweak both the XP budgets and the level advancement thresholds. I made a start on the XP budgets in another thread. XP Budgets Per Encounter and Adventuring DayThe table below is intended to produce a harder 5e game difficulty. It is derived from the DMG, but multiplies the sizing values there by about 1.3. It also brings together Encounter Thresholds and Adventuring Day budgets into one construct. Encounters are categorised as attritional and lethal. Both types can result in PC death, but attritional encounters are not likely to do so unless preceded by other encounters: on average characters should be able to handle 2 attritional encounters between short rests, and 6 between long rests. Lethal encounters consume more resources and may deplete the party: 1 lethal encounter = three attritional. For example, a party might overcome 3 attritional encounters before a short rest, and then face 1 lethal encounter.To build an attritional encounter add together the budgets from the table below for each PC in your party, and then choose creatures for your encounter (applying adjustments per the DMG) until at or just over that total. To build a lethal encounter, simply double the attritional total. For example, for a party of 3 level 4 and 1 level 5 PC, the budget for an attritional encounter is 2200, doubled to 4400 for a lethal encounter. Six orcs plus an ogre should be attritional, adding a war chief pushes that up to lethal.Level....Attritional XP/PC....Adventuring Day1................80............................4802................160..........................9603................300.........................18004................440.........................26405................880.........................52806................1000.......................60007................1260.......................75608................1500.......................90009................1880.......................1128010..............2260.......................1356011..............2640.......................1584012..............2880.......................1728013..............3380.......................2028014..............3760.......................2256015..............4500.......................2700016..............5000.......................3000017..............6260.......................3756018..............6760.......................4056019..............7500.......................4500020..............10000.....................60000I feel like this needs another rev or two before reaching good values. Then if you wanted the same rate of advancement using this table, you'd need to multiply the levelling thresholds up by the same factor. Although I believe what I would then do is restructure advancement so that middle levels took a touch longer again. Also to make numbers that were nicer to use. There's currently a discrepancy that needs removing, in that the attritional XP/PC "budgets" are really floors while the daily budget is a... well, a budget.</blockquote>

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