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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MerricB" data-source="post: 3038250" data-attributes="member: 3586">To get full XP from an encounter, a group of 6 AD&D (1E) PCs were required to fight opponents as follows:1st level PCs: 12 kobolds or 6 orcs or 3 skeletons or 3 zombies or 1 ogre + 1 orc2nd level PCs: 2 ogres + 2 orcs or 12 orcs or 6 skeletons or 6 gnolls or 2 bugbears + 2 orcs or 1 hill giant + 1 orc3rd level PCs: 3 bugbears + 3 orcs or 18 orcs or 3 ogres + 3 orcs...A lone chimera gives full XP only to a party of six 1st level PCs. You begin to get the picture.The calculation for a monster's potential threat is its Hit Dice (as base) plus 1 if it has any hit point modifier (An ogre with 4+1 HD gets the modifier), plus 1 for each special ability and plus 1 for each extraordinary special ability. This is balanced against the sum of the party's levels.Thus, 6 3rd level PCs must be challenged by 18 effective HD worth of foes.Like, a Hill Giant and 7 orcs. (A Hill Giant is HD 8+1, with two extraordinary abilities, for a total calculation of 11 effective HD).Is it any wonder we never used this system? (You can find it on page 84 of the DMG).Cheers!</blockquote>