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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ahrimon" data-source="post: 6476209" data-attributes="member: 12630">I just got my DMG and haven't had a chance to read it, but how do hordes of monsters break the encounter guidelines?  As long as you stay within budget the numbers don't matter do they?  I'm honestly curious, because numbers and terrain are often the best ways to deal with powerful characters.Another thing to consider is something I've taken to heart after DM'ng 3rd edition.  It wasn't written into the rules but it was some advice I picked up.  In 3e the xp awarded was based on the challenge and not the monster itself.  A challenge 4 monster was worth more xp to a 4th level party than an 8th level party.  So it stands to reason that if a group is exceptionally powerful then they should be considered higher on the scale.  So a powerful 8th level party could be considered lvl 10 or more when calculating xp.  So, since then I've always taken a look at the groups power level.  If they were exceptionally powerful I would lower the XP for the encounters.  This applies to social encounters too.  If I have a group of suave fast talkers then they'll probably get less xp for the social scenes but more if they end up in a fight.  I haven't played 5e yet, but if I DM it I will use these guidelines to wing the xp for a bit for the individual group.</blockquote>