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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dausuul" data-source="post: 5458067" data-attributes="member: 58197">Oh, right--I didn't mean to imply that everyone should run all encounters at level+3 or higher. Just that the guidelines are very much guidelines, and DMs need to adjust for optimization, player tactics, and specific character abilities. The party I'm running for is a finely tuned engine of death, so I have to crank up the difficulty. For other parties, even that single level+3 encounter in the guidelines might be a TPK.IMO, the best approach is to start with an equal-level encounter and see how they handle that. If it's a yawnfest, turn it up to level+1. Continue until the desired level of tension is reached, and use that as your encounter baseline.Then, if using XP, figure out how fast the party will level up at this baseline. If it's too fast or slow for your liking, apply a suitable multiplier to XP awards. (Personally, I dispense with XP altogether and just level the party up when I think they've earned it.)</blockquote>