This guide will help you roughly balance an encounter so you can determine how many and which adversaries to use. You’ll first calculate your starting Battle Points, which determine your budget for the encounter. Then you’ll adjust the budget up and down based on other factors. Finally, you’ll build the encounter, spending Battle Points to add adversaries until you have no more to spend.

When planning a battle, start with the following formula to calculate how many Battle Points you should spend:

For example, if you have a party of three PCs, you have 11 Battle Points to spend. If you have a party of five, you have 17 Battle Points to spend.

Keep in mind that you might need to adjust this calculation as you become more acquainted with your party and their power level.

Adjusting Battle Points

Some factors might increase or decrease your Battle Points budget:

• Subtract 1 point if the fight should be less difficult or shorter.
• Subtract 2 points if you’re using 2 or more Solo adversaries.
• Subtract 2 points if you add +1d4 (or a static +2) to all adversaries’ damage rolls (to increase the challenge without lengthening the battle).
• Add 1 point if you choose an adversary from a lower tier.
• Add 1 point if you don’t include any Bruisers, Hordes, Leaders, or Solos.
• Add 2 points if the fight should be more dangerous or last longer.

Spending Battle Points

Once you finish calculating your available Battle Points, craft your combat encounter by spending points until you have none left.

• Spend 1 point for each group of Minions equal to the size of the party.
• Spend 1 point for each Social or Support adversary.
• Spend 2 points for each Horde, Ranged, Skulk, or Standard adversary.
• Spend 3 points for each Leader adversary.
• Spend 4 points for each Bruiser adversary.
• Spend 5 points for each Solo adversary.

Tip: Some adversaries summon additional enemies when they use their features—you don’t need to factor those into your point total.