This seems simple enough, but CR is one of the most misunderstood things when it comes to DMs building encounters in 5e. – Chris Sims, D&D Monster Manual developer What is Challenge Rating?Ĭhallenge Rating (CR) is a way D&D 5e represents the difficulty a party will have facing a creature. “CR is imprecise, and any precision it has diminishes the higher the character level” This article is meant to provide a number of encounter building guidelines in order to keep your players engaged, tax their resources, and make them think outside the box. While some encounters may be focused around stealth-based missions or skill challenges, in this article we will be sticking to combat encounters in which our players are entering initiative with other monsters or NPCs.
Most of the time in D&D 5e, this “something difficult or hostile” is a monster or dangerous situation.
