D&D Challenge Rating (CR) Estimator
Estimate a monster's Challenge Rating in D&D 5e from its HP, AC, attack bonus, and average damage per round.
Includes CR-to-XP reference table.
Estimated Challenge Rating
What Is Challenge Rating?
Challenge Rating (CR) is D&D 5e’s difficulty label for monsters. A monster of CR X is designed to be a medium difficulty fight for a party of four level-X characters. CR also determines the XP reward the party earns after the encounter.
How CR Is Calculated
The Dungeon Master’s Guide uses a two-part approach:
- Defensive CR — estimated from the monster’s HP and AC
- Offensive CR — estimated from the monster’s attack bonus and average damage per round
- Final CR = average of the two
HP to Defensive CR (Baseline)
One rough way: divide HP by 12 to get a baseline defensive CR. The monster’s AC is then compared to the “expected AC” for that CR to adjust up or down.
| CR | Expected HP Range | Expected AC | XP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1–6 | 13 | 10 |
| 1/8 | 7–35 | 13 | 25 |
| 1/4 | 36–49 | 13 | 50 |
| 1/2 | 50–70 | 13 | 100 |
| 1 | 71–85 | 13 | 200 |
| 2 | 86–100 | 13 | 450 |
| 3 | 101–115 | 13 | 700 |
| 4 | 116–130 | 14 | 1,100 |
| 5 | 131–145 | 15 | 1,800 |
| 6 | 146–160 | 15 | 2,300 |
| 7 | 161–175 | 15 | 2,900 |
| 8 | 176–190 | 16 | 3,900 |
| 9 | 191–205 | 16 | 5,000 |
| 10 | 206–220 | 17 | 5,900 |
| 11 | 221–235 | 17 | 7,200 |
| 12 | 236–250 | 17 | 8,400 |
Use this estimator as a starting point — playtesting always reveals the real difficulty.