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.
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.
How we build and check this calculator
This calculator runs entirely in your browser, so the numbers you enter stay on your device. The math behind it is written by hand and tested against worked examples and standard references before the page goes live.
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