2014 DMG encounter difficulty calculation #23

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dostulata · 2026-03-27T23:19:30+01:00

dostulata commented

2026-03-27 23:19:30 +01:00

Summary

Add support for the 2014 DMG encounter difficulty calculation as an alternative to the 5.5e system. Users select their preferred rule edition in the settings modal. The indicator visual stays the same (3 bars, 4 states) — only the labels, XP budget table, and calculation logic change. The 2014 system adds an encounter multiplier based on monster count and party size.

Acceptance Criteria

The existing conditions edition setting is renamed to "Rules Edition" to reflect its broader scope, and controls both condition lists and difficulty calculation
Rules Edition options: 5.5e (default) and 2014, persisted across sessions
Domain contains the 2014 XP Thresholds by Character Level table (Easy/Medium/Hard/Deadly for levels 1-20)
Domain contains the 2014 Encounter Multiplier table (1 monster = x1, 2 = x1.5, 3-6 = x2, 7-10 = x2.5, 11-14 = x3, 15+ = x4)
2014 calculation sums monster XP, applies the encounter multiplier based on monster count, then compares the adjusted total against party thresholds
Party size adjustment applied automatically: fewer than 3 PCs shifts to the next higher multiplier, 6 or more PCs shifts to the next lower multiplier
Indicator visual states map identically across editions: 0 bars = Easy/Trivial, 1 green = Medium/Low, 2 yellow = Hard/Moderate, 3 red = Deadly/High
Tooltip shows edition-appropriate labels (e.g., "Hard encounter difficulty" for 2014, "Moderate encounter difficulty" for 5.5e)
The breakdown panel (issue #21) shows the encounter multiplier and adjusted XP when using 2014 rules
Switching rule edition immediately updates the difficulty indicator for the current encounter
Existing 5.5e behavior unchanged when 5.5e is selected

Notes

Depends on: issue #21 (breakdown panel) for displaying the multiplier and adjusted XP
If issue #22 (combatant sides) lands first: only enemy-side combatants count toward the monster count for the encounter multiplier. Party-side NPCs with CR still subtract their XP from the total, but they do not inflate the multiplier.
The CR-to-XP lookup table is shared between both editions — only the budget thresholds and multiplier logic differ
The domain function will need a rule edition parameter. The useDifficulty hook reads the setting and passes it through.
MVP baseline does not include the 2014 Adventuring Day XP budget or multipart encounter rules

Context

Extends spec 008 (encounter difficulty indicator)
Related: issue #21 (breakdown panel), issue #22 (combatant sides)
2014 DMG rules and tables provided in issue #18 comments

## Summary Add support for the 2014 DMG encounter difficulty calculation as an alternative to the 5.5e system. Users select their preferred rule edition in the settings modal. The indicator visual stays the same (3 bars, 4 states) — only the labels, XP budget table, and calculation logic change. The 2014 system adds an encounter multiplier based on monster count and party size. ## Acceptance Criteria - [ ] The existing conditions edition setting is renamed to "Rules Edition" to reflect its broader scope, and controls both condition lists and difficulty calculation - [ ] Rules Edition options: 5.5e (default) and 2014, persisted across sessions - [ ] Domain contains the 2014 XP Thresholds by Character Level table (Easy/Medium/Hard/Deadly for levels 1-20) - [ ] Domain contains the 2014 Encounter Multiplier table (1 monster = x1, 2 = x1.5, 3-6 = x2, 7-10 = x2.5, 11-14 = x3, 15+ = x4) - [ ] 2014 calculation sums monster XP, applies the encounter multiplier based on monster count, then compares the adjusted total against party thresholds - [ ] Party size adjustment applied automatically: fewer than 3 PCs shifts to the next higher multiplier, 6 or more PCs shifts to the next lower multiplier - [ ] Indicator visual states map identically across editions: 0 bars = Easy/Trivial, 1 green = Medium/Low, 2 yellow = Hard/Moderate, 3 red = Deadly/High - [ ] Tooltip shows edition-appropriate labels (e.g., "Hard encounter difficulty" for 2014, "Moderate encounter difficulty" for 5.5e) - [ ] The breakdown panel (issue #21) shows the encounter multiplier and adjusted XP when using 2014 rules - [ ] Switching rule edition immediately updates the difficulty indicator for the current encounter - [ ] Existing 5.5e behavior unchanged when 5.5e is selected ## Notes - Depends on: issue #21 (breakdown panel) for displaying the multiplier and adjusted XP - If issue #22 (combatant sides) lands first: only enemy-side combatants count toward the monster count for the encounter multiplier. Party-side NPCs with CR still subtract their XP from the total, but they do not inflate the multiplier. - The CR-to-XP lookup table is shared between both editions — only the budget thresholds and multiplier logic differ - The domain function will need a rule edition parameter. The useDifficulty hook reads the setting and passes it through. - MVP baseline does not include the 2014 Adventuring Day XP budget or multipart encounter rules ## Context - Extends spec 008 (encounter difficulty indicator) - Related: issue #21 (breakdown panel), issue #22 (combatant sides) - 2014 DMG rules and tables provided in issue #18 comments

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Reference: dostulata/initiative#23