GOBLIN RATING – how to measure lethality/difficulty in D&D

A chart with GOBLIN RATING 1-5

I came up with this silly little system to measure lethality in a D&D game. All editions are different in this perspective, as are all OSR clones. Dungeon Masters also have different approaches to death and dying. The GOBLIN RATING is a way of defining the lethality at your table. It is also a good way to make it clear to players what to expect by providing them with an example most of us can relate to by answering the question “how dangerous is a goblin?

How to define your GOBLIN RATING

To determine the goblin rating of your game decide how many goblins would it take to pose a serious threat (risk of character deaths, or even a total party kill) to a party of level 1 adventurers in a head on encounter. A high goblin rating indicates a more forgiving game than a low one.

Click here to view the GOBLIN RATING chart (opens in new tab)

GOBLIN RATING – the five steps

GOBLIN RATINGDESCRIPTION
1CATASTROPHIC – Avoid combat at all costs!
2FATAL – I have a very bad feeling about this …
3PERILOUS – We’re ready to negotiate to avoid conflict.
4THREATENING – We pick our fights carefully and only when at an advantage.
5RISKY – We’re here to kill monsters and steal shit.

3 thoughts on “GOBLIN RATING – how to measure lethality/difficulty in D&D”

  1. Funny!
    Which fonts do you use for the document?
    One it seems courier (maybe, but I’m not sure), but the other one?
    Anyway, keep the good work.
    Cheers from Rimini (Italy)
    Mauro

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