5 player encounter adjustments


Kingmaker Second Edition


I'm planning on running Kingmaker for 5 players, but I am new to gm-ing pf2e and am not sure I am adjusting encounters correctly. I'm trying to follow the rules on p. 489 of the core rulebook, but I feel I often end up in between two xp budget "levels" and it doesn't seem like it's always possible to add monsters rather than avoid using elite and weak adjustments. I tried converting the first few random encounter tables as practice and would like feedback:

Zone 1: Rostland Hinterlands
1-5 4 bandits (p170) Low 1
6-8. 2 weak brush thylacines. Low 1
9-11 Hunter (noncombat encounter)
12-13 2 Elk and 1 weak Elk Moderate 1
14-15 2 wolves and 1 weak wolf Moderate 1
16-17 1 boar and 1 weak boar Moderate 1
18-19 3 thylacines
20. Grizzly bear and weak grizzly bear Severe 1

Zone 2: Greenbelt
1-5. Roll on zone 1 table
6-8. 5 mitflit gremlins Low 2
9-11. Owlbear low 2
12-13. 5 stag lord bandits moderate 2
14-15. 2 Brush Thylacines and 1 thylacine Moderate 2
16-17. 2 Kobold scouts and 3 kobold warriors Moderate 2
18-19. 3 Hunting Spiders Moderate 2
20. 4 Ruffians severe 2

Zone 3: Tuskwater
1-5. Roll on zone 2 table
6-8. 2 brush thylacines and 1 thylacine Low 3
9-11. Elite Owlbear Low 3
12-13. 7 stag lord bandits Moderate 3
14-15. 3 Ruffians Moderate 3
16-17. 4 Wargs Moderate 3
18-19. 1 troll. Moderate 3
20. 1 elite shambler. Severe 3

Zone 4: Kamelands
1-5. Roll on zone 3 table
6-8 4 Goblin commandos and 3 goblin pyros low 4
9-11. Elite Troll low 4
12-13. 3 twigjacks Moderate 4
14-15. 1 blodeuwedd and 1 elite grig moderate 4
16-17 1 will-o-wisp and 1 flickerwisp Moderate 4
18-19. 2 weak wyverns moderate 4
20. 5 Dire wolves severe 4


I think you should be OK. I'm running for a five-person party currently and my rule of thumb is to just try to get the number of enemies as close to the party size as possible in fights where bumping up the difficulty is necessary.
If the budget can't really allow for another creature then I may simply award that larger amount of ExP, or grant the party a hero point and/or extra treasure to compensate. If it's a solo creature that is at the party's level then I will also usually give the creature an Elite template rather than introducing another creature since the party's increased action economy should help to balance out the enemy's higher stats. I wouldn't do that for an enemy which is more than +1 level higher than the party, though, because then you start tipping into increased critting and higher miss territory.

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