Budgeting for Terrain

If you include terrain that's tricky to navigate or takes extra work to deal with, consider whether it should count toward the encounter's XP budget. A fight that requires Climbing, Swimming, Flying, or pushing through difficult terrain can be tougher— especially if the enemies have protection from ranged attacks. Think about the impact of the terrain in advance, especially if the battle would already be a severe threat, or you might kill the party. Consider the effects and ease of finding cover as well as the maximum range of the weapons being used by all combatants. You can pick an equivalent monster level for your terrain and factor that into your budget, or just assign extra XP at the end if the threat without terrain is on the low or moderate end.