Am I playing monsters too smart? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Am I playing monsters too smart? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
GreyLord
08-29-05, 02:53 AM I was going through Complete Warrior this evening after our gaming session and found a comment that seemed rather alarming. It said that some DM's may play monsters too smart, and commented that instead of having monsters rush in so players could get free AoO, the DM might not do that as much so selecting feats that take advantage of AoO could be more useless in the DM campaigns!!!

That struck home, as my creatures typically will NOT rush in and advance rather carefully. Even Orcs I use as more well trained warriors, and as such know not to do stupid things.

I have creatures get feats, and skills, and actually use those feats and skills to attack the players. Creatures and Monsters will use the same types of tricks, tactics, and dirty fighting as the players. Dragons and such with higher intelligences might even be dirtier and trickier than the players. It DOES mean that the CR that the players fight against sometimes are lower then dictated. For example I had a Dragon CR10 against players CR12, and the Dragon kicked their rears, of which of course they retreated...BUT the dragon simply used it's advantages (like flying, environment since it was in it's lair it used it's own defenses to it's benefit) to beat them back.

So upon reading it, it struck me that perhaps I fell directly into that commentary that the Book was talking about. The players still get AoO, but it's not as plentiful as if the monsters were rushing blindly in. Do I DM to smart for the monsters?
Sapp
08-29-05, 02:56 AM No.

You're doing fine. Applause. I wish you were my DM.

Even orcs have brains (Gasp!). They generally won't run straight into a lance and get themselves killed before engaging in combat.

There are plenty of ways to get AoOs. Let the players figure them out.
Amene
08-29-05, 02:59 AM No you don't, if you've got a feat or a skill it means you are trained on that matter, and when you train a lot that kind of stuff comes out like reflexes (people that practise martial arts IRL don't pull katas on people but they are better at dodging punches and twisting arms).

I think that DM's tend to make uberpowerful crits, but as far as playing them too smart? I don't think so, theres been like 3 threads this month about dragons and other powerful BBEGs going down in two rounds. It's more memorable to run away from a dragon than killing it on the first round of combat.
Rathje
08-29-05, 04:29 AM I read somewhere that one of the best things you can do to make your game challenging is do your best to kill the characters with weak monsters. Go up against them with low CR's and see how well you can do. Plus, it helps teach players some tactics. It's also more interesting to be part of a battle that takes planning and cunning instead of one with a big strong monster smashing.

Don't stop unless nobody is enjoying it. If they like the battles, keep up the good work. I'd kill to play under your DMing; it sounds like loads of fun.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
GreyLord 08-29-05, 02:53 AM	I was going through Complete Warrior this evening after our gaming session and found a comment that seemed rather alarming. It said that some DM's may play monsters too smart, and commented that instead of having monsters rush in so players could get free AoO, the DM might not do that as much so selecting feats that take advantage of AoO could be more useless in the DM campaigns!!! That struck home, as my creatures typically will NOT rush in and advance rather carefully. Even Orcs I use as more well trained warriors, and as such know not to do stupid things. I have creatures get feats, and skills, and actually use those feats and skills to attack the players. Creatures and Monsters will use the same types of tricks, tactics, and dirty fighting as the players. Dragons and such with higher intelligences might even be dirtier and trickier than the players. It DOES mean that the CR that the players fight against sometimes are lower then dictated. For example I had a Dragon CR10 against players CR12, and the Dragon kicked their rears, of which of course they retreated...BUT the dragon simply used it's advantages (like flying, environment since it was in it's lair it used it's own defenses to it's benefit) to beat them back. So upon reading it, it struck me that perhaps I fell directly into that commentary that the Book was talking about. The players still get AoO, but it's not as plentiful as if the monsters were rushing blindly in. Do I DM to smart for the monsters?
Sapp 08-29-05, 02:56 AM	No. You're doing fine. Applause. I wish you were my DM. Even orcs have brains (Gasp!). They generally won't run straight into a lance and get themselves killed before engaging in combat. There are plenty of ways to get AoOs. Let the players figure them out.
Amene 08-29-05, 02:59 AM	No you don't, if you've got a feat or a skill it means you are trained on that matter, and when you train a lot that kind of stuff comes out like reflexes (people that practise martial arts IRL don't pull katas on people but they are better at dodging punches and twisting arms). I think that DM's tend to make uberpowerful crits, but as far as playing them too smart? I don't think so, theres been like 3 threads this month about dragons and other powerful BBEGs going down in two rounds. It's more memorable to run away from a dragon than killing it on the first round of combat.
Rathje 08-29-05, 04:29 AM	I read somewhere that one of the best things you can do to make your game challenging is do your best to kill the characters with weak monsters. Go up against them with low CR's and see how well you can do. Plus, it helps teach players some tactics. It's also more interesting to be part of a battle that takes planning and cunning instead of one with a big strong monster smashing. Don't stop unless nobody is enjoying it. If they like the battles, keep up the good work. I'd kill to play under your DMing; it sounds like loads of fun.