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| #1El_CondoroSep 30, 2014 19:58:29 | This might not be the right place to ask this question as it is about something that doesn't exist in the rules, but I'll ask anyway...
What do DMs do, if anything, with monster morale in combat?
For example, do 20 kobolds fight to the death, or do they try to break off combat at some point? If the latter, when do they try to break off - 5 dead, 10 dead, 15 dead? Does a high-hit point, solo boss try to break off when it loses 50% of its hit points?
Is there some approach to determine a general morale of monsters? Orcs have higher morale than goblins have higher morale than kobolds and will remain longer in a combat. Obviously, the intelligence of the monster would be a factor, as would many other things.
It's getting into the realm of wargaming, rather than RP, but I am just wondering. My approach is just to add it into the tactics description, like "the kobolds will try to flee if 5 of them are killed".
Any ideas on whether it's even worth considering? |
| #2iserithSep 30, 2014 20:05:10 | I consider the goals of the monster, NPC, or villain. Will they die pursuing it? If not, then they'll probably retreat, parlay, or surrender when it looks like they'll no longer be able to achieve their goal. |
| #3StuleBrownSep 30, 2014 20:46:42 | Also if the party is going through them like butter, I think the morale of the little buggers is going to be called into question. If they lose 50% of their numbers, this seems a good point in which they start being really sorry for attacking the heroes. Like Iserith said above, it depends on why the monsters are doing what they are doing. If they gotta stop the heroes at all cost, surrender is going to be unlikely. |
| (Reply to #2)AaronOfBarbaria |
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| #5NevvurOct 01, 2014 20:37:49 |
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| #6IllithidbixOct 03, 2014 11:14:54 | Morale seems to be very much roleplay based. It basically depends upon the creatures personality, motivations, And of course their role in the plot, which shapes all the above.
I think it's very important creating verisimilitude (the illusion of reality) for your game. It also speeds up combat by stopping it at the point the players have won, rather than wasting turns and resources dealing with the last survivors. We found that in 4E almost without fail the last few monsters took a silly time to die, so most of us used various forms of morale guidelines to finish fights earlier.
I just go by the roleplay guidelines. In the 2E AD&D DMG rather than rolling. 25 years old and still good.
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| (Reply to #6)OoftaMeg |
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| #8MechaPilotOct 03, 2014 14:00:26 | Most of the time I use 50% of HP total as the point at which creatures start looking for opportunities to get out alive. If at least half of the creatures have been killed, I consider it likely that any of the surviving creatures at or below 50% HPs will take off.
Now that's just a generalization. I'll modify that based on the motivations of the enemies. For example, zealots will usually fight to the death. Additionally, intelligent creatures will usually come back if they can get reinforcements first or set traps for the party. I've had at least one game where the party curb-stomped some kobolds or bandits before entering a dungeon only to find themselves trapped in the dungeon, or ambushed while limping out. |
| #9IllithidbixOct 03, 2014 18:38:44 |
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| #10DireachOct 04, 2014 11:41:19 | NPC/Monster morale is one of the things that definitely can't be codified into a set of rules. A DM needs to determine case by case what the best course of action is. The text from the old DMG is a good starting point, but ultimately it's down to the DM to determine the behaviour of his NPC's.
Many common enemies, like goblins and kobolds, will almost certainly try to flee rather than fight to the death. Natural animals, like wolves or rats, will not continue fighting if death seems certain, unless magically compelled. Other enemies, like oozes and undead, lack any instinct for self-preservation, and will fight until destroyed without any thought. Dragons may try to flee, or negotiate, or they may fight to the death. Liches will almost certainly attempt to escape, and have many ways to do so.
Enemies that flee, or surrender, can create interesting ingame situations on their own. Do the players accept surrender from monsters? Will they pursue a fleeing enemy even if it puts the characters in greater danger? Who is best suited to negotiate terms with a dragon? Try it out, see how it plays with your group; it certainly adds some variety to encounters when not every fight is a fight to the death. |
| #11Sword_of_SpiritOct 04, 2014 12:30:21 | I like to use a combination of role-playing and spontaneous dice rolls to determine morale.
First, I try to get into the creature's head and think of how they see the situation--then react accordingly. Take your typical brigands. They have zero inclination to fight to the death unless they know that they will suffer a worse fate (say, a long tortuous death at the hands of a displeased boss) if they flee. Even then, fear in the moment might cause them to flee anyway.
Now, when we get into an actual combat, and I have to determine when they make the choice to flee, I have two really basic principles I follow.
1. Creatures rarely flee or surrender in the first round. Everything is happening at once, weapons are being swung, spells slung, everyone is getting into position, and nobody really has a chance to evaluate what is happening. Only if the PCs decidedly wiped out everyone except a single mook in the first round would I be likely to have him quit the fight--and even then I wouldn't automatically assume he had noticed all his buddies go down in those few seconds. This simple principle means I don't have to think about it until the second round. If there are enough creatures and their side wasn't hammered in the first round, I won't worry about it in the second round either.
2. When in doubt, set a number and roll a d20. If my in-creature assessment of the situation doesn't clearly scream "fly you fools!" or "bring it!" so that I'm in doubt about how they would react, I set a number--I literally just pull one out of the air in about 1.5 seconds--and then roll a d20 to see if they stay or flee, based on whether they beat that number or not. I don't make it an ability check or save or anything that requires looking at a stat block--just an unmodified d20. My gut is my source for the DC. If they fail, they flee or surrender based on whatever makes sense. Intelligent foes who risk taking opportunity attacks will usually throw down their weapons and surrender. If they think they have a good chance of getting away, or are unable to surrender, or know they will be killed anyway, they'll flee.
This works well for me because I'm very comfortable making up DCs on the fly and role-playing creatures. I don't need anything more for morale. I'd say give this a try. It may not work for everyone, but it makes morale systems a non-issue for me. By the way--if it doesn't work, that would nice to know so I don't bother giving others advice based on my idiosyncratic system.
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