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As has been stressed herein, you will find that it is
necessary to assume the
various roles and personae of all creatures not represented
by players. This
can be particularly difficult in combat situations. You
must be able to
quickly determine what the monsters involved will do
in any given situation,
and this can be particularly difficult in combat situations.
It is necessary that you make a rule to decide what course
of action the
monsters will follow BEFORE the party states what they
are going to do.
This can be noted on the area key or jotted down on paper.
Having such
notes will save you from later arguments, as it is a
simple matter to show
disgruntled players these ”orders” when they express
dissatisfaction with
the results of such an encounter. The intelligence and
wisdom of concerned
monsters are principal determinants of their actions
and/or
reactions. Consider also cunning and instinct. It is
also important to
remember that lawful indicates an organized and ordered
approach,
while chaotic means a tendency towards random, individual
action and
disorganization; but these modifiers must also be judged
in light of the
monsters concerned, of course.
Examples of the responses
of six [EXI, EX2, EX3,
EX4,
EX5,
EX6] different types of monsters follow.
The situation will be the same in each example:
The "party”
(whose composition
and levels are unimportant for the example and would obviously vary in
each situation anyway)
will be attacking the monsters in
the examples in two situations.
SITUATION 1 (S1) is where encounter occurs for the first
time,
and while the party inflicts casualties
upon the monsters, victory is denied;
the party then leaves with its wounded,
regroups, and returns one full week later to finish the job.
SITUATION 2 (S2) is where the party, rested, healed,
and ready for action,
has now re-encountered the monsters
in question.
In both situations the response of the monsters concerned
will be detailed so you can use the examples in handling actual play.
EXAMPLE I: The party has entered a crypt
under an old temple and
attacked skeletons and zombies encountered there.
S1: The monsters will respond only
as the crypts are entered in turn. Being
effectively
mindless, they have no co-ordination in their attacks, and
no pursuit
will occur when the party breaks off.
S2. There will be no change in response
on the part of the skeletons and
zombies. Those
destroyed will not have been replaced (assuming,
course, that
some evil cleric is not nearby) by reinforcements. Doors
and furniture
previously damaged or destroyed will not have been
repaired.
EXAMPLE II: The party has located and attacked a colony of giant ants.
S1. Although giant ants have only ”animal
intelligence”, the colony is an
organized
society wherein individuals are part of a greater whole;
thus, response
will be ordered. Warrior ants will meet the attackers,
and workers
will remove bodies, items dropped, and any rubble
caused by
the combat. If the queen is threatened, the workers will
attack also.
When the party breaks off the action, there is but slight
chance of
pursuit.
S2. In the interim, pupae reaching
maturity (perhaps 1-6 warriors and 3-12
workers) will
have replaced casualties incurred during the first encounter.
Destroyed
tunnels will have been repaired, new tunnels possibly
dug, and general
activity of the colony carried on normally. Warriors
will again
meet the party (although they might be reduced in
number). When
the queen is killed, all organized activity will cease.
EXAMPLE 3: The party has found a cave complex which is the lair of an orc band.
S1. The orcs might have a warning device
(a drum, horn, gong, bell, etc.)
available
for use by the guards posted at the entrance to their lair. The
larger the
number of orcs, the greater the chance thot such a device
will be on
hand. As soon as the attack occurs, one or two orcs will rush
to inform
the group that they are under attack, assuming that opportunity
allows. Response
to the attack will be disorganized, wave
attacks being
likely, with the nearest orcs coming first, and the leaders
(most likely
to be at the rear of the complex) coming up near the last.
Some traps
might be set along the complex entry. Resistance will
stiffen as
the leaders (and ogres, if any) come up. When the party retires,
there is a
fair chance for pursuit - a general harassment by the
boldest fighters
amongst the orcs.
S2. There is not much chance that the
chaotic orcs will have sent for reinforcements,
although some
few losses might hove been replaced by
returning
group members. Any damage or destruction in the cave
complex will
have been repaired. There is a great likelihood that
more guards
will be on duty and some warning device ready to alert
the group,
as discipline will be attempted because of the attack. Response
to the attack
will be more immediote, and leaders and spell
casters will
be ready to fight. (If the party camped too near the orcs
during the
intervening week, there is a chance that the orcs might
have located
and raided the place!)
EXAMPLE IV: The party comes upon a small town and openly assaults the place.
S1. Town guards will give warning immediately,
and while there will not
be an alarm
device at each post, there will be a central bell, gong, or
whatever to
alert the entire citizenry of attack. When this sounds,
trained militia
bands will arm, muster, and move to designated
locations
to repel the attack. The citizens, regardless of alignment
(and this
includes characters with adventurer classes), will be likely to
join to fight
attackers, for the general welfare of the community will
come first.
When the party breaks off their attack, pursuit is highly possible
if the town
has sufficient forces available to do so on the spot.
S2. The town will have sought whatever
reinforcements they could by
means of employment
of mercenaries, requests to nearby fortresses
and towns
for men-at-arms, and all able-bodied persons will be
formed into
militia bodies. Any destruction wrought by the initial assault
will have
been repaired as time and ability allowed. Guards will
be doubled
or trebled, and local spell casters will have their most effective
and powerful
offensive and defensive magicks ready. Scouting
parties will
have been sent out and the approach of the attacking
party will
be likely to be known. Pursuit will be very likely if the
second attack
fails so as to allow it.
EXAMPLE V: The party encounters a bandit camp and engages in combat.
S1. The entire camp will be organized
and ready for action on the spur of
the moment.
As soon as the guard pickets sound the alarm, reaction
will be swift.
Defensive traps, snares, and pits will make up a part of
the defensive
ring of the camp. Bandits will move to take up assigned
posts. Counterattacks
will be thrown against the party at appropriate
times. When
the action is broken off, thieves, assassins, or even monks
who might
be members of the bandit group will move to track and
follow the
party to discover what its subsequent actions are and if
another attack
will ensue.
S2. There is a great likelihood that
the entire encampment will be GONE
(without a
trace of where it went) if the attacking party was obviously
of sufficient
power to cause serious trouble if it attacked again. If still
there, the
traps, pits, and snares will have been more carefully hidden
and will be
more numerous also. Ambushes might be set along the
most probable
route of approach to the camp for the party's second
attack. A
few more bandits might have been enlisted or called in from
groups out
raiding. All guards will have been doubled or trebled, all
men more alert
than ever, and all possible preparations made. During
the interim
an assassination attempt upon one or more of the
members of
the party might have been made (assuming that the
bandits have
an assassin character amongst their number), an attempt
to insinuate
a spy into the party might have been made, and/or a raid
upon the party's
camp may have been carried out by the bandits. If
the party
retires, pursuit will certainly take place if bandit strength still
allows.
EXAMPLE VI: The party discovers a fortress and attacks.
S1. Guards will instantly sound a warning
to alert the place. Alarms will
be sounded
from several places within the fortress. Leaders will move
to hold the
place, or expel invaders, with great vigor. Spell casters will
be likely
to have specific stations and assigned duties - such as
casting fireballs,
lighting bolts, flame strikes, cloudkills, dispel magics,
and like spells.
Defenders are out to KILL, not deal stupidly or gently
with, attackers,
and they will typically ask no quarter, nor give any. In
like fashion,
traps within the fortress will be lethal As action
continues,
commanders will assess the party's strengths, weaknesses,
defense, and
attack modes and counter appropriately. If the party is
within the
fortress, possible entry points and escape routes will be
sealed off.
When the attackers pull back, it is very likely that they will
be counterattacked,
or at least harassed. Additionally, members of the
force of the
stronghold will track the party continually as long as they
are within
striking distance of the fortress.
S2. The fortress will most likely have
replaced all losses and have reinforcements
in addition.
An ambush might be laid for the attackers
when they
approach. A sally force will be reody to fall upon the
attackers
(preferably when engaged in front so as to strike the flank or
rear). Siege
machinery, oil, missiles, etc. will be ready and in good
supply. Repairs
to defenses will be made as thoroughly as time and
materials
permitted. Weak areas will have been blocked off, isolated,
and trapped
as well as possible under the circumstances. Leaders will
be nearby
to take immediate charge. Spell casters might be disguised
as guards,
or hidden near guard posts, in order to surprise attackers.
Any retreat
by the attackers will be followed up by a hot pursuit.
As DM you must base actions and responses upon what the
logical
activities possible to the monsters encountered would
be when attacked
first and then later. You assume the part of the creatures
involved and act
accordingly. If the attacking party does not have the
savoir-faire to assess
and properly handle the encounter - and this could well
mean leaving as
quickly as possible and not returning to get a second
bloody nose - then
they deserve whatever befalls them. It is absolutely
necessary that the
Dungeon Master remember that a seriously threatened person
will reply
with the strongest possible attackldefense measure in
order to assure his
or her well-being. (This could, of course, indicate a
feigned surrender,
pretended friendliness, fighting to the death or dozens
of other reactions
according to the circumstances and intelligence/wisdom
of the individual
involved.) The best course might actually be running
away -- something
which intelligent creatures and many not-so-intelligent
animals will be
prone to do when there is no other choice save useless
death. So, then,
does a threatened cleric cast a know alignment spell
upon an aggressor?
Or a hold person? Obviously, the latter choice is far
more logical in 99% of
the cases, and so you should have monsters behave. Skeletons
and
zombies will mindlessly be slaughtered. Giant ants will
march to destruction
in behalf of their colony, but more intelligent creatures
will react
with a greater variety of defenses, counterattacks, and
so on in order to
assure their safety.
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