Monday, January 31, 2011

Monster I.Q. - To waste or not to waste?

We play Dungeons & Dragons because we love the game.  The game can become a little stale sometimes when the encounters are unimaginative and your DM falls into the monotony of the stereotypical “Hack n’ Slash”.  It has happened to all of us at one point or another of our career. 
     Once a person opts to DM, it is then their responsibility to try and make the encounters and the monsters you face be as memorable as possible.  This means giving their monsters their dues.  Let’s face it, most Monsters are intelligent!  Whether it is the lowly Kobold or the Ancient Red Dragon, suffice to say that most of the monsters we fight are not all buffoons willing to sacrifice themselves so that players can gain XP.  If a DM takes the time to give their monsters a little class, not only would the DM have a lot of fun (it is like playing many characters at once), but the encounters would be much more memorable to all players involved.  Most intelligent monsters would not fight to the death, or when seriously threatened, will try to either reason with the party (possible skill challenge), or simply run away, especially when their mortality is threatened.