MONSTER TACTICS… WHAT?
every creature instinctively knows how to best use their evolutions. so do our monsters. RIGHT?
Everything has strengths, weaknesses, a familiar environment, and a sense of survival. They know how to defend, hunt, or forage, and how to defend itself. Fight or flight, attack or flee. A predator evolves fine-tuned instincts. Some sneak closer before springing an attack, others attack from ambush, and still more don’t even bother to sneak, preferring to charge in with their amazing speed. Then there are the scavengers, the foragers, and other fishers who rarely hunt but are just as dangerous when disturbed. A lion and its pride sneak up before they charge while a bear, usually alone, rarely bothers as it is more often a scavenger than a hunter.
Their environments matter as well. A lion lives on the plains. Seeing them at a long distance means is safe. If there are fresh signs but no lines in sight, time to worry. Bears live in more forested regions thus spotting them before they get close enough to charge in as the trees and bushes provide a natural hindrance to them being spotted. Why develop a sneak ability when the environment does it already? Gators move slowly and silently beneath the water and wait with dreadful patience for the perfect moment to lunge out with a swift and deadly surprise.
People are no different, no matter what species they come from. Untrained societies charge out into the open to stap, claw, or beat at each other, but those with trained soldiers do not. They use ranged weapons to batter the foe to soften them and force them to take cover while other soldiers charge in close. Generational experience has taught them to shoot their range weapons from cover. To seek and hold the high ground where they can see for greater distances, or find it easier to shoot or send a charge with the advantage of going downhill. Trained people know what they are capable of and efficient at it.
Our monsters and enemies have different species names which means they are not the same. The variety of skills, abilities, special features, and equipment they have are all suggestions on how they fight. Some will fight a certain way when alone and in differing ways when in a group. That little goblin, who is well aware he is smaller and weaker than most player characters, could sneak behind the party and then flee the moment he realizes he’s been spotted. He could very easily lure the players into giving chase. A chase that finds them in a dark alley where other goblins with crossbows shower the player characters with bolts to soften them up right before the stabby goblins drop on them from a rooftop or two.
Tactics used are an easy way to add flavor and improve immersion into our worlds. It is also a great equalizer to players who are often much better equipped, full of feats, magic, or powers. Take the time to figure out what your orcs, goblins, or villainous wizards are going to do in the first three rounds of combat. If combat lasts beyond the three rounds, things have generally deteriorated to the point where the gamemaster is completely reacting to the consequences. Create a tactics template for each monster/ villain type that you can then refer to. Maybe you want special tactics for certain bandit gangs or consortiums of mages. Once you make them, you can refer to them as needed. Now go out there and build those monster tactics!
