"Scripted Combat Actions"

No plan survives contact with the enemy. That includes the players' plan. The key for the DM is not really a script, but - as has been noted - general notes, reminders, and suggestions.

I DM a large group of 7th-8th level characters (a psion, a monk, a barbarian, a cleric, a sorcerer, a rogue/ranger, a fighter, and a ranger). They recently battled the Fright Brigade. While the PCs won, the sorcerer, rogue/ranger, and ranger were all killed. The barbarian and/or the cleric finished the fight unconscious (IIRC). One of the Fright Brigade (Crush) surrendered and negotiated its freedom.

Here're my pre-combat notes:

Basic Tactics:

Crush's tactics are simple. Close and destroy. Skitterbug uses its webs. Ratatooie goes after spellcasters.

Elf-Flayer

Round - Action
1 - Drink potion of blur. Move up wall.
2 - Drink potion of cat’s grace. Move again.
3 - Cast mage armor. Move again.

After this, Elf-Flayer uses Manyshot and targets enemies, preferably elves. He stays on the move as much as possible.

Strunk

Round - Action
1 - Cast corrupt weapon. Use detect good to identify good foes.
2 - Use invisibility sphere.
3 - Dimension door self and Ratatooie into melee range.
4 - Attack under cover of invisibility.
5 - Use blink.

After this, Strunk continues to melee. He uses other spells and spell-like abilities only if prudent.

Sundiata

Round - Action
1 - Cast invisibility.
2 - Cast prayer.
3 - Cast spell immunity. He uses this to make himself immune to energy missile.
4 - Cast protection from energy.

After this Sundiata keeps on the move as much as possible. He uses spells defensively to avoid ruining invisibility. In order to complicate matters for Eric, allow Sundiata to counterspell Shadra psionics.

Camazotz

Round - Action
1 - Camazotz’s main target is Shadra. Cast spectral hand.
2 - Cast touch of idiocy.
3 - Cast touch of idiocy via pearl of power.
4 - Cast ray of enfeeblement.

After this, use AC-boosting spells as prudent and then close for melee in hybrid form.

It certainly has happened to me. Never was a problem in OD&D and 1e. Started becoming a problem in 2e, what with the way the monster stats were set up (baatezu and tanar'ri in particular) so that you had some abilities on one page and some on another. This continued on into 3e. I think it's the price of increasing complexity

I'm not sure that having scripts would be the right solution. Yes, it will maximize the CRs, but it would probably start making encounters feel, well, scripted. Perhaps taking having a section to highlight their key abilities, something along the lines of "The Bolotomus prefers to wade in using its smash attack first and relying on its SR17 to protect it from the spells of the Snits" rather than details a first this, than that, of this than that, approach.

Hypersmurf said:

Heh.

Our 3rd level party took on a bearded devil. We were way outclassed. But fortunately, the Web slowed it up for a few rounds - long enough for us cast some cures and get set up for it, and we just scraped through.

After the session, I commented to the DM "I was surprised he didn't just teleport out!"

The DM froze, and flipped open the MM, and just stared for a while.

-Hyp.

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Oh man, I know exactly how he feels. I had a lizardman king as the "boss" in a dungeon, and I gave him a helm of "d-door" that enabled him to use it a couple of times per day. At one point, the sorcerer trapped him in an Otiluke's resilient sphere, and I forget he had it. After the party identified his helm they were like "I wonder why he didn't use this?" I felt like an idiot.

der_kluge said:

Oh man, I know exactly how he feels. I had a lizardman king as the "boss" in a dungeon, and I gave him a helm of "d-door" that enabled him to use it a couple of times per day. At one point, the sorcerer trapped him in an Otiluke's resilient sphere, and I forget he had it. After the party identified his helm they were like "I wonder why he didn't use this?" I felt like an idiot.

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Bad guy has Haste cast on him. PC spellcaster casts Dispel Magic on bad guy. Bad guy has Haste dispelled. Bad guy dies. PCs loot body, find Ring and Identify it.

Me: "He has a Ring on Counterspelling with Dispel Magic in it."

Players: "Huh, wonder why Haste went away?"

Me:

Thank you all for this threat!

I thought this was just my problem, forgetting important spells/items/abilities of Monsters/NPCs and let my players kill my little ones easy.

Happened with a Ghost Dragon. Completely forgot Withering Gaze and frightful presence.

Same was with me as Player and our DM, who was relatively new to 3rd ed. mastering War of the Spider Queen. We blasted through Drows and Demons with him forgetting important stuff (like armor ripping ability of the Bebilith Demon).

Goodman Games has a Powergamers Guide series (for Fighter types and Wizardly types).
It would be a great idea to have a Powermasters Guide to Monsters. With advices which spell to use when and how to maximise the deadliness of abilities.

I don´t think this a manageable for every Monster in the MMI. Don´t forget MMII, MMIII, FF. And then there are the Tome of Horrors I, ToH II, Penumbra Fantasy Bestiary, Legacy of Dragons, Monsternomicon and that are only the Books I own.

One of the things I do as I prep for a game session is sit at my computer and write up any notes that I want fresh in my mind and can refer to while playing. I'll write up scripted tactics and reminders. I find it also helps to actually type out a creature's special abilities. It helps to crystalize that knowledge and remember it.
And once printed out, things you want to particularly emphasize could be marked up with a highlighter.

Steverooo said:

I think the maxim you're searching for is: "No plan survives first contact with the enemy."

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Or, in this case: "No plan survives contact with the players"

Maybe Celebrim could be convinced to add the great ideas from his monster strategy posts to the d20 WIKI I saw linked here a few days ago..? This is a really cool idea, but one almost better from the gaming community where new ideas can be added than as a product. Now that I think about it, it would also have nice synergy with the Creature Catalogue here on ENWorld- maybe that could be merged into the WIKI also?

Hmm...

Talmun said:

As to RD's suggestion for a book...I'm not entirely convinced.

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I'm sold on the idea. I'm a huge fan of Goodman Games' "Power Gamer" guides, which are basically strategy guides on playing an effective character. I would love to see a monster version of this. Not scripts per se, but guidance on running monsters effectively, how to best size up a monster you're seeing for the first time, typical routines for various broad types, etc. I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

I started a thread on a similar topic where I basically asked how to best look at a set of stats and figure out what that creature would logically do. There was quite a lot of good advice.

There's obviously a need, as Morrus said, for the DMs job to be made easier without changing the rules. The company that can do this will get my money.

buzz said:

I'm sold on the idea. I'm a huge fan of Goodman Games' "Power Gamer" guides, which are basically strategy guides on playing an effective character.

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I've seen it mentioned a few times in this thread about the "Power Gamer" guides (plural). I've only ever seen the Warrior guide, which I have and is very good. What other ones are there? I can't find it on their website but would love to get my hands on them all.