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<blockquote data-quote="howandwhy99" data-source="post: 6157663" data-attributes="member: 3192">Encounters don't even require combat. Meeting with Monsters could be as simple as spotting them first, hiding, and escaping away when not looking. Or it could be you performing an ambush, subduing the first few surprised goblins, and the rest take off running. On the other hand you could send up the white flag. You could deliberately wait to see if you might be in a stand off or not. You could just walk up to them and ask if they have anything on sale (this happens in urban areas quite a lot). Conversation might start an encounter, but it could lead to threats of and actual violence. And violence could end in conversation, though I think this is harder to pull off and often done with more threats (hostages for instance). So all kinds of stats that commonly aren't assessed for should be for encounters. Movement speed really matters, at least if you care to get away. But so does the ability to hide, sense the world around you, interpret the signs of what occurred before you, your ability to win over others, the monster's learning from its youth, culture, &amp; previous encounters, what they remember from their travels including what they believe as true and what they hold as false, who they are allied to, who they travel with and how they do so, and even marching order (how you array yourselves). EDIT: And that's all before you account for location and equipment.All these kinds of stats can be applied to monsters depending upon culture, intelligence, and ability. Kobolds can be a serious threat without increasing their To Hit bonus or applying Class levels to them. Of course a gimpy, hibernating Owlbear isn't quite the same threat as a healthy and hungry one on the prowl at night.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="howandwhy99, post: 6157663, member: 3192"] Encounters don't even require combat. Meeting with Monsters could be as simple as spotting them first, hiding, and escaping away when not looking. Or it could be you performing an ambush, subduing the first few surprised goblins, and the rest take off running. On the other hand you could send up the white flag. You could deliberately wait to see if you might be in a stand off or not. You could just walk up to them and ask if they have anything on sale (this happens in urban areas quite a lot). Conversation might start an encounter, but it could lead to threats of and actual violence. And violence could end in conversation, though I think this is harder to pull off and often done with more threats (hostages for instance). So all kinds of stats that commonly aren't assessed for should be for encounters. Movement speed really matters, at least if you care to get away. But so does the ability to hide, sense the world around you, interpret the signs of what occurred before you, your ability to win over others, the monster's learning from its youth, culture, & previous encounters, what they remember from their travels including what they believe as true and what they hold as false, who they are allied to, who they travel with and how they do so, and even marching order (how you array yourselves). EDIT: And that's all before you account for location and equipment. All these kinds of stats can be applied to monsters depending upon culture, intelligence, and ability. Kobolds can be a serious threat without increasing their To Hit bonus or applying Class levels to them. Of course a gimpy, hibernating Owlbear isn't quite the same threat as a healthy and hungry one on the prowl at night. [/QUOTE]

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