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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mephistopheles" data-source="post: 3154322" data-attributes="member: 4460">Players will generally use their knowledge of game mechanics to try to let their characters act as effectively as possible. It's only fair that the DM should be allowed to do the same for NPCs as appropriate.One thing that turns me right off as a DM is when I have an NPC take an action that is both appropriate for the situation and makes the NPC more effective in that situation and the players call it metagaming because it makes things harder for them. They are actually metagaming in that situation because they haven't stopped to consider why the NPC acted that way with in game reasoning before jumping the gun.If a 12th level PC wizard has learned to recognise various feints and decoys used against him and would consider it appropriate for his character to respond effectively against them why wouldn't an NPC have had similar exposure and learned to respond similarly?I'm not saying the DM should thwart his players when they try to use some cunning on every occasion, however, the players should not expect every opponent they come across to be a chump especially as they advance in level. You don't need to start coming up with rules and rolls to regulate every thought going through an NPCs head.</blockquote>