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Message: <blockquote data-quote="jgsugden" data-source="post: 5154612" data-attributes="member: 2629">There is nothing wrong with a smart monster acting smart.One of the huge advantages of a live RPG over a MMORPG is that it is easier to make each monster feel different.  MMOs strive to do that, but it is far easier in D&D to do it.  If a mindless monster in D&D were to retreat to come back after a daily had faded, it'd be a real problem.  But monsters should not all act the same.  That is BORING.  A smart monster should use those smarts.Having a smart monster retreat when the odds are clearly against it is one of the things that makes D&D different than an MMO - and in my mind superior.Some would argue that all you're doing is screwing the player.  I disagree.  You're challenging the player.  If the player figures out that the monster is smart, the player will need to find ways to counteract the intelligence of the monster and pin it in so that the PC gets full use out of the strong dailies, etc...Does this means that PCs should constantly be frustrated by fleeing monsters?   No.  The cardinal rule of D&D is that there needs to be a reasonably clear path to victory for the party.  That path might be frustrated by bad luck, by surprisingly bad tactics, or by unanticipated factors, but the PCs should always have the upper hand (although it is best, IMHO, to guise that upper hand as a long shot as much as possible - PCs don't really need to have been at a disadvantage to feel like they beat the odds).If the vampire says, "Cover my retreat!", the PCs should have a clue that it wants to get away.  Now you have a new goal in the fight - stop the beats from escaping. If it gets far enough away, you have a chase potential.  There is a lot of fun that can still be had, even if the daily didn't do everything it possibly could in a specific battle.</blockquote>

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