Intelligent and Dumb Creatures

[Land Outcast]

The idea here is to get to know how people play NPCs and monsters basing themselves off their intelligence.

So, lets see:
Does it use Hit and Run tactics?
Does it try to avoid AoOs?
Does it try to flank opponents?
Does it keep attacking over and over the same opponent?
Does it attack the last one to hit it? or whoever it was attacking before?

Of course this questions apply only to creatures with intelligence 1-8 (an average intelligence would take the "smartest" answer for these).

   Int 2: Tiger
   Int 3: Grey Render
Int 4-5: Displacer Beast, Griffon
Int 6-7: Ogre, Troll
Int 8-9: Centaur, Gnoll

Any further questions are welcome, as are suggerences of how to play higher intelligences.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Even unintelligent creatures can have "programmed" tactics.

Cats have Int 2, and are capable of stealth. However, they always stalk birds the same way, and the birds virtually always see them coming. Most cats, at least, never learn how to catch birds.

 

[Michael Silverbane]

Tiger (occassionally interspersed with other animals)
As a side note, since tigers are primarily hunters, they are less likely to attack a group of adventurers than they are to attack a single adventurer...
Does it use Hit and Run tactics? Yes.
Does it try to avoid AoOs? No, but not because of it's intelligence, because tigers are not scrappers, so to speak. Lions, Rams, and other animals that fight amongst themselves, however would do so.
Does it try to flank opponents? No, again, not because of its intelligence, tigers are generally solitary hunters and don't, as a general rule, use teamwork. Wolves, however, do.
Does it keep attacking over and over the same opponent? No, again, this has nothing to do with Intelligence, and everything to do with the fact that the tiger is a Hit and Runner. If it hasn't killed what it was stalking within the first couple of attacks, it is out of there.
Does it attack the last one to hit it? or whoever it was attacking before? Yes and no. If a Tiger is going for a kill... i.e. if it is in hunting mode, it is going to try to kill or incapacitate its dinner before it messes with anything else. If, on the other hand, it is fighting on the defensive (any time it did not sneak up on someone, or any time it is reduced on one-half hit points or less) it will be more likely to lash out at whoever most recently hurt it... For situations like this, I go about fifty-fifty on whether or not it is going to try to make a hole so that it can get away, or if it is going to try to hurt the critter (player) that hurt it. In my games, animals act primarily towards their own survival, so if a tiger is being ganged up on, it is going to try to get away first, and if it can't it'll try to get some revenge.

Grey Render
Does it use Hit and Run tactics? Not really. Grey Renders (in my games) are pathologically cranky. If you come into their territory, they are going to try to scare (read: beat) you out of it.
Does it try to avoid AoOs? With their long reach due to being large, they are less likely to provoke attacks of opportunity in the first place... But... sometimes.
Does it try to flank opponents? Grey renders are, again, generally solitary... So they don't have the experience in cooperative fighting that would lead to them using this type of tactic.
Does it keep attacking over and over the same opponent? Yes, but not to the exclusion of enemies that it percieves to be more of a threat to its territory. That is, if whoever it has started beating on backs off, it is not going to pursue them if there is another opponent nearby...
Does it attack the last one to hit it? or whoever it was attacking before? Usually, the grey render will be attacking a single opponent until that opponent backs off or falls over. Sometimes an opponent can get it to switch to them by doing something pretty dramatic. (doing a lot of damage all in one whack, or trying to grapple the render.)

Displacer Beast
Does it use Hit and Run tactics? Yes. Displacer beasts are sneaky, clever, and distantly related to hunting cats, so they are perfectly suitied to this type of technique.
Does it try to avoid AoOs? The reach factor, again, means that the displacer beast is not likely to be drawing AoOs that much, but yes. They are an actively aggressive monster, that means that they are aware of basic tactics. They will also try to use simple techniques to fool others into provoking attacks of opportunity (smacking mounts and the like).
Does it try to flank opponents? Yes. They are somewhat less solitary than tigers, sometimes hunting in prides, so they use flanking to some extent.
Does it keep attacking over and over the same opponent? Displacer Beasts are mean, mean, vindictive critters. They are going to attack the living crap out of one character until that character falls (my displacer beasts try not to kill their prey, though, because they like to eat 'em while they're still at least a little bit alive).
Does it attack the last one to hit it? or whoever it was attacking before? generally they will keep attacking whichever critter originally drew their ire unless someone else really pisses them off, or unless they become frightened or confused.

Griffon
Like the tiger, the griffon is considerably less likely to attack creatures in a group. So, unless the party sneaks up on it, there isn't that much likelihood of a fight that lasts more rounds that it takes the griffon to either kill what it's after or to get attacked once and bug out.
Does it use Hit and Run tactics? Griffons do run away, but are not terribly likely to attack someone who has already scared them off once.
Does it try to avoid AoOs? Yes. griffons are sort of like lions in that they (in my games) fight amongst themselves to establish dominance between them or sometimes just for the heck of it. They understand the neccessity of paying attention to their enemy.
Does it try to flank opponents? If, for some odd reason, a couple of griffons decided to attack something in concert... Sure. I don't really see that happening, though. So, generally no.
Does it keep attacking over and over the same opponent? The griffon is generally only going to attack someone who it wants to eat, or who has pissed it off in some other way, but is not going to stand and fight a group of enemies... So... Yes?
Does it attack the last one to hit it? or whoever it was attacking before? Like the tiger, the griffon will probably be attacking either because it wants to eat something, or because it is trying to get away. It is more likely to try to get someone to fall, so that it can make a hole and escape, but, like the Displacer beast can be frightened or confused into lashing out at random.

Troll
Does it use Hit and Run tactics? Not on purpose. Trolls are fairly likely to fight to the 'death' and then just get up and go about their merry way when they wake up from their butt-kicking. In my games, Trolls are sort of joyously cruel. They just love to tear stuff up. And they like being in fights. So... If someone gives them a good butt-whooping, they are likely to look that person up again... and again... and again.
Does it try to avoid AoOs? No, but not because they don't understand about AoOs... More because they want to get beat up on. They flee from fire like a rat from a sinking ship, though.
Does it try to flank opponents? Yes and no. If two trolls are fighting one opponent, they will get on either side of it and bat it back and forth between them, but they do not do so for the tactical advantage.
Does it keep attacking over and over the same opponent? Sometimes. If they are really looking to put a hurt on someone (like a creature that has defeated therm in battle before), then yes. They will attack that person to the exclusion of all other considerations (except fire, which they flee like the dickens from). If they are just having a good time tearing stuff up, they might spready around the joy (read: beatings) amongst all comers.
Does it attack the last one to hit it? or whoever it was attacking before? Again, this depends on the mood of the troll. It doesn't so much care if it kills its opponents, as long as it gets to put a nasty hurt on them. Also, they tend to eat people, which I guess does kill them a little bit.

Ogre
Does it use Hit and Run tactics? Ogres are a lot less happy about their cruelty than trolls, and... considering their size... are terrible cowards (in my game). Thus they are more than happy to use hit and run tactics... With a great deal of emphasis on the run.
Does it try to avoid AoOs? Yes. They also try to use simple tactics to cause their opponents to provoke attacks of opportunity (like approaching ranged attackers and smacking or otherwise attempting to spook mounts).
Does it try to flank opponents? Absolutely. Especially when they are fighting in mixed groups, they will send their smaller comrades through the ranks of their enemies (forcing them to endure AoOs) for flanking.
Does it keep attacking over and over the same opponent? Ogres are kind of like Displacer Beasts in this regard... They'll pick someone that they just don't like and whoop the ever-lovin' crap out of them... just for the sheer meanness of it. It is hard to say what is going to make an ogre single you out for such abuse, but its easy to tell when he has done so.
Does it attack the last one to hit it? or whoever it was attacking before? Ogres are likely to attack those that they see as the weakest, first. Again... In my games, ogres are terrible cowards, and scream like a little baby in its crib when dealt damage of any sort.

Centaur and Gnoll
At this point, we're getting into the creatures where Intelligence is not really going to be a factor at all where fighting is concerned... I mean, neither the centaur nor the gnoll is probably going to be peppering you with math problems or jaunty banter as it tries to murder you, but its tactics are going to be pretty sound, trying to gain the best advantage and keep that advantage from its enemies...

Later
silver

 

[Herremann the Wise]

Sorry if this is a tangent.

I always think of motivation first then I use intelligence to help me decide a reaction to stimuli (so to speak).

Is the animal hungry?
Is the animal starving?
Is the animal looking for a mate?
Is the animal protecting its domain?
Is the animal protecting its young?
Is the animal curious about any new stimuli?
Is the animal hunting?
Is the animal playing?
Is the animal scared?

I prefer to ascribe a motive to the creature first and this tells me what they would do.
For example, upon seeing a party of PC adventurers:
- a hungry animal may test the PCs although a sense of being outnumbered comes into play here. Intelligence would determine its ability to "weigh up the odds" so to speak. However a predator who is used to hunting and not running will most likely launch in regardless of its intelligence - it's used to being the alpha.
- A starving animal however might take more risks, looking to take a chunk out of a PC before running off with a PC chunk.
- An animal looking for a mate would most likely avoid the PCs unless it felt them a threat to the relief of its glands.
- An animal protecting its domain would most likely give warning, only attacking if threatened and not perceiving overt danger (int dependant)
- An animal protecting its young however would most likely take extreme risks in protecting its young.
- A curious animal ( or one that is playing) might test the water and investigate, not looking to attack. If attacked it might retaliate in warning before keeping its distance. Its motivation now changes accordingly.
- An animal that is hunting might be doing so efficiently or not. This is definitely a reflection on intelligence. Animals that are not overly intelligent (wolves) might still work well together reflecting their pack mentality, more so than their strict intelligence. As such tripping and flanking are firmly within it's nature if not its intelligence.
- A scared animal will runaway unless backed into a corner, in which case it will most likely attack and escape.

Anyway, this was just a tangent; an alternative view of intelligence and combat. I'm just not too sure that a black and white table of intelligence does full justice to an encounter, although as a baseline guide, it would be quite helpful.

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

 

[Land Outcast]

WOW... O.O
thanks for the -extensive- feedback

I'm just not too sure that a black and white table of intelligence does full justice to an encounter, although as a baseline guide, it would be quite helpful.

Of course it doesn't (As Silver has extensively demonstrated), but it would indeed be nice to make a table such that: "Oh, intelligence less than 5... then generally it wouldn't try and avoid provoking AoOs"

But as Silver showed to us, a Troll wouldn't care if someone is beating his back, he'll first tear up the small puny guy who spat at him; anyways he'll be alright in a few hours from now. On the other hand, an Ogre (with a cowardly cultural attribute in Silver's case) wouldn't ignore a guy who's landing quite heavy blows on his back.

Situation, culture/instinct, and personality logically come into play; but Int is what allows the combatant to use reason applied to the situation, therefore possibly ignoring culture-personality to gain an edge.

Example:
A cowardly creature with really low intelligence is before a staggered (0hp) enemy, but it received a strong beating and now wouldn't attack even it its life went on it.
A smarter creature would give it a shot (excepting a patological coward), realizing that if its blow results true, it'd fell its enemy with not much effort.

 

[Kunimatyu]

I find that Wisdom(cunning) is a better way to do it. Wisdom represents a creature's basic combat sense(don't provoke AoOs, charge, flank a target if your buddy's behind them), and Int represents their general combat knowledge(ie. wizards are dangerous, humanoids with maces and heavy armor often heal, etc).

 

[Land Outcast]

I find that Wisdom(cunning) is a better way to do it. Wisdom represents a creature's basic combat sense(don't provoke AoOs, charge, flank a target if your buddy's behind them)

Excellent point, got to agree with that. The fact is that I started this thread thinking of what was commented on the Yeenoghu thread about him having Int 24 and always in the first round of combat casting Bull's Strength (Wizards' writeup).

There is a point at which things go further than combat sense and into tactics, reason, creativity, and anticipation (as well as knowledge). As many other tings, combat is multi-layered.

Want to comment on that Kunimatyu?

 

[Kunimatyu]

Excellent point, got to agree with that. The fact is that I started this thread thinking of what was commented on the Yeenoghu thread about him having Int 24 and always in the first round of combat casting Bull's Strength (Wizards' writeup).

There is a point at which things go further than combat sense and into tactics, reason, creativity, and anticipation (as well as knowledge). As many other tings, combat is multi-layered.

Want to comment on that Kunimatyu?

Sure.

First off, D&D's delineation of mental ability into Intelligence and Wisdom is silly and artificial. But, since that's what we've got, it'll have to do.

Wisdom is *just* the simple stuff, like not needlessly provoking AoOs. In the case of animals, it probably also includes how to use the animal's basic combat abilities -- dire tigers take advantage of their pounce, crocodiles use improved grab to pull creatures into the water, etc. If an Achaierai had an Int of 2, it would still know how to Spring Attack its enemies, because that's what it does.

However, Wisdom doesn't help a creature react to its opponents' tactics as well. An Int 2 creature with Pounce and Improved Grab knows how to use them effectively -- it doesn't know how to cope with a fighter using the Close Quarters Fighting feat, or even that the feat exists at all.

It doesn't know that if it doesn't charge the wizard, it's going to get Glitterdusted and be unable to see its opponents.

That's the general principle I use. It's silly to have a monster not use its abilities to max, but that doesn't mean a boa constrictors is aware that clerics are often good choices to grapple.

 

[Umbran]

Cats have Int 2, and are capable of stealth. However, they always stalk birds the same way, and the birds virtually always see them coming. Most cats, at least, never learn how to catch birds.

I'm not sure I at all accept that assertion. Housecats have very significant impact on local bird populations.

As a general rule predators fail at hunting more often than they succeed. The tiger and the leopard and the wolf also almost always get seen, so that's not really a measure. Add onto that the fact that your usual housecat may know what he's doing, but he just isn't hungry, so he isn't all that motivated. Add onto that the fact that your usual housecat is slightly overweight, and Furball's success rate is going to be pretty darned low.