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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Elder-Basilisk" data-source="post: 2338825" data-attributes="member: 3146">It's all well and good for us to give you strategies for specific monsters, but it sounds like what you really need is a meta-strategy--a strategy for figuring out strategies quickly. So here's a quick attempt:0. Remember that you will always realize that you could have done better by doing something differently. That's the way things work. Your job is not to compare the strategies you choose to an ideal strategy but rather to make sure you do a reasonable job with the time you have.1. Categorize your monster: what does it do?Monsters will fall into several categories:A. Brutes--they deal damage and take it. Examples: Orc Bbn 12, Troll, most giantsB. Grappler--these monsters grapple enemies and take them out of the fight (usually while squeezing them to death). Examples: Tendriculos, Bloodthorn, assassin vine, choker, t-rexC. Ranged Attacker--these monsters are at their best engaging foes from a distance (ex. Beholders, archers, etc)D. Sneaks--these monsters depend upon stealth, surprise, and finesse for their effectiveness.E. Spellcasters--these monsters' best abilities are their spells or special abilities.2. Examine the differences between the monster and the PC class that fills that category.For example:Troll--category: brute. Trolls are generally capable of inflicting and taking more damage per round than a barbarian but generally have the same strengths and weaknesses.Assassin Vine--category: grappler. Assassin vines are similar to grappling monks except their immunity to crits and the difficulty of approaching one offset the main weaknesses of a grappling PC.By stage two, you should have a rough idea of what to do with the monster. Play it like a PC class with the modifications for its unique strengths and weaknesses.3. Look at its most salient ability. This is easier for simple monsters like a troll than for complex creatures like a pit fiend or an astral deva, but a lot of creatures have one thing they do really well. Trolls rend. Griffons (and lions) pounce. Look for opportunities to do that one thing and look for tactics that synergize with it rather than negate it. For instance, a troll should not get much use out of spring attack because it's incompatible with it's schtick: rend. OTOH, a troll gets a lot of milage out of rage because it makes rending much more likely.3.5 Look for things that synergize with its most salient ability. For the griffon, for instance, it can dive, gaining double damage on all claw attacks, AND it can pounce, making all or its attacks after a charge. So, if it does a diving pounce, it gets four claw attacks for double damage (rakes are described as claws).In the case of the noble salamander, it can grapple, it is immune to fire, and it can cast wall of fire. One thing it could do is surround itself with a wall of fire (hot side facing IN) and thus provide itself with concealment as well as forcing any enemies in melee with it to take damage from the wall of fire. If it has someone grappled, it could surround only itself with the wall of fire (using a spell-like ability in a grapple is possible with a DC 20+effective level concentration check), so that it could not be sneak-attacked and would have full concealment against all other attacks and meanwhile add wall of fire damage to the constrict damage against the unlucky foe it grappled.4. After you've analyzed the monster, analyze the situation. There is a good amount of generic advice that applies to most monsters in a given situations.a. If you're alone, minimize the number of foes who can hurt you.a1. If your enemies are strong with ranged attacks, cut off line of sight or keep cover between you and them. (Battlefield control abilities like wall of fire are very useful for this kind of thing). Closing with ranged attackers and spellcasters is often a good tactic that forces them to eschew attacking to retreat.a2. If your enemies are strong with melee attacks, keep cover between you and your foes so that they can't charge. Do your best to keep your distance as well. Use your five foot steps to avoid flanks and to force foes to provoke AoOs in order to close with you.b. If you outnumber the PCs use your advantage in numbers against them. Don't all bunch up next to the warrior with great cleave. Instead, move to threaten the archer and the wizard. Above all, try to have everyone do something. If they can't hit a target's AC, use a net, alchemist's fire, or grapple. If all else fails, have bad guys aid other to help a bad guy who actually has a decent attack.</blockquote>

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