Page 92 - DnD 5e - Xanathar's Guide to Everything

MONSTER P ERSONALITY RANDOM EVENTS
To address the question of a monster's personality, you Consider what might happen in an encounter area if the
can use the tables in chapter 4 of the Dungeon Master's characters were to never enter it. Do the guards serve in
Guide, use the Monster Personality table below, or s im- shifts? What other characters or monsters might visit?
ply jot down a few notes based on a creature's Monster Do creatures gather there to eat or gossip? Are there
Manual description. During the battle, you can use these any natural phenomena-such as strong winds, earth
ideas to inform how you portray the monsters and their tremors, or rain squalls-that sometimes take place
actions. To keep things s imple, you can assign the same in the area? Random events can add a fun element of
personality traits to an entire group of monsters. For ex- the unexpected to an encounter.Just when you think
ample, one bandit gang might be an unruly mob of brag- a fight's outcome is evident, an unforeseen event can
garts, while the members of another gang are always on make things more compelling.
edge and ready to flee at the first sign of danger. A number of the tables in the Dungeon Master's Guide
can suggest random events. The tables used for encoun-
MONSTER PERSONALITY ter location, weird locales, and wilderness weather in
chapter 5 of that book are a good starting point for out-
d8 Personality
door encounters. The tables in appendix A can be useful
1 Cowardly; looking to surrender
for indoor and outdoor encounters-especially the tables
2 Greedy; wants treasure
for obstacles, traps, and tricks. Finally, consult the ran-
3 Braggart; makes a show of bravery but runs from dom encounter tables in the next section of this book for
danger inspiration.
4 Fanat ic; ready to die fighting
QUICK MATCHUPS
5 Rabble; poorly trained and easily rattled
6 Brave; stands its grou nd The guidelines above assume that you are concerned
7 joker; taunts its enemies about balance in your combat encounters and have
8 Bully; refuses to believe it can lose enough time to prepare them. If you don't have much
time, or if you want s impler but less precise guidelines,
the Quick Matchups table below offers an alternative.
MONSTER RELATION SHIPS
This table gives you a way to match a character of
Do rivalries, hatreds, or attachments exist among the
a certain level with a number of monsters. The table
monsters in an encounter? I.f so, you can use s uch re-
lists the challenge ratings to use for including one, two,
lationships to inform the monsters' behavior during
and four monsters per character for each level. For in-
combat. The death of a much-revered leader might
s tance, looking at the 3rd-level entry on the table, you
throw its followers into a frenzy. On the other hand, a
can see that a CR 1/2 monster is equivalent to one 3rd-
monster might decide to flee if its spouse is killed, or a
level character, as are two CR 1/4 monsters and four
mistreated toady might be eager to surrender and betray
CR 1/8 ones.
its master in return for its life.
QUICK MATCHUPS
MONSTER RELATIONSHIPS
Character
d6 Relationship
Level 1 Monster 2 Monsters 4 Monsters
1 Has a rival; wants one random ally to suffer
1st 1/ 4 1/8
2 Is abused by others; hangs back, betrays at first
2nd 1/2 1/ 4
opportunity
3rd 1/2 1/4 1/8
3 Is worshiped; allies will die for it
4th 1/2 1/4
4 Is outcast by group; its allies ignore it
5th 2 1/2
5 Is outcast by choice; cares only for itself
6th 2 1/2
6 Is seen as a bully; its allies want to see it defeated
7th 3 1/2
8th 3 2
TERRAIN AND TRAPS
A few elements that make a battlefield something other 9th 4 2
than a large area of flat ground can go a long way to- 10th 4 2 1
ward spicing up an encounter. Consider setting your en- 11th 4 3 2
counter in an area that would provide challenges even if 12th 5 3 2
a fight were not taking place there. What potential perils
13th 6 4 2
or other features might draw the characters' attention,
14th 6 4 2
either before or during the fight? Why are monsters lurk-
15th 7 4 3
ing in this a rea to begin with-does it offer good hiding
places, for instance? 16th 7 4 3
To add deta ils to an encounter area at random, look to 17th 8 5 3
the tables in appendix A of the Dungeon Master's Guide 18th 8 5 3
to determine room and area features, potential hazards, 19th 9 6 4
obstacles, traps, and more.
20th 10 6 4
CHAPTER 2 I DUNGEON MASTER'S TOOLS
---