Consider the Opponent’s Intelligence

Make sure the opponent acts as smart as it should. Any foe worthy enough to challenge high-level PCs didn’t get that way through foolish actions. This does not mean that only foes with genius-level intelligence are suitable in high-level play. Even opponents with low intelligence can learn from experience and are not necessarily foolish. A man-eating tiger, for example, has an Intelligence rating of 2–4, but its experience in stalking people can make it a canny and unpredictable opponent for any group. An opponent doesn’t have to be brilliant to challenge high-level characters: It has to avoid obvious mistakes.

Many DMs tend to think of very weak creatures, such as goblins and kobolds, as prone to foolish and unintelligent behavior; this is an error. Kobolds and some goblins have average Intelligence, which make them as smart as a typical human. Humans are pretty inventive creatures. They have survived an ice age and have produced and maintained our incredibly complex and technical culture. Creatures with average intelligence might blunder when making split-second decisions, but they learn from their mistakes and prepare for the worst. For a more complete discussion of how intelligence affects a creature’s actions in combat, see Chapter 10 of the Player’s Option™ Combat & Tactics book.

Table of Contents