Few people have ever played AD&D the way that the original groups did in the 1970s. By that I mean that the trope of a grand castle with an extensive dungeon was played out soon after its inception. The modules created (which is how I learned to play) were nothing like the mega-dungeons of the early hobby (most being based on short tournament adventures for game conventions). Castle Blackmoor, Castle Greyhawk, and El Raja Key stand as the shining examples of dungeons for us grognards, but unfortunately very few of us got to experience them first-hand. My earliest experiences in AD&D were in dungeons like the Lost City (B4), the Forbidden City (I1), and Against the Giants (G1-2-3), all of which are a far cry from the mega-dungeons of the early days.
Still, all the rules in the DMG point towards a dungeon environment made up of several levels and infested with monsters all living together in some bizarre magical ecosystem. Furthermore, these monsters were supposed to have agendas, plans, and goals within the dungeons in which they lived. Some merely wanted a lair to have as their very own where they could eat, live, and hoard treasure for some unknown purpose. Others used the dungeon as a base of operations to terrorize other populations of monsters nearby, or raid the surrounding countryside if they had easy access to the outside world. Some monsters existed merely to guard some treasure, and were magically sustained or required no obvious means of sustenance. Gygax touched on some of these examples in the pages of the DMG. However, the most interesting section was located on pages 104-105 where he describes how monsters should react to the intrusion of invaders (the party of characters) and how they replace themselves given the opportunity.
This little section touches on six different examples of monster groups in two situations: the initial contact with the characters; and after one week of non-contact (and how the conditions have changed). In Dungeon Module B2, Gygax has extensive notes on how the humanoid populations would react to intrusion to their lairs. This tutorial module is excellent in providing the key information a fledgling DM requires to run dungeons in any form of the D&D game (and is still legitimately useful and valid after all this time). He uses this section of the DMG to reiterate these guidelines for advanced DMs. The six examples provided include:
- A crypt inhabited by skeletons and zombies
- A colony of giant ants
- A cave complex inhabited by an orc band
- A small town of humans
- A bandit camp in the wilderness
- A fortress in the countryside
These examples reflect the various types of creatures one would expect to encounter in an AD&D game. The undead are mindless creatures that simply attack until destroyed and cannot be reasoned with. The giant ants represent Neutral wild creatures defending their lair from intruders. The orc band represents a Chaotic humanoid presence. The small town represents an organized group of non-militant humans defending their homes. The bandit camp represents a more militant, prepared group of wilderness warriors. Lastly, the fortress represents a well-organized and defensible position guarded by militant forces with a plan to repel invaders and deal with follow-up attacks.
EXAMPLE 1: Naturally, the undead respond to an attack only if certain conditions are met (disturbance of the tombs, entry into an unholy/holy place, etc.) and have no coordination of attacks - each creature attacks mindlessly after choosing a target and continues its attack until destroyed, turned, or the invaders flee the area. These undead will not pursue characters that flee as they are ordered only to guard the crypt. When the characters return after a week of rest and recovery, the crypt is pretty much as they left it. The undead will not be replaced by reinforcement (unless some evil cleric is nearby). Furniture and doors destroyed during the battle will not be replaced or repaired. In other words, it's as if the characters never left, except in that they are now healed up and likely better prepared to face the undead (perhaps recruiting more clerical help or obtaining holy water to use in the attack).
EXAMPLE 2: Giant ants have animal intelligence but have an organized colony where there is specialization among the various forms (workers, warriors, queen). Their Neutral alignment does not reflect this organization, however; it merely means that they are unconcerned with the sides of law vs. chaos or good vs. evil. Individuals in the colony are part of a greater whole, each with a well-defined task. While the warriors deal with the invaders, the workers will remove bodies, dropped items, and rubble from the scene of the combat. If the queen is threatened, the workers will also join the attack to defend the colony. When the party breaks off from combat, there is only a slight chance of pursuit as the colony only seeks to defend its chosen territory. When the party returns, some eggs will have hatched and numbers will be replaced with fresh combatants (warriors and workers). Destroyed tunnels will have been repaired and new tunnels possibly dug to re-route tunnels destroyed in the attack. Warriors will still meet the invaders (with possibly lesser numbers than before). When the queen is slain, all organized activity will cease.
EXAMPLE 3: The orcs might have a warning device (drum, horn, gong, etc.) for use by the guards posted at the entrance to their lair. If they are able to sound the alarm, the whole of the band will be alerted to attack, but the response is disorganized (here it is obvious that the Lawful Evil alignment in the Monster Manual is wrong - it should have been Chaotic Evil to match the orcish destructive and violent tendencies). The orcs will come at the invaders in waves, with the closest orcs coming first and the leaders coming up near the last (as these are likely located deepest into the cave complex). Some traps might be set along the complex entry. Resistance will increase as the leaders (and any associated creatures, like ogres) come forward. When the party retreats, there is a good chance for pursuit as the orcs seek to glorify themselves in combat. When the party later returns after healing, there is little chance that the chaotic (emphasis mine) orcs have sent for reinforcements from their main tribe, although some members may be replaced by returning group members. Any damage or destruction to the orc lair has been repaired (crudely). There is a likelihood that a greater force of guards will be posted and the warning device ready to alert, since discipline will be attempted due to the previous attack. Response to the attack will be more immediate and leaders and spell casters will be prepared to fight. If the party retreated to a camp too near the orc lair, there is a chance that the orcs might have located the camp and raided the place. This shows how a chaotic evil group of monsters might respond to an attack to their lair.
EXAMPLE 4: Town guards give warning immediately, and while there might not be a warning device at each guard posting, there will be a central alarm device to alert the entire community of an attack. When the alarm sounds, militiamen are mustered and move to designated posts to repel attacks. The citizens, regardless of alignment will likely join in the defense of their community. When the party breaks off their attack, pursuit is highly possible if the town has sufficient forces at hand to do so. When the party returns after a week, the town will have sought reinforcements via mercenaries, requests to nearby communities and fortresses for men-at-arms, and all able-bodied citizens will be inducted into the militia. Any destruction will have been repaired as time allowed. Guards will be doubled or tripled and local spell casters will have their most effective and offensive spells prepared. Scouting parties will have been sent out and the approach of attacking parties will be noted (thus eliminating chance for surprise). Pursuit will be very likely if the second attack fails. This is a good example of how any community should react if the characters decide to start raiding villages and towns in their way. It's also a good example of how an evil community like Nulb in T1-4 might react to characters seeking to end their threat using force tactics.
EXAMPLE 5: The bandit camp will be organized and ready for action on the spur of the moment. As soon as the guard scouts sound the alarm, reaction is quick. Defensive traps, snares, and pits will make up part of the defenses and bandits will move to take up assigned posts. Counterattacks will be made against the party and when the action is broken off, members of the bandit camp will move to track down the attackers and follow them back to their base in order to discover their plans. If these trackers are thieves and assassins, then the party might be ambushed in their own camp! When the party returns a week later, it is very possible that the entire camp will be gone without a trace if the attacking party was obviously superior in power. If the camp remains, it will be ringed with more carefully hidden traps and snares. Ambushes might have been set up along the most probable route of approach to the camp. A few more bandits might have been enlisted or called back to the camp from raiding. All guards would be doubled or tripled, all men more alert than ever, and all possible preparations made for a second attack. During the interim, an assassination attempt might have been made on one or more party members (assuming the bandits have such characters in their ranks), and attempts to insinuate a spy in the party's ranks might have been attempted, and/or a raid upon the party's camp may have been carried out by the bandits. If the party retreats again, the bandits will certainly pursue if enough strength remains. This example shows how a mostly chaotic or neutral camp of well-trained mercenary types will respond when attacked, and how they will better prepare for subsequent attacks.
EXAMPLE 6: If the party attacks a fortress, guards will instantly sound several warning devices to alert the place. Leaders will move to hold the defenses or expel invaders with great force. Spell casters will likely have assigned stations and duties - such as casting destructive spells or cancelling the spells of attacking spell casters. Defenders are out to kill intruders - they will neither ask nor give any quarter. Traps within the fortress will be lethal. As actions continue, commanders will assess the party's strengths, weaknesses, defenses, and attack modes and counter appropriately. If the party gains access to the fortress, possible entry and exit points will be sealed off. When the attackers pull back, it is very likely that they will be counterattacked and/or harassed. Members of the fortress will track the party continually so long as they are within striking distance of the fortress. Once the characters retreat and then return, the fortress will most likely have replaced all losses and have reinforcements in addition. An ambush will be prepared for the attackers when they approach. A sally force will be ready to fall upon the attackers from a rear or flank position. Siege engines, oil, missiles, etc. will be ready and in good supply. Repairs to the defenses will be made as time permitted. Weak areas will be blocked off, isolated, or trapped. Leaders will be nearby to take immediate action. Spell casters might be disguised as guards or hidden near guard posts to surprise attackers. Any retreat by the party at this stage will be followed by dogged pursuit. This example clearly defines what should happen when the characters are feeling particularly powerful and seek to overwhelm the forces of the local leadership. Granted, most characters wait until name level before taking on entire keeps and castles, but such activity is quite possible at mid- to high-level.
It is most important for the DM to have a plan of action for each monster group BEFORE the action begins. This could be nothing more than notes in a module, or sticky notes on the page detailing actions and responses if attacked, or notes in the margins of pages detailing how the monsters react. These decisions should be made each round of combat, typically BEFORE getting the actions of the players, to make the situation fair for all involved. With practice and experience, even a fledgling DM soon comes up with quick decisions for his monsters to follow based on alignment, intelligence, and situation. Remember that a serious threatened creature responds with the strongest possible attack or defense in order to ensure his or her continued existence. Running away, surrendering, or possible parley are all valid responses. Not every fight has to end with combat and/or death. The greater the intelligence, the better able the monsters are able to respond to a situation. Intelligent defenders will seek to attack spell casters in order to remove these powerful opponents first. Spells will be cast upon fighters in the front ranks to turn their allegiance or negate their attacks. When a leader sees that the situation is hopeless, they may seek to preserve the lives of their forces, or use them as living shields while they escape (depending on alignment, of course). It is important that the DM run the monsters with the same eye towards survival, goal achievement, and desire as the players run their characters. Don't short-shrift a monster based solely on intelligence; stupid creatures know that they don't want to die needlessly. Only mindless automatons continue to attack when the situation is hopeless.
Curiously, the examples provided for this section would almost never occur in any of the groups I've ever run. Retreat is rarely an option my players select; they either defeat the monsters, die trying, or avoid them altogether. My main adventuring party (which has not run in almost 2 years now) entered a dungeon like a S.W.A.T. team, ensuring that rooms were cleared and secured before advancing further from the entrance. They only retired when they needed to replenish their spells and ammunition. Even then, they made sure that the conditions they anticipated remained the same using crystal balls to scry on targets and places within the dungeon and casting spells like divination, commune, and commune with nature to get advance information on the layout of the land or dungeon. They have even gone as far as polymorphing or shapechanging into various creatures in order to scout ahead while other members of their force recuperated hit points. Such tactics are also open to intelligent monsters with the spells or abilities to do so. Why would an evil wizard simply sit around waiting for a party of adventurers to enter his lair? Knowing that they live in a dungeon, a wizard would likely surround himself with magically charmed defenders, magical traps, or alarms that would allow him to prepare to face intruders of all sorts. Such advanced notice would allow a wizard to cast defensive spells ahead of time (wall of fire, stoneskin, protection from good, resist fire, etc.) and to note how characters attack and defend themselves using scrying or reports from familiars or homunculi. This would allow the wizard to target certain characters with appropriate spells when encountered. It might also tip the wizard off that retreat is the better part of valor, perhaps allowing the wizard to conjure or release a powerful creature under his control while he teleports to safety. Again, having these plans determined BEFORE the characters interact with the wizard prevents the DM from being unfair, and allows the monster to interact intelligently with the situation. A stupid ogre, on the other hand, is likely not to care about what happens until the characters arrive, then responds in whatever way it feels like (being stupid and chaotic in nature). However, even an ogre has a sense of self-preservation and might offer a portion of its treasure to flee unharmed if it looks like the party can overwhelm it. The ogre might then seek to recruit others (ogres or humanoid types) to help it attack the characters who so boldly forced it from its lair and take back its treasure!
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