I'm curious what you other GMs do when deciding which of the PCs your monsters go for in combats - all other things being equal, do you roll randomly for monster targets, or do you arbitrarily choose?

Depends... If the monster it's intelligent I try to play it in a wise way (center the attacks over one target). If the enemy it's an animal or don't think in a rational way I play it more randomly.

i am not an experienced dm, but so far i have just been having monsters attack whoever is closest and if they are cowardly i have them attack whoever might look the weakest or whoever they might have a racial grudge against (orcs and dwarves). or just have them attacks the character that attacks them. what have you been doing?

As Max-Steel said, if its an intelligent creature, try to target its attack on the leader or the one who is doing the most out put in damage. But I mean you really just have to think logically, if you were some beastman that just saw a band of reiklanders enter your forest, who would you kill first, probably the guy who stepped on the twig or who ever entered first.

Likewise, I try to pick my targets "in-character" for intelligent monsters and NPCs, while wild animals and mindless creatures will usually just attack what's closest. I think rolling for random targets just slows things down, and I like to try and keep a brisk pace to my game sessions.

UniversalHead said:

I choose as it fits to the story, considering the NPC tactical ability (and Intelligence).

even beasts have a basic instinct on who is weakest and usually go for them. i would say go for whoever is the most vulnerable/who you can get to easily. even the most rudimentary intelligence is going to realize "if i want to kill these guys. banging the one covered in metal with a stick isnt going to do much"

I try to at meta-level "spread threat around, make sure the hang-at-back PC isn't left out of targets without really working at it", however then design to that end.

Mindless foes go for the nearest target ("braaainss").

Animal Intelligent foes tend to have auto-approaches, usually go after the "smallest/weakest as they see it" first (body mass usually, if a bit brighter lighter armoured). It's where creatures start in relation to PC's that matters for these two.

Intelligent foes have a strategy or an agenda. Maybe they hate race x and so attack that PC first, they fear spellcasters and so attack them first, they seek the glory of the big kill and so attack the "tank" first etc., their job is to shield their boss so they attack whoever goes for him, their job is to lay down covering fire and keep enemy artillery busy so they do that etc.

Everyone pretty consistently doesn't like being hurt and hits back at what hit them as a usual approach, unless disciplined and following the next option.

Intelligent and organized foes know that it is better to concentrate fire and down someone sooner (reducing amount of incoming fire), and PC's must "work" at getting in the face of monsters to draw fire - as left to their own they will leave the heavily armoued tank for last. Typically, a first wave of attacks by foes identifies the "best targets" and then they focus their efforts (it's a little nasty to have the first wave all pile on one PC automatically, though in a rematch that may happen).

Rob

......simply attack which ever player brings the least wine gums.

Thanks all. I tended to rely on random rolls too much, thinking it was more 'fair', but these posts have made me rethink that completely. Cheers.

pumpkin said:

My variant is who didn't bring the beer

Brilliant! That's the one.

UniversalHead said:

definitly.

I just try to think as the NPC/monster. IF it is very important I may simply roll a die. Last session for instance an insane cultist KO'ed the dwarf in the group and I had to decide who the npc would attack next. I rolled a die as it had great importance for the dwarf and also the mage close by. All my rolls are open, so the players accept whichever fate they get. I do however not actually try to kill my players, so when the cultist decided to attack the mage with just one wound left before KO I didn't add any A/C/E dice to the roll out of fairness... and the NPC misses. The apprentice could have been KO'ed though which would have meant all players would have been killed and sacrificed to the dark gods. It was a quite exciting roll and I explained to the players what the consequences would be. Unfortunately they were all out of furtune points, but fortunately the bad roll saved the day. It's harsh being in our troupe, but it's how the players and I like it. No fiddling with results on my part when the rolls are open. We all hate when a player dies, but we would hate it even more if it either didn't happend or if it was a descision I made, because I had a habbit of fixing rolls and results.

nub5 said:

I guess I'll elaborate just in case all yoru player bring you beer (it does happen).

If I have a story focus that the monster is in that is what I'll follow. Perhaps a PC burned a deamon's plan in the past and now that is was summoned it seeks out that PC to exact revenge or a bounty hunter trying get catch a particular PC

If it is just random battle I look at the type of monsters we are dealing with. Are they well trained, smart, brutish, insane. That drives the actions. Smart monsters will try to use tactics against the PC's outnumbering them in melee, using cover, trying to soften them up using range / magic, weaker fighters assisting the strongs one, and so on.

Example is 3 mercs engage a melee PC who is on full defense. The three mercs are not doing much of a dent to the melee PC but are getting really hurt by the elf archer. So one of the mercs go full defense and holds the melee PC. The other two mers go after the archer. One engages the archer and the other runs past him to catch him if the archer disengages. The mercs plan is take out the archer quit and run back to the melee.

On brutish mindless monsters I just attack the closes target. Exception would be if another PC is really putting the hurt on them. That can cause them to break off and attack that person in a rage.

While somewhat simplistic as an answer, I have them attack the party according to their nature.

Sneaky cultists will try to outflank, Orks will go for the "Won Wot Bashez Good", or vermin will simply flow.

That said, if one PC seems to be getting the worst of it through no fault of his own (bad dice, etc.) I'll often spread the attackers out a bit.