Monster Personality
To address the question of a monster’s personality, you can use the tables in chapter 4 of the
Dungeon Master’s Guide, use the Monster Personality table below, or simply jot down a few
notes based on a creature’s Monster Manual description. During the battle, you can use these
ideas to inform how you portray the monsters and their actions. To keep things simple, you can
assign the same personality traits to an entire group of monsters. For example, one bandit gang
might be an unruly mob of braggarts, while the members of another gang are always on edge and
ready to flee at the first sign of danger.
d8 Personality
1 Cowardly; looking to surrender
2 Greedy; wants treasure
3 Braggart; makes a show of bravery but runs from danger
4 Fanatic; ready to die fighting
5 Rabble; poorly trained and easily rattled
6 Brave; stands its ground
7 Joker; taunts its enemies
8 Bully; refuses to believe it can lose
Monster Relationships
Do rivalries, hatreds, or attachments exist among the monsters in an encounter? If so, you can
use such relationships to inform the monsters’ behavior during combat. The death of a much-
revered leader might throw its followers into a frenzy. On the other hand, a monster might decide
to flee if its spouse is killed, or a mistreated toady might be eager to surrender and betray its
master in return for its life.
d6 Relationship
1 Has a rival; wants one random ally to suffer
2 Is abused by others; hangs back, betrays at first opportunity
3 Is worshiped; allies will die for it
4 Is outcast by group; its allies ignore it
5 Is outcast by choice; cares only for itself
6 Is seen as a bully; its allies want to see it defeated
Terrain and Traps
A few elements that make a battlefield something other than a large area of flat ground can go a
long way toward spicing up an encounter. Consider setting your encounter in an area that would
provide challenges even if a fight were not taking place there. What potential perils or other