Well-designed monsters provide much less worry about running the critter "wrong." (Part 3)

A DM has a a whole world to run, so it should surprise no one when he makes a mistake, forgets an important detail, or (commonly) omits a relevent critter ability during combat. Hopefully we will forgive the DM his transgressions.

Complex critters often have much more than just deep motivations; they have multiple attacks, defenses, and multi-stage spell-like abilities. Keeping it all straight is hard, but it's easy to use the "wrong" abilities, or the "right" ones poorly.

No one wants to stifle creativity, but having a plan is often much more effective than something you develop off-the-cuff (and honestly, while we all enjoy a bit of successful creative play, you're more likely to make one of those aforementioned mistakes than to discover creative perfection). The most recent versions of the MM have some very basic round-by-round tactics for some critters, which is good, but it would be far better to have your plans in place well in advance of the battle, for longer battles, and for multiple situations.

What does your critter do when everyone makes their saving throws? Does he have a backup plan in case he can't reach the PCs? What if he needs to escape? How does he react when backed into a corner? A well-designed monster provides the answers to these questions, and more, so you're as prepared to run the critter, as the critter is to fight for its life.

No one expects a DM to have all these questions answered, but better for your ingenious villains to act like they've been in a battle or two, rather then being stumped at the first sign of resourcefulness from the PCs. Once again, take a look at your monster ahead of time and be sure to earmark useful go-to abilities for certain situations. Then, take a look at those you've found less useful at-a-glance, and come up with uses for them. You might be surprised how helpful those "useless" abilities can be, and you'll never have to worry about playing the monster at less than its potential, which will make combat more enjoyable for you, and victories more satisfying for your players.