RPG Review: The Monsters Know What They’re Doing

The Monsters Know What They’re Doing: Combat Tactics for Dungeon Masters, is a brilliant book that breaks down how to tactically play nearly every monster in the Monster Manual in a way that is both concise and clever.

The book is broken down into sections based on creature type, making them easy to find. Even easier is the index in the back allowing you to quickly find any monster at all.

The book itself is thick (dummy thicc?), and looks like a hefty novel from the outside. The great thing, however, is you don’t have to read this like a novel. You’ll likely forget all the tactics if you do so. It’s more of a reference guide for you to open when your players are about to start an encounter. If it’s an unexpected encounter, you can take a 5 minute break and crack the book open. This can help make the combats really dynamic and interesting.

In a way, this book kind of turns the 5e Monster Manual into the 4e MM, which featured monster tactics much more explicitly. TMKWTD reveals the implied tactics of creatures in a way I didn’t realize. For example, if you look at the Gorgon entry (Page 205): “Read as written, the Trampling Charge trait seems to allow the gorgon to continue to gore and trample a victim as long as it remains prone, so that’s what it does; only if the target gets back up, or if three or more foes come at it at once, does it use its Petrifying Breath against them. […] Incidentally, the minimum distance for a Trampling Charge is 20 feet. The gorgon’s movement is 40 feet. That means that in a single turn, a gorgon can run 20 feet away from its prey, then turn around and charge it again. In doing so, it may subject itself to one or more opportunity attacks, but a tough, stupid brute like a gorgon won’t care.” That’s really brilliant set of tactics that I just wouldn’t have noticed looking at the MM.

The book also features new homebrew statblocks great sections that introduce a few new rules to make certain monsters that much more terrifying (the Nothic’s PC Fears section comes to mind), and round-by-round combat tactics for some creatures.

On Tuesday, with my online D&D group, I knew they’d be visiting the Redbrand’s hideout, and the previous session ended with a possible confrontation with a few in front of the Phandalin tap house, so I was able to pop the book open to page 103, and utilize the bandit tactic guide to most cleverly use them. “A bandit who takes any wound at all will Dodge (not Disengage) and relocate to the side of the nearest fellow bandit, in the hope the two might be able to beat an enemy whom one alone can’t […] if half or more of the group of bandits are moderately wounded, they’ll Disengage and retreat.” Keeping all this in mind during the combat made it a lot more engaging.

I’m very much looking forward to Live to Tell the Tale: Combat Tactics for Player Characters, which is scheduled to release in July, but I’m also scared that my own players will begin using these fantastic tactics against me as well.

This book is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL for any D&D DM, whether you’re running monsters straight from the book or not. This should sit prominently on every game shelf and should be pulled out for every session.

A massive thank you to Duane Sibilly for sending me TMKWTD to review for the site. I appreciate it, friend!