Solo RPG DungeonEnemy Tactics Roller
The hardest part of fighting solo is playing the enemies fairly: you know your own plan, so it is tempting to have them walk into it. Pick how an enemy fights and how it is doing, and let a d8 decide what it tries on its turn.
This fight so far
How to use it
- Give each enemy a fighting style before the fight. Cowardly, brute, sneaky, disciplined or mindless. The monster pages say how each creature behaves, which usually makes the choice obvious.
- On its turn, set how it is doing and roll. Fresh enemies fight the way their style says; hurt ones start to change; badly hurt and alone ones often break.
- Turn the result into your game's terms. It says what the enemy tries, never whether it works. Use your game's attack, move or morale rules, or ask the oracle.
- Keep the fight straight with the Turn Tracker: give a foe a style there and press What does it do? on its turn, and the answer goes into the fight's log.
Roll it with your own dice
Each style is a d8 table with a column for each state. Roll a d8 and read down the column for how the enemy is doing. Repeated entries are deliberate: they make the likely moves likely.
Cowardly (d8)
Bullies the weak, hangs back from the strong and runs when it is hurt.
| d8 | Fresh | Hurt | Badly hurt | Alone now |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Attacks the nearest hero | Goes for the weakest | Falls back to cover | Flees |
| 2 | Goes for the weakest | Falls back to cover | Calls for help | Flees |
| 3 | Goes for the weakest | Falls back to cover | Flees | Flees |
| 4 | Falls back to cover | Calls for help | Flees | Surrenders or bargains |
| 5 | Calls for help | Calls for help | Flees | Surrenders or bargains |
| 6 | Tries a trick | Grabs something and backs away | Surrenders or bargains | Grabs something and backs away |
| 7 | Grabs something and backs away | Flees | Surrenders or bargains | Falls back to cover |
| 8 | Holds its ground | Surrenders or bargains | Grabs something and backs away | Tries a trick |
Targets: whoever looks weakest; the one with their back turned; whoever is alone; the nearest, if it has to.
Brute (d8)
Charges, hits hard and keeps hitting. Pain makes it angrier, not wiser.
| d8 | Fresh | Hurt | Badly hurt | Alone now |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Presses the attack | Presses the attack | Goes berserk | Goes berserk |
| 2 | Presses the attack | Presses the attack | Goes berserk | Goes berserk |
| 3 | Attacks the nearest hero | Attacks the nearest hero | Presses the attack | Presses the attack |
| 4 | Attacks the nearest hero | Goes berserk | Attacks the nearest hero | Presses the attack |
| 5 | Goes for the one at the back | Goes berserk | Attacks the nearest hero | Attacks the nearest hero |
| 6 | Holds its ground | Goes for the one at the back | Holds its ground | Holds its ground |
| 7 | Goes berserk | Holds its ground | Flees | Flees |
| 8 | Tries a trick | Calls for help | Falls back to cover | Surrenders or bargains |
Targets: whoever hurt it last; the biggest threat; the nearest; whoever is shouting.
Sneaky (d8)
Strikes from the side, picks on the hurt and never fights fair.
| d8 | Fresh | Hurt | Badly hurt | Alone now |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Goes for the weakest | Goes for the weakest | Falls back to cover | Flees |
| 2 | Goes for the weakest | Moves to flank, then attacks | Falls back to cover | Flees |
| 3 | Moves to flank, then attacks | Falls back to cover | Tries a trick | Tries a trick |
| 4 | Moves to flank, then attacks | Falls back to cover | Flees | Surrenders or bargains |
| 5 | Goes for the one at the back | Tries a trick | Flees | Surrenders or bargains |
| 6 | Tries a trick | Calls for help | Surrenders or bargains | Falls back to cover |
| 7 | Falls back to cover | Grabs something and backs away | Grabs something and backs away | Grabs something and backs away |
| 8 | Grabs something and backs away | Flees | Calls for help | Goes for the weakest |
Targets: the one at the back; whoever is hurt; the one carrying the light; whoever is alone.
Disciplined (d8)
Fights as a unit, follows orders and protects its own.
| d8 | Fresh | Hurt | Badly hurt | Alone now |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Concentrates on one hero | Concentrates on one hero | Regroups | Holds its ground |
| 2 | Concentrates on one hero | Presses the attack | Regroups | Holds its ground |
| 3 | Presses the attack | Holds its ground | Protects an ally | Falls back to cover |
| 4 | Holds its ground | Protects an ally | Falls back to cover | Calls for help |
| 5 | Moves to flank, then attacks | Protects an ally | Holds its ground | Surrenders or bargains |
| 6 | Goes for the one at the back | Regroups | Calls for help | Surrenders or bargains |
| 7 | Protects an ally | Falls back to cover | Surrenders or bargains | Flees |
| 8 | Regroups | Calls for help | Flees | Presses the attack |
Targets: the one its leader points at; the most dangerous hero; whoever is out of position; the one holding the door.
Mindless (d8)
Undead, constructs and beasts driven by hunger. No fear, no plan.
| d8 | Fresh | Hurt | Badly hurt | Alone now |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Attacks the nearest hero | Attacks the nearest hero | Attacks the nearest hero | Attacks the nearest hero |
| 2 | Attacks the nearest hero | Attacks the nearest hero | Attacks the nearest hero | Attacks the nearest hero |
| 3 | Attacks the nearest hero | Presses the attack | Presses the attack | Presses the attack |
| 4 | Presses the attack | Presses the attack | Presses the attack | Presses the attack |
| 5 | Presses the attack | Lashes out at anything | Lashes out at anything | Lashes out at anything |
| 6 | Lashes out at anything | Lashes out at anything | Lashes out at anything | Holds its ground |
| 7 | Holds its ground | Holds its ground | Holds its ground | Loses interest |
| 8 | Loses interest | Loses interest | Loses interest | Loses interest |
Targets: the nearest; whatever moved last; whatever is making noise.
What each move means
- Presses the attack
- Goes after whoever it is already fighting, without holding back.
- Attacks the nearest hero
- No plan, just the closest target it can reach.
- Goes for the weakest
- Picks the hero who looks most hurt or least protected and goes for them.
- Goes for the one at the back
- Tries to get past the front line to whoever is shooting, casting or carrying the light.
- Moves to flank, then attacks
- Circles to the side or behind before it strikes, even if that costs it time.
- Falls back to cover
- Gives up its attack to put something solid between itself and danger.
- Calls for help
- Shouts, howls or blows a horn. Ask the oracle whether anyone answers, and how soon.
- Tries a trick
- A thrown pot, a cut rope, sand in the eyes, a feint. Use whatever the place offers.
- Grabs something and backs away
- Snatches a dropped weapon, a pack or a light, then retreats with it.
- Holds its ground
- Blocks the way and waits for the heroes to come to it.
- Protects an ally
- Steps in front of a hurt friend, or drags it back out of reach.
- Flees
- Turns and runs for the nearest way out. It may come back later, and not alone.
- Surrenders or bargains
- Drops its weapon, begs, or offers something it knows in exchange for its life.
- Goes berserk
- Attacks wildly with no thought for its own safety. Easier to hit, harder to stop.
- Lashes out at anything
- Hits whatever is closest, friend or foe.
- Loses interest
- Stops, drifts, or turns toward a noise somewhere else.
- Regroups
- Pulls back to its allies and forms a line before the next push.
- Concentrates on one hero
- It and every ally it can signal attack the same target.
These tables are original and system-neutral: no numbers, no rules from any published game. They work with any system, with printed paper minis or none. See playing solo with miniatures for more on running fights alone.