A d10 table for 'fight or flight'

Using survival instincts to bring monsters to life.

You’re probably familiar with fight or flight - an instinctive response to danger that causes us to take up arms or run for the hills.

However, when we run TTRPG monsters we seem to rely purely on fight then flight - battling until death seems imminent, before a last ditch attempt to flee.

We can argue that’s because most monsters are confident in their own abilities, but that suggests fight or flight is a rational choice rather than survival mode taking over.

I want to explore fight and flight, as well as introduce two more “F” responses that will bring your monsters to life.

This isn’t a psychology substack, so I’m not going to embarrass myself with terms I don’t understand - but I think it’s important to recognise that any of the options below do not represent bravery or cowardice.

They are trauma responses, based on previous experiences. A normally terrifying dragon who once lost an eye to an elf might flee at the first sign of pointy ears.

Part of the benefit of using these responses is that you can make your monsters feel more alive, especially if you can explain their behaviour to the players.

So when using these responses, consider carefully why the monster is responding in this way, rather than assuming it is simply brave or cowardly.

---

As combat begins (or as part of your session prep) roll on the table below for each monster to consider their response to the immediate danger.

You might also consider rolling in response to a dramatic moment in combat: a critical hit, a killed ally, or a devastating spell effect.

1-5 Fight

6-7 Flight

8-9 Freeze

10 Fawn

Fight

Perhaps the most familiar response in combat heavy games, “fight” requires little explanation.

However, you could consider why the monster believes aggression is the best response. Maybe that dragon who lost an eye will attempt to target any elves first to prevent losing another eye.

Flight

Players are accustomed to seeing a monster flee when they are nearing death’s door, but why not have a few run at the first sign of combat?

A band of bandits might have no problem threatening a party, but would rather turn heel when they realise there’s no chance of earning their gold without actual bloodshed.

Freeze

This response is often triggered when neither fight or flight seems viable and the monster is locked in place while the brain desperately tries to find another solution.

Freeze is rare, because it tends to be a short-term response. A monster who rolls freeze should re-roll on their next turn because they will likely move to a different response that offers them a better chance of survival.

Still, if players ignore the goblin who simply freezes to the spot as their warband is cut down, it’s realistic that they might wait until the fighting stops in the belief that the party might let them go.

Fawn

Fawn is slightly different from begging for your life or trying to negotiate a way out of violence (although that might form part of the response).

It sees the monster becoming overly agreeable to the aggressor and even behaving in ways that might seem to be against their best interests, if only until the danger passes.

Even a monster that does not have the intelligence to negotiate verbally might attempt to fawn. A wolf could roll on its back and show its belly or an ooze might release a previous victim and its treasure.