Do you check for morale?

[Jon_Dahl]

One confusing thing about 3.x is the lack of morale rolls. Now I have to figure out when the baddies will run and I can't just fall back on rules :smallconfused:

I usually use the following system:

Morale check is always DC 15 will save for the whole group. Either everyone runs or no one runs. Sometimes the Will save DC might be just 10, but this is very rare. Next step is automatic surrender/rout without checks (this is not rare).

Low morale units:
- Roll if doing poorly and leader is killed
- Roll if half of the unit is lost and the majority of opponents are still standing
- Roll if half of the unit is lost and the leader is killed
- Roll if doing poorly and quarter is offered

Average units:
- Roll if doing poorly, half of the unit is lost and leader is killed
- Roll if 3/4 of the unit is lost and more than half of opponents are still standing
- Roll if doing poorly, half of the unit is lost and quarter is offered

Elite units:
- Roll only in hopeless scenarios where quarter is offered

[Amnestic]

Sort of. Before I start an encounter I'll have an idea of whether they will flee/fight to the death given the opportunity as well as some circumstances possibly surrounding it (how fast they all die, whether they make any progress against the party, stuff like that), but I don't really roll for it. Just act on a gut feeling.

Also I will have sometimes guys with the same 'rank' run while others will stand and fight. Usually based on that creature's perception of the fight so far as well as positioning (a guy at the very front might not see a chance at fleeing/surrender and would rather go down fighting, while a guy shooting at the back thinks he has a decent chance at escape and will run). Even if they're both 'Average' units of the exact same type, their personal perception of the fight changes their actions.

[Big Fau]

Heroes of Battle has the rules for morale checks. As does the Miniatures Handbook.

[KillianHawkeye]

Sort of. Before I start an encounter I'll have an idea of whether they will flee/fight to the death given the opportunity as well as some circumstances possibly surrounding it (how fast they all die, whether they make any progress against the party, stuff like that), but I don't really roll for it. Just act on a gut feeling.

Also I will have sometimes guys with the same 'rank' run while others will stand and fight. Usually based on that creature's perception of the fight so far as well as positioning (a guy at the very front might not see a chance at fleeing/surrender and would rather go down fighting, while a guy shooting at the back thinks he has a decent chance at escape and will run). Even if they're both 'Average' units of the exact same type, their personal perception of the fight changes their actions.

This is pretty much the same exact technique that I use.

Enemies will turn and run or stay and fight for a variety of reasons, including what type of monster they are, how smart they are, their current condition, their perception of how the battle as a whole is going, and other factors such as being under the effects of magic or having a boss who is scarier than the PCs.

For example, I ran a game featuring a demon cult a few years ago. The demons gladly fought to the death as they had no fear of it, knowing that they will just reform in the Abyss, and because fighting and killing is all they care about (most of them, anyway). The cultists, on the other hand, some of them did surrender when they saw they were beaten.