Sun Tzu once said, “Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt. Read the Info blocks of your Monster Manual creatures.” Though the frail Goblin clan that stalks your party's travel caravan has seen their share of death and defeat, they are there for a reason. As a Dungeon Master, sometimes thinking about the baddies as much as the goodies provides you with new pathways and story beats. 

When you roll for Random Encounters or place your favorite Monster Manual creatures on the playing field, consider their motive! Doc and Jared sit down to discuss the benefits of well-thought-out monsters in DnD. For each and every arrow the Ranger sinks into a Goblin's head, for each green little body hewn in two by the Barbarian's axe; a forgotten, sorrowful, rageful tear seeps into their father's heart. Some say pain is inconsequential, but they know not the defeat of a thousand sons.

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