Grim & Deliberate Beast FAQ

Who is the set for?

The Grim & Deliberate Beast is for DMs of all skill levels who want:

To add danger and depth to their random encounters.
A tactical plan and a narrative structure for their monsters before combat starts.
A roadmap for monster behavioral change that solves the problem of combat uniformity and reduces DM decision fatigue.

Players who enjoy:

Fear, and the comradery it brings.
Deadlier, more diverse combat.
Learning monster tactics and adding new tricks to their own combat playbooks.
Reading unique content about monster psychology, culture, and special abilities.

How does it work?

A few d100 rolls on our Monster A.I. Cards give DMs monster Aggression Level, General Intelligence, Weaponry, Special Units, and Special Abilities immediately, before combat begins. These features alone will introduce significant theme interruption into your combat, giving your playgroup less of what they’ve grown used to. In our system, not all Goblins are Dimwitted. Not all Dragons are Brilliant. And not all Orcs attack Fanatically.

Detailed narrative blueprints for each of our eight monster A.I.s (Horde, Heroic, Undead, Aberrant, Flying, Giant, Gargantuan, and Cerebral) provide DMs with hundreds of instant d100-rollable options during each stage of combat.

Linchpin Combat Events alter monster Aggression Level, leading to changes in monster behavior as combat unfolds.

Isn’t this what good DMs do already?

The goal of The Grim & Deliberate Beast is twofold: Introduce theme interruption, and reduce DM decision fatigue. Theme interruption makes combat unknown, fearful, and exciting again. These are the feelings that bring players together.

DMs get decision fatigue because running a campaign is a huge job. Especially in combat-heavy campaigns (our favorites) most players are familiar with the feeling of combat uniformity: “The combat we just had with the Giants felt sort of like the combat we had earlier with the Ogres, which felt a bit similar to…”

It can be tempting to think that good DMs wouldn’t benefit from theme interruption, and don’t feel the effects of decision fatigue. If you’re a player with this opinion, you might ask your DM about it. Especially during random encounters, many DMs enjoy the instant depth our system provides. It reintroduces fear into combat, and ensures that the vibe changes enough between encounters.

And if you’re a DM, ask your players! Most players are down for deadlier, more diverse combat. In our system, sometimes the Goblins act how you expect them to. Other times they’ll behave in new ways that no one could have anticipated, forcing fresh PC thinking and new PC tactics. Remember: Fear = Comradery.

Do we have to use it in every combat?

No. Think of The Grim & Deliberate Beast as a resource for your campaign. Use it in the combats where a change would be appreciated, where some theme interruption would help wake up the room. And for any combat, you can use parts of our system, rather than the whole. For example, our DMs often note the results of the initial five d100 rolls on the Monster A. I. card to get instant information about the monsters they command, then run the rest of the encounter as they normally would.

Simply knowing the Aggression Level, General Intelligence, Special Units, Special Abilities, and Weaponry for your monsters at the outset of combat is surprisingly helpful, and provides detail for a combat narrative you might not otherwise take the time to flesh out.

Will this oversimplify my experience of D&D? I don’t want anything in my tabletop campaign that stunts creativity.

Great question. No. Remember, The Grim & Deliberate Beast is a tool designed to increase theme interruption and decrease decision fatigue. It does this by giving DMs access to quick, d100-generated combat narratives. Don’t use our A.I. system in fully developed encounters that already have a detailed combat plan and a rich narrative arc. Instead, use it during random encounters: Those where you want the dice to drive the action, or those that aren’t completely fleshed out.

Can I read one of your narrative A.I.s?

Yes. You can read our A.I. for Aggressive Horde Monsters right here.

Which 50 Monsters are in the set?

You can see our full list in the Monster Profiles section of the main Blog page.

Is combat deadlier?

Yes. Monsters you’ve known for years suddenly have new special abilities, new tactics, and new behaviors. And unless they’re in the Dimwitted or Mindless classes of our new rating scale, General Intelligence, they’ll no longer make the mistakes you’ve grown used to: Dividing their numbers equally between PCs, not adjusting to combat as it unfolds, and never fighting at peak ability.

These changes have reinvigorated our campaigns, and we think they’ll add fear and excitement to yours.

Can I use The Grim & Deliberate Beast with all fantasy RPGs?

Yes. Because The Grim & Deliberate Beast is based on Aggression, General Intelligence, Special Units, Special Tactics, Special Abilities, Psychology, and Grudges, rather than being based solely on stat blocks, you can use it in D&D, Pathfinder, Warhammer, and all other fantasy RPGs.

What are custom variance dice?

Bloodlust Custom Series Dice wake up the room. High-Variance, Cursed, and Doubles dice provide instant in-game effects for curses, wounds, improvised weapons, heroic or outstanding play, chaos magic, and high-risk-high-reward situations.

How can I contact you?

Email us! onemillionnerds@gmail.com