How creatures behave

What they do

When nothing is about, a creature follows its routine. It either walks a fixed patrol route in a loop, one step at a time, or stays where it is.

When a creature sees something hostile to it (you, or a creature of a hostile faction), it goes for the nearest one:

• Creatures that fight up close come at it by the shortest way they can find, and attack once they stand next to it.
• Creatures that shoot or cast spells need to be close enough, with a clear line: nothing solid and nobody in between. If they have one, they attack from where they are. If not, they move to the nearest place that gives them one. An archer spends one arrow a shot. With no arrows left, or no bow, it comes to fight up close (Ranged combat).
• Dragons breathe their element over a long cone whenever their breath is ready and you stand within reach with a clear line. Between breaths they come at you with claws and bite (see Breath).
• A few creatures lurk: the meenlock and the barrow spider. A lurker that sees its target does not come at it. It waits where it stands, well aware of the target, and attacks once the target comes beside it. If it can shoot or cast, it does so from where it stands. Once it is hurt, it hunts like any other creature. The table in Creatures in numbers says which creatures lurk.
• A rooted creature never leaves the cell it stands on. It strikes whatever comes beside it, unless it has nothing to strike with, and shoots, casts, or calls others from where it is. Nothing moves it: it never makes way for you, no blow or spell drives it back, no teleport takes it, and it never follows you on the stairs.
• When it loses sight of its target, it goes to where it last saw it. If someone it cannot see stands on that spot, it goes next to it instead. If it finds no one there, or cannot get there, it gives up.
• When it hears something it cannot see, it goes to have a look, as long as it has enemies at all. Wildlife does not bother. See Hearing.
• With nothing left to chase, it walks back to where it left its routine and carries on.
• If it is beside you when you take the stairs, it comes along.

Creatures always behave the same way in the same situation. There is no chance in it, except whether you slip past one in the dark.

They see by the same rules you do (see Sight and memory). Each has its own eyes and sees by the same light, clouds included. A creature without darkvision does not see you standing in the dark, and lighting your lantern gets you noticed.

Some creatures open closed doors in their way. That takes them a turn and makes noise. The others cannot get past a closed door. A locked door stops even the door-openers, unless they carry its key (see Doors).

Other creatures get in the way. A creature walks a little way round someone blocking it, or waits behind them.

Pace and levels

• Creatures move at their own pace. Some are quicker than you and may act more than once while you take one turn. Some are slower and now and then let one of your turns pass without acting. A creature of your own pace acts once for each normal action of yours. The game never tells you a creature’s pace. You learn it by watching it move, or from its speed in Creatures in numbers.
• Their actions cost time like yours. A step through water takes a creature twice as long as a step on open ground, and some creatures’ attacks cost more or less than a normal action.
• How often a creature acts follows game time, not your turns. While you wade through water or rest, creatures act for as long as that took you.
• Creatures act only on the level you are on. On other levels they stand still until you come back, then carry on where they left off. They do not catch up on the time you were away.
• You see a creature only while you see its cell, so creatures in the dark are hidden unless they carry a light. You never remember where one was.
• Creatures make noise as they walk, so you may hear one you cannot see. Bats fly silently. Creatures hear your steps, doors, and attacks too.
• Some creatures carry objects and wear or wield some of them. A kobold may carry a spear, a kobold archer a bow and arrows. You see what a creature wears and wields (look mode tells you), but never what else it carries. It fights with its gear (Equipment) and drops all of it when it dies.

See also: How creatures fight, Sight and memory, and Surprise and sneak attacks.