A loss of “heart” is at least as serious as a defeat in combat, and perhaps more so, for most battles are won without the necessity of decimation of the losing side.
Chainmail (1971)
Morale has long been an important mechanic for historic wargames and as such was incorporated into Chainmail (1971), which featured a couple of different and rather complicated rules for morale checks. Original D&D (1974), though, has only a few stray references to morale and no true rules. Similarly, the Holmes basic set (1977) refers to morale checks but includes no further details.
We did not get a native morale system for D&D until the 1st edition Dungeon Master’s Guide (1979). While many people might remember using morale for PC henchmen, the rather brief rules for monster morale on page 67 appear to have been far less used. In the DMG, “Each monster has a base morale of 50%, +5%/hit die above 1, +1%/hit point above any hit dice.” There are a series of different conditions that call for checks and various modifiers, but the DMG rules are not particularly clear or intuitive. It would have been very helpful, for example, for each entry in the Monster Manual to have included a line for morale.
In contrast, the Moldvay Basic set (1981) provides what are probably the best morale rules in the history of the game: a remarkably clear, concise, and simple system. Under Moldvay, each monster is assigned a morale score from 2 to 12. Creatures with a score of 2 never fight, while creatures with a 12 never flee or surrender. Morale checks are only made at a couple of critical points in combat, and consist of a 2d6 roll. All modifiers are abstract and capped at +2 or -2; most of the complexity is baked into a monster’s set morale score. A result greater than the morale score indicates a failed morale check, which results in flight or surrender. The simplicity of this system made it easy to apply and quick to resolve.
The one knock on the Moldvay system was that it might have been a little too simple. AD&D 2nd edition added a hybrid of 1st edition and Moldvay that relied on a 2d10 roll. Each monster in the Monstrous Compendium (1989) had a line for Morale, which was rated 2 to 20. Unlike Moldvay, there are many different situational modifiers that can be applied. Unfortunately, the added granularity probably added too much complexity, making the system more cumbersome to use.
Another problem with 2nd edition morale? The adventures of this period tended to be more tightly scripted and fleshed out than in earlier editions, where dungeon keys were fairly skeletal. In 2nd edition, encounters usually featured monsters with detailed motivations—and in such cases it was often easier for the DM to just roleplay monster reactions than it was to use a morale mechanic.
Third edition, therefore, did not include a morale system in the core rules. There were elaborate skill systems for social interactions and several different fear conditions, but no actual morale rules.
This absence only became a serious limitation when people started re-exploring sandbox play through wilderness or megadungeon games. In these situations, DMs were often running encounters on the fly, without elaborate backstories or motivations to guide roleplaying reactions. In such situations, a simple morale system becomes very useful to help generate monster reactions.
In creating a morale system for the Great Dungeon, I wanted something open and based on a d20 roll, but which would retain the simplicity of Moldvay. Where I might add complexity, I wanted to bake that into a formula calculated prior to a game session, and not at the table.
The first step was to map a 2d6 mechanic to d20. Here we need to note that while a d20 results are distributed linearly, a 2d6 results are curved, so the map will not be one-to-one. Here are the Moldvay morale scores translated into d20 bonuses, assuming a DC 10 target:
| Morale Score | Probability of Success | Rounded to 5% | d20 Modifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2.77% | 5% | -10 |
| 3 | 8.33% | 10% | -9 |
| 4 | 16.66% | 15% | -8 |
| 5 | 27.77% | 30% | -5 |
| 6 | 41.66% | 40% | -3 |
| 7 | 58.33% | 60% | +1 |
| 8 | 72.22% | 70% | +3 |
| 9 | 83.33% | 85% | +6 |
| 10 | 91.66% | 90% | +7 |
| 11 | 97.22% | 95% | +8 |
| 12 | 100% | 100% | +9 |
A Moldvay morale score of 7, for example, has a roughly 60% chance of success, which is equivalent to a +1 bonus to hit DC 10.
In reviewing Moldvay’s various morale scores across the Basic and Expert sets, there is an apparent logic and consistency to the results. Similar types of monsters have similar morale scores. Undead, for example, have higher morale scores than normal animals. Larger creatures tend to have higher morale than smaller creatures. A relatively small group of creatures have morale based on their training or personalities. Noncombatants, domesticated animals, and woodland spirits like dryads or nixies have lower morale scores, while automatons or creatures with immunity to normal weapons, such as gargoyles, have higher morale. All of this is rational enough.
There are only few really notable exceptions, and even these have a pleasing logic. Berserkers, minotaurs and lizard men are the only living, terrestrial creatures in all of B/X with morale scores of 12, meaning they never check morale. All other examples are either unintelligent undead, oozes, or extraplanar monsters like djinn or efreet. Berserkers are obvious, and I can certainly buy minotaurs as blood-thirsty, rage-filled killing machines. Lizard men are a little more surprising, but I really like the idea of them never checking morale. Maybe their primitive reptile brains prevents them from feeling fear? Although this detail wasn’t picked up in subsequent editions, it seems worth retaining.
I tinkered with some different formulas for calculating morale until I got results that roughly calibrated with Moldvay. I added Charisma into the formula because that allows this system to potentially also be used with leaders and their henchmen.
The result, I think, is a fairly decent morale system for use with 3.5e. In a follow up article I will present morale modifiers for most of the monsters in the System Reference Document.
The following text is Open Game Content.
Morale Check
A morale check represents a creature’s willingness to continue to fight. The GM makes morale checks for NPCs and monsters. Morale checks can be made at any pivotal moment in combat, but usually occur when first blood is drawn and again when half a monster’s hit points or allies have been incapacitated.
The GM may make a morale check for an entire side in a battle, or only for individuals. A morale check is made at the beginning of a creature’s turn, before any other action is taken. The morale check DC is based on the situation (see below).
| Situation | Morale Check DC |
|---|---|
| Normal | 10 |
| 1/4 of allies incapacitated or killed (or a single creature has lost ¼ of its hit points) | 11 |
| Leader incapacitated | 12 |
| 1/2 of allies incapacitated or killed (or a single creature has lost half of its hit points) | 13 |
| Leader killed or flees | 16 |
When making a morale check, the GM rolls a d20 and adds the creature’s morale check bonus. (Other modifiers may also apply to this roll.) If the result equals or beats the appropriate morale check DC, the creature fights on. If the result is lower, the creature seeks to remove itself from combat.
A natural 1 (the d20 comes up 1) on a morale check is always a failure. A natural 20 (the d20 comes up 20) is always a success.
Morale Check Bonus
A creature’s morale check bonus is:
Creature type bonus + special size modifier + Charisma modifier + racial modifier
Nonintelligent constructs, oozes, plants, and undead have no morale bonuses and never need to make morale checks.
| Creature Type | Morale Bonus |
|---|---|
| Fey | +0 |
| Plant | +1 |
| Aberration | +2 |
| Humanoid, Magical Beast | +3 |
| Animal, Giant, Monstrous Humanoid | +4 |
| Dragon, Outsider, Vermin | +5 |
| Construct, Elemental, Ooze, Undead | +6 |
| Size | Size Modifier |
|---|---|
| Tiny or Smaller | -3 |
| Small | -2 |
| Medium | 0 |
| Large | +2 |
| Huge or Larger | +3 |
| Description | Example Creature | Racial Modifier |
|---|---|---|
| Cowardly | Harpy, unicorn | -6 |
| Timid | Dryad, kobold | -4 |
| Wary | Medusa, monstrous centipede | -2 |
| Bold | Giant crocodile, ogre, troll | +2 |
| Tenacious | Dire rat, lizardfolk, minotaur | +4 |
| Fanatical | Gargoyle, monstrous scorpion, stirge | +6 |
Noncombatant monsters, NPCs with levels in Commoner or Expert classes, or domestic animals have a -4 modifier to morale check bonuses.
Other Modifiers to Morale Checks
The GM should apply to the morale check any morale bonus or penalty that affects Will saves or saves against fear effects, such as barbarian rage, a bard’s inspire courage or inspire heroism abilities, or certain spell effects. (Note that morale modifiers overlap, and do not stack.)
Monsters with leader types present may use the leader’s Charisma modifier if higher than their own Charisma modifier.
Leaders with the Leadership feat also provide a +2 competence bonus on morale checks.
OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a
The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc (“Wizards”). All Rights Reserved.
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