Combat Order Question

[Dehasu]

I'm studying to DM a groups first Pathfinders Beginners Box game (gods help the players). I understand the initiative rolls but don't understand the following:

When it is the NPC creatures turn to attack player characters, and I'm thinking specifically of the very first goblin encounter, they can only attack melee. If there are two player characters adjacent to two NPC's, how do I determine which player characters the NPC goblins attack?

I know it is a very basic question but don't find anything in the game masters guide addressing that. Do the player characters have some kind of threat stat?

Thanks!!!!

[Mark Garringer]

The best answer I can give you is that it's your choice.

That choice can be informed by a huge number of factors relevant to both in game knowledge and out of game meta knowledge. It is totally valid to take a simulated view of the situation up to this point from the goblin's point of view and have him make the best decision possible for him. Make sure to use the lens of situational awareness to help make your choice.

If one of the guys adjacent to him just smacked him upside the head with a club and the other didn't, that might make one a target over the other. If one of the guys is wearing some kind of creepy dog head amulet, that might make the goblin target the other guy instead.

If you as the game master feel that the goblin should attack one person over another for a game reason, that's a valid choice as well. If one guy is an armored fighter with full hp and the other is a wizard near death, maybe you just target the fighter because you aren't ready to kill your friend's character. Or maybe you are.

Maybe you don't want to over-think it and you just roll a d6 with odds on PC1 and evens on PC2. This is also a time honored targeting tactic that differs player cries of unfairly being targeted by the GM.

Welcome to the wide, wonderful world of GMing!

[Akerlof]

In addition to what Mark said (which is great advice,) keep in mind how intelligent your monsters are.

Goblins aren't going to be brilliant tacticians, but they're intelligent creatures and smart enough to know that it's harder to hit a fighter in full plate than a wizard in his nightshirt.

Goblins are also pretty chaotic, so they might be too stubborn to coordinate their attacks on one PC, but intelligent lawful enemies might do so.

Some enemies are highly intelligent and will pick targets carefully: A cleric won't do as much damage as a fighter, but the cleric is probably wearing worse armor, has fewer HP and can heal the fighter. So it might pick the cleric and try to knock them out first, then go after the fighter or the rogue.

Some monsters aren't very intelligent at all, like dire rats and other animals with an INT less than 3. They won't be smart enough to not attack the person wearing full plate, but they will attack someone who is hurting them or obviously trying to hurt them like a fighter who swings and misses, in favor of someone who isn't, like a cleric who casts bless or cure light wounds. They might also be pack hunters and focus their attacks on one character, or they might be more individualistic.

Other monsters are completely mindless and generally just attack the nearest thing until it stops moving. Although, if they're controlled by another NPC, that controlling bad guy can give them simple instructions like "attack the one in the back." Handy to remember if you send your PCs after a necromancer and his undead minions once they finish the BB adventure.

Be very careful with intelligent enemies (and placement of non intelligent enemies) though. Two or three NPCs ganging up on a PC, especially if the PC isn't a high HP and well armored fighter, can kill them pretty quickly. Especially if the NPCs roll well or the PCs don't. This is doubly true at first level. Rolling dice to pick a target, especially for the first round of combat and initial targets, can help mitigate the danger, or at least give you plausible deniability when your skeletons gang up on the wizard! ;P