Dungeon Master Forum

Monsters groups keep separating with no reason
One triggering event for separating could be receiving damage.

This is by design and has been in RTC since the beginning - monsters are free to move around as they see fit, separating out of a group if they want to.

The problem is that the concept of group itself is gone:
it's very improbable, except for small rooms, to observe the mere existence of groups... let's call it a principle of entropy.
I think there should have some "gregary instinct" variable for each kind of creature that makes it very unwilling to separate from its group for no reason.
This way, the players will observe groups of monsters with the ability to separate for tactical reason (and a little probability for each monster to be gone wandering on its own) instead of watching lonely monsters which sometimes accidentally cross the tile of another monster.
The point here is about the atmosphere, I guess.

It's a tricky balance.
A few incarnations ago, the creature sensitivity and aggression was higher, so you would get mobbed by every creature and they'd do a huge push for you from the start of the level. Ther 2/4 group would get restocked quite quickly, and you'd be fighting to start with, then have not much left in that area of the level. So now the monsters are less aware, and hence will wander around more from each other before detecting a party.

The only thing i'd say is that it might be nice for creatures in the back row without anything infront to be able to attack, and have a chance to attack or move, more likely to move.
Then again, that would mean they are slower to walk...
Plus, monsters have instant attacks too...so it's more dangerous to attack them unless you are quick, and this back thing is quite helful...

My advice will be to up the monsters in the dungeon and see if you still feel this - I've played on up to 7 times the amount of monsters, andf the grouping instainct is still aliuve there, simply because they swarm you, and if there is a free move they can slide down the side...the trolin rooms on level 11 became particularly brutal when they come at you from two sides even at the start!

This is as designed. Monsters are fully independent of eachother - although this is different from DM, in my opinion it is an improvement!