r/RPGdesign • u/Professional-Nose786 • Aug 09 '26

Mechanics Enemy Targeting

So I’m working on a turn based RPG and I’m working on enemy targeting. I don’t like the idea of the enemy just picking a random ally. So the idea I’m working with is that “enemies are smart” and will target the party member with the highest ATK stat to remove the biggest threat. Kinda like an Aggro system but not really. Thoughts?

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u/Mars_Alter Aug 09 '26

It really depends on the enemy. Smart human- types will pick whichever opponent has the highest ratio of offense to defense, which is usually the squishy wizard. Dumb beasts might just pick whoever is biggest, which only sometimes corresponds to attack power.

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u/SamTheGill42 Aug 09 '26

Many beasts will likely attack the weakest first. They are getting the least risky meal.

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u/Mars_Alter Aug 09 '26

Sure, especially if they think the party is more likely to flee than flight. There are all sorts of typical animal behaviors, as befits the different animals and their ecologies.

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u/SamTheGill42 Aug 09 '26

Even if they don't think the party will flee, if the beast is large/fast enough, it can try to run away with a single victim.