Monster and Animal Parries

[dcfitch]

Do monsters and animals not using weapons get to parry without taking damage? Most of the stats seem to give a parry bonus, but without using an item or a weapon, would these creatures suffer damage when they parry a weapon like humanoids would?

[Reagren Wright]

Some animals I can see having a natural tendency to parry weapons, like bears and felines. But
most animals like my dog at my feet as I write this, couldn't parry a newspaper much less weapon
used against them. But general animals (unless smart enough to recognize a weapon in ones hand
and the ability to intercept the weapon before the blow hands) I don't see being able to
automatic parry. In many of the monsters and animals I have posted or gotten published I've
displayed the tendency either in bonuses or specifically stated the creature or animals can
perform an automatic parry. No bonus or mentioning means not able to parry at all.

[kiralon]

I tend to give small animals auto dodge, and the larger animals simultaneous strike unless you are using a spear or the like. I have also played that the animals parry is actually it going for you and when the animal successfully parries it was actually trying to bite you and if you continue with the blow you will still hit it with your parry and do damage, but its teeth are now attached to your neck/arm/other soft bit and its doing damage to you, or you pull the blow and evade so neither hits.

[Tor]

Unless it states the ability to use their natural attacks as a weapon, then no, they don't get any bonuses to parry weapons.

Since most monsters lack an auto-parry, they're probably not going to do it anyway and just simultaneous attack you, so the issue is sorta moot.

If they do defend, it's probably going to be a dodge, since dodge bonuses aren't penalized, and unlike people with HtH and auto-parry, dodging isn't more expensive.

Which does kind of make sense. If you went to punch a bear, and it was actually scared of your attack and didn't just take it and hit back in the same instant, it's probably going to panic and try to dodge you, not do an upward karate block.