Reaction Tables

How much do you use Reaction Tables for the initial responses of D&D monsters? I don't very much. I kind of don't want half the monsters in every dungeon to all turn pacifist-friendly.

Interesting historical note: OD&D has such tables, but they are prefaced by the following text:

Monsters will automatically attack and/or pursue any characters they "see", with the exception of those monsters which are intelligent enough to avoid an obviously superior force. [OD&D Vol-3, p. 12]

Further down the page, you get a table for reactions of those "more intelligent monsters [which] will act randomly according to the results of the score rolled on two (six-sided) dice". This being 2-5 negative, 6-8 uncertain, and 9-12 positive, noting "The dice score is to be modified by additions and subtractions for such things as bribes offered, fear, alignment of the parties concerned, etc."

I'll emphasize the very limited extent to which monsters won't automatically attack, namely that they must both (a) be intelligent, and (b) be confronted by an "obviously superior force". Consultation of the random reaction table happens very rarely under this rule. I like that. (I'll point out that there's a different reaction table on Vol-1 p. 12, this one used if monsters are offered hire as henchman status, and this requiring similar alignment and offer of some award, etc.)

Now, in one example of several that I've pointed out before, as time advanced, the visually striking nature of the table/illustration became lodged in collective memory, while the introductory text governing its use was disconnected and lost from the whole.

For example, Holmes simply says this, having just introduced the concept of wandering monsters:

Obviously, some of these creatures will not always be hostile. Some may offer aid and assistance. To determine the reaction of such creatures, roll 2 dice... [Holmes, p. 11]

Holmes follows this with a copy of the OD&D Vol-1 table. Note that the requirement in which most monsters will automatically attack has been removed, implying that this roll should now be made for all monsters in the dungeon. (Or maybe it could be argued just for all wandering monsters?)

Gygax later writes this in the AD&D DMG:

Any intelligent creature which can be conversed with will react in some way to the character that is speaking. Reaction is determined by rolling percentile dice, adjusting the score for charisma and applicable loyalty adjustment as if the creature were a henchman of the character speaking, and the modified score of the percentile dice is compared to the table below... [AD&D DMG, p. 63]

This is followed by a broadly similar chart using percentile dice. Again, having edited out the introductory text from OD&D Vol-1, this passage indicates more widespread usage, for any creature that the PCs might possibly exchange words with. A modifier for Charisma is indicated (which is very much in the PCs' favor, if they have only the highest-Charisma PC speaking), but gone are the suggestions of modifiers for "bribes offered, fear, alignment", etc.

In general, I feel that these latter rules (which are all I had to consult circa 1980-2005) are too generous towards the PCs if used literally as written in the book, ultimately giving a 50/50+ chance for any dungeon monster to turn friendly. This is one of the many instances where I find the OD&D rule more direct and to my liking, intuitively the way I would want to play with most monsters I place engaging in "automatic... attack" except for exceptional cases where I decide some other possibility is in order.