Enemy Motivations

Every encounter should happen for a reason. Consider a creature's motivation to fight. Is it defending its home? Robbing to enrich itself? Following sadistic impulses? Simply being paid to fight? You might realize a creature doesn't have a compelling motivation or that the PCs have done something that eliminates the impetus to fight. In that case, the encounter doesn't need to happen! Your game might be more satisfying if the PCs' clever actions avoid the fight—provided you award them XP accordingly.