Saves of Monsters too High

makes the monsters' saves too high! Here are 3 reasons why:
1. It's not in line with classic D&D. The monster save tables in classic D&D (I'm look
specifically at Old School Essentials here) give the monsters lower chances of saving. It's
hard to compare one to one, because the old-school saves vary more and only change
once every three levels. But in terms of average save value, Knave monsters are at least
equal to OSE monsters, and sometimes have up to a 10% edge. (All this is assuming that
the monster is saving against a static DC of 15. If the monster is making an opposed save
against a PC's stat, then the variables are multiplied again - but in general the PC's stat is
likely to be lower than 15.)
2. It's not in line with the way player characters progress. PCs only get to raise 3 of
their 6 stats when they level up, but monsters gain +1 to all stats per level. Now, you might
say that PCs who rolled well in character creation can start with higher than +1, which is
true. But as you go up the level chart, most PCs will eventually be eclipsed by monsters.
3. It punishes rather than rewards creative play. This is the most important one. By the
book, Knave monsters will usually have saves that are at least equal to their armour class,
and sometimes even higher. Generally speaking, boring attack rolls will target AC whereas
interesting stuff (spells, combat stunts, clever plans) will target the monster's saves. When
the players use clever tactics they should have better chances of success, not worse.

The solution I propose is to assume that monsters have saving throw bonuses equal
to half their level rounded up. This ensures that even against tough monsters with many
hit dice, clever plans have a reasonable chance to succeed.

(P.S. - I didn't miss the phrase "unless modified by the referee" in the above quote. Of
course you can and should modify saves where it fits the fiction. A lumbering armoured
tortoise might have a crappy DEX save but a great CON save, for example. Nevertheless,
I think it's important to have a suitable default that you can fall back on whenever you're
not sure.)
SAVES
Str = something you would resist with your upper body, Dex = something you would use
your legs to avoid, Con = whole body, Int = Mind and fingers, Wis = 5 senses, Cha =
mouth and personality.
Or
Vs things you can’t dodge or move out of the way of: STR
Vs things you can dodge, i.e. avoid by moving: DEX
Vs poison, disease, or death: CON
Vs spells and magic effects: INT
Vs deception & illusions: WIS
Vs charm spells and so on: CHA
Or
Str against paralysis and turn to stone
Int against mind attacks (charm, sleep, etc)
Wis against spells
Dex against wands and breath
Con vs poison
Cha vs nothing
Or
Death or Poison: CON
Wands: INT
Paralysis or Petrification: STR
Breath Attacks: DEX
Spells, Rods, or Staves: WIS