Who's a minion? You are!

[hectorse]

It should be obvious from description:

"You see 2 well armored Kobolds shouting loudly and bragging to 6 others that look like subordinates, they grab their spears way more clumsily than the armored ones grab their short swords. In the back a big bad MOFO hobgoblins keeps watching the torture work, he is silent but the big armor and even bigger battle sword command respect from th other ones"

Who are the minnions?

 

[Particle_Man]

Turning it around, do *minions* know that they are minions?

Minion: "Hmmm...I only have 1 hp so I better not get too close to that wall of fire"

Non-Minion: "Wall of Fire? Pfah! I have buckets of hit points, it won't be too bad to go through it and beat up the squishy wizard!"

 

[the Jester]

I voted "No, they look the same," but what I really mean is, "No, you can't tell by looking, but sometimes you can figure it out during a combat, and sometimes the minions have different/lesser gear- but sometimes, a kobold monk might look like a minion, too."

 

[Henry]

Turning it around, do *minions* know that they are minions?

Minion: "Hmmm...I only have 1 hp so I better not get too close to that wall of fire"

Non-Minion: "Wall of Fire? Pfah! I have buckets of hit points, it won't be too bad to go through it and beat up the squishy wizard!"

Probably much the same as a gnoll under 1st edition AD&D would know that if he got too near the blade barrier that the cleric set up it would KILL him.

In other words, if he's whipped into it by his superiors, he probably would, but by himself with no direction, he's probably aware that the big bad spell effect would likely end his life if he got too close.