NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="James Gasik" data-source="post: 9707447" data-attributes="member: 6877472">Ah the Gladiator.  How often I've used them as an example.  I'm amused that most of the time, when I do, people tend to dismiss me, but here we finally have a thread about him (I'm not misgendering him, he's not a Gladiatrix, after all!).That NPC's are built different is an unfortunate consequence of how the game functions.  The hit points of the Gladiator aren't really the same as hit points for a PC- but are instead an abstract standing in for the superior gear (I mean, look at that AC.  What high level warrior is going to have that weak of armor?), but the also any defensive buffs, temporary hit points, and other abilities (like say, Second Wind) a PC Fighter brings to bear that gives them similar endurance.Similarly, the ability to add an extra weapon die to his damage is just subbing in for the lack of magic weapons, feats, fighting styles, and, of course, making up for the fact the gladiator is using a lousy spear (who uses a spear?).Unfortunately, since no PC Fighter can get the power of "add another weapon die" to their damage (my God, think of all the Fighters suddenly using greataxes!), this level of abstraction, while healthy for the DM (who remembers having to scratch build humanoid opponents in 3e, and then realizing that they A) need gear to keep up with the PC's, but that B) said gear simply ends up being extra loot for the PC's- making you wonder why you're spending so much time on this), opens up a can of worms when trying to explain what your game world actually looks like.That CR =/= Character Level makes it impossible to say how many individuals on par with the party's power exist in a setting.  When a spellcaster with access to 9th-level spells is "moderate" encounter for a lone 18th-level PC (using the 2024 encounter guidelines) and a laughable encounter for four 12-level PC's, it calls a lot of things into question, if your brain is inclined to think about such things (as mine is).What does this say about the power of high level magic?  What does it mean to be high level? Why are there even problems for PC's to deal with?And that's not even getting into "why does this guy, who is presented as being a person who lives in the same game world, have different powers than me?".  Which could be easily answered, if there was any way a PC could get, say, resistance to damage from spells or the Brute ability (or hell, even the Brave ability- why is a Halfling or a Gladiator Brave, but not my Human Fighter?).Like me, you have to stop thinking about it in these terms.  Otherwise, every warrior NPC is going to have Action Surge and eat a hearty heroes' feast for breakfast, with the DM wondering if equipping him with +1 plate armor will unbalance his game.</blockquote>

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