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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Wulf Ratbane" data-source="post: 5027473" data-attributes="member: 94">Actually I agree with that design philosophy in principle. There's no value in adding details to a creature to which the players are never privy, and especially not in the case of changes to their combat mechanics. For example, consider adding two bonus feats to a creature: Power Attack and Cleave would be head and shoulders above Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization, in terms of how those two feats play out on the stage.But that is not to say that the only way to differentiate between two creatures is in their combat mechanics. There is a big difference between an orc barbarian and a hobgoblin barbarian, and it is entirely rooted in their fluff: the orc barbarian plays to stereotype and the hobgoblin barbarian plays against their lawful stereotype; this is a very flavorful distinction despite the fact that their statblocks could be identical.Of course a new player, coming to Dungeons and Dragons for the first time with 4e, would be oblivious to the difference. The 4e philosophy is to discard any such "fluff-only" differences, and to make sure that every creature is painted with a bold palette of mechanical differences.</blockquote>