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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Patryn of Elvenshae" data-source="post: 5604813" data-attributes="member: 23094">Except they aren't at all, really.For lack of a better phrase, the combat side of the game has a much better "safety net" than the social side (probably because we're still playing an up-jumped wargame at heart).Accordingly, while the +20 BAB pile-o-hit-points played by the combat naif may not be as effective as the same character played by the resident Sun Tzu, that character's minimum baseline of effectiveness will be much, much higher.  The very structure of the rules will limit his ineptitude.  I mean, a blaster wizard is the weaker option in 3.XE, proving much less effective over the long term than a battlefield controller, but the blaster wizard will almost always still contribute very meaningfully to the adventure's resolution.Contrast this with LostSoul's (very common, IME) position:Because the safety net isn't there on the social side, the player who invests a lot of character resources into the social side of things is not guaranteed the same return on that investment as the combat god.Whether or not he plays wonderfully, the combat guy will still get to cleave every time it comes up.  The social guy?  Well, with the "DM Plausibility Rule" in play, there's no guarantee he'll convince anyone of anything.</blockquote>