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Message: <blockquote data-quote="I'm A Banana" data-source="post: 4031124" data-attributes="member: 2067">So my question would be why don't high-level villains have equipment like you'd expect high-level heroes to have? Presumably, they're raiding the same dungeons for it. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />Admirable, and I'm sympathetic to the goal. So how do they get these high stats without magical buffing? Are all NPC villains genetic mutants who have exclusive special powers?This slightly concerns me because clubs, from what I've read, will be 'different' from other weapons in more than just damage. If the club has a particularly evocative secondary effect that I want that monster to have, is the suggestion just to 'bolt it onto the monster itself'? And then somehow explain how this gnoll is another one of those genetic mutants?I like this, but my ideal would be a fast system that is explained well, that makes sense in the context of the world. For instance, that paper tiger you created, how did it get to be what it was? What changed it, and what happens if the PC's seek that same change? Say I'm playing some sort of zealot who gladly sacrifices his body for the power to take out his enemies, and he captures that binary paper tiger and demands, through Diplomacy or threats or bribes, to be taught the creature's ways. Do I just have to say "No," as a DM? Or does the system allow me to say "Yes" and figure out the consequences of that yes?My mantra for this is usually this:"Make Stuff Up" sucks as a rule.If the system isn't robust enough to handle what I consider to be basic verisimilitude (and I don't believe my requirements, or my players' are really that high...3e definitely went too far in many areas) without throwing up it's arms and saying "You do the work!", I may be in the market for a completely different monster/NPC design scheme very, very early on in this edition's life.</blockquote>

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