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Message: <blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 5187802" data-attributes="member: 42582">I don't think this captures my view, or that of some of the others who are trying to explain their experiences with 4e.In 4e I don't need a stat block to help me with non-combat encounters, because (to the extent that these are handled mechanically) these are resolved via skill challenges, with DCs set in accordance with the rules in the DMG and DMG2.What I want is a stat block that will work for combat, plus information about an NPC's motivation/personality/social context etc that will help me frame any skill challenges that are necessary, plus a suggestion for the complexity and DCs of some of the obvious skill challenges that might arise (eg persuading a monster to give over its treasure as a ransom for its life).Is this based on actual play experience with 4e? It certainly doesn't fit with my own 4e play experience. My game has featured encounters with many, probably dozens, of goblin warriors and sharpshooters, but has not suffered from tactical inflexibility. Because each encounter has a different combination of goblins, with or without non-goblin allies, different terrain, and a different entry-point for the PCs into that terrain, there has been a wide degree of variety even though each individual goblin warrior or sharpshooter has the same (fairly straightforward) statblock.In short, tactical flexibility and variety is not just a function of a monster's statblock. It's also a function of something closer to the ordinary meaning of "tactics" - combination of forces, terrain etc.And combat in my 4e game has not suffered to date from any grind issues. I think that it might have, if I had used WotC encounters as written - they tend to feature smaller numbers of higher level foes, whereas I have been building and running encounters with larger numbers of lower level foes and minions. I find that not only does a larger number of foes lead to a more dynamic fight - it also tends to increase the importance of terrain, simply because the PCs have to move about to try to engage all their enemies.</blockquote>

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