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<blockquote data-quote="Neonchameleon" data-source="post: 5190378" data-attributes="member: 87792">Mea culpa.&nbsp; You can't find them in D&amp;D stat blocks in any edition (with the arguable exception of alignment).&nbsp; Or, for that matter, GURPS ones.&nbsp; You can in e.g. Spirit of the Century (to name one example I am familliar with.Here you're off my argument.&nbsp; Which is that (under D&amp;D rules - which I did not specify earlier, but are the context I was talking about), you don't need such things in monster statblocks.&nbsp; I'm not proposing the abolition of Diplomacy from the PC statblocks.&nbsp; Simply that with the PCs being the protagonists, any opposed rolls can be off just one die roll - and that that can depend on what the PCs are trying to do, modified by the monster at flat DC.&nbsp; This does not require them to be in the monster statblock.Three ways: straight, lampshaded, and mechanical.Mechanical minions are the easiest - things like summoned skeletons or summoned wisps.&nbsp; Scary, but if hit they e.g. collapse into a pile of bones or the summons is broken.&nbsp; In short they do exactly what they say on the tin.Lampshaded minions are there but scared or there for the hell of it and don;t realise they could get hurt.&nbsp; The scorching burst doesn't kill them - they simply run for cover.&nbsp; (Think looters or junior acolytes.)Straight minions simply are.&nbsp; Either non-combatants or too weak to threaten the party.Yet it is good at what it does.&nbsp; It's the best RPG tactical (as opposed to fluff) action movie system I've ever seen.&nbsp; Explosive, kinetic, and fluffy action scenes married to a rules-light system the rest of the time.Not in my experience in pulp/action movie style combat with tactical resolution.&nbsp; That's where 4e wins.What I'm not sure is what any previous edition of D&amp;D is the best at except being D&amp;D.&nbsp; 4e is the first version that has, to me, anything to recommend it for other settings other than an installed user base.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Neonchameleon, post: 5190378, member: 87792"] Mea culpa. You can't find them in [I]D&D[/I] stat blocks in any edition (with the arguable exception of alignment). Or, for that matter, GURPS ones. You can in e.g. Spirit of the Century (to name one example I [I]am[/I] familliar with. Here you're off my argument. Which is that (under D&D rules - which I did not specify earlier, but are the context I was talking about), you don't need such things in [I]monster[/I] statblocks. I'm not proposing the abolition of Diplomacy from the [I]PC[/I] statblocks. Simply that with the PCs being the protagonists, any opposed rolls can be off just one die roll - and that that can depend on what the PCs are trying to do, modified by the monster at flat DC. This does not require them to be in the [I]monster[/I] statblock. Three ways: straight, lampshaded, and mechanical. Mechanical minions are the easiest - things like summoned skeletons or summoned wisps. Scary, but if hit they e.g. collapse into a pile of bones or the summons is broken. In short they do exactly what they say on the tin. Lampshaded minions are there but scared or there for the hell of it and don;t realise they could get hurt. The scorching burst doesn't kill them - they simply run for cover. (Think looters or junior acolytes.) Straight minions simply are. Either non-combatants or too weak to threaten the party. Yet it is good at what it does. It's the best RPG tactical (as opposed to fluff) action movie system I've ever seen. Explosive, kinetic, and fluffy action scenes married to a rules-light system the rest of the time. Not in my experience in pulp/action movie style combat with tactical resolution. That's where 4e wins. What I'm not sure is what any previous edition of D&D is the best at except being D&D. 4e is the first version that has, to me, anything to recommend it for other settings other than an installed user base. [/QUOTE]

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