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Message: <blockquote data-quote="EzekielRaiden" data-source="post: 8859855" data-attributes="member: 6790260">See above. Level 8 monsters can, but it would be unlikely. En masse, they could still do some harm.Also, you are conflating the mechanical expression with the ecological nature* of the thing in question. The single terrifying orc soldier you barely overcame at level 1 (level 1 solo) is exactly the same physical organism in the world as the pair of soldiers you held your own against at level 6 (two level 6 elites), the platoon you took head on at level 12 (six level 12 standards) and the throng you batted aside like it was nothing while gunning for their sorcerous master at level 17 (ten level 17 minions.) Much as, for example, each successful swing of the orc's axe does not do perfectly identical damage, even though the orc is using the exact same physical object, because the rules do not represent a universal and objective singular thing, but rather a spectrum of related things that vary in impact (pun not initially intended) depending on context.The ecology of something does not need to sync 1:1 with the mechanics thereof. Indeed, it often shouldn't, because the mechanics are an abstraction intended to communicate an experience or relation, not a hard-coded objective baseline against which everything is universally and perfectly measured. In fact, even in 5e, there's often a many-to-many relationship here: there are many different mechanics which may represent the same physical creature depending on context and what is currently relevant about it, and multiple different creatures may all be validly represented by identical mechanics because that's what is the best fit for the current context.*That is, what it "is in the world": its niche, its relationships with and to other creatures, its objective and universally-recognizable qualities, etc.</blockquote>

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