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<blockquote data-quote="Keldryn" data-source="post: 5889912" data-attributes="member: 11999">Maturity and common sense go a long way.I admit that I prefer an NPC &quot;wizard&quot; to resemble a PC wizard, rather than something like the Monster Vault's Human Transmuter, and it still rubs me the wrong way how the weapons and armor listed under &quot;equipment&quot; in monster entries often don't factor into the monster's AC or weapon damage.I much prefer a system where it's easy to just add some class abilities to a monster without messing with its hit dice, skills, feats, etc.&nbsp; The 3 HD kobold leader also casts spells as a 3rd-level sorcerer?&nbsp; Cool.&nbsp; That's all I need to know; I don't need to advance him as a 3rd-level sorcerer with all that entails.&nbsp; I can say that the orc shaman has 2 HD and can cast spells as a 3rd-level cleric.&nbsp; If I want that orc shaman to be a major figure in the campaign, I could instead build him as a classed NPC and advance him over time.I would like the PC build system to be simple enough that building NPCs under the same rules is not a chore.&nbsp; NPCs in 1e and 2e were like this, other than picking spells for high-level casters.&nbsp; The 1e Monster Manual would say things like a hobgoblin normally has AC 5, HD 1+1, Damage 1d8; a hobgoblin chief fights as a 4 HD monster, has AC 2, 22 hit points, and does 1d10+1 damage.&nbsp; That's essentially advancing the hobgoblin to be a 4th-level fighter but without any fussy bits (I can extrapolate that AC2 means he's wearing plate mail and gets a dex bonus; the 1d10+1 damage means he's wielding a two-handed sword and gets a str bonus).The last thing I want is a system that expects me to &quot;advance&quot; monsters by giving them class levels and dealing with ability score improvements, feats, skill points, etc.&nbsp; Not that a DM has to follow the monster design system outlined in 3.5e, but it will take many new DMs a long time to come to that realization on their own.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Keldryn, post: 5889912, member: 11999"] Maturity and common sense go a long way. I admit that I prefer an NPC "wizard" to resemble a PC wizard, rather than something like the Monster Vault's Human Transmuter, and it still rubs me the wrong way how the weapons and armor listed under "equipment" in monster entries often don't factor into the monster's AC or weapon damage. I much prefer a system where it's easy to just add some class abilities to a monster without messing with its hit dice, skills, feats, etc. The 3 HD kobold leader also casts spells as a 3rd-level sorcerer? Cool. That's all I need to know; I don't need to advance him as a 3rd-level sorcerer with all that entails. I can say that the orc shaman has 2 HD and can cast spells as a 3rd-level cleric. If I want that orc shaman to be a major figure in the campaign, I could instead build him as a classed NPC and advance him over time. I would like the PC build system to be simple enough that building NPCs under the same rules is not a chore. NPCs in 1e and 2e were like this, other than picking spells for high-level casters. The 1e Monster Manual would say things like a hobgoblin normally has AC 5, HD 1+1, Damage 1d8; a hobgoblin chief fights as a 4 HD monster, has AC 2, 22 hit points, and does 1d10+1 damage. That's essentially advancing the hobgoblin to be a 4th-level fighter but without any fussy bits (I can extrapolate that AC2 means he's wearing plate mail and gets a dex bonus; the 1d10+1 damage means he's wielding a two-handed sword and gets a str bonus). The last thing I want is a system that expects me to "advance" monsters by giving them class levels and dealing with ability score improvements, feats, skill points, etc. Not that a DM [B]has[/B] to follow the monster design system outlined in 3.5e, but it will take many new DMs a long time to come to that realization on their own. [/QUOTE]

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