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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ahnehnois" data-source="post: 6036086" data-attributes="member: 17106">Your point has some validity to it. However, practically speaking, the expert is only proficient in simple weapons and may not even carry any weapons, while the warrior is proficient in martial weapons and shields and likely spends whatever money he has on armor and weapons. The warrior also likely has a higher strength score and combat relevant feats, while most experts will focus on mental ability scores and skill focus feats. So actually building a reasonable character, that expert would have to be much higher in level than the warrior to actually have the superior fighting prowess you describe. Even four or five levels might not make up that difference (and if you believe the DMG's conservative NPC generation guidelines, 5th level experts are a rare breed).Frankly there are scenarios in which well-versed amateurs should be able to beat a a wet-behind-the-ears city guard. But yes, there does get to be a point where the base save/attack bonuses, hit points, and excess skills aren't really appropriate. This is really more a function of class systems in general than of the way NPCs are treated. The same problem arises with PC classes. Shouldn't a 1st level fighter be able to beat up a 10th level diviner in melee (assuming the latter for some reason did not use any spells)? But doesn't that diviner have a huge BAB/hit point/equipment advantage? That's just as problematic.***The verisimilitude issue being discussed is an entirely separate one, in my mind. Given the conceit of a class system, when players learn how to generate characters, they assume that the rules they are using are the rules of the D&D world. They expect those rules to apply equally to everyone in that world. The issue at hand is not whether a DM must actually generate stats for every character that ever comes into the PCs line of sight, or even whether or not those stats reasonably describe the character's expertise. The issue is simply whether or not they theoretically exist.Verisimilitude is achieved through consistency.</blockquote>

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