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Message: <blockquote data-quote="AbdulAlhazred" data-source="post: 5390294" data-attributes="member: 82106">My question would be if the Duke is a figure who's purpose in the narrative is to be an assassination target then why would he ever be anything BUT a minion? This is the thing that always drove me nuts about AD&D. There was this built in assumption that important = high level. Just because the Duke (a hereditary noble) is in charge of a fairly large operation doesn't mean that he can fight (may never have lifted a sword, though probably has basic military training). He may well be powerful and dangerous, until you get within sword length of him.Obviously there will be cases where NPCs are both worthy combatants and one might like to assassinate them, but I suspect in general the DM can arrange it otherwise. For instance the Duke can be a minion but his guard captain OTOH is one NASTY customer. This would be a more typical kind of way for things to be anyhow. Politicians generally don't NEED skill at arms, they have other people for that, people that prefer to just follow orders and bust heads. One of these decades this whole level = importance thing will get wrung out of the D&D mindset, though probably not THIS decade! lol. At least 4e has better tools related to that than past editions did.</blockquote>