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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mallus" data-source="post: 5782643" data-attributes="member: 3887">There are two distinct components to "using the same rules", which makes this a two-part question. Should PCs, NPCs, and monsters be described using the same mechanical descriptors, ie HP, AC, etc.? Yes. Absolutely. This has been done in every edition of D&D. Should PCs, NPCs, and monsters be created and advanced using the same (or similar) procedures? No. There is no good reason for an NPC blacksmith to need multiple class levels, with all its attendant bonuses, in order to be an excellent blacksmith. There is no good reason for a ghastly undead to have an exceptional charisma, just to boost the save DC of its spell-like abilities.There is no good reason for a small, chicken-like monster not to have a shockingly deadly gaze attack, just because it has a small number of hit dice.There is no good reason a 1/2 HD monster can't attack as a 3 HD monster because of some oddball trait it has -- and there's no reason to build an entire framework of explicitly-defined oddball traits to justify it when some simple flavor text would suffice.There is no good reason for all trolls to be, say, 6HD monsters. Some might be 1 HD to start, and therefore acceptable as a PC race.  The Troll King might be a powerful as a giant. There is no need for a set of procedures which produce both these outliers and the common type of troll.  For that matter, there's nothing wrong with representing a single NPC multiple ways, depending on the context. The same NPC soldier could be undefined, statted out and given class levels, or rolled into a squad with 20 others and handled using a mass-battle system. Using the same set of algorithms for PCs, NPCs and monsters doesn't make the game more realistic or a better simulation, or more fair, since fairness can't be separated from encounter design. It makes the game more algorithmic. It's that's what you're after, cool beans. But let's call a spade a spade (of colossal digging!).</blockquote>

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