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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Aenghus" data-source="post: 6301205" data-attributes="member: 2656">I'm not the person you asked but I can give my response.The minion rules serve multiple purposes and even people who use them have differences of opinion on when and how they are used.Minions can be poorly trained and equipped versions of standard monsters, or represent monsters you once found a challenge some levels ago but that you now outclass or non-combatants who happen to be caught up in the encounter or the spawn of a solo monster. Often, they literally are the faceless minions of action films that can be mown down to show how badass the PCs are, so they can be apparently well equipped, like star wars stormtroopers, but literally outclassed by the PCs.As regards to players identifying minions, I treat it on a case by case basis. Sometimes I say it's obvious, sometimes the players have to use reconnaissance by fire. YMMV.A minion is an NPC that represents a limited threat to the PCs. They appear as groups and are designed to have low book-keeping. The 1 hp thing is an approximation to reduce the book keeping of managing large numbers of monsters. Since minions are about the same level as the PCs, the PCs will have on average a 50-60% chance to hit one on a single attack, so there is no guarantee of a one-shot-kill on any hit roll as misses do no damage.(autodamage attacks are a separate issue, and for me at least not a problem, no more than auto-hitting magic missiles in previous editions).If the players know the DM sometimes uses minions it can serve to discourage immediate alpha strikes, which I found could be a problem in earlier editions as the most effective tactic, leading to the 15 minute day. Powergamers hate the idea of wasting big damage on 1 hp monsters, especially when they take no damage on a miss. For me this improves the pacing of the game, where players need to size their opponents up first, then make their move, rather than immediately resort to nukes(which I found could be the best way to survive in high level 3.x). The BBEG might even get to successfully monologue and still live past round one.I disagree with some of the printed uses of minions, such as having the initial appearance of a dangerous monster as a minion - I would always aim to use the monster at earlier levels when it was a threat, so the subsequent appearance of the minion version can feel like player progression, and isn't so jarring. I wouldn't use minion ogres, giants and trolls till high levels relative to their original appearance. I generally don't use higher level minions relative to the PCs, unless there's a reason do so.As regards minion duergar, I could rule either way. I could see duergar having badly trained and equipped slave soldier duergar, lawbreakers and oathbreakers. That rationalisation could even produce *gasp* roleplaying opportunities. Or criminal thugs in a larger settlement, who could be pressganged for their crimes.</blockquote>

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