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Message: <blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 9181129" data-attributes="member: 42582">OK? All sorts of things are undesired by some. I'm not arguing about what is or should be desired or undesired. I'm arguing against the assertion that using minion stat blocks is "arbitrary" and/or does not represent anything in the fiction.It is reasoned, and the reasons are grounded directly in a crucial element of the fiction, namely, the relative power of the PC and the NPC/creature.Not in 4e D&D. Hit points represent resilience relative to an opponent. In 4e D&D the closest to an "atomic" representation of power is the XP value of the creature, which is a function of level and solo/elite/standard/minion status.Why is codification better than GM judgement?Also, X is not codified does not imply X is arbitrary. There is no code that dictates when I eat my lunch (I'm an academic and so mostly set my own schedule of work and breaks). But that doesn't mean when I take my lunch is arbitrary - it reflects all sorts of relevant reasons (hunger, and does anyone else want to join me now for lunch? being two recurring ones).I didn't find it remotely confused. I found it quite straightforward and easy to implement. I've never seen a successful version of what you propose, and so I infer that it is actually not all that easy to do.For instance, in AD&D for the high level fighter to cut through phalanxes of hobgoblins we need to go to Battle System, which (I assume) has rules for heroes-as-units which require giving the PC fighter a different mechanical representation from the ordinary. OD&D used Chainmail for mass combat - and a Hero in Chainmail has different mechanical representation from a 4th level D&D fighter. Rolemaster used War Law, which changes the combat tables and changes the way crits are implemented. I've never seen Swords & Spells - which was a late supplement for OD&D and is also mentioned in Gygax's DMG, but I am pretty confident that it also uses different stat blocks for both PCs and NPC/creature units, compared to their ordinary ones.4e is clear that its mechanics assume the PCs are of the same level. So a PC demigod and a PC blacksmith is outside the scope of the game.If the PC demigod has a NPC blacksmith hanger-on, the game offers various mechanical options. I never had to deal with that particular case, but when an epic-tier PC temporarily had a squad of drow hand-crossbowmen under his command, they gave him a minor action AoE attack (as they unleashed their quarrels on the PC's command). A NPC blacksmith hanger-on seems like they might give some sort of minor action or immediate reaction buff.</blockquote>

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