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Message: <blockquote data-quote="The Crimson Binome" data-source="post: 6860379" data-attributes="member: 6775031">A level 0 blacksmith in 2E could be skilled at smithing, which was possible under that system because skills were entirely de-coupled from your level (Thief-skills aside, at least by default). As far as I can tell, a level 1 blacksmith in 4E could also be skilled at smithing, since there's no Craft skill in 4E so there's no reason to assume that it's based on level; you don't need minion rules to say that a blacksmith is good at smithing.A level 0 character doesn't belong in combat, and its stats reflect that. It can't hit, it can't take a hit, and it doesn't know any fancy tricks. It is internally consistent with itself, and with its place in the world.An Azer Warrior is a level 17 NPC with +20 to hit, AC 31, and one hit point. It has a combat trick that is meaningful against a level 17 PC (a successful attack sets you on fire, save ends), and it's not trivial for a level 17 PC to land a hit on one, but if you can land one hit on it then it will drop like a sack of potatoes. It clearly does belong on the battlefield with PCs level 15-19, and its backstory (its place within the world) will reflect that, but it fails to deliver on that role - its lack of HP does not reflect its skill at arms or its innate Constitution, which everything else in the world has proven are inextricably linked. It makes sense as a gamist construct for brief diversions to prevent focus-fire against the actual enemies, and it makes sense as a story construct to give the heroes cheap fodder to mow through (with just enough chance to hurt you that can't ignore them entirely), but it fails to provide a consistent model of how the world works and thus damages the integrity of the model as a whole.You might think it's silly that a good blacksmith would have to be a high-level character in 3E or 5E, and I would agree with you on that count, but at least it's consistent.</blockquote>

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