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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lord Zardoz" data-source="post: 4299927" data-attributes="member: 704">The two are not mutually exclusive.  In general, especially at the lower levels, a level appropriate combat encounter generally consisted entirely of opponents that were very fragile.  Even with Max hp + Con bonus, a good roll on a longsword would probably kill non front line characters.  In general, you could eat 2 to 3 hits, and your down.On top of that, healing at low levels was typically ineffective.  Your 1st level cleric had maybe two or three Cure Light Wounds spells, and it was a crapshoot on getting back to full HP or regaining only two hp.  And if you were dropped to -5, you would be lucky of the cleric could stand you up at all.But, also keep in mind that the level appropriate monsters had it worse.  An 18 Str human fighter with cleave would puree everything he could reach.  If your Sorcerer or Wizard had Sleep, you would be able to murder your first level opponents quite easily.The result?  In a level appropriate fight at low level, you either won very easily, or you lost very easily.  Combat could not be both threatening and engaging until about 3rd level.Now consider 4th edition.Your 4th edition character has as much HP as a 3rd or 4th level Fighter with a decent Con bonus at 1st level.  You can heal yourself with 2nd Wind.  If you have a Cleric or Warlord, you can get the benefit of a surge in combat when you really need it.  If you have a Paladin, he can use his own surge to heal you.  On top of that, healing is a flat number of at least 1/4 your hp, and maybe an extra die of a Cleric or Warlord triggers it for you.  You are more durable, and healing is both plentiful and reliable.Also consider though, that with the exception of Minions, your opponents also got more beef.  A level 1 Kobold skirmisher has 27 Hp.  Prior to 4th edition, the only time you saw a Kobold with that many hp is if your DM wanted a memorable villain, or laboriously statted out custom Kobolds with class levels.  It also has a +6 attack bonus and does 1d8 damage.  Not 1d4-1.  1d8 flat, and an additional 1d6 if he has flanking!  And while minions are very weak, you are expected to face alot of them, and they hit just as often, and on average about as hard as the regulars!Now consider that while your HP and healing are much greater, your damage output is roughly the same as your low level 3rd edition character.  Also, spell casters are also not exactly as powerful as they used to be.  Nearly every spell power requires an attack roll, and ongoing effects grant a 50 / 50 saving throw every round.The result:  Almost nothing will die as easily as it used to.  You certainly wont, and the monsters are better able to bring the pain.  Starting at AC 18 will not make you nigh indestructible to your opponents.  The level appropriate monsters have a very good chance of hitting you.Mortality over all is lower, because a 1st level PC is designed to be able to eat between 6 and 8 successful attacks after healing surges are taken into account.  Previously, they could suffer maybe 2 at 1st level.Combat is harder because even a Kobold minion can hit an AC 18 player about 40% of the time, whereas a Kobold would hit a pc maybe 20% of the time, and a party of 4 PC's is meant to be able to face an All Kobold Minion encounter with up to 16 of them.END COMMUNICATION</blockquote>

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