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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mustrum_Ridcully" data-source="post: 4861692" data-attributes="member: 710">But they _are_ making a meaningful contribution to the party. Because that 4 Minions, if left unchecked, can ruin your PCs. And if you have to "check" them without a Controller, then they cost you. There is no illusion or trick in it. There are 4 guys that deal a small amount of damage to you that can replace 1 guy that deals a moderate amount of damage to you. But isn't this also "narrative"? In the story of the combat, the kobold is the guy running around, backstabbing people and trying to evade combat. That's his purpose in the story, and the rules provide you to give that outcome when running the combat.The same is true for those bare-chested pirate with AC 21 comapred to that plate armor clad Anti-Paladin with AC 21. Their story focus is to be a threat to the PCs. A bare-chested pirate needs an AC 21 to do it in the game system against your PCs, so that's what he gets.If you want the bare-chested pirate to be a weakling that the PCs kill inconsequential, by all means make him a Minion or a lower level AC 15 guy. But if your story goal is to have someone that makes the fight scene look dangerous and challenging to the PCs, you need to give him the right stats for it. And it is not as if 4E was the first edition to create an AC 21 Pirate. If you wanted one in D&D 3E, you could have him - just give him a decent Dex and Bracers of Armor or some fancy Prestige Class in 3E. 4E just doesn't tell us how the Pirate achieves this, because it is basically irrelevant to the outcome.</blockquote>

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