Stats are a simulation of real things a creature can do, used by designers bound by the limitations of paper & 8MB disks. But we forgot, so now stats are in the games where those limitations don't exist, and you can actually simulate the thing you're simulating instead.

Hyperreality has taken us!

Preach! I rarely ever hear someone enthusiastically share stories of their character & being lvl 7 is one of the things they’re excited to share about the character. The characters a sheet represent can get lost behind the number of the sheet that serve as that representation.

An anecdote: The party returns from a grand adventure, Eternal Crown in hand. But, on the way through town, Aerik realizes that he's not quite L7, so he holds up the party and starts scouting for a dog or waifish crook to kick to death for Xpease...