Well I'm not exactly a new player, but I've got a question here that would benefit new and old players alike.

A militiaman is in perfect health.
A militiaman looks like a veteran of many battles.

What exactly does this mean? I know that an NPC becomes "a veteran of many battles" when a character fights it, and it wins, killing the character. But does it have any more significance than that? I.e. does it now hit better/harder, does it defend better, have a better chance of succeeding on things like dirt kick/bash/trip/disarm? I'm not really asking for the specifics here, especially since I know it's not likely they would be given anyway. Really just wondering if there's any increase in the NPC's combat effectiveness as a result of being a veteran, or if the title is merely cosmetic. Thanks

It's not merely cosmetic.