1) I wish you guys could give me page references, so I can find those holdovers.... and make sure that they are added to errata and stamped out when I finally get around to fixing the PDF/print version.
2) As for the second quote --
One of the core precepts of Novus is that any character has a chance of defeating/killing any other character. This usually involves lots of luck, but there is always that chance.
Additionally, there are numerous methods that a player could use to increase the character's Defense. I notice that the example specifically gives an explosive roll to the troll, but ignores using any method of defending the character other than base Defense. In my opinion, that is a bit unrealistic right there.