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Many mounts require an adaptor to fit securely to a plate. Even my old EQ6, which had the tripod top bolted to the plate by a single central bolt, was not stable due to the relatively narrow support base of the tripod top section (without the legs). Larger mounts like the CGX and CGX-L, and EQ8, CGE Pro etc, require support and there are adaptors for that purpose, adaptors have to be fixed to a plate, hence a top plate. They do not have to be elevated any higher than required for tool access. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of pier mounts around the world being used for imaging, with minimal issues related to top plate slop. A correctly designed structure will not be moving around.
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