Has anyone given much thought to size?

Has anyone given much thought to size?

Has anyone given much thought to size? I’m writing a Hulking Hurler compendium class and I’m trying to figure out what kind of stuff they can throw around. Right now I’m thinking of scaling it like this:

• Person

• Horse

• Cart

• Hut, Hippo

• Cottage, Elephant

• Whale

8 thoughts on “Has anyone given much thought to size?”

  2. Oh hello

    The way I represented size was pretty simple. Here’s the full text:

    “Size is a special kind of tag which describes, in roughly one word, what the mount can do. Size is a rough indicator of what a mount is physically capable of.

            A Tiny mount is appropriate for faeries, pixies, sentient mice and beings who are about two apples tall. It can fit in very small spaces, hide easily in pockets of larger beings and go unnoticed with big people. They can move small things around for you.

            A Small mount is anywhere from the size of a fairly large dog up to a human being. These mounts are appropriate for small-sized peoples and can fit in houses and caverns where larger mounts could not, allowing small folk a significant mount advantage indoors!

           A Large mount is around the size of a winged horse, somewhat larger or somewhat smaller included. These mounts do not easily fit into most dungeons or houses, but they can do things like pull wagons for long periods and rip out prison bars from weak town jails. They are the smallest type of mounts human-size folk can normally tame and ride.

           A Huge mount is around the size of a young adult dragon. They are large enough to break walls and tear the roofs off cottages with fair ease, and can pull or lift massive loads (such as very large tree trunks) with almost no effort.”

    These are basically the Monster size tags repurposed for mounts, if that wasn’t obvious. A hurler could easily start off tossing Small things, then move on to Large and finally Huge to keep things simple and moving along.

  7. The Brute is great!

    Here’s the updated Google Doc for the Giant:

    https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JVx1pl0H2WIVAHTSSPyqiX-b7ETsV5mf13p1RV3-KFI/edit?usp=sharing

    Here’s the DTRPG playbook that’s even more up to date and pretty:

    http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/114198/The-Giant—A-Dungeon-World-Playbook

    Here’s the special rules I included with the Giant to help the GM and players integrate a really big person into the game:

    Including a Giant in your game

    A Giant is a big departure from many playbooks in that it can more apparently change a lot of the scale, scope, and themes of the game due to it’s size. While all playbooks do this to a degree, The Giant is far more obvious in this. this page includes some things for both the players and GM to consider, and some questions to ask to see how your giant fits into the world.

    Giant Strength

    For most classes, Strength describes pure muscle power or physical prowess. This may bring you to question why the Giant still has the same strength stat opportunities as everyone else. That’s because the stat describe how good you are at leveraging your strength conscientiously.  Sure, a huge giant may be able to pick up a wagon, but without control of their strength, they’re likely to drop the unwieldy thing.

    Fitting in, and just plain Fitting.

    If you have a Giant in your game, that says something about what the player wants to be doing. They want places their giant will fit most of the time. When you intend to use cities, indoor locations, or caves keep this in mind. There should be times when the Giant’s size is a hindrance, (GM move: Show a downside to their class, race, or equipment) but still give them opportunity to move about without too much complication most of the time (GM Principle: Be a fan of the characters)

    Combat Balance

    The Giant’s moves, namely Larger Than Life are about describing how the Giant interacts with the world and others. So how does a group of Goblins challenge a Giant as much as it does the rest of the party? Consider that perhaps Goblins and other monsters have experience with fighting a Giant, and consider what anti-Giant weaponry they would carry.  Javelins, bows, flaming arrows, Giant-poison, etc.

    The Giant doesn’t have any more HP or armor than a Fighter, making it equally vulnerable. It still has the same spread of ability stats that the other classes do.

    Here are some questions to ask your Giant player 

    Just how big are you anyway?

    So Giants are big, but the exact size can vary greatly. This playbook is designed to work with most Giant sizes, but choosing your size will present it’s own advantages and challenges. Will you fit in the Town Hall or the Inn? how about the caves in the Dark Wood? Here are a few size suggestions:

    ⃞Big

    You are roughly twice as tall as a human. You can fit in human-sized abodes and settlements with little or rare difficulty. 

    ⃞Large

    You are around 3 times taller than a human. You can fit in human-sized settlements but an average sized building is just too small. 

    ⃞Huge 

    You stand 4 times taller than a human. You may uncomfortably fit in some larger settlements, but most human-sized spaces and doorways are far too small.

    How common are Giants?

    This can determine how most people react to Giants, and how accomodating cities are to them. Your average village might not have a room for Giant, but a larger city’s streets may accommodate larger folk, and there may even be an inn with a room for you.

    What are Giants known for in Civilisation?

    Are Giants respected members of society with a purpose? Or are they seen as terrifying monsters? Perhaps they are insular, rarely seen amongst the smallfolk. There may be many stories told about them that only hold a small kernel of truth.

    Tell me more about your people’s Duty

    The definitions of duty have been left somewhat vague and interpretable in the heritage section, and this is on purpose. This allows the player to leverage their Giant’s Duty in interesting and creative ways. 

    That said, it’s also a great chance to find out more about their Giant, and the Duty their people have been entrusted with. What is the philosophy of their Duty? Who has entrusted them with their Duty? How do their people act in the capacity of their Duty?

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