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Minimum Size for Weapon Use


ChrisJ

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Currently the rules only list minimum STR and Dex to use a weapon - but surely the size of the wielder has some bearing.

 

I was creating a Humakti Drulz the other day and while the character had the minimum STR and DEX to use a greatsword it didn't seam reasonable that a 1m tall creature would be able to walk around let alone use a 1.5m long sword.  But currently RQG has no minimum size to use a weapon.

 

Should a Size 4 Drulz be able to wield a greatsword?

 

CJ

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that's a good question.  on the one hand real-world humans have wielded pikes 3x+ their own height in great numbers; on the other hand, those are pikes, not solid swords. you're talking about the equivalent of 3m long sword in the hands of a 2m tall human, and that would be...I dunno, Sephiroth's sword?

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57 minutes ago, ChrisJ said:

Currently the rules only list minimum STR and Dex to use a weapon - but surely the size of the wielder has some bearing.

 

I was creating a Humakti Drulz the other day and while the character had the minimum STR and DEX to use a greatsword it didn't seam reasonable that a 1m tall creature would be able to walk around let alone use a 1.5m long sword.  But currently RQG has no minimum size to use a weapon.

 

Should a Size 4 Drulz be able to wield a greatsword?

 

CJ

Yes, for the laughs.

One of my favourite D&D characters was a Halfling barbarian called Pippi Longknife who wielded a longsword in two hands. Would've been a lot more fun if the rules had let her use a greatsword.

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1 hour ago, ChrisJ said:

Should a Size 4 Drulz be able to wield a greatsword?

Friend of mine is a fellow HEMA practitioner who happens to be on the small side. Also can bench press 2.5 times their body weight and has no issues with Big Weapons. No.  

ps My Great Sword is the lightest fastest weapon I own and I own, use and teach many. NO.

pps

Also my Neighbour Ruth Tolkein and a rather large sword. NO. 

Image

 

More Nope with Nope on

 

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Edited by Thaz
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Sounds reasonable - I'll just be a little more inventive when it comes to interpreting fumble rolls :)

Plus for my Size 4 Drulz NPC - I have added a bearer/squire responsible for carrying said Greatsword - should add some humorous interactions - after all that's the point of Drulz :)

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Although blindingly obvious once I'd seen it - I watched a youtube video last night where two violinists played all of the different sizes of violin available. From standard to 1/32 (for three year olds). It would mean that weapons could be made for different sizes. A greatsword for a duck would be a short sword and one for a pixie would be a dagger. Smaller weapons could be made in the same style as their normal size ones, but just do less damage. Likewise weapons for larger creatures. A Giant's greatsword could perhaps do 2D10 or 2D12 damage. Wasn't that why Bilbo's sword was in fact an elvish dagger.

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3 hours ago, David Scott said:

Although blindingly obvious once I'd seen it - I watched a youtube video last night where two violinists played all of the different sizes of violin available. From standard to 1/32 (for three year olds). It would mean that weapons could be made for different sizes. A greatsword for a duck would be a short sword and one for a pixie would be a dagger. Smaller weapons could be made in the same style as their normal size ones, but just do less damage. Likewise weapons for larger creatures. A Giant's greatsword could perhaps do 2D10 or 2D12 damage. Wasn't that why Bilbo's sword was in fact an elvish dagger.

The weapons will scale a bit differently.  A "greatsword" scaled down to pixie-size would approximate a letter-opener, la bit like a misericorde; I suspect the pixie-greatsword blade would be a bit thicker than that (more dagger-like, as you say).

But IMHO you're envisioning an awfully-dinky "Giant" if you're considering 2d12 damage.

C'es ne pas un .sig

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actually, it's not that simple physics characteristics don't scale linearly with the size. The weight and the momentum will be 8 times bigger if you double the size, for example. The rigidity will scale yet differently (to the square I guess), etc ...

Anyway, no, a greatsword for a duck won't be really a short sword, neither will a long sword for a duck be equivalent to a 3 meters long sword for a human, it's something in between and totally different for a duck than for a pixie because it's not linear to the size (famously, an ant can bear 100 times or more its own weight).

I think using STR & DEX requirements only is probably a very good approximation.

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11 minutes ago, kirinyaga said:

I think using STR & DEX requirements only is probably a very good approximation.

Exactly. Siz has nothing to do with it. If the Pixie has sufficient Strength and Dex they can use it. It might look weird as heck and I'd assume to do so they are using str boosting magic...but hey this is Glorantha.  

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Well, technically, you need to also look at the ratio weapon weight/user weight. Else, even with a lot of STR, instead of moving the weapon, you'll be moving yourself. But that will only matter for a pixie using a long sword or a human trying to use a tree like a club. Now, in a magical world like Glorantha, it's probably fine.

The respective ENC will also be different : a duck moving around a long sword will find it very impractical. But, to a duck, the sword ENC is already proportionally bigger, as his wearable ENC will be lower than human's.

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1 minute ago, kirinyaga said:

The respective ENC will also be different : a duck moving around a long sword will find it very impractical. But, to a duck, the sword ENC is already proportionally bigger, as his wearable ENC will be lower than human's.

ENC is about strength. Carrying great weapons about is never easy... Image result for landsknecht

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