Size Issues in RPGs
Posted: Sun Oct 07, 2018 6:34 pm
This is sort of an all purpose thread dealing with the unique issues facing things smaller or larger than human size can be in RPGs. However, I do have a specific issue I'd like to bring up.
How size tends to work in fiction fluctuates a lot, going from something that can make something invincible or simply a bigger target. In a lot of superhero fiction, giant characters aren't really that big a deal, while in other genres anything outside of human height is terrifying.
One particular disconnect I've seen between games and fiction is how smaller but powerful characters need to attack giant characters. In M&M, for instance, there's nothing really to stop Colossus from going up to Godzilla and just punching the Kaiju in the foot until the lizard fails a Toughness save by enough that it falls unconscious. In fiction, attacks to extremities against giant characters seem more to annoy them than anything, and you need to land a hit either on the central body mass or the head to inflict real injury to the creature.
For my own system, to simulate the advantage of longer weapons, I allow characters with longer limbs/weapons to take an "At Bay" option, where anyone with a shorter range trying to close in has to make an opposed check to get past their limbs to attack. Otherwise they can't advance, and if they fail bad enough, take damage. I think that's something giant characters would benefit from as well.
Another thing I'm thinking is that maybe attacks to extremities can only inflict some kind of condition to the limb, but you aren't really going to inflict lasting/potential KO damage to a creature unless you hit their torso or head. Attacking a leg might make it stumble, attacking an arm might make it drop something, but you need to land a good shot in the torso or head to really have an impact. Unless the attack is just powerful enough to sever limbs or some such.
Thoughts? Complicating things too much?
How size tends to work in fiction fluctuates a lot, going from something that can make something invincible or simply a bigger target. In a lot of superhero fiction, giant characters aren't really that big a deal, while in other genres anything outside of human height is terrifying.
One particular disconnect I've seen between games and fiction is how smaller but powerful characters need to attack giant characters. In M&M, for instance, there's nothing really to stop Colossus from going up to Godzilla and just punching the Kaiju in the foot until the lizard fails a Toughness save by enough that it falls unconscious. In fiction, attacks to extremities against giant characters seem more to annoy them than anything, and you need to land a hit either on the central body mass or the head to inflict real injury to the creature.
For my own system, to simulate the advantage of longer weapons, I allow characters with longer limbs/weapons to take an "At Bay" option, where anyone with a shorter range trying to close in has to make an opposed check to get past their limbs to attack. Otherwise they can't advance, and if they fail bad enough, take damage. I think that's something giant characters would benefit from as well.
Another thing I'm thinking is that maybe attacks to extremities can only inflict some kind of condition to the limb, but you aren't really going to inflict lasting/potential KO damage to a creature unless you hit their torso or head. Attacking a leg might make it stumble, attacking an arm might make it drop something, but you need to land a good shot in the torso or head to really have an impact. Unless the attack is just powerful enough to sever limbs or some such.
Thoughts? Complicating things too much?