Quote:
Originally Posted by onetrikpony
HP - Based on surface area in Vehicles and Robots, which seems to make better sense for mechanical things than using HP = ST ~ Mass)
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In 4/e ST is not proportional to mass. It's proportional to the cube root of mass.]
It actually isn't a terrible choice in terms of scaling relationships. An animal's muscle mass and body weight are proportional to its volume, but its strength is proportional to the cross-sectional area of its limbs or trunk, which varies as the 2/3 power of volume (to a first approximation; big animals aren't built exactly like small ones). So having weight go as the cube of ST, and basic lift as the square, comes out in the right ballpark.