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Old 08-16-2011, 12:26 AM   #1
Trachmyr
 
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Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Florida
Default [HR] Mass Statistic - Expanding on Size Modifier

The following is the current (& hopefully final) version of a House Rule I've used in several games where it would be useful. It's worked out quite well, so I thought I'd share it with the forum. If you have comments, I'd be glad to hear them!

This Mass stat stays fairly consistent with RAW, marrying the square ST progression with the Height/Weight table. It uses a progression similar to Basic Speed, and gives a fine level of granularity. The table makes choosing mass easy, and formulas are presented to extend the table. While the formulas aren't simple, they would only need to be computed at character creation, and only for characters that fall well outside human norms.


Code:
When do I use Mass?
  • When calculating Knockback (B378), substitute Mass for ST, dropping all fractions. Note that the modifiers to Knockback due to Build type no longer apply, instead Build affects the realistic Mass range for your character.
  • When calculating damage from a Slam (B371) or from a Fall/Collision (B430), substitute Mass (retaining fractions) for ST.
  • The GM may allow (or require) you to substitute Mass for HP in any calculation that uses HP as an indication of weight (e.g., Overruns, Blow-through, Overdose). However, Mass never substitutes for a skill roll or contest.
  • The GM may give modifiers to DX rolls to squeeze through narrow passages equal to (10 - Mass), dropping all fractions. For small characters (those well below average racial mass), this might even apply to restraints designed to hold larger characters, as always, the final decision lies with the GM.
  • For increased detail, modify clothing and armor cost and weights to (Mass Squared)% of the listed value (rounding to the nearest whole number). This same rule can also be applied to food, rations and even tools!
  • Heavier grapplers have a significant advantage over lighter foes. To simulate this, a heavier fighter gains a bonus to all ST or HT based grappling contests equal to twice the margin of difference between his and his opponent's Mass, dropping all fractions. (e.g., A 210 pound fighter enjoys a hefty +3 bonus to all grappling contests over a typical 150 pound opponent.)
How do I figure out my character's Mass? The easiest way to determine your character's mass is simply to pick the value you desire! Mass is a Special Feature and thus doesn't cost any character points. Your GM may forbid extreme combinations, especially in a non-cinematic game. For more realism, you can use the following guidelines to find the appropriate range to choose from.
  • The lower end of your range is equal to the lower of your HP-1 or modified ST-1*. Subtract an additional 1 if you have a Skinny build, add 1 if you have an Overweight Build, add 2 if you have a Fat build, or add 3 if you have a Very Fat build.
  • The upper end of your range is equal to the higher of your HP+1 or modified ST+1*. Subtract an additional 2 if you have a Skinny build, add 1 if you have an Overweight Build, add 2 if you have a Fat build, or add 4 if you have a Very Fat build.
* Treat you strength as 0.25 higher for each level of the following advantages you possess: Arm ST (only if for at least 2 arms, unless the creature normally has only a single arm), Leg ST, Lifting ST or Striking ST. Characters with a high ST score can find that their typical weight ranges seem abnormally high, this is because the formulas above only consider muscle mass, not muscle efficiency. Humans (as well as most other creatures) with increased strength improve efficiency as well as increasing mass. In order to represent this, divide any ST increase over the racial norm in half (but not bonuses for Arm ST, Leg ST, Lifting ST and Striking ST). Racial templates may include their own modifiers to Mass when appropriate. Non-human characters often have a Mass which increases with the cube of their ST rather than the square. In these cases, these characters should have much increased HP (if larger) or reduced HP (if smaller). For these creatures, Mass will more likely be based on HP rather than ST. As always, you are free to choose any Mass that seems appropriate for your character, within any guidelines set forth by a racial template. The table below also gives a "Human SM", as characters with a very low Mass will be child sized or have Dwarfism, and those with extreme Mass will likely have Gigantism. If your racial average is not SM+0, then look up Mass/5 on the Speed/Range table and round towards your racial norm. Those with Gigantism (+1) or Dwarfism (-1) must apply those modifers to their racial norm when determining their SM. Fat characters should reduce their Mass by one when calculating SM, while Very Fat characters should reduce their Mass by two. Thus, a typical human must have a Mass greater than 7.50 and less than 15.00 to claim a SM of +0. Mass Typical Human ST Range* Weight Range Human SM Equipment Weight 6.00 5 - 7 52 - 56 -1 36% 6.25 6 - 7 57 - 60 -1 39% 6.50 6 - 7 61 - 65 -1 42% 6.75 6 - 7 66 - 70 -1 46% 7.00 6 - 8 71 - 76 -1 49% 7.25 7 - 8 77 - 81 -1 53% 7.50 7 - 8 82 - 87 -1 56% 7.75 7 - 8 88 - 93 +0 60% 8.00 7 - 9 94 - 99 +0 64% 8.25 8 - 9 100 - 105 +0 68% 8.50 8 - 9 106 - 111 +0 72% 8.75 8 - 9 112 - 118 +0 77% 9.00 8 - 10 119 - 124 +0 81% 9.25 9 - 10 125 - 131 +0 86% 9.50 9 - 11 132 - 138 +0 90% 9.75 9 - 11 139 - 146 +0 95% 10.00 9 - 12 147 - 153 +0 100% 10.25 10 - 12 154 - 161 +0 105% 10.50 10 - 13 162 - 169 +0 110% 10.75 10 - 13 170 - 177 +0 116% 11.00 10 - 14 178 - 185 +0 121% 11.25 11 - 14 186 - 194 +0 127% 11.50 11 - 15 195 - 202 +0 132% 11.75 12 - 15 203 - 211 +0 138% 12.00 12 - 16 212 - 220 +0 144% 12.25 13 - 16 221 - 229 +0 150% 12.50 13 - 17 230 - 239 +0 156% 12.75 14 - 17 240 - 248 +0 163% 13.00 14 - 18 249 - 258 +0 169% 13.25 15 - 18 259 - 268 +0 176% 13.50 15 - 19 269 - 278 +0 182% 13.75 16 - 19 279 - 288 +0 189% 14.00 16 - 20 289 - 299 +0 196% 14.25 17 - 20 300 - 309 +0 203% 14.50 17 - 21 310 - 320 +0 210% 14.75 18 - 21 321 - 331 +0 218% 15.00 18 - 22 332 - 343 +1 225% 15.25 19 - 22 344 - 354 +1 232% 15.50 19 - 23 355 - 366 +1 240% 15.75 20 - 23 367 - 378 +1 248% 16.00 20 - 24 379 - 390 +1 256% 16.25 21 - 24 391 - 402 +1 264% 16.50 21 - 25 403 - 414 +1 272% 16.75 22 - 25 415 - 427 +1 281% 17.00 22 - 26 428 - 439 +1 289% 17.25 23 - 26 440 - 452 +1 298% 17.50 23 - 27 453 - 465 +1 306% 17.75 24 - 27 466 - 479 +1 315% 18.00 24 - 28 480 - 492 +1 324% * Typical Strength is given for Average Builds, Skinny builds will have higher ST ranges, while Overweight and Fat builds will have reduced ST ranges. Check the section "How do I figure out my character's Mass?" for details. Additionally, each level of Arm ST, Lifting ST and Striking ST counts as one-quarter of a level towards this ST range. To extend this table, use the following formulas: Minimum weight is (((Mass - 0.125) squared) x 1.5) rounded up Maximum weight is (((Mass + 0.125) squared) x 1.5) rounded down Look up (Mass / 5) on the speed/range table to determine SM, round towards your racial norm. Equipment Weight is (Mass squared)%, rounding to the nearest whole number. Use the Formulas presented in "How do I figure out my character's Mass?" to determine typical ST ranges.

Last edited by Trachmyr; 12-06-2011 at 12:41 AM.
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