Throwing straight up: Is max height = Max distance?

[sonic232]

I have been looking all over for a clarification on this, but I haven't found anything. Gravity would affect the maximum height a throw could go, but I haven't seen any rules otherwise. Anybody have any thoughts?

The only kind of clarification I have seen on throws is that they always take turn that they were thrown in to reach their target, no more than that. But I have a campaign where somebody has Super Strength 36/1021 and Super Throw 5, where max distance is measured in MILES. Would that really be a throw speed measured in Miles Per Second?

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by Agemegos

Assuming that a thing is thrown for maximum distance, and ignoring air resistance and the curvature of the Earth, hang time is √2 times throw speed divided by the acceleration due to gravity (be careful to use consistent units), and range is throw speed squared divided by acceleration due to gravity (be careful to use consistent units).

If this looks unappealing, just assume that you can throw things straight up for 1/2 of the distance which you can throw them horizontally.

[sonic232]

Originally Posted by Icelander

If this looks unappealing, just assume that you can throw things straight up for 1/2 of the distance which you can throw them horizantally.

Yeah, that's about what I was thinking, I wanted to be sure others agreed with that.

[jeff_wilson]

The 1/2 figure previously discussed is correct only when the initial velocity is of the same magnitude for physics reasons, but it's unlikely that a person will be able to throw the object straight up as quickly as they throw it at the 45 degree angle for alleged maximum distance. In fact, most people that throw for distance will throw with a more shallow angle than that, because the greater speed achieved makes up for the low angle. This is true even when the roughly shoulder-high starting point is taken into account as in pass-completion, for instance.

This sounds like a lot of complexity, but it can boil down to a simple dual rule that gives one value for ideal cases with vectored impulsion and one for human-average-equivalent ones.

[Anthony]

Note that the '1 second flight time' part is just a simplification because resolving object behavior over multiple turns is a pain in a game; flight times in excess of 1 second are moderately common. For a 45 degree ballistic course, which is max distance if you ignore air resistance, hang time is sqrt( 2 * distance / gravity ), which is more than 1s if distance is more than 16 feet. At a 30 degree angle, which is more typical, hang time is sqrt( sqrt(4/3) * distance / gravity ), or 1s at a distance of 27 feet. On a baseball field, to get a ball from first base to second base in less than 1 sec requires a throw speed of 62 mph, first base to third requires 88 mph, which is far faster than fielders will typically throw a ball.

[Agemegos]

Originally Posted by jeff_wilson

The 1/2 figure previously discussed is correct only when the initial velocity is of the same magnitude for physics reasons, but it's unlikely that a person will be able to throw the object straight up as quickly as they throw it at the 45 degree angle for alleged maximum distance.

Good point.

[Not]

Perhaps the thrower should lie supine on a sawhorse to throw upwards?

[dcarson]

Doesn't Tactical Shooting have rules on multi turn flight times?

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by Not

Perhaps the thrower should lie supine on a sawhorse to throw upwards?

Olympic events are getting sillier and sillier. ;)

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by dcarson

Doesn't Tactical Shooting have rules on multi turn flight times?

It has a to-hit modifier for multi-second flight times. Other than that, no.