How strong is The Mountain from GoT?

[Jeminai]

I saw this quick news article and wondered what the game mechanics behind this feat was:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-Vz1DrBTCY

I understand that he likely used extra effort and lifting skill along with his weight belt to help.

I was just wondering what his base ST might be and all the modifiers associated with taking these 5 steps.

All input is appreciated. Thank you.

[Michael Thayne]

I wouldn't try to judge a character's strength based on a weird, one-off stunt performed by the actor. That said, in the novels, he's said to be able to wield a greatsword one-handed. By the letter of the rules, that would require ST 18 to do with out penalty, and even then it would become unready after use. If you use Low-Tech Companion 2, you could say that that sword is "really" an SM+1 broadsword, which would have a more reasonable ST 15 requirement, and wouldn't become unready after use. I'm somewhat inclined to be conservative about his ST, because at eight feet all (according to the novels), the square-cube law is working against him. Note that the actor in the clip, Hafthor Bjornsson, is only 6'9". Hafthor is the shortest of three actors who's plaid Sir Gregor, the others being 7' and 7'1" according to Google.

[Anaraxes]

"Carry on Back" is given as BLx15 (B353). So, BL 95.5 means a hair under ST 22.

The world record for a back lift is something like 4 times that amount (or ST 46). This perhaps suggests that the BLx15 formula is off or at least not a match for a "back lift", rather than the occasional individual actually being that strong. Add your desired degree of cinematic results and stat normalization into the batter and stir well.

[Jeminai]

I'm so sorry. I don't think my OP was very clear.

I really wanted to know how strong the actor that plays the Mountain is. His feat is a documented feat in a real-world setting.

I just wanted to know all the game mechanics behind this particular show of real-world strength.

[Boge]

Considering things like Lifting ST and Extra Effort, it might not be as high as you initially think.

[Anaraxes]

Well, you seem to already know about the main two other factors (Lifting skill and Extra Effort).

Lifting skill means making assumptions about the skill level as well as how lucky the roll was. (At some point, you might as well just make assumptions about the ST, if you're just trying to match one data point.) It also has the difficulty that the skill is described as having "no effect on encumbrance or how much you can carry". That could well mean "Carry on Back" is not improved. Or maybe "carry" was really intended just to mean no change to encumbrance levels.

Extra Effort means making an assumption about Will. If he has Will 12 and rolled a 3, then he gets +45% to his BL. So his base BL would really be 95.5 / 1.45 = 65.9, and thus ST 18.

If Paul Anderson (the back lift record holder) had Lifting 20, and rolled a 3 (170% improvement), then his 6270-lb lift* would mean adjusted BL 418, or base BL 155, or ST 28.

--
* just moving the weight off the supports, without the five steps, so it's not really the same task -- another confounding variable in attempting to match real-world feats to game mechanics

[Michael Thayne]

Originally Posted by Jeminai

I'm so sorry. I don't think my OP was very clear.

I really wanted to know how strong the actor that plays the Mountain is. His feat is a documented feat in a real-world setting.

I just wanted to know all the game mechanics behind this particular show of real-world strength.

The answer is that existing rules for lifting do not handle power lifting well. Problems include (1) the Lifting skill is way too random (2) it doesn't reflect the risks involved (3) it doesn't reflect the preparation involved in getting ready for record-setting lifts. What it does do is give reasonably realistic answers to questions like "can you carry your buddy to safety?" that actually matter in an adventuring context.

[Andreas]

Lifting skill does not even enter into it in the first place since "Carry on Back" isn't a lift, so that makes his lifting ST easier to estimate.

"Carry on Back: 15xBL. Thus, you can carry more than you can lift by yourself"

[Anaraxes]

Originally Posted by Andreas

"Carry on Back: 15xBL. Thus, you can carry more than you can lift by yourself"

In the feats under discussion, the lifter isn't actually lifting the weights onto his back, either. They're pre-positioned, and he just ducks under a harness of some sort (in this case, a tree trunk that's already supported at shoulder height). Someone else did the lifting up to that shoulder height. The lifter does have to lift the weight a tiny amount (cms) to move it at all.

But that's true of "Carry On Back" as well, as people don't usually use the word "carry" to mean "trapped in one place, unable to move due to great weight". Some ability to move is implied, which implies some ability to move upward, else you'd just be pushing something along a floor -- much less weight, much more friction.

[Michael Thayne]

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

"Carry on Back" is given as BLx15 (B353). So, BL 95.5 means a hair under ST 22.

The world record for a back lift is something like 4 times that amount (or ST 46). This perhaps suggests that the BLx15 formula is off or at least not a match for a "back lift", rather than the occasional individual actually being that strong. Add your desired degree of cinematic results and stat normalization into the batter and stir well.

A back lift is just raising the weight a few inches, not even carrying it a few steps like in the OP's video. It's a sufficiently niche feat that I'd say GURPS just fails to account for it, period.