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Old 04-19-2016, 06:42 PM   #11
Anthony
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Berkeley, CA
Default Re: Snakes and Size Modifier

Quote:
Originally Posted by Flyndaran View Post
I never said mammalian snake. I said mammal of comparable mass, which is still silly. 30 lb snakes will not eat anywhere near as much as 30 lbs mammals.
That's because you're comparing reptiles to mammals, has nothing to do with body configuration.
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Old 04-19-2016, 08:34 PM   #12
Flyndaran
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Default Re: Snakes and Size Modifier

Okay, you're right I miswrote.
I should have said, "comparably massed reptile".
A thirty pound snake should eat almost exactly the same amount as a thirty pound lizard regardless of how they differ in SM by longest dimension.

Frequenting the 130 character limited site Imgur has promoted some bad habits. Brevity should never take priority over clarity.
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Old 04-19-2016, 09:06 PM   #13
Anthony
 
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Default Re: Snakes and Size Modifier

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Originally Posted by Flyndaran View Post
Okay, you're right I miswrote.
I should have said, "comparably massed reptile".
A thirty pound snake should eat almost exactly the same amount as a thirty pound lizard regardless of how they differ in SM by longest dimension.
I'm not convinced that's true, but unless you're making a comparison to a turtle (which will eat less...) there's not really going to be that much difference; standard lizard configurations aren't dramatically different from snakes in terms of surface area vs body.
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Old 04-19-2016, 09:44 PM   #14
Flyndaran
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Default Re: Snakes and Size Modifier

Come on. You must be intentionally misunderstanding me. A 7 foot long 10 lb SM+1 rattlesnake will not eat as much as a 7 foot long 150 lb SM+1 Komodo dragon.
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Old 04-19-2016, 10:12 PM   #15
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Default Re: Snakes and Size Modifier

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Originally Posted by Flyndaran
Come on. You must be intentionally misunderstanding me. A 7 foot long 10 lb SM+1 rattlesnake will not eat as much as a 7 foot long 150 lb SM+1 Komodo dragon.
No, I don't think he's intentionally misunderstanding you. Your initial statement that he was responding to was:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Flyndaran
Okay, you're right I miswrote.
I should have said, "comparably massed reptile".
A thirty pound snake should eat almost exactly the same amount as a thirty pound lizard regardless of how they differ in SM by longest dimension.
When he responded that he didn't think a 30 lb. lizard would differ significantly from a 30 lb. snake you responded by comparing a 10 lb. rattlesnake to a 750 lb. Komodo dragon. To make the point clearer, mass is measured in lbs. and the mass of the Komodo dragon differs from the mass of the 10 lb. rattlesnake by a factor of 75x.

Now, a 7 ft. Komodo dragon may very well eat more that a 7 ft. rattlesnake but that's essentially SM by length which is directly the opposite of your post which stated "regardless of how they differ by SM."
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Old 04-19-2016, 10:24 PM   #16
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Default Re: Snakes and Size Modifier

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Originally Posted by Flyndaran View Post
Come on. You must be intentionally misunderstanding me. A 7 foot long 10 lb SM+1 rattlesnake will not eat as much as a 7 foot long 150 lb SM+1 Komodo dragon.
It also doesn't have anywhere comparable surface area.
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Old 04-19-2016, 11:52 PM   #17
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Default Re: Snakes and Size Modifier

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Originally Posted by Anthony View Post
It also doesn't have anywhere comparable surface area.
SM's usage really being about area is somewhat true, but it's projection area, not surface area.
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Old 04-20-2016, 01:49 AM   #18
Anthony
 
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Default Re: Snakes and Size Modifier

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Originally Posted by Ulzgoroth View Post
SM's usage really being about area is somewhat true, but it's projection area, not surface area.
While true, they tend to be fairly closely correlated.
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Old 04-20-2016, 01:49 AM   #19
Flyndaran
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Default Re: Snakes and Size Modifier

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Originally Posted by Anthony View Post
It also doesn't have anywhere comparable surface area.
In R.A.W. SM is about longest dimension with a slight adjustment for unusual shapes.
I don't see any suggestion for making a 7 foot snake -3 SM for food requirments as the aforementioned 10 lb snake should have.
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Old 04-20-2016, 03:22 AM   #20
Lord Azagthoth
 
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Default Re: Snakes and Size Modifier

I use a house rule for starships (which could be implemented for creatures) which I call Tactical SM. I just wrote down the SM for all sides (top, ventral, left, right, front, and back) and it becomes relevant for the attacker and defender to take tactical postions either to get the best chance of hitting or trying to get the best chance for your attacker to miss.

Instead of Quick Contest Piloting rolls to get this advantage, you have to roll against Tactics or another appropriate skill.
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