Here are some observations and questions about player character races who are small.
The small racial characteristic applies to gnomes and halflings in the Core Rulebook, and to certain other playable races as well.
When I play a small character, I carefully note, per that characteristic, that I gain these benefits and liabilities: a +1 size bonus to AC, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, a –1 penalty to Combat Maneuver Bonus and Combat Maneuver Defense, and a +4 size bonus on Stealth checks.
And I think a lot of the time, I've stopped there. I'd like to point out some other things about being small (one obvious and probably widely applied to characters, the other less so).
The first is weapons. Small sized creatures are meant to use small weapons. The main characteristics of small weapons are that they do less damage and weigh half the amount listed on Table 6-4 in the CRB. If they use "normal" weapons (those designed and built for use by medium-sized creatures), then the rules for Inappropriately Sized Weapons at p. 144 of the CRB come in to play.
That's the obvious thing.
The other thing, something I just learned today from another thread and something which I don't think is widely known and used, has to do with encumbrance and weight carried.
The table to look at here is 7-4, at p. 171 of the CRB (and Table 7-5 just below it will probably come into play as well). This is the Carrying Capacity table, and lists the numbers for light, medium, and heavy loads by strength. However, there's something important for small characters about this table that isn't immediately evident. For this important thing, we have to turn to the text headed Bigger and Smaller Creatures at p. 170.
There, we discover that "[t]he figures on Table 7–4 are for Medium bipedal creatures. A larger bipedal creature can carry more weight depending on its size category, as follows: Large ×2, Huge ×4, Gargantuan ×8, Colossal ×16. A smaller creature can carry less weight depending on its
size category, as follows: Small ×3/4, Tiny ×1/2, Diminutive ×1/4, Fine ×1/8."
Do you see the important thing there? Small creatures multiply the values on Table 7-4 by 3/4. A halfling with a strength of 10 isn't carrying a medium load (and thus entering encumbrance and taking, among other potential effects, a hit to her speed that takes her down to 15) at 34 pounds, but at 25 pounds.
Obviously the half weight on weapons (and armor) and the clarification in Ultimate Equipment (and perhaps elsewhere?) that the listed weights of clothing are quartered for small creatures helps a lot here, but I still imagine that there are a lot of gnomes and halflings being played carrying more weight than they wish they were, were they aware of this 3/4 rule for Table 7-4.
Those are my observations. My questions are these:
(1) Are there other game effects of being small that I haven't discussed here?
(2) This is very important, especially for Society play; does HeroLab take the 3/4 rule referred to above into account when figuring weight carried and encumbrance for small characters? (Related to this, it was recently mentioned on these boards that HeroLab apparently doesn't take the weight of clothing worn into account for weight carried.)
Cheers,
Christopher
Just a small addition. Quite a few of the "adventuring" items in UE have alternate weights listed for when they're crafted for Small creatures, not just clothing.
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#1 - I think that's pretty much it. Some mechanics function differently based on the relative sizes of two creatures (like being able to share a space without squeezing if the creatures are at least two size categories apart). But as far as inherent properties of smallness, I think you've got it covered.
#2 - I dunno, I don't use HeroLab (and this is part of why). :/
Thanks, Jiggy!
Any HeroLab users out there care to run a test for us?
I believe there are some penalties for Intimidate.
Oh, good catch!
"You also gain a +4 bonus on Intimidate checks if you are larger than your target and a -4 penalty on Intimidate checks if you are smaller than your target." --Core Rulebook, p. 99
Thanks!
Yes Herolab calculates the weight limit with 3/4 already if you're small sized (or the appropriate modifier if you're large, huge, tiny, quadruped, etc)
Most things that would be logically be smaller when used by a small sized creature get the reduced weight.
A mess kit for small creatures for example most likely has smaller plates, cups, pots etc than the one for medium creatures so they get reduced weight.
A bag of caltrops on the other hand would still be the same bag of caltrops and therefore wouldn't get reduced.
Just as a further note, small-sized characters use medium-sized mounts. This is important in closed-in areas such as dungeons, caves, tunnels, interior room encounters, etc.
While the medium-sized human cavalier must leave her horse outside...the halfling cavalier next to her can just ride her own wolf mount right in.
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You missed bag sizes. Per the Core Rulebook equipment chapter, under the table for misc equipment:
1 These items weigh one-quarter this amount when made for Small characters. Containers for Small characters also carry one-quarter the normal amount.
They can carry 3/4 as much, and their weapons and armor weigh 1/2 as much, and that's usually most PC's heaviest equipment. So small characters can usually carry more gear per strength point than their medium counterparts. The exception is when you have a lot of things to put in bags, and you don't have a Handy Haversack yet.
Edit: Wow - multi-ninja!
About the intimidate thing, there's the Taunt feat from Advanced Players Guide if you still want to try and demoralize enemies. The prereq for that feat is small size or smaller.
For that matter, there are other feats in APG that also have small size or smaller as a requirement, rather than being race-specific: Go Unnoticed, Low Profile, Under and Over, and Underfoot.
Yes Herolab calculates the weight limit with 3/4 already if you're small sized (or the appropriate modifier if you're large, huge, tiny, quadruped, etc)
Thank you, Quatar. This came up in another thread and even an employee of the company didn't know whether the rule was taken into effect!
They can carry 3/4 as much, and their weapons and armor weigh 1/2 as much, and that's usually most PC's heaviest equipment. So small characters can usually carry more gear per strength point than their medium counterparts.
This is a shrewd observation, thanks Fromper!
Thank you, Quatar. This came up in another thread and even an employee of the company didn't know whether the rule was taken into effect!Yes Herolab calculates the weight limit with 3/4 already if you're small sized (or the appropriate modifier if you're large, huge, tiny, quadruped, etc)
Ok now you had me doubting myself for a moment here so I double checked.
All with strength 10, max load:
Human - 100
Gnome - 75
Riding dog - 150
Horse - 300
So yes, works fine.
Herolab also automatically adjusts equipment for small sized weight, for those where it applies.
There are several combat maneuvers that small creatures can not perform on large or larger creatures.
Just an an observation:
"+4 size bonus on Stealth checks" is a HUGE thing at low levels.
Lets say you just have a +2 Dex mod starting and your in a class that has stealth as a class skill.
4 (Size) + 3 (Misc Class Skill) + 1 (Rank) + 2 (Dex) = +10
That's a +10 off the bad. Lord almighty is that fun.
I played a goblin rogue... yeah, no one was spotting me without glitter dust mid level.
I took that character to about 15th. I had a ring that gave me +10. I had a higher bonus then what glitter dust imposed. We had a joke that I could "hide in the glitterdust". THANKS SMALL SIZE :D
Thanks again, Quatar.
And that's a good observation, Ciaran, I should look those up, and maybe put all this stuff together in one post. A Guide to Being Small.
I imagine that such a guide would look at alternate racial characteristics, feats, traits...
Hmmm...are there any magic items that are expressly for Small creatures? Or that at least synergize very well with smallness?
Hmmm...are there any magic items that are expressly for Small creatures? Or that at least synergize very well with smallness?
Not finding anything on a quick look. Just that items that give the wearer natural attacks do less damage for Small users. And the Cap of Human Guise was originally used mostly by Small users, but the description indicates it works equally well for Small and Medium users. Hmmm...
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Hmmm...are there any magic items that are expressly for Small creatures? Or that at least synergize very well with smallness?Not finding anything on a quick look. Just that items that give the wearer natural attacks do less damage for Small users. And the Cap of Human Guise was originally used mostly by Small users, but the description indicates it works equally well for Small and Medium users. Hmmm...
Mule Back Cords from the APG.
Mule Back Cords from the APG.
I'll take it!
I guess, really, those are good for any low-strength character, and there are Medium low-strength characters and Small high-strength characters. But in general, yes, that certainly synergizes, thanks!
It takes up the shoulder slot however, and for most people that's reserved for the Cloak of Resistance.
I'm not sure I would say "most people", I have seen a fair number of characters use other shoulder items besides a cloak of resistance over the years.