Character Size Rules

[rgrove0172]

So, you get a flat modifier to your Base Attack due to your size, its not a function of the difference between you and your target?

Also a small character has his carrying capacity reduced to 3/4 but his armor weight is x 1/2 right?

[rgrove0172]

Oops, one more. Where is the chart showing the size modifier to Combat Maneuvers?

[Joana]

Size bonuses and penalties table

rgrove0172 wrote:

So, you get a flat modifier to your Base Attack due to your size, its not a function of the difference between you and your target?

Yes, as referenced in the table.

rgrove0172 wrote:

Also a small character has his carrying capacity reduced to 3/4 but his armor weight is x 1/2 right?

Additional Rules>Carrying Capacity wrote:

Bigger and Smaller Creatures: The figures on Table: Carrying Capacity 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.

Equipment>Weapons wrote:

This column gives the weight of a Medium version of the weapon. Halve this number for Small weapons and double it for Large weapons.

Equipment>Armor wrote:

Weight figures are for armor sized to fit Medium characters. Armor fitted for Small characters weighs half as much, and armor fitted for Large characters weighs twice as much.

Equipment>Goods and Services wrote:

[Certain] items weigh one-quarter this amount when made for Small characters. Containers for Small characters also carry one-quarter the normal amount.

My presumption is that Small characters get a little "extra" carrying capacity because they take a penalty to Str, preventing them from carrying as much as a Medium character with the same stats before racial adjustments. Also, not all equipment can be sized for Small characters: rope and other standard adventuring equipment, as well as all wondrous items, weigh the same for Small and Medium characters.

[KahnyaGnorc]

rgrove0172 wrote:

So, you get a flat modifier to your Base Attack due to your size, its not a function of the difference between you and your target?

You get both a flat modifier to Attack AND AC. Those two combined create a relative bonus. (If you and your target are both large, your -1's cancel each others' out, while if you are large and your target is small, your -1 and his +1 creates a relative penalty of -2 for you and a relative +2 bonus for him.)

[Speaker for the Dead]

It's assumed in encounters that the characters are medium creatures. Monsters have the minuses or plus' for their size built into their stats already. If you're character is other than medium size, then a flat modifier is added to account for the difference.

[Bizbag]

rgrove0172 wrote:

So, you get a flat modifier to your Base Attack due to your size, its not a function of the difference between you and your target?

Also a small character has his carrying capacity reduced to 3/4 but his armor weight is x 1/2 right?

Relative size is accounted for, as mentioned above, by the attack modifier and AC modifier being equal for the same size.

Assume an ogre and a halfling, with no AC or attack modifiers except for size. The halfling needs to roll two less to hit the Ogre than vice versa: the Ogre has -1 AC and the halfling +1 to hit, so he has a net "size advantage" of 2.

The bigger the relative size, the bigger the relative advantage. Consider a cat and a Colossal dragon, again with no other modifiers. The cat has +2 to hit and the dragon -8 AC, for a relative net "size advantage" of 10.

Long story short , relative size does matter, but it's built in already.

And yes, 3/4 capacity but 1/2 armor weight. That's actually not far from truth, too; mass is cubic but muscle strength is quadratic (approximately). That's why ants can carry big rocks, and why elephants can't jump.