Thanks for taking the time to post a new comment or a reply to one! First scan these quick notes, if you please:
General
* Currently, previewing a post is optional; you're welcome to preview or post immediately.
* You should see plain text input by default; click "enable rich text" for fancy formatting tools. (Some people love that and some don't. Be aware that formatting tool performance may vary by browser.)
* With apologies to all, "captcha" questions may face unregistered posters. Otherwise, the spam flow will dwarf the Nile.
Registration and login
* Registration is available! Sign up here. Chief benefits at present include the ability to edit your own comments, bookmark favorite content, and manage subscriptions (newsletter, threads, etc.).
* If you'd prefer to post as an unregistered visitor, that's welcome too. Just leave "Your name" as the default "Esteemed Visitor", or type in some other name. (But if you happen to type in a name used by a registered user – say, "tbone" – you'll get an error telling you so when you hit "post comment". And while your post text should still be there, waiting for a revised user name, there's a chance it could disappear.)
* If you're a registered user but haven't logged in and want to post a quick comment as Esteemed Visitor, that's fine; see above.
* If you're a registered user but haven't logged in, and enter your user name under "Your name" when posting, you'll get an error saying that's the name of a registered user. That's a good thing; it means strangers can't make posts under your user name! But as above, there's a chance of losing your post text. It's best to log in first here, and then start your posting.
Final
All the above is standard stuff for community web sites, but reminders are good; I hate post-related glitches, and hate to see people run into them on this site. On this or any site, it's a good practice to do a quick "Select All" and "Copy" on your post text before hitting "Preview comment" or "Post comment" – just in case.
For more on the whole topic of interaction with the site, please see User Interaction (opens in new window).
Patron advantage
How's everything?
Enjoying your Games Diner meal? Is the wait staff attentive? Is the chef bathed? (Then it must be a Sunday.) You do know that a little eggshell in the French toast adds calcium, right?
First of all: I think that you really ought to address both Books 1 and 2 (Scaling and Mobility) in this project. "The proportional strength of a spider" is too big of an issue to put off.
Hello, Dataweaver! A bit like old times again. : )
In a full version, I think some level of the ST/mass rules could be added; they're good stuff.
For a super-short version, though, I think it can be ignored. It's my impression that while a lot of players would like a quick guide to building size and its most visible manifestation (strength) into characters, far fewer are concerned with detailed mobility effects.
Maybe a simple version – quick rules of thumb for adjusting DX for SM – would give the flavor, without requiring anything new for players to wrap their heads around?
Dataweaver wrote:
Other than that: 4e already has a system for this, which ought to be considered: HP can be calculated from mass (and then adjusted up or down by a percentage for structural issues);mass can be determined from SM (adjusting for build); and ST is directly proportional to HP.
That's fine for reverse-engineering HP and ST for a creature of known mass. But how about building a new odd-sized creature? You can use base mass and then linear scale to set its final mass, and then work backward from that to get ST – but I think a quickie rule to instantly eyeball the creature's ST is what people want most. And that's as simple as "multiply base ST by linear scale", but unless I'm not seeing it, that's missing from print in the Basic Set.
Dataweaver wrote:
Furthermore, GURPS Bio-Tech (for 4e) has comprehensive rules for the biological effects of scaling a creature up or down. Look that over before deciding what does or doesn't need to be addressed.
Good advice. I will definitely do that.
Reply
Build a site!
Cast Seek Spell
THE TAKEOUT MENU
For collaborators, contributors, or the curious. Notice of site updates; project announcements; calls for playtesting; etc.
First of all: I think that you really ought to address both Books 1 and 2 (Scaling and Mobility) in this project. "The proportional strength of a spider" is too big of an issue to put off.
Hello, Dataweaver! A bit like old times again. : )
In a full version, I think some level of the ST/mass rules could be added; they're good stuff.
For a super-short version, though, I think it can be ignored. It's my impression that while a lot of players would like a quick guide to building size and its most visible manifestation (strength) into characters, far fewer are concerned with detailed mobility effects.
Maybe a simple version – quick rules of thumb for adjusting DX for SM – would give the flavor, without requiring anything new for players to wrap their heads around?
Other than that: 4e already has a system for this, which ought to be considered: HP can be calculated from mass (and then adjusted up or down by a percentage for structural issues);mass can be determined from SM (adjusting for build); and ST is directly proportional to HP.
That's fine for reverse-engineering HP and ST for a creature of known mass. But how about building a new odd-sized creature? You can use base mass and then linear scale to set its final mass, and then work backward from that to get ST – but I think a quickie rule to instantly eyeball the creature's ST is what people want most. And that's as simple as "multiply base ST by linear scale", but unless I'm not seeing it, that's missing from print in the Basic Set.
Furthermore, GURPS Bio-Tech (for 4e) has comprehensive rules for the biological effects of scaling a creature up or down. Look that over before deciding what does or doesn't need to be addressed.
Good advice. I will definitely do that.