3/4 carrying capacity for small small creatures
Bront
The man with the probe
Mass and leverage.
It's also to balance that most of their items are 1/2 or 1/4 the weight.
However, that is part of the problem I have with them also having the -2 strength, as they are already weaker in damage, and carrying capacity. I guess it makes up for their +1 AC, to hit, and hide bonus.
It's also to balance that most of their items are 1/2 or 1/4 the weight.
However, that is part of the problem I have with them also having the -2 strength, as they are already weaker in damage, and carrying capacity. I guess it makes up for their +1 AC, to hit, and hide bonus.
Space Coyote
First Post
Bront said:
Unfornately it is penalties like these which discourage my players from playing "small" races. Small races usually get as bonuses:
+1 AC
+1 to hit
+4 Hide
But then get penalized with:
Reduced carrying ability
Containers (like backpacks) are smaller and therefore they can carry even less.
-4 penalty to a bunch of thing like Bullrushing, grappling and busting down doors.
Having to use smaller weapons for less damage.
Reduced skills like Jumping
Reduced class abilities like a Monks unarmed damaged.
Reduced movement.
I think that there should be more bonuses, such as +4 to Balance and Escape Artist because of their smaller size (or something like that).
Infiniti2000
First Post
To be fair, though, you need to consider all the other bonuses the Small races get. For example, a +1 racial bonus on all saving throws is nontrivial. It has never been implied in my recollection that the bonuses/penalties from Small to Medium (or any size) were balanced by themselves. If that were, in fact, the case, then spells like enlarge person would be much less useful.Space Coyote said:
Pbartender
First Post
Grisu said:
You also have to remember that Small-sized weapons and armor (which accounts for most of any character's encumbrance) have 1/2 the weight of their Medium-sized counterparts, and many other bits of gear weigh only 1/4 as much. That means, encumbrance-wise, most small characters can actually carry one to two thirds more gear than a medium-sized character with the same strength score.
Add in to that the fact that small-sized creatures only consume 1/4 the amount of food and water (and hence only have to carry a quarter as much), and you'll find that small characters are far ahead of the game, with regards to encumbrance.
We have two small race PCs in our group out of six:
A Gnome Sorcerer and a Halfling Cleric.
The Cleric rarely fights, so this is not an issue for him.
The Sorcerer never fights, so again, not an issue.
The small races are nice for non- or low combative type classes, just like the larger races are nice for combative type classes.
The game would not make much sense if Halflings were better fighters on average than Ogres.
A Gnome Sorcerer and a Halfling Cleric.
The Cleric rarely fights, so this is not an issue for him.
The Sorcerer never fights, so again, not an issue.
The small races are nice for non- or low combative type classes, just like the larger races are nice for combative type classes.
The game would not make much sense if Halflings were better fighters on average than Ogres.
Ridley's Cohort
First Post
There are certainly downsides to being Small, but carrying capacity is not one of them. The weight discount for Small-sized items more than makes up for the -2 Str mod and reduced capacity.
A Str 10 Gnome is not at any carrying capacity disadvantage relative to a Str 12 Human.
A Str 10 Gnome is not at any carrying capacity disadvantage relative to a Str 12 Human.
Pbartender
First Post
KarinsDad said:
Heh... I recently played a Goblin Swashbuckler/Rogue/Invisible Blade who forced a giant to make a massive damage save with a single critical sneak attack with his dagger.
The small guys can make great combatants. You just have to play to their strengths... And take lots of class levels that grant Sneak Attack dice.
Bront
The man with the probe
Very good point.Infiniti2000 said:
The Gnome gets inate magical abilities, which, no mater how limited, is pretty cool. The halfling gets extra bonuses to hit with some weapons, again, quite nice.
Add in that Riding Dogs are pretty cool and cheep, that helps as well.
Yes, they're not going to be good wrestlers, but that makes sense.
Also, a halfling or gnome in heavy armor is slowed less, so it's less of a disadvantage for them to have it.
If a halfling were medium, but got the same bonuses they did racialy, people would be screaming unbalanced. Same with the Gnome. Size is part of their disadvantage, much like it's hard to find a large race that has an LA of 0 (Even the ones like the Goliath or Half-Giant, which aren't large but in particular circumstances).
