Olgar Shiverstone
Legend
Which multiplier should be used for calculating carrying capacity for flying creatures in flight, bipedal or quadrupedal?
The calculation itself seems straightforward -- maximum lifting capacity = maximum load, and then apply a multiplier based on size. I can understand quadrupeds having a greater capacity (since the musculature of all limbs is in use carrying the load, whereas a biped has musculature not being used as efficiently) -- the question is how to apply that to flying creatures. My gut says treat birds as bipeds; though a greater portion of their musculature is devoted to their wings than legs, this is offset by the fact that it takes significantly more power to fly with a given weight than to walk with it. But that's real-world physics, and mixing the real-world and D&D is usually a no-no ...
So I look in the MM, and the Giant Eagle, Giant Owl, Hippogriff, and Griffon (the only flying creatures I can find with a carrying capacity listed) all use the x3 multiplier of quadrupeds. They're all magical beasts; should I chalk that up to magic (especially given the bizarre anatomies of Hippogriffs and Griffons), or should that be a general rule for anything that has wings?
The reason behind the question:
The party's 8th level druid wants to wild shape into something that flies and carry party members; I'm trying to figure out what he can reasonably carry. The bipedal modifiers seem intuitively more correct to me -- I just have a hard time envisioning eagles lifting more than horses without magic being involved.
Edit: And what's up with the Dire Bat? Large and Str 17 at 5HD, but an 8HD Dire Hawk is Medium and Str 12. *shakes head* Just no logic ... *slap* it's D&D!
The calculation itself seems straightforward -- maximum lifting capacity = maximum load, and then apply a multiplier based on size. I can understand quadrupeds having a greater capacity (since the musculature of all limbs is in use carrying the load, whereas a biped has musculature not being used as efficiently) -- the question is how to apply that to flying creatures. My gut says treat birds as bipeds; though a greater portion of their musculature is devoted to their wings than legs, this is offset by the fact that it takes significantly more power to fly with a given weight than to walk with it. But that's real-world physics, and mixing the real-world and D&D is usually a no-no ...
So I look in the MM, and the Giant Eagle, Giant Owl, Hippogriff, and Griffon (the only flying creatures I can find with a carrying capacity listed) all use the x3 multiplier of quadrupeds. They're all magical beasts; should I chalk that up to magic (especially given the bizarre anatomies of Hippogriffs and Griffons), or should that be a general rule for anything that has wings?
The reason behind the question:
The party's 8th level druid wants to wild shape into something that flies and carry party members; I'm trying to figure out what he can reasonably carry. The bipedal modifiers seem intuitively more correct to me -- I just have a hard time envisioning eagles lifting more than horses without magic being involved.
Edit: And what's up with the Dire Bat? Large and Str 17 at 5HD, but an 8HD Dire Hawk is Medium and Str 12. *shakes head* Just no logic ... *slap* it's D&D!
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