"I think Hydrogen is a rare element" and other science facts.

assuming both are of similar body composition and build, due to the fundamental laws of physics and biomechanics.
Which is the problem. Why would we assume that?

You said science makes it "impossible". It doesn't. Your assumptions are the issue here.

I notice none of your links are to scholarly articles, but rather Google searches, which tells us an awful lot. You didn't provide any data at all as it turned out. Indeed it looks awfully like you're relying on the Google AI summaries.
Plus due to the square cube law net strength is going to be lower for the larger creature of similar build.

Similar to how an ant the size of a dog would have less carrying capacity than a regular ant due to its weight because its weight increases disproportionally fast

The assumption of similar build and composition actually makes it more wrong

The correct assumption to make this true would be to assume that it happens in space where the larger creature doesn't have to support its weight or the weight of its limbs
 
Last edited:

log in or register to remove this ad

Which is the problem. Why would we assume that?

You said science makes it "impossible". It doesn't. Your assumptions are the issue here.

I notice none of your links are to scholarly articles, but rather Google searches, which tells us an awful lot. You didn't provide any data at all as it turned out. Indeed it looks awfully like you're relying on the Google AI summaries.

There are links in the information I provided... Including the Wikipedia article.

But still, you provide nothing.

Get back to me when you can quote a "scholarly article" that counters the information I posted.

Otherwise, the assumption is that you're just blowing smoke.
 



..when normalized for body size....

Which brings me back to my original point about size/strength differences.

Why am I the only person that provided sources so far?...
Did you miss my next line? Chimps are stronger than humans in some ways.





Mind, the last three articles are pop-science-ing the study in the first link, but the study in the first link is written in science-ese.

Yes, chimps are a bit stronger than humans in many ways. No, they can't outperform humans in the long run. Much like horses can't outrun humans in a long enough race.

If you want to write an entire subsystem for a game like D&D wherein whenever a Small species such as halflings has to make a Con save after performing an exceptionally good Strength check or they take exhaustion or suffer some other penalty to represent the fact that longer muscle fibers aren't good for long-term exertion, go ahead. However, if you do so, I will require you to create an entire phylogenetic tree showing exactly how humans and halflings are related and make sure that this also accounts for how a human can quite easily be stronger than a Large ogre.

And at the same time, you will also need to say that a horse can only move at a Dash for 1d4 minutes before taking exhaustion.

Or, y'know, you can accept that fantasy people don't have to be built just like real-world humans are.

 

"The square-cube law states that as an object's size increases, its surface area increases proportionally to the square of the scaling factor, while its volume (and therefore mass) increases proportionally to the cube of the scaling factor. This means that the ratio of mass to surface area increases with size, which can have significant implications for strength, stability, and other properties. "

"If an animal were isometrically scaled up by a considerable amount, its relative muscular strength would be severely reduced"

 

Did you miss my next line? Chimps are stronger than humans in some ways.





Mind, the last three articles are pop-science-ing the study in the first link, but the study in the first link is written in science-ese.

Yes, chimps are a bit stronger than humans in many ways. No, they can't outperform humans in the long run. Much like horses can't outrun humans in a long enough race.

If you want to write an entire subsystem for a game like D&D wherein whenever a Small species such as halflings has to make a Con save after performing an exceptionally good Strength check or they take exhaustion or suffer some other penalty to represent the fact that longer muscle fibers aren't good for long-term exertion, go ahead. However, if you do so, I will require you to create an entire phylogenetic tree showing exactly how humans and halflings are related and make sure that this also accounts for how a human can quite easily be stronger than a Large ogre.

And at the same time, you will also need to say that a horse can only move at a Dash for 1d4 minutes before taking exhaustion.

Or, y'know, you can accept that fantasy people don't have to be built just like real-world humans are.
I'm good with all of that, and if these issues came up in my game I would address them as needed in as realistic fashion as I can, with player input. For example, I've always assumed that halflings are proportional to humans but smaller, such that the average halfling is weaker physically than the average human. Nothing at any table at which I've played has flown in the face of that belief such that a logic problem arose.
 




Remove ads

Top