Beefermatic
Hero
So, a problem I've long run into is the non-linear size penalty to AC and Attack. At a certain point it is impossible to compensate for as the bonuses super large beings gain are absolutely not equivalent to the minuses it receives. Thusly I've decided to post what I do to make giant sized creatures more viable and easier to use in game in terms of statistically.
What I do is very simple, on page 4 of the Immortals Handbook Bestiary Volume 1, there is a Size chart, labelled Table 1-3. here you can see that the minus to AC and Attack doubles each additional size and past the Titanic size category, the minus becomes very unbalancing. The way I compensate for this is to simply make it grow at the same rate as other statistical plusses and minuses gained or lost as size increases, gaining a simple -4 penalty each additional size category beyond Titanic.
Thusly, my size Penalties to AC and Attack gained past Titanic are as follows:
Titanic: -16
Macro-Fine: -20
Macro-Diminutive: -24
Macro-Tiny: -28
Macro-Small: -32
Macro-Medium: -36
Macro-Large: -40
Macro-Huge: -44
Macro-Gargantuan: -48
Macro-Collossal: -52
Macro-Titanic: -56
This is in more line with the Hide penalty and Grapple bonus and makes handling super large beings statistically quite simple and much more balanced. There is a bit of a discrepancy from Colossal to Titanic, but as the old Epic Level Handbook lays out the stats for Colossal + as a size category, and that size category is in essence Titanic, I just ignore it. Feel free to reduce the bonus to Titanic to -12 if you feel the need to.
Hope this variant rule makes your campaigns a little easier.
What I do is very simple, on page 4 of the Immortals Handbook Bestiary Volume 1, there is a Size chart, labelled Table 1-3. here you can see that the minus to AC and Attack doubles each additional size and past the Titanic size category, the minus becomes very unbalancing. The way I compensate for this is to simply make it grow at the same rate as other statistical plusses and minuses gained or lost as size increases, gaining a simple -4 penalty each additional size category beyond Titanic.
Thusly, my size Penalties to AC and Attack gained past Titanic are as follows:
Titanic: -16
Macro-Fine: -20
Macro-Diminutive: -24
Macro-Tiny: -28
Macro-Small: -32
Macro-Medium: -36
Macro-Large: -40
Macro-Huge: -44
Macro-Gargantuan: -48
Macro-Collossal: -52
Macro-Titanic: -56
This is in more line with the Hide penalty and Grapple bonus and makes handling super large beings statistically quite simple and much more balanced. There is a bit of a discrepancy from Colossal to Titanic, but as the old Epic Level Handbook lays out the stats for Colossal + as a size category, and that size category is in essence Titanic, I just ignore it. Feel free to reduce the bonus to Titanic to -12 if you feel the need to.
Hope this variant rule makes your campaigns a little easier.
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