I have a 95 pound elf with a 15 STR. according to the Carrying Capacity chart in 3.5, his heavy load is 200#, he can lift double the max load over his head, off the ground and stumble around with it, and can push or drag 5X the max load. I am having a hard time seeing an elf lift that much weight. Am I missing something?
Carrying load and physique, is it possible???
- Thread starter LadyDM
- Start date
Elves and halflings are made of that special kind of flesh where the muscle fibres are just so much denser than those of humans. It's all genetics - it's the quality that counts, not the quantity.
Seriously though, a lot of D&D is rather strange if you look at it closely, particularly in this area of lifting and strength. Given that it's an magical and mystical world, all things are possible and comparing to real-world physics in just not viable.
Pinotage
Seriously though, a lot of D&D is rather strange if you look at it closely, particularly in this area of lifting and strength. Given that it's an magical and mystical world, all things are possible and comparing to real-world physics in just not viable.
Pinotage
Thanee
First Post
How so? Elves are equally powerful as humans are, even though their build is more fragile.
They are not just physically weaker humans, they have a different physiology.
And Str 15 is way beyond average, too.
The only thing, which might be off there is the 95 lb. weight, should be a bit higher than that.
Bye
Thanee
They are not just physically weaker humans, they have a different physiology.
And Str 15 is way beyond average, too.
The only thing, which might be off there is the 95 lb. weight, should be a bit higher than that.
Bye
Thanee
Lasher Dragon
First Post
Makes me wonder how much Bruce Lee weighed, and what he could lift.
Squire James
Explorer
The D&D system makes a few sacrifices of realism in favor of simple game mechanics. Encumbrance is based on STR and general size alone, while a realistic model would be some complicated formula that probably takes CON into account. It may be tough to envision an elf easily toting his weight in items, but most elves are in the 10-11 STR range so most can't. "Burly" elves with 15 STR, however, can do it. Not every elf has "noodle arms"!
Also, note that the height & weight tables for characters have absolutely no relation to the character's Strength (or Constitution, for that matter). So, it's possible to have a PC with an 18 Strength, who's as skinny / light as his race allows.
Still, overall, I wouldn't worry too much about it. It's a fantasy game, after all.
Still, overall, I wouldn't worry too much about it. It's a fantasy game, after all.
Ridley's Cohort
First Post
Just coarseness of the system to keep things playable. Instead of weights, we have very broad size categories. It is trivial to make the system more realistic, but it is not worth the trouble.
dvvega
Explorer
The 95lb elf sounds a bit off anyway.
If you want the realistic/scientific thing you need to note that muscle is dense, and as such 1lb of muscle is about 6lbs of fat. So Bruce Lee was probably heavier than he looked. He was essentially all muscle and sinew, very little fat. So he would weigh the same as a sedentary office worker twice his size (an example not an exact figure).
The poster who jokingly stated that halflings and elves have denser muscle would be 100% correct if their height/weight charts indicated they were heavier on a ration basis. For example a 6' human weight 100lbs compared to a 3' halfling weighing 100lbs would indicate that the halfling density is greater than a human's. However this is not the case.
A dwarf however is desner than a human by the height/weight charts in the PHB.
Back to the elf. 95 lbs you say ... well to generate a 95 lb elf, you had to have pretty low on the height/weight charts. You're probably looking at a 5' elf in this case.
To explain his strength (15) he is probably devoid of fat or close to it. The average - non "peak" human make is about 12-20% fat depending on who you speak to. Your elf may be extremely low in fat (mmm healthy snack for a dragon) so may be 2% thus they could certainly be 95lb but as strong as Bruce Lee.
Wow I must be bored ...
D
If you want the realistic/scientific thing you need to note that muscle is dense, and as such 1lb of muscle is about 6lbs of fat. So Bruce Lee was probably heavier than he looked. He was essentially all muscle and sinew, very little fat. So he would weigh the same as a sedentary office worker twice his size (an example not an exact figure).
The poster who jokingly stated that halflings and elves have denser muscle would be 100% correct if their height/weight charts indicated they were heavier on a ration basis. For example a 6' human weight 100lbs compared to a 3' halfling weighing 100lbs would indicate that the halfling density is greater than a human's. However this is not the case.
A dwarf however is desner than a human by the height/weight charts in the PHB.
Back to the elf. 95 lbs you say ... well to generate a 95 lb elf, you had to have pretty low on the height/weight charts. You're probably looking at a 5' elf in this case.
To explain his strength (15) he is probably devoid of fat or close to it. The average - non "peak" human make is about 12-20% fat depending on who you speak to. Your elf may be extremely low in fat (mmm healthy snack for a dragon) so may be 2% thus they could certainly be 95lb but as strong as Bruce Lee.
Wow I must be bored ...
D
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