D&D General Comparing Giant Sizes

Anders Johnson, a Swedish artist over on ArtStation, has an awesome image in which he compares the relative sizes of various D&D giants.

 

[dave2008]

But then the same would apply to humans vs. goblins or kobolds.

Not quite, the kobold or goblin is using the same size sword or dagger that a human uses, and they are not that much different in size. A giants sword is 3x the size of a humans sword. It simple has to travel a lot further. I'm not making this stuff up, it is geometry, physics, and mechanics - science baby!

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I believe that's pretty simple, isn't it?

If the assumption is that a human sized fighter can not just take a hit from a giant, then the combat can only go with the giant not hitting the human until the last blow.

So while the human nibbles away the giant's hp with small hit after small hit, the giant depletes the human's hp with him having to narrowly avoid blow after blow (until the very last hit in case the giant wins).

Unfortunately that makes the makes the giant a lumbering brute and ignores that they are supposed to have sophisticated cultures with their own renowned martial arts styles and fencing masters.

To do the giant justice he has to hit the human often and reliably, but when a single hit would end the human, that causes a problem.

Or, we just imagine that the size difference makes it harder to hit a skilled opponent less than half your size.

 

[doctorhook]

I 100% do not understand the why the heights of giants is such a big deal. Thus far the argument seems to be, “I don’t like that they’re taller,” which isn’t very compelling.

 

[Smarmot]

Mod Edit: funny, but not fitting with the ENWorld ToS.

 

[DND_Reborn]

Edited text

Well, now I have a good reason to stop watching this thread. Pretty not cool...

Mod Edit: and please don’t quote stuff that is foreseeably going to get modded.

 

[Mirtek]

Not quite, the kobold or goblin is using the same size sword or dagger that a human uses, and they are not that much different in size. A giants sword is 3x the size of a humans sword. It simple has to travel a lot further. I'm not making this stuff up, it is geometry, physics, and mechanics - science baby!

While that is true, a giant is also able to generate a lot more energie to make it move.

 

[dave2008]

While that is true, a giant is also able to generate a lot more energie to make it move.

That goes without saying, and I am not sure what you are suggesting. Remember, by virtue of its size, a giant, has to use a lot more energy just to move as effectively as a human (which = 3x the time). If you want a giant to move more effectively, swing a sword in 1 second, than it needs to be a lot stronger (relatively speaking), which of course would mean even more damage!

Remember also that a giant* moving at human speed (3 second attack vs 1 second attack) should have approximately 64 x the damage of human attack of the same type. If you want them to attack faster (1 sec vs 1 sec) it should be a lot more damage. Personally I don't want to roll all of those d8s!

*I assumed a 24' giant for the ease of the math

 

[dave2008]

While that is true, a giant is also able to generate a lot more energie to make it move.

Also, your point was that giants not being able to hit smaller humans made them look stupid. I am simply saying that is not the case, IMO. It is, by virtue of their size, harder for a giant to hit a human. On top of that, like I said before, I would expect giants to be trained to fight giants and other monsters (namely dragons). So, to me, the idea that a giant has a hard time taking down a human fighter running around has nothing to do with their intelligence or martial abilities.

YMMV

 

[Tony Vargas]

And yet combat between such a giant and a human fighter comes down to just standing next to each other in their squares on the battle mat and swinging their swords at one another and blocking and parrying each others blow,

Your DM lets you block and parry?

But, yeah, giants are the Fighters of the D&D monster world: they just attack.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Some time I imagine a new martial maneuver with an effect like the jump spell to be used by little humanoids (halflings or gnomes) against giants and large or huge enemies. Other martial maneuver would be a spell-like effect like boomerangs, with little and light throwing weapons as surikens or knives.

Have you tried a combat between a spear, or a spiked chain against a knife? You may be very fast but usually the longer weapon can attack first most of times.... but when the enemy would rather throwing weapons as daggers or axes.

Usually somebody who can live for more hundred years has enough time to train with weapons as slings, or with atlatl(spear-throwers), or a Swiss arrow, thrown without bow. In the battlefield the poison wasn't used because they would need industrial qualities, but in a dungeon defenders can allow themself because the idea is almost never will be spent. Some time to spend money to get poisoned arrows against giants is cheaper than losing squads.

And even giants could face with big beasts whose rider is a little humanoid as a gnome. In fantasy worlds lots of beasts would be used in the warfare as cheaper cannon fodder because magic with mind-affecting effects can help to train and tame savage animals. Let's imagine in the battle harmless illusory runes appear on the chest of the enemies, only to be marked as target by trained beasts as bulls or even mammoths.