What should Giants really look like?

[Cthulhudrew]

I was reading something recently about the unsuitability for the human skeletal structure to sustain really large people. Now, I should probably know more about this than I do, but sadly I never really paid much attention in my physical anthro classes (was always more into the social/cultural anthro), so I must claim ignorance.

We've got a lot of smart people here, so maybe someone else can comment on the veracity of this theory, and if true- what sort of bodies would "real" giants need in order to sustain their mass? In short, what would D&D's giants look like in the real world?

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

I vaguely remember this from a mathematics/biology class. Leg cross-sectional area should increase disproportionately quickly compared to the rest of the creature's body. I don't recall the exact formula, but I seem to recall the modifier was greater than 2 (if doubling the height) but less than eight.

A giant would then have really really thick legs in order to walk (unless it's an aquatic creature).

 

[Aeric]

Here's an interesting site I came across last year. It talks about giants as described in the Bible and also giant skeletons found (documented or otherwise) throughout history:

http://www.stevequayle.com/Giants/index2.html

In all cases, the skeletons seem to be similar if not identical to regular ol' humans.

 

[Woas]

Well, isn't it the same general case with insects too? The old saying that ants are super strong and can carry 100x, 1000x, or I dunno, maybe even so people say 1,000,000x their own weight just for the extra sarcasm... yet that only works on the ants scale. An ant enlarged to the size one would typically see in a B-rate Sci-fi movie would collapse under itself.

So I would figure giants to function normally would need feet like an elephant. Wide and stubby to distribute the weight. And I would imagen a giants back bone/back muscles and other shoulder area muscles would be extra large to hold the weight of the upper body and keep it from slumping down.

 

[trancejeremy]

Here's an interesting site I came across last year. It talks about giants as described in the Bible and also giant skeletons found (documented or otherwise) throughout history:

http://www.stevequayle.com/Giants/index2.html

Heh, the guy trademarked his own name.

 

[Coplen]

Here's an interesting site I came across last year. It talks about giants as described in the Bible and also giant skeletons found (documented or otherwise) throughout history:

http://www.stevequayle.com/Giants/index2.html

In all cases, the skeletons seem to be similar if not identical to regular ol' humans.

That site is crazy. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time.

 

[Sejs]

In all cases, the skeletons seem to be similar if not identical to regular ol' humans.

I seem to recall most of the time the skeletons that were thought to be giant mythical people actually were the bones of cave bears. Skeletal structure very similar to that of a huge man, and with a fearsome beastial head. Hands, feet, no tail to speak of, can stand upright, real easy to draw fantastic conclusions when you don't have the benefit of all the fleshy bits covering it up.

 

[Hussar]

See, while I'm not biologist, I know that this:

doesn't work. You can't simply scale up like that. Human bones would snap like twigs under that pressure.

Really, if we want to be realistic about this, most of the giants just don't work. Bipeds without tails over about 12 or 14 feet just don't work. The spine can't take the strain and nor can the legs. Even a cave bear isn't a biped, even if it can stand on its hind legs. Sure, it could shuffle a few feet forward, but, after that it's back on all fours.

IMHO, a giant would likely be more like a great ape - sort of bipedal. It moves using its arms and legs for support. I dunno if you could scale up a body that large that it would be able to rise up on its hind legs, but, it seems like you might.

 

[S'mon]

I think the largest known ape skeletons from SE Asia are around 12'. South American giant sloths went to near on 18' AIR, tyrannosaurs even bigger, and giraffes are pretty darn tall. Most of the regular Monster Manual giants are pretty plausible, actually - a 10' hill giant or 12' fire giant of the described stature certainly could exist. The 15' frost giants are pushing it, though I have a FG mini with short bandy legs supporting a humanlike torso that looks fairly plausible. Storm giants would have to be 'magical'.

 

[Darklone]

IIRC all this stuff is a little bit old... 10 years ago scientists couldn't explain how dinosaurs managed to be alive, nowadays they try to explain it with nano materials in the heart, blood vessels and bones.

It's certain that giants couldn't look exactly like humans, yet it's equally certain that 2.4m humans don't have problems ... yet.

I do agree with S'mon that giants might exist... at least till a height of ca. 4m.

Judging from humans, they would be extremely strong and durable... and they'd get tired horribly quick. But stay away till they do.