Combat Mod - Size Modifier

[rgrove0172]

Im new to the game and 3.5 in general. Can someone explain the size modifier thing? It seems that larger combatants are penalized for attacking smaller and that small combatants get a bonus when attacking larger targets. Is that the intent and is their a general explanation of why this is in effect?

I suppose I can understand the modifier to Defense, but the Attack Roll?

 

[Ganconer]

If you had to hit something in combat which would be easier to hit, an Elephant or a Mouse?

You would get a bonus to hit the elephant because it is much larger than a man while the mouse would be more difficult. Thus the reason for that rule.

 

[Trodax]

Yeah, the idea is that it's easier to hit big stuff, and harder to hit small stuff. The reason that both attack and defense are given the same modifier is to make it so that two creatures of the same size always have the same chance to hit. If only attack or defense were modified, you would get some weird situations if you think about it a bit.

For example, halflings (I'm using a D&D example here) are Small and therefore get a +1 bonus to hit and to defense. This means that two halflings attacking each other will do so without penalty/bonus, but a halfling attacking a human (Medium size) will have a +1 advantage while the human attacking the halfling back will be at a -1 disadvantage. The rules are actually rather clever, methinks.

 

[argo]

I suppose I can understand the modifier to Defense, but the Attack Roll?

As Trodax said it is so that two guys of the same size who are fighting each other will even out. The rule works very well in practice.

Please note that the size modifiers to attack/DV are different from the Special Size modifier which is applied to grapple/trip/bull rush checks. These go in the opposite direction and the modifiers get quite substantial. Big guys can toss little guys around the battlefield like a sack of corn.

Later.

 

[Auggie]

Since the size modifier is already built into the creature's Defenses and Attacks, you don't give any other bonues or penalties for size, do you? For example, a creature that is large has a -1 to its Defenses. If a medium-sized person attacked it, would he/she get an 'extra' +1 to hit it, or does the creatures -1 to its defense due to size already take that into account, thus making it easier to hit?

The way I've been running my Conan campaign, size modifiers are already worked into the formulas for attacks and defenses. I've not given any other size bonuses/penalties to folks who attack something larger or smaler than they... I hope I haven't been doing this wrong :?

 

[Netherek]

Nope, you got it. The only time you have to worry about it is when designing a new creature, or when calculating the Defence of an object that is attacked by a character.

 

[Auggie]

What I wrote previously obviously involves meduim-sized opponents versus other-sized opponents. I'm sure there would be further adjustments for, let's say, a huge foe versus a large foe- then bonuses and penalties would have to be recalculated...

 

[Netherek]

You don't need to recalculate, the size mods take care of it all. If you take a large creature with its size mod, and fight a gargantuan with its mod you have already taken care of it. Creatures currently printed have there sizes already factored in so it doesn't matter what you pit against what.

 

[Trodax]

Yeah, those rules are actually very well thought out; you only have to apply the attack/defense modifiers when you stat up new creatures, and everything will turn out right for all combinations of sizes (think about it and you'll figure out why this is so).

People may say what they may about the d20 system, but this is the type of stuff that it handles very solidly.

 

[Sutek]

...and Size Mod is why I'd love to have a dwarf Pirate character like that one guy in Pirates of the Carribean. 8)