random hight and weight for humans: why are we fat?

[bobthe6th]

Ok, so I could see the large fighter easily being 240lb at a minimum (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/description.htm#vitalStatistics)... but that can't be the bottom limit. So the wizard with a 6 con/str who's greatest exercise is lifting his comically over-sized grimora down from the shelf now has to be build to a degree. Admittedly this makes some sense... but not really. Healthy adult
men can weigh way less then that... and they can be noticeably below 5ft tall.

So why is this?

[mattie_p]

Random height/weight for a human male generated randomly range from 5'0"/124lb to 6'6"/280lb. Average would be in the vicinity of 5'9"/175lb. Is it possible you are misunderstanding the chart?

[bobthe6th]

Human, male 4' 10" +2d10 120 lb. x(2d4) lb.

um... assuming minimum rolls(i.e. 2 in either variable), that has a minimum hight of 4' 10" + 2"=5', and 120lbx2=240lb.

maximums are 6'6" and 960lb respectively, and an average of 5'8" and 600lb... unless I miss read the graph?

and then I read the damn description that goes along with the table. sorry folks.

[Venger]

you are not alone. I misread this chart for years, but never thought much of it because I don't randomly determine height and weight. I had the exact same thought process

[nedz]

Because the game designers were American :smallbiggrin:

Still 175lb average seems quite high — that's 12 and a half stone — or 79.5 Kilos. Maybe they have high fat self resetting traps of create food and water ? It is fast food after all.

[ZeroNumerous]

Still 175lb average seems quite high — that's 12 and a half stone — or 79.5 Kilos. Maybe they have high fat self resetting traps of create food and water ? It is fast food after all.

Muscle weighs more than fat, so it's entirely possible that the randomly generated person is muscular rather than fat.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Venger
you are not alone. I misread this chart for years....

I think everyone has days like this. I've had about ten thousand in a row. :smallbiggrin:


Originally Posted by ZeroNumerous
Muscle weighs more than fat, so it's entirely possible that the randomly generated person is muscular rather than fat.

During World War II, the U.S. Army used height/weight tables to judge the fitness of potential recruits. There were stories of young guys coming off the farm, massively muscled from heavy labor, who were turned away as "overweight" because their muscle mass put them over the acceptable range.

[ThatGuyOvaThere]

I say it is because humans have weak will caving in at every temptation that comes towards them. I rather like that the creators of dnd saw this and made it true in the game however sometimes I set different random starting ages for different classes.

[TuggyNE]

I say it is because humans have weak will caving in at every temptation that comes towards them. I rather like that the creators of dnd saw this and made it true in the game however sometimes I set different random starting ages for different classes.

... Za? The problem in many of the actual historical time periods D&D mashes together wasn't avoiding the temptation to eat too much, but merely having enough food to survive. (At least for peasants, and sometimes even higher up on the social scale.) I have no idea what the last bit is about.

[TiaC]

Half-orcs on the other hand have an average height of 5' 11" and an average weight of 241lbs for men and an average height of 5' 6" and an average weight of 201lbs for women. I know they're supposed to be buff but that seems a bit much.

[rockdeworld]

During World War II, the U.S. Army used height/weight tables to judge the fitness of potential recruits. There were stories of young guys coming off the farm, massively muscled from heavy labor, who were turned away as "overweight" because their muscle mass put them over the acceptable range.
And AFAIK, that still happens.

Edit: Nope. (http://usmilitary.about.com/od/army/l/blmaleweight.htm)

I have had friends who had to work to get inside the regs though.

[Darth Stabber]

And AFAIK, that still happens.

Edit: Nope. (http://usmilitary.about.com/od/army/l/blmaleweight.htm)

I have had friends who had to work to get inside the regs though.

If the army body fat test is anything like the airforce one, it isn't an accurate measure. It assumes that if you bulk up that you do so as bodybuilders do (ie still fairly thin at the waist but over developed glamour muscles), as opposed to more balanced muscular development. Look at powerlifters, as opposed to bodybuilders, and you will notice that they almost look fat, since they have a bulkier trunk (in addition to less muscle definition). I had to lose a fair amount of weight before I got in, and I was already running 3 days a week and lifting three days a week (took saturdays off), and had been for the last 2 years of highschool (even more during football and track season), and even before that I had done a fair amount of farm work.

Wow, I miss being in shape, 8 years of soft living takes it's toll. Ripped and nerdy is a dangerous combination.

[mattie_p]

I assure you, having worked in recruiting for several years, that we were far more likely to run into genuinely fat recruits than we were to encounter the "fat" farmboy. Not saying it doesn't happen (the army test is probably as inaccurate as the AF, tape the waist, tape the neck, do some maths, done), but yeah.

[Sugashane]

If the army body fat test is anything like the airforce one, it isn't an accurate measure. It assumes that if you bulk up that you do so as bodybuilders do (ie still fairly thin at the waist but over developed glamour muscles), as opposed to more balanced muscular development. Look at powerlifters, as opposed to bodybuilders, and you will notice that they almost look fat, since they have a bulkier trunk (in addition to less muscle definition). I had to lose a fair amount of weight before I got in, and I was already running 3 days a week and lifting three days a week (took saturdays off), and had been for the last 2 years of highschool (even more during football and track season), and even before that I had done a fair amount of farm work.

Wow, I miss being in shape, 8 years of soft living takes it's toll. Ripped and nerdy is a dangerous combination.

You aren't alone. I laughed my ass off when they said I failed my BMI, while having abs. Bring on the measuring tape, time to measure my neck. LOL

I don't see why each MEPS doesn't just get a bioelectrical impedance machine. Hold the handles for 10 seconds after entering the measurables (HT and WT) that were just taken and you have a relatively accurate bodyfat percentage.

[Answerer]

I don't see why each MEPS doesn't just get a bioelectrical impedance machine. Hold the handles for 10 seconds after entering the measurables (HT and WT) that were just taken and you have a relatively accurate bodyfat percentage.
Expense, I'm sure. That, or the military doesn't actually really care about accuracy (i.e. is willing to turn away the "fat" as long as they're sure they're turning away the truly overweight/out-of-shape/whatever).

[Ashtagon]

http://www.thepiazza.org.uk/bb/viewtopic.php?t=2607&p=33671

I made a comparison of all the random height/weight systems going a while back.

Warhammer had the fattest women, while D&D men in 3e (and all D&D humans in 4e) are clinically obese.