Just how huge is a huge great sword?

[Glorius Nippon]

I recently had the urge to hold a very large metal stick in my hands, so I made a Titan Mauler build (using an unofficial update by the creator) who at the moment wields a huge great sword.

Wanting to make this character special, I'm actually drawing him. Hence my problem; just how big is a huge great sword? I mean, I understand it's far bigger than a normal one, but by how much? What are the actual dimensions of the thing?

With that in mind, is there an actual SRD way to calculate the dimensions of weapons of differing sizes?

[OldTrees1]

IIRC each dimension doubles with each size increase. So 4x as long as a greatsword.

[Keltest]

I recently had the urge to hold a very large metal stick in my hands, so I made a Titan Mauler build (using an unofficial update by the creator) who at the moment wields a huge great sword.

Wanting to make this character special, I'm actually drawing him. Hence my problem; just how big is a huge great sword? I mean, I understand it's far bigger than a normal one, but by how much? What are the actual dimensions of the thing?

With that in mind, is there an actual SRD way to calculate the dimensions of weapons of differing sizes?

So a Huge (any weapon) is going to be about in proportion to the size increase of a huge character compared to a medium one. A quick google check says that a Zweihander (which is basically a greatsword) would be about 6 feet in length, and as the name suggests, would have a hilt sized to be used solidly with two hands. Huge creatures are quadruple (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/movementPositionAndDistance.htm#bigandLittleCreatu resInCombat)the size of medium creatures if I did my research correctly, so I would say that a Huge Greatsword would be anywhere from 16 to 32 feet in length, depending on the exact height of the creature wielding it.

That's pretty big, for the curious. For shorthand, a greatsword is going to be a tad bit shorter than the wielder themselves. There is room for variance of course.

[holywhippet]

Short answer - possibly not as large as you are thinking.

Start with a traditional two handed sword:
http://www.thearma.org/essays/weights/renaissance_two-handed_sword.jpg
or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zweih%C3%A4nder

The SRD says they weigh 8 lb which is about right. Now for each size increment increase you double the weight. So a huge version would be 32 lb.

Note that the sword is fairly long, but not all that thick. Certainly not Cloud Strife's sword type of size. I think for a huge version you'd mostly want to make the blade twice as long and twice as wide, but leave the thickness about the same.

[Glorius Nippon]

Well, guess I'll have to redraw a bit then. Probably on a larger sheet of paper too. Thanks for the answers guys, as always.

[Ninjaxenomorph]

Might be a bit late and (probably) irrelevant, but depending on your book, it might state the length of the blade. In Pathfinder's Ultimate Equipment, for example, it says greatswords are about 5 feet long. Might be just that book, though, and actual size may vary. The methods suggested here, though, should work.

[ExLibrisMortis]

IIRC each dimension doubles with each size increase. So 4x as long as a greatsword.
This. More specifically:

It'd be around 6 metres long, maybe 7, of which around a metre and a half is grip. The blade is some 15-20 cm wide and 3 cm thick. The crossguard is about as long (wide) as the grip, so a metre and a half, or two metres perhaps.

Due to weighing 8 82 times as much, approximately, it'd weigh some 180-200 kilograms, or about the weight of a (heavy) orc in plate armour, with a tower shield.

A gnome could then wield the parrying hooks as swords.

[OldTrees1]

This. More specifically:

It'd be around 6 metres long, maybe 7, of which around a metre and a half is grip. The blade is some 15-20 cm wide and 3 cm thick. The crossguard is about as long (wide) as the grip, so a metre and a half, or two metres perhaps.

Due to weighing 8 times as much, approximately, it'd weigh some 25-30 kilograms, or about the weight of a (heavy) gnome. The gnome could then wield the parrying hooks as swords.

IIRC the weigh for weapons merely doubles despite the volume increasing by x8. That is WotC for you :)

[ExLibrisMortis]

IIRC the weigh for weapons merely doubles despite the volume increasing by x8. That is WotC for you :)
You are right. Monks not being proficient with unarmed strikes, I can live with. But this needs to be houseruled :smallfurious:!

Carrying capacity goes up like crazy with size...

[ShaneMRoth]

SRD (Weapons; Weapon Size)

In general, a light weapon is an object two size categories smaller than the wielder, a one-handed weapon is an object one size category smaller than the wielder, and a two-handed weapon is an object of the same size category as the wielder.

Enlarge Person

This spell causes instant growth of a humanoid creature, doubling its height and multiplying its weight by 8. This increase changes the creature’s size category to the next larger one.
...
All equipment worn or carried by a creature is similarly enlarged by the spell.

So, a Huge Great Sword is a Huge Object that is 4 times as long and 64 times as heavy as a Medium greatsword.

I am going to assume a greatsword is about five feet long. So a Huge greatsword would be about 20 feet long, give or take.

A Tall Huge Creature has a normal reach of 15 feet, so 20 feet would exceed the creature's natural reach. the Huge sword probably shouldn't be much longer than 20 feet altogether. If the stabby part were about 15 feet long, that would also work.

A medium sized greatsword is listed in the SRD as weighing 8 pounds. So a Huge greatsword would weigh 512 pounds.

[holywhippet]

SRD (Weapons; Weapon Size)


Enlarge Person


So, a Huge Great Sword is a Huge Object that is 4 times as long and 64 times as heavy as a Medium greatsword.

I am going to assume a greatsword is about five feet long. So a Huge greatsword would be about 20 feet long, give or take.

A Tall Huge Creature has a normal reach of 15 feet, so 20 feet would exceed the creature's natural reach. the Huge sword probably shouldn't be much longer than 20 feet altogether. If the stabby part were about 15 feet long, that would also work.

A medium sized greatsword is listed in the SRD as weighing 8 pounds. So a Huge greatsword would weigh 512 pounds.

Nope, doesn't work like that. From the SRD:

Weight

This column gives the weight of a Medium version of the weapon. Halve this number for Small weapons and double it for Large weapons.

Weapons and people don't use the same size system. A medium sized weapon is intended for a medium sized creature. It doesn't mean it is medium sized itself and it doesn't increase in size and weight by the same amount when enlarged.

[Hrugner]

If the weight is only doubling, do we assume that it's just getting longer rather than longer thicker and wider?

[OldTrees1]

If the weight is only doubling, do we assume that it's just getting longer rather than longer thicker and wider?

RAW:

In general, a light weapon is an object two size categories smaller than the wielder, a one-handed weapon is an object one size category smaller than the wielder, and a two-handed weapon is an object of the same size category as the wielder.

Weight

This column gives the weight of a Medium version of the weapon. Halve this number for Small weapons and double it for Large weapons.

Nope.

It doubles in all 3 dimensions but only doubles in weight. This means its density must be quartered with each size increase. So you only need 6-7 size increases before your iron sword starts to float off into space.

Alternatively we can just conclude WotC forgot physics that day.

[Sagetim]

I recently had the urge to hold a very large metal stick in my hands, so I made a Titan Mauler build (using an unofficial update by the creator) who at the moment wields a huge great sword.

Wanting to make this character special, I'm actually drawing him. Hence my problem; just how big is a huge great sword? I mean, I understand it's far bigger than a normal one, but by how much? What are the actual dimensions of the thing?

With that in mind, is there an actual SRD way to calculate the dimensions of weapons of differing sizes?

If I remember correctly, my monkey griping half giant half dragon used a 17ft long greatsword. It had a custom enchantment on it to resize to the wielder's comfort zone. Well, his comfort zone was multiple size categories beyond medium. Large because half giant, and huge for monkey grip (we may have been using an old verison of the feat, or a different feat, but I recall it as monkey grip). Jokes were made that it housed a gnomish aprtment building and the GM houseruled that I only got one attack per round with it, but that it was an aoe. Unless I was flying and could thus swing it freely. Which sure helped that fighter/dervish build that character had.

Edit: Also, it didn't really matter how much it weighed while that large, his strength was over 30 at that point. If you're going to use a weapon that big, assume that it follows the square cube law, even if that assumption would normally kill giants.

Edit 2: I would say it weighing 512 pounds is fair, because really, if you can wield a weapon that big you should be required to have the strength to back it up. Otherwise it stops making a modicum of sense.

[ShaneMRoth]

RAW:



Nope.

It doubles in all 3 dimensions but only doubles in weight. This means its density must be quartered with each size increase. So you only need 6-7 size increases before your iron sword starts to float off into space.

Alternatively we can just conclude WotC forgot physics that day.

Okay, good to know...

Try this...

The SRD on weapons refers to small medium and large weapons. Sizes that go beyond this, use the size times 2 and weight and mass times 8.

So, a Huge Greatsword has twice the size and eight times the weight of a Large Greatsword.

So a greatsword is 20 feet long and 256 pounds.

Does that work for anybody?

[Hrugner]

RAW:



Nope.

It doubles in all 3 dimensions but only doubles in weight. This means its density must be quartered with each size increase. So you only need 6-7 size increases before your iron sword starts to float off into space.

Alternatively we can just conclude WotC forgot physics that day.

We're going from 1.2 to 7870? That should be about 7 size increases yeah; but, if you get a tiny longsword it's within the range of the sun's density, diminutive gets us the density of a black hole.

[Ashtagon]

I like to cite the PHB illustrations for questions such as this. That illustration suggests the greatsword is about six feet long, if you take each grid square to be one foot. However, technically it's fluff; by RAW crunch-only, there's no official length for a standard greatsword.

[gooddragon1]

Alternatively we can just conclude WotC forgot physics that day.

But it gets better:

At strength 1010, you have +500 strength modifier. A medium sized creature will have a light carrying load of 5.09554767337908e+55 pounds. The mass of the observable universe is 1.5e+53 Kilograms (http://www.quora.com/How-much-does-the-universe-weigh) (very roughly 5e+53 pounds).


Trees

...Medium and dense forests have massive trees as well. These trees take up an entire square and provide cover to anyone behind them. They have AC 3, hardness 5, and 600 hp. Like their smaller counterparts, it takes a DC 15 Climb check to climb them.

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/wilderness.htm#forestTerrain

You can lift the observable universe, but you can't take out a tree in one hit (without two-handing that is).

[Sagetim]

But it gets better:

At strength 1010, you have +500 strength modifier. A medium sized creature will have a light carrying load of 5.09554767337908e+55 pounds. The mass of the observable universe is 1.5e+53 Kilograms (http://www.quora.com/How-much-does-the-universe-weigh) (very roughly 5e+53 pounds).



http://www.d20srd.org/srd/wilderness.htm#forestTerrain

You can lift the observable universe, but you can't take out a tree in one hit (without two-handing that is).

And yet if you cast awaken on a tree, it doesn't have 600 hp, does it?

[gooddragon1]

And yet if you cast awaken on a tree, it doesn't have 600 hp, does it?


Awaken
Transmutation
Level: Drd 5
Components: V, S, DF, XP
Casting Time: 24 hours
Range: Touch
Target: Animal or tree touched
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

You awaken a tree or animal to humanlike sentience. To succeed, you must make a Will save (DC 10 + the animal’s current HD, or the HD the tree will have once awakened).

The awakened animal or tree is friendly toward you. You have no special empathy or connection with a creature you awaken, although it serves you in specific tasks or endeavors if you communicate your desires to it.

An awakened tree has characteristics as if it were an animated object, except that it gains the plant type and its Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores are each 3d6. An awakened plant gains the ability to move its limbs, roots, vines, creepers, and so forth, and it has senses similar to a human’s.

An awakened animal gets 3d6 Intelligence, +1d3 Charisma, and +2 HD. Its type becomes magical beast (augmented animal). An awakened animal can’t serve as an animal companion, familiar, or special mount.

An awakened tree or animal can speak one language that you know, plus one additional language that you know per point of Intelligence bonus (if any).
XP Cost

250 XP.

Actually... it might :X


Inappropriately Sized Weapons

... The measure of how much effort it takes to use a weapon (whether the weapon is designated as a light, one-handed, or two-handed weapon for a particular wielder) is altered by one step for each size category of difference between the wielder’s size and the size of the creature for which the weapon was designed. If a weapon’s designation would be changed to something other than light, one-handed, or two-handed by this alteration, the creature can’t wield the weapon at all.

So, with the monkey grip feat a medium sized character with 20 strength can wield a Large Greatsword. However, a medium sized character with 1010 strength and without monkey grip cannot use it at all. Also, the maximum distance he can throw a dagger is 50 feet. However, a person with the far shot feat (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/feats.htm#farShot) and 1 strength can throw the dagger 100 feet.

[Sagetim]

Actually... it might :X



So, with the monkey grip feat a medium sized character with 20 strength can wield a Large Greatsword. However, a medium sized character with 1010 strength and without monkey grip cannot use it at all. Also, the maximum distance he can throw a dagger is 50 feet. However, a person with the far shot feat (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/feats.htm#farShot) and 1 strength can throw the dagger 100 feet.

So, does a tree with 600 hp count as having a ****load of hit dice (quickly escaping the realm of possible will saves except on a nat 20) or does it have a huge bonus to it's hp for some reason (such as incredible con, or some kind of tree girth to hp special quality that only shows up with awakened trees?)

[ShaneMRoth]

And yet if you cast awaken on a tree, it doesn't have 600 hp, does it?


So, does a tree with 600 hp count as having a ****load of hit dice (quickly escaping the realm of possible will saves except on a nat 20) or does it have a huge bonus to it's hp for some reason (such as incredible con, or some kind of tree girth to hp special quality that only shows up with awakened trees?)

The hit points of an Awakened Tree represents the hit points needed to kill the tree as a creature.

Like most other creatures, if you kill an awakened tree, most of it's 'corpse' (the wood) will remain in tact.

When you kill an orc with a sword by striking him for 8 hit points of damage, he isn't utterly destroyed. He dies.

The 600 hit points represents the amount of damage it takes to completely destroy the tree as an inanimate object.

[gooddragon1]

So, does a tree with 600 hp count as having a ****load of hit dice (quickly escaping the realm of possible will saves except on a nat 20) or does it have a huge bonus to it's hp for some reason (such as incredible con, or some kind of tree girth to hp special quality that only shows up with awakened trees?)

It's actually hard to say whether they'd be colossal animated objects, medium animated objects, or somewhere in between with a large number of HP.

I'm tempted to say they'd be colossal size animated objects (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/animatedObject.htm). So that means they wouldn't have 600 hp.

Except for this:

These trees take up an entire square and provide cover to anyone behind them.

You know what else takes up a square? A medium sized creature. There are colossal (tall) creatures, but they generally have a base of much larger than 5 feet. I have no idea how this would be handled.

EDIT:

These values are typical for creatures of the indicated size. Some exceptions exist.

Space note #6 (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/movementPositionAndDistance.htm#bigandLittleCreatu resInCombat)

It's a colossal animated object (assuming its 64+ feet tall). However, I'm not sure whether or not it keeps the HP. I'm leaning towards it not keeping them? But I think that's up to the DM. More likely: If you're fighting them they do, if you made them they don't. :smalltongue:

[Sagetim]

Alright, then to bring this back on topic: Can you teach an awakened tree to wield a colossal great sword? And if so, how much would it weigh and how large would it be? Would this Tree be in danger of cutting down it's brethren and sisteren with each swing?