I am cross-posting this to the homebrew forum as I think the answer to my question, if there is one, will come from someone who has homebrewed a solution.
I am making a character who was a human wizard who used fiendish magic to transfer his soul into a puppet-like construct (think Sasori from Naruto Shippuden). The idea was originally developed based on the notion he would be a warforged, though I recently learned of the reborn, which are quite similar. Anyway, as a warforged, he would be average height (say about 5' 10"), slender in build, and effectively look human (with painted skin and wire for hair). The closest analog for a warforged might be the envoy from UA. I have searched for variant height and weight tables everywhere and have only found a base weight of 270 lb. for 5' 10", which seems heavy to me. Is anyone aware of height and weight tables (even homebrew) for allowing for "thinner" warforged who may be developed from lighter materials?
Considering relative densities, a mechanical person of 5’10” and 270lbs would be plausible. Having grown up in the age of vacuum tube televisions & monitors and vacuum cleaners made of metal and 1960s plastics I could totally accept a mechanical person of 5’10” and sleight of build weighing 270lbs. For an actual human skinny enough to look unhealthily underweight (135lbs/60kg or less), compared to a robotic analogue the same build weighing twice as much at 270lbs (120kg)…. Honestly, I would suspect more and be surprised it only weighed 270. Here’s why:
The average human is between 5’ 7” ish & 137ish lbs; and 5’ 9” ish & 170ish lbs depending on where you check. In metric that’s between 170cm & 62 kg; and 175cm & 77kg. The metric is easy because we can just move the decimal point instead of mathing and know that 62kg = 62,000g and 77kg = 77,000g. That’s convenient because average density of animal tissues on earth is pretty consistent so a person weighing weighing 62,000g will have a total volume of 62,000cc and one weighing 77,000g has a volume of 77,000cc.
For your PC who is tall and skinny, we could use the high average height of 175cm (5’9”), and the low average weight of 62kg (137lbs.), and if you check one of those charts that would be at the borderline between underweight and healthy according to so-called experts. If you look up a volume to weight conversion for steel, 62,000cc of steel weighs almost 1,080lbs.
So even if your PC’s total volume is only 25% steel and the rest absolutely hollow space with no lubricating fluids or hydraulics or anything, 270lbs would be on the nose. With fluids it would probably weigh closer to 350. You could theoretically say there was less steel with some parts made of aluminum or titanium and offset some of it to end up around 300lbs and I would buy that as reasonable. You could also say it was a lower total volume not analogous to a human build and explain a lower weight that way too. That’s up to you.
However, the official answer from WotC is this:
HEIGHT AND WEIGHT Player characters, regardless of race, typically fall into the same ranges of height and weight that humans have in our world. If you’d like to determine your character’s height or weight randomly, consult the Random Height and Weight table in the Player’s Handbook, and choose the row in the table that best represents the build you imagine for your character.
Considering relative densities, a mechanical person of 5’10” and 270lbs would be plausible. Having grown up in the age of vacuum tube televisions & monitors and vacuum cleaners made of metal and 1960s plastics I could totally accept a mechanical person of 5’10” and sleight of build weighing 270lbs. For an actual human skinny enough to look unhealthily underweight (135lbs/60kg or less), compared to a robotic analogue the same build weighing twice as much at 270lbs (120kg)…. Honestly, I would suspect more and be surprised it only weighed 270. Here’s why:
The average human is between 5’ 7” ish & 137ish lbs; and 5’ 9” ish & 170ish lbs depending on where you check. In metric that’s between 170cm & 62 kg; and 175cm & 77kg. The metric is easy because we can just move the decimal point instead of mathing and know that 62kg = 62,000g and 77kg = 77,000g. That’s convenient because average density of animal tissues on earth is pretty consistent so a person weighing weighing 62,000g will have a total volume of 62,000cc and one weighing 77,000g has a volume of 77,000cc.
For your PC who is tall and skinny, we could use the high average height of 175cm (5’9”), and the low average weight of 62kg (137lbs.), and if you check one of those charts that would be at the borderline between underweight and healthy according to so-called experts. If you look up a volume to weight conversion for steel, 62,000cc of steel weighs almost 1,080lbs.
So even if your PC’s total volume is only 25% steel and the rest absolutely hollow space with no lubricating fluids or hydraulics or anything, 270lbs would be on the nose. With fluids it would probably weigh closer to 350. You could theoretically say there was less steel with some parts made of aluminum or titanium and offset some of it to end up around 300lbs and I would buy that as reasonable. You could also say it was a lower total volume not analogous to a human build and explain a lower weight that way too. That’s up to you.
However, the official answer from WotC is this:
HEIGHT AND WEIGHT Player characters, regardless of race, typically fall into the same ranges of height and weight that humans have in our world. If you’d like to determine your character’s height or weight randomly, consult the Random Height and Weight table in the Player’s Handbook, and choose the row in the table that best represents the build you imagine for your character.
I hope that helps.
Hmm. So if I want to be built like David Bowie circa 1975, then 270 isn't an unrealistic number.
For a race of creatures that was ostensibly created as combat androids? I don’t think so, no. But this is Der&Der, talk to your DM. If they say to write 99lbs,…. 🤷♂️
For a race of creatures that was ostensibly created as combat androids? I don’t think so, no. But this is Der&Der, talk to your DM. If they say to write 99lbs,…. 🤷♂️
Think Bowie was about 140 lb. during his Thin White Duke period.
I am cross-posting this to the homebrew forum as I think the answer to my question, if there is one, will come from someone who has homebrewed a solution.
I am making a character who was a human wizard who used fiendish magic to transfer his soul into a puppet-like construct (think Sasori from Naruto Shippuden). The idea was originally developed based on the notion he would be a warforged, though I recently learned of the reborn, which are quite similar. Anyway, as a warforged, he would be average height (say about 5' 10"), slender in build, and effectively look human (with painted skin and wire for hair). The closest analog for a warforged might be the envoy from UA. I have searched for variant height and weight tables everywhere and have only found a base weight of 270 lb. for 5' 10", which seems heavy to me. Is anyone aware of height and weight tables (even homebrew) for allowing for "thinner" warforged who may be developed from lighter materials?
Considering relative densities, a mechanical person of 5’10” and 270lbs would be plausible. Having grown up in the age of vacuum tube televisions & monitors and vacuum cleaners made of metal and 1960s plastics I could totally accept a mechanical person of 5’10” and sleight of build weighing 270lbs. For an actual human skinny enough to look unhealthily underweight (135lbs/60kg or less), compared to a robotic analogue the same build weighing twice as much at 270lbs (120kg)…. Honestly, I would suspect more and be surprised it only weighed 270. Here’s why:
The average human is between 5’ 7” ish & 137ish lbs; and 5’ 9” ish & 170ish lbs depending on where you check. In metric that’s between 170cm & 62 kg; and 175cm & 77kg. The metric is easy because we can just move the decimal point instead of mathing and know that 62kg = 62,000g and 77kg = 77,000g. That’s convenient because average density of animal tissues on earth is pretty consistent so a person weighing weighing 62,000g will have a total volume of 62,000cc and one weighing 77,000g has a volume of 77,000cc.
For your PC who is tall and skinny, we could use the high average height of 175cm (5’9”), and the low average weight of 62kg (137lbs.), and if you check one of those charts that would be at the borderline between underweight and healthy according to so-called experts. If you look up a volume to weight conversion for steel, 62,000cc of steel weighs almost 1,080lbs.
So even if your PC’s total volume is only 25% steel and the rest absolutely hollow space with no lubricating fluids or hydraulics or anything, 270lbs would be on the nose. With fluids it would probably weigh closer to 350. You could theoretically say there was less steel with some parts made of aluminum or titanium and offset some of it to end up around 300lbs and I would buy that as reasonable. You could also say it was a lower total volume not analogous to a human build and explain a lower weight that way too. That’s up to you.
However, the official answer from WotC is this:
I hope that helps.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
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Hmm. So if I want to be built like David Bowie circa 1975, then 270 isn't an unrealistic number.
For a race of creatures that was ostensibly created as combat androids? I don’t think so, no. But this is Der&Der, talk to your DM. If they say to write 99lbs,…. 🤷♂️
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
Think Bowie was about 140 lb. during his Thin White Duke period.
I think his codpiece alone weighed 140, have you seen Labyrinth?!?
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
Lol... He (or some parts of him) was of a healthier weight by the mid-to-late eighties.