Compared to a medium creature, a large creature takes up 4 times as much space in combat, can grapple, shove or knock prone huge creatures, ride huge creatures as mounts and can pass through a small creature's space (though it's still difficult terrain.) Additionally, spells and abilities that emanate out from their space (e.g. Aura of Protection, Destructive Wave) affect a much larger area as well.
The game is designed for medium playable characters and even relatively large races like goliaths and firbolgs are kept medium-sized for rules purposes.
It's not necessarily game-breaking but the potential for abuse is high. There's very few gargantuan creatures (and they're all super high CR anyways), so a large player can grapple almost everything in the game. With a bit of help from Enlarge/Reduce (which is a fairly low level spell) even gargantuan creatures are fair game. Monsters generally don't have skill proficiencies and Legendary Resistance doesn't work against a contested ability check like grappling so suddenly it becomes very possible to lock down monsters you wouldn't normally be able to.
It's a lot simpler to bend the the definition of "medium creature" a little and say you're 10 feet tall but still medium than to deal with the balance implications of a large character.
I’d look at what people are saying about the UA Minotaur and Centaur races - as NPCs they’re both large, but they were deliberately tweaked down to medium to be PCs, because of all the imbalances and adjustments to rules that might have to come into play. Anything these discussions pick up will be things you’d want to think about.
Hrm, your point about grappling does raise some new concerns. Ah well, it wasn't essential to the concept, and for dramatic effect I can always take enlarge/reduce and apply it as chosen.
Another thing to consider is movement. In a standard 10' wide corridor, you take up the entire space making it difficult terrain for party members to get by you. In addition, if you find yourself in the relatively common 5' wide corridor you have to squeeze as difficult terrain, all your attacks are at disadvantage and attacks against you are at advantage. This can also apply even when you try to squeeze through a typical 5' wide doorway.
As a large size creature ... smaller spaces are a problem.
> As a large size creature ... smaller spaces are a problem. As DM if you allow players to choose what are monster-races then they really have to take the bad aspects with the good. Nerfing the "monster" to turn it into a PC kinda takes the fun out of the reason for choosing the species.
Playing a large size player character at the moment. We've had no issues with it, the advantages of size ( yes I'm a grappler) are generally offset by the issues that most doorways and many corridors in environments are not designed for large creatures (let alone huge) meaning I am sometimes caught 'squeezing' giving enemies advantage against me and expect to commonly have reduced movement in interior situations.
It adds a lot of additional tactical depth and decision making to our team which is also enjoyable.
Even outdoor situations like dense forest can cause movement penalties etc but all in all I'm fine with those penalties as it means I don't need to play a ponytaur. Or minotaur junior.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
What effect does being large have on a creature?
Considering approaching my DM with a character idea, wondering how much to adjust things before I draft anything.
Compared to a medium creature, a large creature takes up 4 times as much space in combat, can grapple, shove or knock prone huge creatures, ride huge creatures as mounts and can pass through a small creature's space (though it's still difficult terrain.) Additionally, spells and abilities that emanate out from their space (e.g. Aura of Protection, Destructive Wave) affect a much larger area as well.
The game is designed for medium playable characters and even relatively large races like goliaths and firbolgs are kept medium-sized for rules purposes.
The Forum Infestation (TM)
Thanks for the response. That's about what I thought.
Still, doesn't seem game breaking. I'll have a think.
It's not necessarily game-breaking but the potential for abuse is high. There's very few gargantuan creatures (and they're all super high CR anyways), so a large player can grapple almost everything in the game. With a bit of help from Enlarge/Reduce (which is a fairly low level spell) even gargantuan creatures are fair game. Monsters generally don't have skill proficiencies and Legendary Resistance doesn't work against a contested ability check like grappling so suddenly it becomes very possible to lock down monsters you wouldn't normally be able to.
It's a lot simpler to bend the the definition of "medium creature" a little and say you're 10 feet tall but still medium than to deal with the balance implications of a large character.
The Forum Infestation (TM)
I’d look at what people are saying about the UA Minotaur and Centaur races - as NPCs they’re both large, but they were deliberately tweaked down to medium to be PCs, because of all the imbalances and adjustments to rules that might have to come into play. Anything these discussions pick up will be things you’d want to think about.
Birgit | Shifter | Sorcerer | Dragonlords
Shayone | Hobgoblin | Sorcerer | Netherdeep
Hrm, your point about grappling does raise some new concerns. Ah well, it wasn't essential to the concept, and for dramatic effect I can always take enlarge/reduce and apply it as chosen.
Thanks both.
Also note that you threaten not 8 but 12 squares "adjacent" to you. You can find more info here: https://www.sageadvice.eu/2018/05/22/why-centaur-and-minotaur-should-not-be-large-pcs/
Subclass: Dwarven Defender - Dragonborn Paragon
Feats: Artificer Apprentice
Monsters: Sheep - Spellbreaker Warforged Titan
Magic Items: Whipier - Ring of Secret Storage - Collar of the Guardian
Monster template: Skeletal Creature
Another thing to consider is movement. In a standard 10' wide corridor, you take up the entire space making it difficult terrain for party members to get by you. In addition, if you find yourself in the relatively common 5' wide corridor you have to squeeze as difficult terrain, all your attacks are at disadvantage and attacks against you are at advantage. This can also apply even when you try to squeeze through a typical 5' wide doorway.
As a large size creature ... smaller spaces are a problem.
> As a large size creature ... smaller spaces are a problem.
As DM if you allow players to choose what are monster-races then they really have to take the bad aspects with the good.
Nerfing the "monster" to turn it into a PC kinda takes the fun out of the reason for choosing the species.
Playing a large size player character at the moment. We've had no issues with it, the advantages of size ( yes I'm a grappler) are generally offset by the issues that most doorways and many corridors in environments are not designed for large creatures (let alone huge) meaning I am sometimes caught 'squeezing' giving enemies advantage against me and expect to commonly have reduced movement in interior situations.
It adds a lot of additional tactical depth and decision making to our team which is also enjoyable.
Even outdoor situations like dense forest can cause movement penalties etc but all in all I'm fine with those penalties as it means I don't need to play a ponytaur. Or minotaur junior.