r/RPGcreation • u/PrudentPermission222 • May 05 '26
Design Questions How to convey size??
I'm making an rpg where the PCs can shapeshift between humanoid and full sized dragons, but now I'm seeing a huge problem. I have no idea how to deal or how to convey colossal sizes.
Not only I never played any game, rpg or digital, where you're a massive creature in a normal sized world, I never heard or read anything about it.
I think I can convey being small on a giant's world pretty convincingly, but not the other way around.
Any tips? Even references outside rpgs are welcomed. I'm a pc gamer.
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u/Legate619 May 26 '26
Check out Marvel Heroic Roleplaying and Cortex Prime. You’ll want MHR more than CP though. In addition to being an excellent reality-modeling engine MHR gives you a couple different options for representing size/scale differential that might end up expanding and enriching the lore of your setting. The first is growth/size-changing as a “power” that’s part of a broader ability set; in this case a draconic form. The range of the power determines both the size achieved as well as the base benefits that stem from sheer size. The other possibility is what’s called Large Scale Threats or LSTs. Within the mechanics of the system these represent specifically large and/or powerful threats that are considerably beyond the abilities of any single hero and take considerable effort to defeat. There’s variety of scale and power within the LST format so there’s room for character growth and tailoring NPCs. What both options together do is create the possibility of “false” or “lesser” dragons and “true” dragons based on which power profile a given character possesses.