#MATHS WEIGHT AND CAPACITY

[maximumzombiecreator]

It's often remarked how D&D 5e's play culture has this sort of disinterest bordering on contempt for actually knowing the rules, often even extending to the DM themselves. I've seen a lot of different ideas for why this is, but one reason I rarely see discussed is that actually, a lot of 5e's rules are not meant to be used.

Encumbrance is a great example of this. 5e contains granular weights for all the items that you might have in your inventory, and rules for how much you can carry based on your strength score, and they've set these carry capacities high enough that you should never actually need to think about them. And that's deliberate, the designers have explicitly said that they've set carrying capacity high enough that it shouldn't come up in normal play. So for a starting DM, you see all these weights, you see all the rules for how much people can carry or drag, and you've played Fallout, you know how this works. And then if you try to actually enforce that, you find that it's insanely tedious, and it basically never actually matters, so you drop it.

Foraging is the example of this that bothers me most. There's a whole system for this! A table of foraging DCs, and math for how much food you can find, and how long you can go without food, etc. But the math is set up so that a person with no survival proficiency and a +0 to WIS, in a hostile environment, will still forage enough food to be fine, and the starvation rules are so generous that even a run of bad luck is unlikely to matter. So a DM who actually tries to use these rules will quickly find that they add nothing but bookkeeping. You're rolling a bunch of checks every day of travel for something that is purpose built not to matter. And that's before you add in all the ways to trivialize or circumvent this.

These rules don't exist to be used, that is not their purpose. These rules exist because the designers were scared of the backlash to 4e, and wanted to make sure that the game had all the rules that D&D "should" have. But they didn't actually want these mechanics. They didn't want the bookkeeping, they didn't care about that style of play, but they couldn't just say, "this game isn't about that" for fear of angering traditionalists. And unfortunately the way they handled this was by putting in rules that are bad, that actively fight anyone who wants to use that style of play and act as a trap to people who take the rules in good faith.

And this means that knowing what rules are not supposed to be used is an actual skill 5e DMs develop. Part of being a good 5e DM is being able to tell the real rules that will improve your game from the fake rules that are there to placate angry forum posters. And that's just an awful position to put DMs in (especially new DMs), but it's pretty unsurprising that it creates a certain contempt for knowing the rules as written.

You should have contempt for some of the rules as written. The designers did.

[blindmagdalena]

ok so, based on your latest asks ... do you think homelander prefers human or supe partners? on the one hand, i can see him liking humans because he can fully control and dom them (a la gilded cage). on the other, maybe he likes supes because then he doesn't have to hold back out of fear of hurting them and they would understand his life a bit more.

or maybe the answer is it doesn't matter, he just wants someone who loves him and tells him that constantly 😂

homelander's partner being a supe doesn't mean he doesn't have to hold back! we've seen him maim a pretty wide variety of supes with minimal effort. homelander claims to be strong enough to lift a plane, which sets his weight lifting capacity around 775,000 pounds. that is a genuinely insane amount of force he could potentially exert. maeve broke her arm in four places stopping a bus, which (according to some very cursory googling) would have hit her with around 40,000 pounds of force.

i'm not smart enough to shake out the exact math on momentum vs lifting and all that, and the show is VERY inconsistent with the power scaling, but i'm willing to bet that if Homelander wasn't holding back, he could absolutely shatter pretty much anyone, supe or not.

on top of that, being a supe doesn't actually guarantee any kind of enhanced endurance. while it seems like a baseline of it is common, we have lots of examples of supes who are more or less baseline with humans. i really believe homelander is still hugely suppressing his strength even when we see him engage in rougher sex with SF, and while i'm sure he has to worry about it less, it's still always going to be a potential issue for someone of his sheer power.

all that is to say that whether they're supe or human, everyone is below him. homelander's true engagement and preferences comes from people who match him on an intellectual/emotional level. so yes, you are correct in your final assessment 😂

[evidence-based-activism]

My mother keeps saying men are better suited for mathematics, numbers and coding because of their brains and supposed inclinations to be logical. She took a coding class and claimed that the men just understood it better, and were better at it.

I told her, women were the first ones to dominate coding in general, but she still believes the male brain is just better for practical use. She's a nurse by the way... I'd thought she'd know better than the believe the myth sex based brains.

How can I prove to her that she's false?

Hi Anon! I'm sorry your mother believes this! Maybe you can show her this post to help her understand the evidence!

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Mathematics Performance

First, some studies that show women and men/girls and boys have similar math performance/aptitude:

This international study [1] examined boys and girls performance on standardized math exams around the world. They found that "gender equity and other sociocultural factors ... are the primary determinants of mathematics performance," which indicates that there is no inherent/biological difference in math performance just artifacts of an unequal culture.

This 2008 analysis of representative USA data [2], found "effect sizes for gender differences, representing the testing of over 7 million students in state assessments, are uniformly <0.10, representing trivial differences." Further over half of the individual effect sizes actually indicated better performance for girls. That being said, the weighted mean was consistent with no gender differences. In addition they completed a sub-analysis of items that targeted "cognitive complexity or depth of knowledge", as some suggest that boy's higher performance on these types of problems would explain their over-representation in STEM. However, this study found that "even for difficult items requiring substantial depth of knowledge, gender differences were still quite small."

This meta-analysis [3] of "242 studies published between 1990 and 2007, representing the testing of 1,286,350 people" found "no gender difference" in mathematics performance. They also performed a second analysis of data from large data sets based on probability sampling of U.S. adolescents over the past 20 years" and found that no gender differences on average; in addition the effect sizes again indicated girls performed better on some assessments.

This international meta-analysis [4] "representing 493,495 students ...across 69 nations" found "all of the mean effect sizes in mathematics achievement were very small" indicating that boys and girls performed similarly on the mathematics exams. Interestingly, despite the similarity, "boys reported more positive math attitudes and affect."

This review [5] found "research on cognitive development in human infants, preschool children, and students ... provides evidence that mathematical and scientific reasoning develop from a set of biologically based cognitive capacities that males and females share. These capacities lead men and women to develop equal talent for mathematics and science."

All of this indicates that there are no inherent gender differences in mathematics performance between the sexes. There may appear to be a difference, but this is a result of sociocultural factors and/or slight natural sample variation.

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Stereotype Threat

In addition to the above, I want link to a past post where I address stereotype threat. I've copied the relevant portion below, but please see the link for sources:

As suggested by @mycodyke, an important factor here is the stereotype threat. This refers to how "behavior can be a consequence of priming effects, ... when a stereotype becomes activated, stereotype-consistent behavior may follow automatically from that activation" [21]. The study she linked [22] goes into this, finding that men performed the same in a cognitive task regardless of priming condition, whereas women performed worse only when primed with female condition. This replicated an earlier study [23] that found "no sex differences were observed" when the task instructions didn't emphasize sex-stereotypes. Other similar studies: -- This study [24] found "sex difference was reliably elicited and eliminated by controlling or manipulating participants’ confidence" -- This meta-analysis [25] suggested that "male superiority on spatial ability tasks ... is related to the implementation of time limits". -- This study [26] also suggested this, finding that "the magnitude of gender differences was linearly related to the amount of time available for test completion". All of this indicates that sex differences on this task (and likely in other similar situations) are the result of individual expectations about their performance. This is also commonly brought up for self-fulfilling prophecies; that is, if someone believes they will succeed/fail they are more likely to succeed/fail. And this has real-world consequences. For example, in this study [27], "in a simulated job interview, [participants] … were confronted with either sexist … or non-sexist … behavior … [and] results indicated that female participants in the sexist condition performed significantly worse on the mathematical test than female participants in the control condition … suggest[ing] an influence of psychological and interpersonal processes on seemingly objective test outcomes."

These studies were on a different "male typical" cognitive task, but the same principles underlying these results apply to tests of mathematical performance.

In short, the belief that men are naturally better/women naturally worse on a particular task can actually lower women's performance on the task. Eliminating or reducing this perception results in higher female performance.

For specific studies on this with reference to mathematical performance, see:

This study [6] found that "[math] test performance of women in a stereotype-nullifying presentation ... was raised significantly to surpass that of the men in the course" specifically for "the most highly qualified and persistent women [and men] in [upper level] college mathematics." (And as a note, they also find that when "test-takers were given the test under normal test instructions, women and men performed equally.")

This experimental study [7] that found women's performance on a math test, but not men's performance, was reduced by the stereotype threat condition (where they were told their sex is expected to perform worse) both within and between sexes.

Taken together, these results suggest that the current cultural expectation that men are naturally better – and women naturally worse – at math is actually harming women's performance.

---

Coding Skills

In addition to all of that, I've also discussed how there little to no evidence of sex differences in the human brain.

There's a lot less research on sex differences in computer coding proficiency, but a few include:

This study [8] that found that while "males have significantly more previous exposure to computer programming ... females do equally as well or better in programming comprehension."

This study [9] on programming lessons for primary school children found "no gender differences in coding ability".

This experimental study [10] also found no gender differences in "accuracy and efficiency of codes".

This interesting code review [11] found that "while there is gendered variation in programming style, there is no evidence of gender difference in code quality" [emphasis mine].

The above studies on gender similarities in math/spatial reasoning all also support gender similarities in coding considering they are often considered to underlie programming skill.

You are also correct about women being the original programmers! You can see these sources [12, 13] for an introduction to the history here.

---

Conclusion

In addition to all of that, I've also discussed how there little to no evidence of sex differences in the human brain.

All in all, there's no evidence that men are better suited for STEM fields than women. Instead, there's substantial evidence that there is no innate gender differences in mathematical ability, complex reasoning skills, spatial reasoning ability, and computer programming proficiency.

I hope this helps you convince your mom, Anon! If either of you have any questions, feel free to send them!

References under the cut:

Kane, J. M., & Mertz, J. E. (2012). Debunking myths about gender and mathematics performance. Notices of the AMS, 59(1), 10-21.

Hyde, J. S., Lindberg, S. M., Linn, M. C., Ellis, A. B., & Williams, C. C. (2008). Gender similarities characterize math performance. Science, 321(5888), 494-495.

Lindberg, S. M., Hyde, J. S., Petersen, J. L., & Linn, M. C. (2010). New trends in gender and mathematics performance: a meta-analysis. Psychological bulletin, 136(6), 1123.

Else-Quest, N. M., Hyde, J. S., & Linn, M. C. (2010). Cross-national patterns of gender differences in mathematics: a meta-analysis. Psychological bulletin, 136(1), 103.

Spelke, E. S. (2005). Sex differences in intrinsic aptitude for mathematics and science?: a critical review. American psychologist, 60(9), 950.

Good, C., Aronson, J., & Harder, J. A. (2008). Problems in the pipeline: Stereotype threat and women's achievement in high-level math courses. Journal of applied developmental psychology, 29(1), 17-28.

Johnson, H. J., Barnard-Brak, L., Saxon, T. F., & Johnson, M. K. (2012). An experimental study of the effects of stereotype threat and stereotype lift on men and women's performance in mathematics. The Journal of Experimental Education, 80(2), 137-149.

Du, J., & Wimmer, H. (2019). Hour of Code: A study of gender differences in computing. Information Systems Education Journal, 17(4), 91.

Price, C. B., & Price-Mohr, R. (2023). Exploring gender differences in primary school computer programming classes: A study in an English state-funded urban school. Education 3-13, 51(2), 306-319.

Akinola, S. O. (2015). Computer programming skill and gender difference: An empirical study. American journal of scientific and industrial research, 7(1), 1-9.

Brooke, S. (2024). Programmed differently? Testing for gender differences in Python programming style and quality on GitHub. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 29(1), zmad049.

Little, B. (2021, February 9). When computer coding was a “woman’s” job. HISTORY. https://www.history.com/news/coding-used-to-be-a-womans-job-so-it-was-paid-less-and-undervalued

Thompson, Clive. “The Secret History of Women in Coding.” The New York Times, 13 Feb. 2019. NYTimes.com, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/13/magazine/women-coding-computer-programming.html.

[fernsnailz]

as a fellow Team Dark enthusiast how often do you think about Rouge’s terrifying leg strength

REALLY OFTEN basically every time i draw her lol. sometimes i think about how she's able to kick through an entire flaming log like it's literally nothing

my friend asked how many mountain lions rouge was capable of carrying so i did the math. rouge's maximum carrying capacity (that we know of) is omega's weight plus shadow's, which would be 2,713 + 77 = 2,790. the average mountain lion weighs about 150 lbs, so 2,790/150 = 18.6. so rouge the bat can carry about 19 mountain lions

[imsobadatnicknames2]

Something about B/X D&D that seemed weird to me at first was defining item weights and characters' carrying capacity in coins, rather than pounds or kilograms or any other actual weight measurement, but I gotta admit it's really grown on me. It means that you don't have to do any math to figure out how much the money your character is carrying counts towards their encumbrance. If you're carrying 32gp, 10sp and 100cp then the money you have in your inventory weighs 142 coins and that's it.

Now, a lot of people might say that counting the weight of money would be unnecessary and annoying and honestly in most games it's one of the first things people houserule away. But in the case of B/X where the whole point of the game (and the main way you earn experience) is hauling treasure from dungeons to towns, I think it's actually worth embracing that the logistics of HOW to haul that treasure out of the dungeon are part of the challenge.

Like. A stack of 50 gold coins and a pile of 5000 copper coins are worth the same and give you the same XP, but taking the former out of the dungeon is trivial, while the later presents a pretty significant logistical challenge.

Idk i think it's a decision that plays well with the game's reward system. It's fundamentally a game about finding and hauling treasure, so it makes sense for to consider weight in terms of the item that will compose most of the treasure the players will be hauling.

[ruby-sister]

Week 2! Leg day ft. The most embarrassing middle of the gym selfie. You can feel the embarrassment rolling off me. But Smith Machine Deadlifts were hitting and I’m making ACTUAL glute progress so, we persist.

Also, FUCK, pulled a quad muscle when warming up by squatting just under my warm up weight because plate math was outside my capacity today.

[illegiblewords]

SOME ILLEGIBLE RAMBLES AND REFLECTIONS: ON GALE AND MYSTRA

I've been on the fence about whether to make this analysis specifically, but after seeing a few other discussions floating around figure it's worth offering another viewpoint in case it resonates.

These analyses in particular are very subjective and offer an interpretive option more than anything. I might allude to discussions I've seen elsewhere that I have different views from, but different views don't automatically mean personal dislike for me. Life would be boring if we all thought the same way, you know? Anyway. Hugeass post ahead, proceed at your own risk lol.

One of the arguments I've seen cropping up recently is the idea that romance between gods and mortals is inherently unequal, abusive, and problematic. I am very much of the mind that Mystra abused Gale. The developers at Larian have stated that every companion in Baldur's Gate 3 is a victim of abuse in some capacity. Some of my favorite romances over the years have been between gods and mortals. Mystra/Gale is not one of those. I think blaming the divine/mortal dynamic for any abuse misses the point. Moreover, it absolves Mystra of a huge amount of personal responsibility in the abuse she committed. I think it makes the abuse focus on what she is rather than who she is, how she looks at others, and how she treats others. I reflected on the divine/mortal pairings I've enjoyed compared to the dynamic between Gale and Mystra. In every divine/mortal romance I've loved, the god found wonder and saw a kind of power they lack in their mortal partner. This power stems directly from their mortality. There are experiences and perspectives specific to being mortal that are invaluable. The god doesn't relate to those experiences and perspectives the same way. The god always needs not only humility but equal respect for their mortal partner in some capacity. Additionally, the god acknowledges that being divine does not equate to omniscience. This is not a god according to the monotheistic definition. It's closer to an immortal being who excels in a very specific area and has certain responsibilities weighing on them. The god sees the forest but may no longer see trees, while the mortal sees trees but may not see the forest. There is value in what is ephemeral and fragile, just as there is value in what is permanent. The god and mortal need to bring balance to one another in the sense that the god helps the mortal find comfort in a bigger picture while the mortal reminds the god what it feels like to be small, vulnerable, and intimately connected to the world/other lives. A healthy divine/mortal romance requires recognition of multiple forms of strength, intelligence, and value. That very, very much is not what Gale and Mystra had. Another layer to the 'divine/mortal romance is always problematic' argument ties to questions of power imbalance. I would argue that even among human beings--power imbalance always exists. Human beings are not identical or interchangeable with one another. One partner might be brilliant at math and runs finances where the other partner would be lost. The other partner might be brilliant at people and can navigate social situations the mathematician would feel helpless in. One partner may be physically larger or stronger than another. The other partner has the full weight of social/legal support in most conflicts. And this isn't touching on issues relating to mental health, physical health, economic stability, societal issues, etc. People are multifaceted. None of us excel at all things, find power in all things, or suffer all things. We each have our own pains and triumphs. We each have the ability to hurt each other if we want to. If we wanted to avoid any power imbalance in favor of 1:1 equality, the only answer we'd have would be to literally romance ourselves . And that's 1) narcissism 2) lonely 3) sad. Just ask Raphael.

But unhealthy power imbalances must exist, right? And there is a horrible power imbalance between Gale and Mystra. I would just argue it has more to do with them personally than because of Mystra being a goddess. I'd argue that we should be looking at Gale and Mystra not as mortal and god or man and woman, but as people above all else with their own experiences/motives driving choices throughout the relationship. Examine the ways they look at and treat each other versus themselves. If Mystra was the mortal and Gale was the god, if Mystra was a man and Gale was a woman, I would not change my stance regarding where abuse was committed. Imo people get too caught up trying to make sweeping generalizations instead of focusing on the individuals and how they specifically interact. This in-mind, what are some examples of unhealthy power imbalance as I define it?

A character is physically and/or mentally incapable of participating with proper awareness of the situation, as a partner with equal respect and sway within the relationship.

A character is dependent upon the prospective partner for survival and cannot refuse them without fear of retribution or withholding necessities to survival.

A character is being systematically isolated and made dependent on their partner for all socialization and self-worth.

And so on. Hopefully you get the gist. What I do want to draw attention to though is that these examples offer room to include a variety of circumstances or dynamics within their umbrella. Ex. An underage character with an adult would easily qualify for the first criteria, but an extremely, non-functioningly drunk character would also count. So lets have a look at Gale and Mystra's situation in particular again.

Gale has, by his own admission, been involved with the Weave for as long as he can remember. He sees Mystra as synonymous with the Weave, and with magic. These are things he explicitly states within the game. Gale also has notable reactions to say, saving Arabella from being killed over the idol of Silvanus or Mirkon from harpies. With Arabella especially, the idea of being treated as unforgivable or deserving death for a youthful mistake is something he talks about as if he has some experience with it. And while this is a video game with limited character models, I'm going to estimate that the tiefling kids are probably somewhere between nine and thirteen. We know Gale has been stuck largely alone in his tower with the orb for a year or so. The orb specifically is something that happened when he was an adult, but the way he talks about Arabella with implicit personal identification of facing older authority figures as a young person who didn't know better... I don't think this is the orb alone troubling him. Minsc also has a dialogue option where he talks about how in Rashemen, boys with an affinity for the Weave were hidden away and he suspects it was to keep them from being preyed on by Mystra. Not men, boys. I've seen people try to argue that Mystra would have been indisposed/dead and unable to take advantage of Gale when he was a kid due to the broader Forgotten Realms timeline. I'm inclined to say in this instance, with all evidence in the narrative pointing to a particular arc and theme for Gale and Mystra's relationship, it's more likely that the timeline was something Larian chose to fudge in the interest of storytelling opportunities. The alternative would be that none of those dialogue exchanges meant anything. The narrative is weakened if those moments are made meaningless, and the characters become flatter and less credible without them too. If it comes between trivia and the emotional core of a story, I'd argue the core wins. Gale claims to have slept with other people before Mystra, but that a romanced character is the first person he's slept with after her. I personally suspect it wasn't a lot of prior experience, and he was pretty young when his romance with Mystra began. Additionally, while it's pure conjecture on my part--given how Gale reacts to the tiefling kids it would make sense to me if Mystra started grooming him when he was between nine and thirteen years old. Other people have shared analysis pointing to evidence that Gale unknowingly dual-classed and was a storm sorcerer originally, but was told he was purely a wizard and then had all of his sorcerous abilities eaten by the orb without ever knowing they existed. I do think it makes sense for Mystra to influence Gale as a potentially very powerful sorcerer this way to 1) get him to self-limit through wizard spells so he's easier to predict and control 2) be completely dependent on and devoted to her, starting as early as possible. (For the curious, sorcerer Gale theory is here and here. Very well-done imo!) In any case, Mystra absolutely has personal motive to do what she did, that has nothing to do with Gale personally. That it turned into grooming for a sexual relationship isn't a huge leap in light of her apparent mindset either. But lets take a moment to review that.

This is a really good recap setting up Mystra's situation. Karsus too, by the by. This second video here helps explain Mystra's own situation. My understanding is like this:

Mystryl was the original goddess of magic. Mystryl was a born-goddess rather than an ascended mortal goddess, which is important to note because both exist in the Forgotten Realms. Mystryl was neutral alignment. The Weave, magic, and those casting magic all tied into her divine portfolio. Divine portfolios reflect deities' jurisdictions and callings, which empowers them through use in the world as well as mortal worship. With all this in-mind, naturally it benefited Mystryl to encourage experimentation, devotion, and arcane ambition. The more spellcasters pushed the limits of magic, the more powerful Mystryl became too. This was when the Empire of Netheril came about, with its floating cities and its magocracies. Worth noting, eleventh level spells were being used at this point in time. Cue a bunch of aberrations showing up, called phaerimm. Cosmic horror monstrosities that sort of looked like if you combined grubs and lampreys then made them way too big. On the one hand they were ridiculously powerful natural spellcasters themselves. On the other, they could straight up detect, deflect, and eat magic at will. Incidentally they were also extremely hostile to other life forms. So them existing at the same time as Netheril caused some massive problems. The wizard empire was at war, struggling, and panicking. Karsus was a prodigy and the one most people were turning to for protection at the time. Karsus decided the best way to solve the problem was to become a god himself using the first and only twelfth level spell (of his own design) then get rid of the phaerimm that way. The spell specifically required the caster to replace a god of their choice. Karsus, being a wizard, thought Mystryl was the strongest divine force of all time and chose her. The first video explained very well, but it basically sounds like as a born-goddess--maintaining the Weave was essentially an autonomic process for Mystryl. Basically required as much thought as beating your own heart. It wasn't like that for Karsus. Karsus might have been the best wizard in the sense that someone might be the best marathon runner of all time, but if you take that marathon runner and then tell them they have to pump their heart manually from now on they're not just going to lose any future races they attempt--they might just die on the spot. Which is kind of what happened to Karsus. Karsus became a god of ambition along with magic, then lost his divinity to become a Great Old One instead. These days he's a stone stained in the gore of his dead people who speaks in fountains of blood. (One of the reasons I'm not enabling Gale in his quest to become god of magic, by-the-by.) Mystryl died because of Karsus's spell. Mystryl probably hadn't considered mortals, let alone the wizards who gave her so much power as a goddess, a threat to her personally before. An incarnation of Mystra (not Gale's Mystra) was born from the ashes of Mystryl to become the new goddess of magic. One of the first things Mystra does after basically reincarnating from Mystryl is ban mortals from using magic at level ten or higher. Mystra is now aware that mortals can challenge the gods and straight up kill her personally. She still needs casters using magic at high level to empower herself as a goddess, but it's a double-edged sword that can absolutely kill her. And to make matters worse... this Mystra also gets killed later. The Mystra we have now was a mortal woman (Midnight) who kept Mystra's name to avoid confusing worshippers, who'd been chosen by Mystra previously and ascended into that role. Midnight-Mystra, from the sound of it, also got killed for a bit and had to get saved by Elminster.

Like I said before, I do think there were some timeline blips going on for Mystra with Baldur's Gate 3. As long as she's died and reincarnated twice, her psychological state is cemented. How long it took her to come back and whether there were even more deaths than that is less important. I'd argue the key ideas we're supposed to take away about Mystra from this are that she is a goddess who 1) at this point is an ascended mortal who may have certain inherited memories or experiences from born-deities 2) is hyper aware that mortals can kill her 3) has been killed and reborn multiple times, not just by mortals but the very wizards she draws power from.

This is absolutely a shitty situation. It makes sense Mystra has complexes around it. It makes sense Midnight-Mystra would feel especially afraid when it comes to wizards seeing as she herself is a former mortal, so her position likely feels even more tenuous. The way she interacts with wizards and relates to her own position as a goddess is not as someone secure in her own power, but someone who sees anyone coming close to her level as a direct threat to her life. She needs casters to be strong to fuel her portfolio, but if they're too strong they can challenge her. So she is using whatever tools at her disposal to keep them beneath her while maintaining her own strength. It's also worth remembering that Mystra has no pretense of being good-alignment. Her motive in confronting the Netherbrain wasn't to protect Toril from mindflayers, but to protect herself personally from the Crown of Karsus and protect the Weave from the Karsic Weave. If magic as a force is in danger (as per the Karsic Weave) she might try to do something, but what befalls mortals is irrelevant to her. I'd argue she's 1000% acting out of self-interest for Baldur's Gate 3. And again--it makes sense given her position. It makes sense given the track record for gods in the Forgotten Realms.

So, if we go with the in-game implications that Mystra is supposed to have been active across Gale's life and was active when Minsc was running around a century ago (referenced in his comments about Rashemen protecting boys from Mystra)... what kind of relationship has Mystra built with wizards in particular? This is heavy speculation here but I'm going off of Gale's experience, Elminster's behavior, a point of notable cattiness from Lorroakan, and Mystra's motives.

I think Mystra encourages wizards to compete for her favor, both through their arcane power and on a personal level. She encompasses their entire world and dictates everything they are capable of by holding the Weave in her portfolio. Casters are nothing without her. She is fickle in her attentions, moving between wizard paramours and chosen so they constantly feel the need to prove themselves worthy of her love. As their goddess, they have no room to question her or ask for loyalty born of personal affection. Mystra does not care. She is inherently more than they are and ever will be, and unless they have something to woo her through her portfolio specifically there is no reason for her to stick around. They're lucky she gives them the time of day. Even if she can't literally, physically, personally prevent a wizard from interacting with the Weave--she can seriously screw with them while they do. Mystra's first post-Mystryl act was to blanket-limit the spells wizards could perform, remember? And BG3 Mystra was able to pluck the orb from Gale's chest at any time, whenever she felt like it. She just didn't. Lifetimes of work, dedication, study, and innovation are not ultimately credited to the casters who built themselves through their art but to Mystra. Memorized spells, arcane gestures, the interaction of components. She can make all of that so much harder. And she takes credit for any advancement a wizard makes. Origin Gale has lines with Minthara where he struggles to see himself as capable of anything without Mystra's say-so and needs to be reminded that she can't claim everything he has ever done through magic, and she hasn't managed to stop him yet. The fact that Gale himself, as Mystra's former lover, doesn't believe this initially and needs someone who very much is not a wizard to remind him says a lot about the dynamic Mystra set up with him and (in all likelihood) other wizards. So how does all of this fit in with the grooming point? Well, magic users are going to be much easier to psychologically control if Mystra starts taking advantage of them when they're still children and don't know any better. She needs to feed off of their strength with no risk to herself, so she needs to make sure they are can't even fathom turning on her. Maximize the power difference, ingrain that shit early. And if it becomes a sexual relationship... Mystra can tell herself they're even less likely to consider turning on her because it's just one more way they depend on her for validation.

Mystra's own fear and trauma (like Cazador's) does not prevent her from becoming an abuser. And like Cazador, she's using it to fuel the abuse she commits herself.

Something else I want to highlight before I segue to focus on Gale further, is how wizards deal with each other and why policy differs toward wizards versus other casters.

Wizards are nerds with shared interests. They're fucking around to see what's possible with magic and seem genuinely excited when anyone innovates. Innovation is something they can learn from and incorporate it into their own art. But actual wizard friendships, at least in Baldur's Gate 3, seem to be rare. They undercut each other emotionally and often look for ways to elevate themselves above their peers. Gale's colleagues left him to twist alone in his tower for a year. Elminster prioritizes pleasing Mystra by passing on her message for Gale to kill himself, and defends her if the player condemns Mystra's behavior. He even gets angry for certain dialogue options.

(It bears saying, I think Elminster has been psychologically wrecked by Mystra too. He does seem to be trying in spite of that but guy's not well himself.)

Even if not all wizards look to become romantically entangled with Mystra, Mystra has definitely encouraged competition and mistrust between them. After all, if the wizards supported each other they might realize they're stronger than her and that she's been causing harm. Another potential death.

I suspect the reason Mystra focuses on wizards is because wizards are ordinary people who know they were born ordinary, and know how hard it was to build arcane power. They aren't as secure in themselves as sorcerers who use magic like a reflex. And warlocks manage to work around Mystra with patrons who aren't beholden to her. So best for Mystra to undermine, manipulate, or otherwise occupy sorcerers who are strong enough to pose threats and teach the wizards they'd be nothing without her.

... One of the other arguments I saw recently was that Gale was being disingenuous/lying to himself and the player when he claims he wanted to gift Mystra a part of herself back. That he only wants power for power's sake, is kind of a terrible person, and it would be boring if he was being genuine. I deeply disagree with this stance.

When it comes to motivation, I'd argue power is by nature a means to an end rather than the end itself. "If I'm powerful enough no one will be able to hurt me again," "If I'm powerful enough I can fix every terrible thing I feel the need to," "If I'm powerful enough I can push the boundaries of what is possible and find a sense of wonder at the results."

Power because power does not cut it as a motive. It's likewise with ambition. We're not 2-D mustache twirlers here.

Ambition includes experimenting with a project to see if you can pull off something new or particularly difficult. Finding joy in the process and challenge itself isn't evil. It isn't even unhealthy.

Competing with others isn't necessarily negative either, in the right context. Being an elite athlete at the Olympics for example, you're putting your own skills against those around you in the hopes of surpassing them. It doesn't mean you think poorly of your fellow competitors. If anything, one would hope you respect them deeply for the shared discipline and passion. (But you still want to win, course. ;P)

If you read my post about DnD's pantheon, it's pretty clear I'm not opposed to the idea of A. firing gods from positions they're neglecting or B. nominating others to oversee necessary-but-unused portfolios. There are established gods of the Forgotten Realms who need, urgently, to be sacked. Being born into divinity, set up through nepotism, or 'elected by seniority' is not enough to shield a deity from my judgment. Mystra is abusing her worshippers, and while her portfolio might be able to squeak by I'd argue she's been compromised and is committing unprofessional and detrimental behavior in her capacity as goddess of magic. ESPECIALLY knowing she's like this as an ascended mortal. Any other mortal would be well within moral bounds to replace her. She has no ethical high ground in that regard. Managing autonomic maintenance of the Weave is an issue, but if someone showed up to replace her with the argument that Mystra is unfit due to committing abuse... I don't think that person would be morally wrong. Ballsy as hell, but not wrong.

So what's going on with Gale?

Gale canonically, in dialogue, thinks he and the world might both be better off if he was dead. I'll go a step further and argue that before the game even starts Gale considers his personal self a net-negative. If he isn't offsetting that with magical skill, knowledge, achievements, material possessions, and overall usefulness--he doesn't think he has a reason to be alive. The universe is worse for his existing in it.

Gale brags because he's trying to show he has something of value to give other people when he sees nothing of value in himself. He's trying to prove he can be an asset so others will keep him around. He brags notably less as he gains a sense of self-worth, self-confidence, and general support as acts progress. The times he gets snippy with other casters are because if he isn't the only and most useful magic guy to get something done, Gale thinks he might as well be thrown away. He is replaceable. He's also terrified to admit anything about the orb in Act I because there is no way to see it as anything but a danger and a burden. When that's added to his depression, he's sure he'll get abandoned in the wilderness to explode by himself and it might even serve him right. No one will mourn him. They might even be glad to be rid of the burden he brought.

Gale wants others to like him, to see him as a good person, to see him as someone brave and smart and worthy of trust. He absolutely does not see himself that way. If he's trying to prove it to the party--he's trying to prove it to himself just as much. There's a line he can give with The Dark Urge where he comments that if people are being killed just for being annoying, he should be dead a thousand times over. If you get solid approval with him at the tiefling party, he'll admit he didn't have any friends before the game. And while I can only speak to a particular romantic route, in Act III he talks about having been told to his face at various points/in various ways that he's insufferable. He knows other people don't like him and don't believe in him. If bad things happen to him they probably think he deserves it. He might even think so too.

Gale doesn't see anything worthwhile in himself that isn't built through wizardry. It has to be because he was smart enough, worked hard enough, and showed enough character to earn his power. If it's sorcery (and this is only a standard he applies to himself) then all that effort he put in would become meaningless. He can't look at his personal self as having done anything deserving of value or respect if he's a sorcerer because magic was easier for him than other people. And if he can't provide any magic, knowledge, or resources at all then no one has reason to give him the time of day. People hate him. Mystra only paid attention for his abilities as a spellcaster. The mortal, personal aspects of him were things she put up with.

So forget power and ambition for just a moment. What does Gale as a person in that position, who feels that way about himself, actually want? I'd argue that he probably just wanted to know the person he loved most actually gave a shit about him as a person. That he wasn't disposable or only worth as much as his skills and material possessions. I'm pretty sure he'd have wanted that regardless of whether Mystra was a goddess. Mystra both being the kind of goddess she was and the kind of person she was kept telling him he should be satisfied, that he shouldn't want any more than she was giving him. He can't climb any higher than her. No one can give him more than her. She is divine, she is the world itself. Gale never felt loved in that relationship. Due to Mystra's abuse he got to a place where the idea of wanting to be loved back became sacrilegious. It meant there was something wrong with him, that he was arrogant and insatiable. How else could he feel utterly alone and unlovable with a goddess?

Gale desperately wanted to mean something to Mystra personally, so he tried to offer a gesture of love in her language. Something he thought would be valuable to her as an individual and something requiring a ton of arcane skill/strength to deliver. He wanted her to look at him like he was irreplaceable as a person. I genuinely don't think that's a power-hungry or ambitious thing to want.

Gale didn't understand the orb, and unfortunately for him he didn't understand Mystra either. She wasn't the wise and understanding goddess he thought she was. She never wanted an equal. She does not have it in her to love someone as such. The idea of equality, for Mystra, is something that must be crushed to preserve herself.

I figure that the Gale who ascends to godhood has accumulated a divine amount of stuff and power to compensate for his belief that lacking those things, he would be worthless. If Gale wasn't a wizard it might have been music, or writing, or fighting, or politics--any skill, influence, or resource could be used the same way. It’s not that ambition is inherently bad. It’s that for Gale, it’s unhealthy. The ambition isn’t for its own sake. He’s using it as a counterweight against his own sense of worthlessness. God Gale buries his problems instead of dealing with them. He will never know if a character who romances him only did so because they saw his potential and wanted to come along for the ride. He will never know if they'd have bothered to stick around if he was only Gale Dekarios, if he didn't have so much to offer them. He tells himself it's enough that they believed he could do it.

With the mortal Gale ending, we should note that Gale doesn’t need power to enjoy the study of magic if he’s healthy. His priority isn’t about pushing the limits of spells, making new ones, or making a name for himself. Given room to decide for himself, he just wants to uplift and share with others through teaching. His trends in approval and disapproval support this preference too.

For Gale, I really think ambition and power are crutches he uses to justify being alive because he doesn't see any other reason. Give him a reason and he genuinely doesn't need them. They're the means, not the end. He does not want power for the sake of power. Guy is sad and doesn't know how to live with himself. He's not a worse or less believable character with that being his motive. Stories are about people, and people don't move through the world with static 'flaws' and 'virtues' checklists that need to be balanced. There's nothing inherently deeper or more meaningful about villainous characters compared to heroic ones. People make choices and deal with situations according to their experiences moment to moment, trying to make sense of things as best they can throughout their lives. Gale fits perfectly within this. The other cast members do too.

And for the record, while I'd argue Karsus was far more ambitious in character than Gale--even for him, it wasn't just about power. The guy was trying to save his people. He fucked up in a horrible and traumatic way so he's a Netherese blood fountain now. (RIP Karsus but also someone please pact with him.)

And as one last, controversial section... what did Gale's experience with Mystra do to him when it comes to his relationship with sex?

From how Gale talks about and shows Weave-sex, I'd argue it's an extension of him feeling inadequate as a mortal. And knowing this is a controversial point + a lot of people have done and loved the Weave scene because it reflects Gale's love of magic, I offer this: Gale would not be less worthy of love if he didn't have magic. Gale does not know this about himself. He went from an archwizard with a tower and Mystra's chosen to a level one adventurer sleeping on the ground. His entire relationship with magic for much of the game is incredibly unhealthy because he sees the person left in its absence as worthless. For Gale to have a healthy arc, I'd argue he needs to learn how to look at himself as nothing but a man and know he's still precious and irreplaceable. He needs to learn that he doesn't need to prove he deserves to be alive. He isn't disappointing. He doesn't have to try to impress others all the time to have a place in their worlds. He doesn't need to bribe people with shiny things or unique abilities so they'll tolerate the rest. He can exist as no one and nothing but himself and be treasured just for that.

I think at some point Gale could potentially have sex in the Weave again as a repairing experience where he's confident that his physical body, his reactions, and his wants weren't anything to feel ashamed of. Reclaiming that from his experience with Mystra could be very powerful and sexy. But for the first time he has sex since Mystra, when he thinks he's going to need to kill himself any day now and has been struggling between terror and self-hatred, I personally think it's healthier for him to get the validation of being enough as just Gale. Not the Wizard of Waterdeep. His life isn't being advocated for because he's strong or unique in bed. Someone wants him alive as just a person.

And not for nothing... I'm saying this as a writer who can't not write. I've had to do my own share of reflection about how I look at myself if writing isn't the metric of my worth. I wouldn't think Gale needs to abandon all magic any more than I would need to abandon all writing. But it's really important to know we aren't empty trash without our callings, you know?

Before I end this post, I do want to invite readers to think back to those bullets I made before on unhealthy power imbalance.

A character is physically and/or mentally incapable of participating with proper awareness of the situation, as a partner with equal respect and sway within the relationship.

A character is dependent upon the prospective partner for survival and cannot refuse them without fear of retribution or withholding necessities to survival.

A character is being systematically isolated and made dependent on their partner for all socialization and self-worth.

If Mystra deliberately started grooming Gale from a young age, emphasized and exaggerated the power discrepancy rather than making any effort to close the gap, that's a pretty big deal. Gale definitely never had equal respect or sway in the relationship compared to her. She'd probably find the idea insulting in the face of her godhood. She didn't want a partner but a supplicant who obeyed her with no needs for himself. Mystra actively distorted Gale's sense of boundaries and magnified what she could take from him if he displeased her. His life's work, his ability to access parts of his own mind for spells, his means of functioning in the world, his ability to defend himself... but also? His health and survival, once the orb was brought into play. And socially, Gale was incredibly isolated. It sounds like he hasn't even seen his own mother in at least a year, which I have some thoughts on. He was friendless for a long time even as Mystra's chosen. And Mystra made sure other wizards knew when she abandoned him to the point that even Lorroakan was aware. Mystra's offense was something for others to look down on him for. And Gale struggles in-game with the idea that Mystra mistreated or neglected him--because how could a goddess, his goddess, do that? He's been gaslit so hard that he doesn't quite get a moment of fully realizing it wasn't his fault. In some dialogue options Mystra even tries to frame his trauma over her abuse, unaware even that he had the Karsic Weave inside him, as wallowing in self-pity.

Gale did make a mistake, but I'd argue it matters a lot that the mistake was innocent and that he's woefully misjudged Mystra's character. He's being told it couldn't have been innocent and he deserves to be punished for it. He largely believes that. Doesn't make it true.

[pynkhues]

https://www.tumblr.com/pynkhues/772465774083375104/httpsxcomlaviniamsterdamstatus18780842590359

filming + post production for the show thus far has been about 10 months, so the window for it being ready to be aired this year is def closing fast. they may not know about the release schedule, but if they know when they’re beginning filming and it’s not for a few more months then it’s just basic math…

I mean, I’d counter with the fact that we have no idea what an accurate production timeline for the show looks like because the first season was heavily influenced by the pandemic, and the second by the writer and actor strikes, and regardless, anyone can say anything on the internet? They could be telling the truth, even just as they’ve encountered it, sure, but that’s a lot of trust and weight to put in reddit user OK_reply_9275, anon, in what’s effectively a post with 0 context and not something we have any capacity to fact check. Like, hell, let’s say that person did see some dates, those dates could just be for a Canadian shoot, not the whole production, which would make sense given they’ve shot in multiple countries before.

Also, like, honestly, I just don’t see the point in getting worked up about it? Hopefully s3 will come out this year, but maybe it’ll be 2026, none of us can do anything about it, all we can do is be happy with the fact that we’re getting it at all. For now though, I’m going to trust what the network says, and that’s that it’ll be released in 2025, and if that proves false, then okay! We’ll be waiting a little longer.

[thedivinemechanism]

On a normal day, how many pigeons could you carry?

Hmm.. interesting question! Jayce and I used to give each other meaningless prompts like this and actually try to solve them. It's been a while...

This sounds like fun!

Due to the vague nature of your question, I've decided to interpret it as the MAXIMUM number of pigeons I can hold at ONCE.

The math is rather simple. I just take the maximum weight I can carry and divide it by the average weight of a pigeon. This is assuming the pigeons are cooperative and not trying to fly away.

My maximum carrying capacity is abooouut 30000g on a good day, and the average pigeon is around 300g.

With these being such clean numbers, we get a perfect 100 pigeons as our answer. Although I'm sure I'd choke on bird dander before even obtaining that many winged sausages.

[racefortheironthrone]

So this is a two parter but do you still agree with your past military numbers on the 7k and how do you reconcile them with the 40m westerosi population? Second or third maybe. Do you think that Dorne as said to be the least populated can simply punch above their weight in raising 20-30k because they don't need as many farmhands like the rest of the 7 kingdom's?

My past military numbers were based on the 40 million population.

No, they can't. It doesn't matter as much what people are doing for a living when they're not fighting - whether they're working as farmers or pastoralists or silk-makers and silk-painters, or whatever - that doesn't change the math that soldiers still need to be fed. So if you have an army of 25,000, you need to be able to feed those 25,000 every day otherwise they will desert; just as you would have to do for the 50,000 if you had 50,000 men under arms.

The only thing that changes is how much state capacity is needed to support your army, whether you're getting that food from your own agricultural land or buying it from someone else.

[yupimnear]

If mellos stomach was completely full of chocolate, he would be 3.5% chocolate, but it’s very unlikely he would ever have a stomach with only chocolate in it. Anyway, heres some math cause I was bored.

The average empty stomach weighs 4.5 ounces, or roughly .3 pounds.

A full stomach weighs 4-5 pounds, but I used 4 in this since mello is kind of underweight and thin.

So the average full capacity of a stomach should be 3.7 pounds, (other sources are saying full stomach capacity is anywhere from 2-3 pounds to 4-7, but that’s heavily dependent on circumstances, so I’ll use the average weights instead cause mello is average height and close to average weight) i’m gonna just go with 3.7!

1 pound of chocolate is roughly 16 ounces, and 3.7 x 16 is 59.2: so mello can hold around 59 ounces of chocolate.

If we go with the average chocolate bar weight, which seems to be around 1.5 ounces comparing reputable courses, that would mean he can technically hold about 39 chocolate bars in his stomach.

But! Of course he doesn’t eat this much: as he’s stated he eats around 5 a day on average, combining both his good and bad days.

But we must take into consideration that mello has to drink water as well to live. It’s recommended to stay generally heathy to drink half your body weight in ounces. Mello weighs 115, so half of that would be 58. 58 ounces of water is 3.7 pounds.

Oh no! That’s his full stomach capacity!! But then, you must also take into consideration that throughout the day you use a lot of this water. Every hour, the average person absorbs and uses approximately 34 ounces of water, taking that out of the stomach, thoigh only about 20% actually makes it to the bladder.

5 chocolate bars is 7.5 ounces. That’s only about half a pound.

But looking at the absorption rate, combined with how many hours a day he’s drinking water, he’s gonna have about 1.25 liters of water in his stomach during waking hours. 1.25 liters of water is 2.8 pounds.

2.8+.5 is 3.3, which isnt his full stomach capacity but that makes sense.

Using the Omni calculator chocolate calorie calculator thing, 8 ounces, or half a pound of chocolate is 1,300 calories if he’s eating a balanced mix of dark and milk, since he’s stated he doesn’t like white chocolate, I think.

Using his weight, height, activity level, and a calorie intake calculator, he should need around 2200 calories a day to maintain his weight. But again, there’s an explanation!!

He could be eating bigger chocolate bars than average, which would make sense. Or when he eats other foods, which he’s stated he does occasionally, they could be higher in calorie to weight ratio compared to chocolate, which would give him his daily intake. Also, he could drink things with calories, not only water. Alcohol, for example. Maybe chocolate milkshakes, but idk, it’s never mentioned on his blog.

His favorite alcohol, though, seems to be wine, which has the one of the higher calorie contents for alcohol.

But putting aside his calorie intake, if Mellos daily eating was to be examined, he would have likely eaten about 0.5% of his body weight in chocolate.

The average daily chocolate intake is recommended to be 1 ounce.

Even if we used mellos weight, (which is below average, so technically he should be eating less then 1 ounce) if he ate the recommended amount, he would only be about 0.05 percent of his body weight in chocolate.

So yeah. mello eats too much chocolate to be a normal human. Somehow he maintains the same weight, while probably not eating enough calories to do that. And he eats far too much chocolate to function correctly. Following this pattern of eating mostly chocolate, he would likely have complications due to high sugar levels and heavy metal contamination. He would face complications like bone pain, gum disease, tooth loss, depression, and probably scurvy eventaully from no vitamin c.

I have no clue how he’s alive tbh

I also do not know. I believe both Matt and Mello have severe disordered eating habits and neither realise how severe it really is...

[mamamittens]

Guestimating the overall length of the Moby Dick would be easier if the very anatomy of the ship didn't change every time we see it istg.

Bad math and more than the required assumptions to make an ass out of you, me, and everyone in the Blues combined.

See this very clear picture that implies we could possibly determine the size of this specific section my rough estimate based off of Whitebeard's height (divided down for his thighs assuming the seat is made to seat him comfortably sitting up, which means roughly the length of his thighs)? I'd be willing to assume it's about the length of the boxes along the side for ease of measurement. Also, side note, horrible stairs for everyone, they're not even for Whitebeard's feet and RIP everyone else's stride on these damn things.

A fucking safety hazard is what it is.

Anyway! Assuming quite a lot, we could theoretically measure out this one section as between the rigging for two masts, which is great! Fantastic! How many are there again?

4? Are we counting the one on the very back? No? Cool, let's just say 3. The ship is (roughly) divided into 4 parts. So, where's the even rigging section...

Not in this one? The railing isn't flat between two rigging sections on an even level. Okay, maybe another one?

Aha! It's here (apparently)! Odd... Big change for a ship... I'm a bit concerned ngl. Especially since that earlier scene is closer to the (unfortunate) destruction of the ship. There's no way they changed a whole ass mast/rigging/railing set up in a few months. They coated it between them and Marineford but I imagine restructuring the the vessel like that would take a lot longer and would be very ill advised all around.

Not to mention the whole ship is different, right down to the coloring. The first one is clearly newer...

Anyway! 6 green boxes (6 Whitebeard thighs, assuming that's 1/4 his height of 666 cm... 166.5 cm or 5 feet 5 inches... Sounds really short... Ah, his ass, right. Forgot to add his ass... Let's round it up to 6 feet to make it even!) So that's... 36 feet for 1/4 of the ship! Assuming our rough as hell math is correct that's 144 feet long of ship!

... 144 feet long? Only that much???

That... That can't be right.

That's like, a yacht?!

The Titanic was 882 feet and 9 inches. Six Moby Dicks is equivalent to one Titanic!

And that ship had a max capacity of 3,547 normal ass sized humans. Not over a thousand, incredibly varied but generally quite tall humans/fishmen/whatever else. With modern amenities taking up space but also making it more efficient, you'd think the Moby Dick would need to be at least a third of the size, maybe two thirds to accommodate Whitebeard alone traveling hither and yon on his own damn ship without compromising the ship's weight distribution or general stability.

This ship is meant to be massive but two and a half count fit across a football field, whale nose to whale ass!

I know I'm bad at math but Jesus that's bad lmao, adjusting the green boxes to 8 would just make the ship 192 feet long. Which isn't much better if I'm being honest.

What a fucking nightmare lol, here's to hoping someone better at maths and nautical knowledge one day finds a better answer than mine.

[jadipose]

Test subject feedee!

yesssss a team o+f ho+t lady do+cto+rs all measuring and pro+dding me day in and day o+ut to+ mo+nito+r and accelerate my weight gain.... funneling me to+ an abso+lute capacity that they determined with math, fo+rcing me full co+nstantly to+ stretch my tummy....

[victorian-vampir]

I did a bunch of shit math before work to figure out the carrying capacity and lift strength of the Bg3 companions because I'm a fucking d&d nerd and this is what I do with my free time.

Wyll, Gale, Astarion, and Halsin do not need high strength stats. They are magic weilders (astarion is an arcane trickster so he counts but rouges are not a beefy class either). I know, it's really funny that Boo has a higher strength stat than Halsin, but Boo is the companion of a ranger, a class that has strength as one of its main ability scores and also he's not actually a hamster.

Assuming we're playing by d&d 5e rules, the players handbook states that the carrying capacity of a character is |Strength stat x 15| meaning: Gale, Wyll, and Astarion all having a strength of 8, times that by 15, they can comfortably carry 120 pounds while fighting, running, rolling, jumping, climbing, walking, all that fun stuff.

However, that means their lift weight is different because that 120 only applies to how much they can carry in their backpacks before it's too heavy for them to comfortably move around. Their lift, push, and drag is different. The player handbook says they can push, lift, or drag things up to twice their carrying capacity, meaning their lift is 240. This does encumber them, but that's still how much they can lift. They do move 5 feet slower tho.

Wanna know how much Halsin can carry and lift by d&d stats? Of course you do, you want Halsin to be a beefcake so bad it makes you look stupid.

His carry capacity is 150. His lift is 300. Fitting for a man who can turn into a bear.

Minsc? 180, 360

Karlachs carry capacity is a startling 255 if we go with her 17 strength and times it by 15. Meaning her lift is a horrifying 510. Superhuman. This woman could snap you like a fucking twig. Good for a barbarian.

Lae'zel shares a strength stat with Karlach so she shares her carrying capacity and lift, push, drag weight.

Shadowheart can carry 195, can lift 390. Good for a cleric lifting corpses and shit.

For Minthara check karlachs, they share stats again

For Jaheira, check Halsins, they both have a 10 in strength stats.

So, yeah. Use this for whatever you want.

[bornunequal]

Birthstones

Those accepted into the tribe have their irises change into a gem-like visage, reminiscent of their sign's gem.

Consuming the sign's gems allows the level up of skills, the amount of gemstone required is based upon the cumulative level of the individual. Uncut gemstones coffer half of their weight instead of their full weight. (I like games)

(n(n+1))/2 carats (a carat is 200 mg) of the gemstone must be consumed to gain a level, where n equals the cumulative level plus 1. Consumed gemstones are annihilated inside of the consumer's body if the gemstone is that of the consumer's sign. (I like math)

Upon leveling up, the person unlocks a new ability or strengthens an existing ability.

Losing an eye reduces the abilities by 50%. This does not decrease the amount of gemstone needed to be consumed in order to level up an ability.

Auras can not be turned off, actually, most abilities can not be 'controlled' in a technical sense. Things such as generation or manipulation of elements or Invisibility are toggleable.

Garnet; OA: January; Traits: [Glowing eyes, enough to provide light in the dark to see by], [Supernatural Protection from Harm], [Magicall Anti-depressed], [Quick clotting of wounds], [Efficient blood circulation], [Percieved as more personable and friendly than actually is]

Amethyst; OA: February; Traits: [Anti-Horny Aura, minorly affects other passions], [Healing Factor]

Aquamarine; OA: March; Traits: [Protects vehicles riding in/on], [Increases luck when getting food], [Calming and trust reinforcing aura]

Diamond; OA: April; Traits: [Increases beauty], [Can force love to not degrade with those they have relationships with]

Emerald; OA: May; Traits: [Increased intelligence], [Futuresight], [Resistance to disease, poison, and possession], [Increased luck in the matters of wealth], [Lowered threshold for acceptance into other tribes], [Increased determination]

Pearl; OA: June; Traits: [Increased capacity at night related to the moon phase], [Lightning generation], [Water manipulation], [Increased wisdom], [Increased magical capacity]

Ruby; OA: July; Traits: [Healing factor], [Flame generation], [Can accelerate plant growth], [Can comprehend other's leadership capabilities], [Prophetic dreams]

Peridot; OA: August; Traits: [Shared emotions in a radius], [More resistant to afflictions], [Calms the mind], [More restful sleep]

Sapphire; OA: September; Traits: [Allows the ability to hear and see souls], [Increased luck in a way which willfully shapes own destiny]

Opal; OA: October; Traits: [Enhanced visual sense], [Invisibility]

Citrine; OA: November; Traits: [Happiness aura], [Warmth aura], [Anti-anxiety aura], [Healing aura]

Topaz; OA: December; Traits: [Anti-magic], [Generally improved health], [Increased light sensitivity for vision], [More difficult to perceive], [Decreased bad luck], [Anti-nightmare], [Increased capacity during the night getting stronger as the night goes on but disappearing as day arrives, losing capacity as the day goes on until night arives]

Shifting Method: None, because I think it is fine to leave it as is.

Do you like your capacities in this world were you born into this world? Feel free to comment below.

(This was a pain to do bc some of ya'll have more than one gemstone per month and I didn't care to due that)

[paymaxxapp]

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Logistics Companies focused on cutting fuel costs and boosting margins.

Vehicle Designers & Engineers needing advanced insights into weight distribution.

How It Works (3 Simple Steps):

Select Your Truck Type – Choose from common truck configurations.

Enter Your Specs – Input your weight, dimensions, and fuel data.

Get Instant Output – View optimal coupling position, weight distribution, and projected revenue gains.

Ready to drive smarter?

Download PayMaxx today and unlock the full earning potential of your truck!