Height and size limitations

Rhuen · Post by **Rhuen** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 12:40 pm

I am certain threads like this have happened before. But a new perspective.

How tall/short and how muscular/slim would you limit a werewolf.

Not just has to be smaller than or not so muscular. But also the other way. How short is too short? how skinny is too skinny? for a werewolf as well?

avogadro522 · Post by **avogadro522** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 1:24 pm

Wolves are pretty lean creatures, so near as I can tell, so I don't see the problem in a skinny werewolf. My roommate in college was 6'8" and very lean (cross country runner, nice guy), so I could believe in both of those proportions, but anything taller and I think it would be problematic for the werewolf. I can also envision a very muscular werewolf, but I think the huge muscle beast version wouldn't work because of the mobility issue it presents. Not to mention I've always had a problem with the version of werewolves where they go from normal human to 280 lbs of muscle without any explanation for the the weight gain (magic not withstanding). As for height, well, I'm only 5'6", so I can identify with short werewolves, in spite of their loss of intimidation.

So in conclusion I have established nothing, other than I agree with the Freeborn philosophy of a werewolf reflecting its human attributes in wolf form. Therefore, whatever would be reasonable for a human body seems fairly reasonable for a werewolf.

Kelpten · Post by **Kelpten** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 1:40 pm

Well, the law of conservation of mass says that stuff can't be created or destroyed. So unless you're getting your mass from somewhere else, the total mass of the werewolf should be equal to the total of the human's. Of course there are ways around this, such as taking/dispelling mass from the surrounding air, but that would create a poping noise and a rush of air everytime someone transformed. So yah, I think the werwolf should be just as tall/short/muscular as their human form.

Spike_Wolf · Post by **Spike_Wolf** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 6:52 pm

wow sounds good to me lol on all the other places I have been asking these questions I get dumb answers like well because he is a beast and its magick I love this place and I totally agree with you Kelpten

RedEye · Post by **RedEye** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 10:56 pm

Remember: While matter can't be created or destroyed; it is infinitely malleable.
IMHO....
Were's would appear taller than their Smoothskin form because they are both Visually vertical (Optical illusion) and would gain some height as their feet went from Plantigrade to Digitigrade.
Even if the Were's kept their digitigrade feet in Smoothskin, one suspects that there would be some reshaping of the foot/heel/achilles tendon area.
Thus.....
A 5'-6" Smoothskin would probably become about 6'-0" (Visually) from the reshaped feet and the eartip gain.
Weight would remain the same.

Kelpten · Post by **Kelpten** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 12:33 am

Good point. As far as muscles go though, I'm not entierly sure. I don't think you should be bulging just because you got bitten; that just doesn't seem right. But I'm not sure if you'd have to work out your forms seperatly or if the muscles are the same. For instance, if you were to work your abs in human form, would you have the same muscular development as a Were (meaning the muscle is the same for both forms) or you'd have to work your were abs seperate from your human ones. I suppose it's dependant on your own version of the transformation process.

And then there are muscles that aren't shared in both forms, like the tail muscles...

JoshuaMadoc · Post by **JoshuaMadoc** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 5:03 am

Fun question:

What would happen if the lycanthrope happens to be overweight? Would he/she retain their plump bellies or will they look slimmer because of possible fat burning requirements from the changing?

avogadro522 · Post by **avogadro522** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 9:30 am

Honestly I would think they'd still be pretty plump in both forms. Though having to hunt or be on the run would give you some incentive to work off that beer belly.

RedEye · Post by **RedEye** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 2:37 pm

First: Smooth's do have tail muscles: tiny and degenerate, but they're there. As to the shoulder muscles: I suspect that if the shoulderblades relocate, there would be a lot of development just to hold them in place.

And while a new Wulf might have a beer-belly, It'd be gone pretty soon. You think Smooths are the only ones who "point and snicker?" That, and all the chasing around as already referred to would take care of most of the excess weight.

"Hey, man; you lost a lot of weight-you're even looking pretty buffed out now. How'd you do it?"
"Trust me, man; you don't want to know." ( scratches ear with foot).

Set · Post by **Set** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 3:05 pm

I don't understand the bulgy shoulder thing. Neither wolves nor the average human has huge shoulders like that. It doesn't make sense to me to suddenly turn into an NFL player or bodybuilder simply because you grew a little more hair.

It's just UGLY, anyway.

MattSullivan · Post by **MattSullivan** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 3:30 pm

In Cl, my werewolves grow an additional 2-3 feet, not counting the extra height they get from their altered legs. Asher himself is about 8 feet tall. And yeah, they gain added musculature, but nothing absurd or bodybuilder-like.

Zombie · Post by **Zombie** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 6:12 pm

I think that they would be a bit mor muscular, just so everything works right with the altered shapes. It wouldnt happen overnight though, you would have to work the muscles to grow them. So, a new wolf might have a skinny neck and shoulder junction, while a older, more experienced were would have a bulkier, more musculer neck and shoulder area, because he has used those muscles more over time. You can see this in everyday situations. When I was still in school (I feel like and old fart now

) I had nothing much in the way of shoulder/neck development. Now, many moons later, Im massive across the shoulders, and have a wider, more muscular neck, simply because I do activities that involve them more.

And some people just dont have a neck.

-Zombie

Rhuen · Post by **Rhuen** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 9:20 pm

Well we have had the size (GROWTH) limitations mentioned numerous places before like how tall, how fat, how muscular.

What I was asking was the reverse, how short, how thin, how petite or puny could it be when in werewolf form? As in how comfortable are you people with a midget werewolf, or a female werewolf that still fits a size 1 jeans ect...?

JoshuaMadoc · Post by **JoshuaMadoc** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 9:22 pm

Set wrote:I don't understand the bulgy shoulder thing. Neither wolves nor the average human has huge shoulders like that. It doesn't make sense to me to suddenly turn into an NFL player or bodybuilder simply because you grew a little more hair.

It's just UGLY, anyway.

I actually think it looks hot. But then that means i could be one of the few who feels that way.

avogadro522 · Post by **avogadro522** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 10:10 pm

Rhuen wrote:Well we have had the size (GROWTH) limitations mentioned numerous places before like how tall, how fat, how muscular.

What I was asking was the reverse, how short, how thin, how petite or puny could it be when in werewolf form? As in how comfortable are you people with a midget werewolf, or a female werewolf that still fits a size 1 jeans ect...?

A 5'4" werewolf would be a little odd to encounter. I mean, assuming I'm not completely scared s***, I would have to say my first reaction would be surprise, and then an ungoddly desire to scratch it behind the ear. Now, god willing that I still have both hands after that, as for skinny, I could believe anything before the aneorexic level of bodyfat. Heroine sheik doesn't work with fur.

Midnight · Post by **Midnight** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 2:43 am

RedEye wrote:"Hey, man; you lost a lot of weight-you're even looking pretty buffed out now. How'd you do it?"
"Trust me, man; you don't want to know." ( scratches ear with foot).

Might work for some of yous. Me, if I ever got bitten, I'd still be overweight no matter how much fur I was wearing...

hmmm... can't find a "podgy werewolf" emoticon...

Kelpten · Post by **Kelpten** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 9:57 am

Sure, why not a midget werewolf? They definitly shouldn't be the norm, though

RedEye · Post by **RedEye** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 7:08 pm

Kelpten wrote:Sure, why not a midget werewolf? They definitly shouldn't be the norm, though

Next morning, the hero discovers his kneecaps are getting very hairy, right around where that odd looking dog bit them...

RedEye · Post by **RedEye** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 11:30 pm

There's another creature we've forgotten in this mad scramble...
A Warthog, or a Javalina...

OF course you'd have to get them to admit it first...

Terastas · Post by **Terastas** » Sun Jul 15, 2007 8:22 am

RedEye wrote:Remember: While matter can't be created or destroyed; it is infinitely malleable.
IMHO....
Were's would appear taller than their Smoothskin form because they are both Visually vertical (Optical illusion) and would gain some height as their feet went from Plantigrade to Digitigrade.
Even if the Were's kept their digitigrade feet in Smoothskin, one suspects that there would be some reshaping of the foot/heel/achilles tendon area.
Thus.....
A 5'-6" Smoothskin would probably become about 6'-0" (Visually) from the reshaped feet and the eartip gain.
Weight would remain the same.

You beat me to it. A werewolf's body body mass could be proportioned differently to give it a larger appearance, but it would have to be the same weight.

Something I remember suggesting is that, when a werewolf's bones elongate, they also gain hallow points, kind of like, for lack of a better example, the bones of a bird. Ordinarily that wouldn't compromise the werewolf's strength, but it could, so the most I would attribute to a werewolf's additional size would be around six inches; a maximum of two inches on the shift from plantigrade to digitgrade, and a maximum of four attributed to their physical restructuring. I think any more than that and they would start to suffer in quality during the transformation.

I know six inches doesn't sound like much, but it can look like plenty when you compare it to their human form. Not every werewolf has to tower over every human in the script.

Set · Post by **Set** » Sun Jul 15, 2007 5:34 pm

Hollow bones are easily broken, hence why birds are so fragile. I was under the impression that people liked werewolves to be tougher, not more easily damaged.

Morkulv · Post by **Morkulv** » Sun Jul 15, 2007 5:43 pm

They should be bigger, but not huge.

I hate it when werewolves look like the Hulk in height.

23Jarden · Post by **23Jarden** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 9:12 am

I usually cut it off at 4in Height increase.

Terastas · Post by **Terastas** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 11:08 am

Set wrote:Hollow bones are easily broken, hence why birds are so fragile. I was under the impression that people liked werewolves to be tougher, not more easily damaged.

Not necessarily. Don't think of a bird's bones as being completely hallow like a straw. They're more like a sponge -- individual "gaps" here and there, though they have enough (for lack of a better term) structural support where necessary to still be durable. An ostrich has hallowed bones, but it could still put a dent in your car if you let it.

If a werewolf's bones did elongate to the point that they became completely hallow, then yes, that would compromise their strength and durability. Just an extra inch or two, on the other hand, wouldn't do anything to hinder them. That's why I suggested a maximum increase.

Zombie · Post by **Zombie** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 5:34 pm

I think they would be roughly the same height as they would be as a human, but standing on their tip-toes. A few extra inches. Since people walk flat-footed and wolves walk on their toes, a werewolf, in bipedal wolf form, would be as tall as his human self standing on his toes, not counting anything extra from relocated ears.

-Zombie