1.5. Measurements

Distance

All Distances and lengths include both a Theater of the Mind measurement and a unit measurement. The unit measurement is for those using a map and miniatures on a grid. If you need real-world measurements, each unit counts as 5 feet or 1.5 meters. (Feel free to treat each unit as 1 meter, if you prefer. The balance of the game won't change much, so long as you remain consistent.)

Most of the game will use the following six Distances. Each is double that of the one before it, except the last.

Theatre of the Mind	Mini Units (in)	Units (ft)	Units (m)
Swinging Distance	1	5	1.5
Spearing Distance	2	10	3
Spitting Distance	4	20	6
Throwing Distance	8	40	12
Shooting Distance	16	80	24
Sniping Distance	100	500	150
Your Abilities will use these Distances to describe how far they can reach. For example, your Melee Attack can hit creatures within a Swinging Distance(1u), while your Ranged Attack can hit creatures up to a Shooting Distance(16u) away. Spells, like your Magic Attack, will most often max out at a Throwing Distance(8u).

Unless a Distance has the prefix "True...", walls and other obstructions will get in the way and cut short the provided distance. For example, an Ability with a "True Shooting Distance" could target creatures inside a big metal box, but a regular "Shooting Distance" would be incapable of targeting them.

Any Distance

Rare Abilities will refer to their range as being "Any Distance". This always counts as a True Distance. This Distance can also flow into and through portals to other realms. (If a plane of existence were truly isolated with no portals connected to it, then the Any Distance Ability would fail to target them.)

Size

From the Glossary:

There're 7 core Sizes that are each double that of the previous size. While you shouldn't obsess over exact measurements, you can use the units listed below as a reference.

Size	Reference	Units (in³)	Units (ft³)	Units (m³)
Tiny	Spider, Chicken, Rat, Roach	¼	1¼	0.38
Small	Koala, Raccoon, Turkey	½	2½	0.75
Medium	Donkey, Pig, Emu, Human, Bigfoot	1	5	1.5
Large	Cow, Moose	2	10	3
Huge	Elephant, Giraffe	4	20	6
Massive	Whale Shark, Blue Whale	8	40	12
Gargantuan	A swarm of 15 creatures	16	80	24
The game will use Size to describe creatures, objects, and areas of effect for Abilities.

Creatures of a given Size may not take up that full cube of space, but they do take up enough of the space that only creatures more than one size larger or smaller than them can get by.

Creatures that don't neatly fit into their cube may also list a modifier after their size. Size Modifiers won't provide an exact size, but they hint at how much extra or less space they take up. The modifiers are as follows:

Size Modifier	Modification Description
Short	Height is closer to half their cube size, or shorter.
Tall	Height is closer to one and a half their cube size, or taller.
Long	Length is closer to double their cube size, or longer.
Below are some examples of creatures for different modified sizes:

Medium Short. Capybara, Panda, Wolf, Dwarf.
Medium Tall. Bear, Minotaur, Bigfoot.
Medium Long. Colossal Squid, Tiger Shark.

Size Modifiers are there for the GM to reference and use when making calls, but have no explicit mechanical bearing on the game like the base Sizes do.

Shape

Some Abilities will target a "Shape" instead of creatures or objects directly. When targeting a Shape, you have a chance to affect everything that touches the Shape's area.

Every Shape will have a Shape Origin. This serves as the actual target of the Ability and the point from which the effects will flow outward in straight lines. Objects block this flow, unless the shape is a "True" Shape. Anything touching a part of the Shape to which the effect can flow from the origin will become a target of the Ability when it comes time to perform the Ability's Test.

You must target a Shape's Origin and specify its orientation when you start an Ability. Because of this, the creatures within the Shape may have a chance to escape the Shape (see 1.8. Abilities for more on how to escape or interrupt Abilities.)

Below is a detailed description of each of the five possible Shapes:

Cone Shape

The Cone Shape's Origin is located where you are and extends outward from you. The cone's width at a given point along its length is equal to that point's distance from the Origin. The cone's length will be a Distance provided by the Ability. The cone's Origin is not included in the shape, unless you decide otherwise.

Cube Shape

The Cube Shape's Origin lies anywhere on a face of the cubic area. The Shape Origin must be within the Distance described by the Ability. The cube will express its size as one of the standard Sizes. A cube's Origin is not included in the cube's area of effect, unless you decide otherwise.

Cylinder Shape

The Cylinder Shape's Origin is the center of a circle that makes up one of the horizontal ends of the cylinder. Abilities will provide the Size of the origin's circle and the height of the Cylinder. The effects in a cylinder expand in straight lines out from the Origin to the circle's perimeter. The effects then shoot upward or downward to fill the cylinder's specified height. A cylinder includes its Origin in the area of effect.

Line Shape

The Line Shape's Origin lies at your current location and extend in a straight line outward to the Distance described by the Ability. A line's point of origin is not included in the line's area of effect, unless you decide otherwise.

Sphere

The Sphere Shape's Origin is a point you choose within a Distance specified by the Ability. The sphere extends outward from that point to fill a sphere of the Size described by the Ability. A sphere includes its origin in the area of effect.

Next Up: 1.6. Damage