Realistic Body Images

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Originally Posted By: Marc Brenowitz ([email protected])
Copyright © Marc Brenowitz

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Some Ideas About The Body Type Stat Goto Top

Let's look at Body Type in CyberPunk and Cybergeneration, because its one of the most misunderstood stats.

Body Type is a description of physical strength, endurance, and toughness (particularly toughness as it relates to combat). Most games break out strength or "raw, physical power" from endurance or constitution or toughness. Because CyberPunk does not break these out into seperate stats, its Body Type (or just Body) stat encompasses all aspects of physique.

Someone who is extremely physically powerful and very able to soak up physical damage is, by definition, also physically large. The greater muscle mass enables physical strength, and the greater body mass -- larger organs, more flesh and bone to soak up wounds or disease -- enables physical toughness.

This is not to say that a smaller person would not ever be strong or be able to soak up quite a lot of physical damage from either wounds or disease, or wouldn't have great physical endurance (say for marathon running), but it is not as common as for people with greater physical mass.

This is to say, however, that the top end of the Body Type scale (before cyberware or bioware modification) pretty much require a larger physique.

For example, the well known actor Arnold Schwartzeneger would be described in terms of the CyberPunk system as having a Body Type of 10, obviously. He is a large, extremely muscular and physically robust man. Now compare him to a Japanese martial arts master. The martial arts master stands five feet six inches tall, masses about 130 pounds, and is in superb physical shape due to his constant martial arts training.

Would this second smaller man have a Body Type of 10? I would argue a 5 or 6. That this Body Type number is smaller than 10 does not make him any less deadly than Mr. Schwartzeneger. Although Mr. Schwartzeneger can obviously hit quite hard, the professional martial artist at a much smaller size is likely to be able to hit at least as hard due to his training.

Although the martial arts master's training enables him to avoid or roll with hand to hand inflicted physical damage to a very high degree, shoot him or gas him and he will go down much more quickly than Mr. Schwartzeneger. Arnold's great big, muscle laden body will be able to soak up a bullet or his larger circulatory system to better handle gas or poison than the smaller martial artist.
 

So How Big Is Someone Of A Given Body Type? Goto Top

A Body Type Of 1 Or 2 (Very Weak) would be reserved for children, but 2 could make sense for a very small and frail adult. For example, a tiny woman of four foot nine inches in height and 80 pounds (95 pounds is a more reasonable weight at this height).

A Body Type Of 3 Or 4 (Weak) would apply for small adults and larger children and youths. Very small people, under five feet in height, and ranging up to 110 pounds on the top end, would fit here. Many smaller women would fall into this category.

Body Types In The 5 To 7 (Average) range include most adults between five and six feet in height and weighing between 100 and 200 pounds. The top end of the weight range assumes a typical overweight, out of shape, U.S. male. That 200 pounds at a Body Type of 7 is not mostly muscle. The median weight range would include most stronger and taller and/or larger women.

Entering The Range Of 8 & 9 Body Types (Strong) would bring us to muscular males and very muscular females, probably five foot six inches and taller and massing at least 150 pounds, but more typically 170 pounds and up. Most body builders would fall into this range.

Only The Largest And Most Muscular Of People Would Rate A Body Type Of 10 (Very Strong). This means BIG. A typical person with a Body Type of 10 would be more than six feet tall, and mass at least 220 pounds with most of that weight muscle. Very few men fall into that category, and almost no women (at least not in 1996, although there are a lot more six foot + women now than ten years ago). This category would include pro football players and other people who can easily do push ups with someone sitting on their back.

Natural Body Types Of 11, those appearing without cybernetic or bioware modification, would occur only in the most massive of human beings, human giants. Shaquille O'Neal at seven foot two and 300 pounds might fit here, but he might only rate a Body Type of 10.

People this large are as rare as people at the other end of the size scale, which is why Body Types in CyberPunk stop at 10 for the unmodified. When was the last time you saw an adult who was either three feet or seven feet tall? Unless you happen to be that size or related to someone who is, you can probably count the number of times on the fingers of one hand.

As a side note for anyone who thinks a human dwarf or midget would be a fascinating character to play (life's tough when you're three feet tall, but there are advantages: think catburglar or fixer), see George C. Chesbro's Mongo series. These novels can be found in the mystery section. The main character, Robert Frederickson, grew up in a small Midwest town that was not kind to a dwarf. He joined the circus to escape, became a star, and with the money he earned paid his way through a Ph.D. in Criminology. Now a college professor and part time private eye, " Mongo" (his stage name) has a knack for becoming embroiled in the strangest of cases. These are great reading, great ideas for adventures, and the main character is one of the most interesting and involving I've ever read.
 

Applying Physical Size And Strength Goto Top

Applying This To Kid Characters: Many players of Cybergeneration are likely to have characters who have body types that would seem high based on my ideas above. The Cybergeneration rulebook does state "and we'll let you be a little stronger" than would probably be realistic for young adults or children, but this is done for the sake of playability. Its up to the individual players and GM's to decide how they want to handle this.

Applying This To Female Characters: So you loved Molly from Neuromancer and you want to create your own kick butt female solo. But whenever you've made a male solo, you always pumped 10 points into Body Type, even if it did leave you with a Tech and Luck each of 3. But you wonder, does a totally hulked-out appearance fit this character? You want her to be tough, you want her to be able to easily smash anyone in hand to hand, but somehow you don't visualize a body builder type body for your solo. You're thinking sleek and powerful and intimidating like a panther.

You think about female athletes and media characters, and none of them were Arnold Schwartzeneger sized or shaped. Hmm, athletes. There are those women boxers that come on in front of the really huge pay-per-view matches. You think probably a body type of 7 or 8, plus, those women know how to fight! Hmm, media characters. Xena, Warrior Princess leaps to mind. The character definitely has a Body Type of 10, but the world is kind of cartoony. How about the actress who plays Xena? Lucy Lawless is six feet tall and in excellent physical form, as are her stunt doubles. She has three stunt doubles, all women, one of whom is an acrobat (for all those leaps and flips). But is she as strong and could she weather as much damage as say, Arnold Schwartzeneger? Well, probably not. That puts Ms. Lawless, and her stunt doubles, probably at a Body Type of 8.

So how large would your female solo have to be to have a Body Type of 10? Say, six foot five and about 190 to 200 pounds. Think Xena, only a head taller. Able to look way down at you.

Hey, you say. 190 to 200 pounds for a woman? Wouldn't that mean she was very, umm, round? No. There is a lot of social misconception about what a woman should and would weigh at a given height, particularly for taller women. Witness many character descriptions from any tv show, novel, or roleplaying game: no woman is ever over 130 pounds, regardless of her height or physique!

For a woman and a man of the same height, and presuming an average build (that is, not particulary thin or fat) the woman should weigh more. This is due to the differences in body composition. In general, women have a much higher body fat percentage than men, even when they are particularly toned.

A woman who is 5' 10" and who has an average or large build and who is in good physical shape (exercises often or does a very physical job, such as an athlete or solo) could easily weigh 160 pounds and would look and be in proportion, not fat; this would be a Body Type of 7. For another example, many tall models (not the superskinny "supermodels") are 5'8" and taller and weigh 150 pounds and more but do not look fat, nor are they; they are a healthy weight for their height and frame. On the other end of the height scale, a woman who is 5'1" and who works out could weigh 110 pounds and look and be in proportion.

Typically, a woman who is in good to excellent physical shape and health from exercise -- and most athletes and solos would fall here -- will weigh 10 to 20 pounds more than a sedentary woman of the same height.
 

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