I’m more inclined to think that Grim Eyes is that strong, since she’s the Hunt-Leader of a warrior-tribe of ritually cannibalistic hyenas. And since Shadowchild’s never been shown to have much in the way of physical strength: I think Digger knows it’s “powerful” in that nothing physical (short of magic swords) can stop it, and it can kill apparently anything it wants to by eating its shadow.
Agreed Mani. Say what you like about hyenas, the documentation of spotted hyenas in Africa agrees on three things, one they have a very strong bite, highest of the placental mammals and second only to the Tasmanian devil overall for mammals, two, they have a very high tolerance for pain, as you’d expect for a species that gives birth though an erectile pseudo-male clitoris and three. they work.
Lions ambush. Always. Cats tend to. Hyenas don’t usually: they chase and worry their prey until it drops dead from seer exhaustion. They’ve been recorded to chase particularly promising prey for twenty clicks. They, like wolves and humans, are one of the few animals to hunt by sheer endurance. They have near bottomless stamina and in comparative testing Spotted hyena intelligence ratted up with Primates and Dolphins. Anything that evolved from a hyena is NOT going to be afraid of a little hard work.
We know that Murai “couldn’t weigh more that a hundred pound soaking wet.” and that Digger weighs “Around two-twenty.” and although no units are given, since if she did weigh two-hundred and twenty pounds then given her height and build she’d have to be made of stone, it seems that two stone twenty, or 48 pounds, would be more logical as that within the weight limits of an normal non-sapient wombat. 148 pounds in a dead lift is a hell of a lot, but do-able by a strong human being IF THEY NEVER GOT TIRED. Given that hyenas famously do not tire easily, it’s possible.
Eugene and Tom, I had the same thought. It reminds me a bit of roleplaying games where the GM is trying so hard to give the players an out and they just don’t grasp it.
Why yes, it looks like it’s helping a great deal /sarcasm. Grim Eyes must have a great deal of traction with those paw-pads, though. One would think that on snow, placing one’s foot like that would be a recipe for disaster.
@ BunnyRock
I believe the unit would be Newtons. 220N is about 50lbs which is almost exactly the right weight for the average wombat. Plus it would make sense that a wombat would use newtons rather than lbs to describe their weight especially since it is mostly widely used by engineers and is a rather commonly used measurement of weight / force.
And the only stone measurement I know of is about 6.35kgs so 2 stones and 20 lbs would be about 35lbs
Walt, there are 14 pounds to a stone (its an imperial unit of measurement still in common use in the UK), so 2stone20lbs = 48, as BunnyRock said. Granted, the Newton is a unit of force, and weight = gravity x mass, but most people (albeit wrongly) think of weight given in units of mass, so I doubt that even Digger would use Newtons in casual conversation… just my tuppence-worth.
@Eugene: The rope and pickaxe don’t have a sense of pain and a broken arm. Shadowchild had to drag Digger to the Hag, and Murai weighs a lot more than a pickaxe.
I would like to point out that not long ago, Shadowchild apparently dragged a passed-out Digger all the way to the Hag’s hut. So it would be able to provide a significant amount of leverage. It would just be absolutely delighted to be helping, as well!
“…in other news, nearly six dozen beggars died last week in the ‘I wish all this gold was less heavy’ debacle, and on a lighter note, this little mole finally found a home in time for the harvest festival…”
I have a couple of problems with the two stone 20 argument. First, practicaly speaking, Ursala is American. Given we’re already had units of measure in straight pounds it strikes me as highly unlikly she’d switch just for Digger’s self measure. If the whole comic ran that way I’d buy it. Second, and this may be as someone who’s not familiar with the system, why wouldn’t you reduce numbers? As a math specialist 2-20 makes my palms itch. It would be Three Stone n Six wouldn’t it?
I honestly think it’s either a Wombat specific measurment, or was a number Ursala came up with off the top of her head and may not fit well technical detail wise. Digger looks wider then a normal wombat to me so I’m not sure using our critters as a target range is accurate, and as others have pointed out the density to put 220lb in that short frame is… pretty epic.
1.) the shadowchild is *not* helping. being shorter than grimeyes, it wouldn’t be able to add any force to the rope in a productive direction. if it is exerting much at all from that angle, it’s pulling the rope right out of grimeyes’ paws. more like it’s not doing much of anything.
2.) @TekServer, in my experience dragging something is almost always easier than hauling it straight up. friction is easier to fight than falling.
AWWWW! Little ones always love to help the adults around them.
Yay! I helped! Again!
Ah. Okay. Well, this might help explain why Digger keeps calling it “extremely powerful”.
Or maybe Grim Eyes really IS that strong.
I’m more inclined to think that Grim Eyes is that strong, since she’s the Hunt-Leader of a warrior-tribe of ritually cannibalistic hyenas. And since Shadowchild’s never been shown to have much in the way of physical strength: I think Digger knows it’s “powerful” in that nothing physical (short of magic swords) can stop it, and it can kill apparently anything it wants to by eating its shadow.
They’re not cannibals until the consumee is dead.
Kayru, would you prefer being eaten alive or afer you are dead?
Unless we look @ some insect species and their mating behvior, most canibals prefer their meals dead before consumption.
Agreed Mani. Say what you like about hyenas, the documentation of spotted hyenas in Africa agrees on three things, one they have a very strong bite, highest of the placental mammals and second only to the Tasmanian devil overall for mammals, two, they have a very high tolerance for pain, as you’d expect for a species that gives birth though an erectile pseudo-male clitoris and three. they work.
Lions ambush. Always. Cats tend to. Hyenas don’t usually: they chase and worry their prey until it drops dead from seer exhaustion. They’ve been recorded to chase particularly promising prey for twenty clicks. They, like wolves and humans, are one of the few animals to hunt by sheer endurance. They have near bottomless stamina and in comparative testing Spotted hyena intelligence ratted up with Primates and Dolphins. Anything that evolved from a hyena is NOT going to be afraid of a little hard work.
We know that Murai “couldn’t weigh more that a hundred pound soaking wet.” and that Digger weighs “Around two-twenty.” and although no units are given, since if she did weigh two-hundred and twenty pounds then given her height and build she’d have to be made of stone, it seems that two stone twenty, or 48 pounds, would be more logical as that within the weight limits of an normal non-sapient wombat. 148 pounds in a dead lift is a hell of a lot, but do-able by a strong human being IF THEY NEVER GOT TIRED. Given that hyenas famously do not tire easily, it’s possible.
“Shadowchild…just out of curiosity, can you lift Murai?”
“Okay!” *lifts Murai*
“…” *Headdesk*
Eugene, I thought that too! If only they’d asked!
Eugene and Tom, I had the same thought. It reminds me a bit of roleplaying games where the GM is trying so hard to give the players an out and they just don’t grasp it.
I know that feeling.
A problem I’ve suffered on too many occasions, Anyte.
Why yes, it looks like it’s helping a great deal /sarcasm. Grim Eyes must have a great deal of traction with those paw-pads, though. One would think that on snow, placing one’s foot like that would be a recipe for disaster.
Is it just me, or does Digger have an awful lot of great aunts?
@ BunnyRock
I believe the unit would be Newtons. 220N is about 50lbs which is almost exactly the right weight for the average wombat. Plus it would make sense that a wombat would use newtons rather than lbs to describe their weight especially since it is mostly widely used by engineers and is a rather commonly used measurement of weight / force.
And the only stone measurement I know of is about 6.35kgs so 2 stones and 20 lbs would be about 35lbs
But beggars DO smelt… at least the last one I smelt did!
Walt, there are 14 pounds to a stone (its an imperial unit of measurement still in common use in the UK), so 2stone20lbs = 48, as BunnyRock said. Granted, the Newton is a unit of force, and weight = gravity x mass, but most people (albeit wrongly) think of weight given in units of mass, so I doubt that even Digger would use Newtons in casual conversation… just my tuppence-worth.
(You’re adding kgs to lbs there)
I am squeeing like a little squeeing thing at that last image of Shadowchild “helping”… eee!
@Eugene: The rope and pickaxe don’t have a sense of pain and a broken arm. Shadowchild had to drag Digger to the Hag, and Murai weighs a lot more than a pickaxe.
I would like to point out that not long ago, Shadowchild apparently dragged a passed-out Digger all the way to the Hag’s hut. So it would be able to provide a significant amount of leverage. It would just be absolutely delighted to be helping, as well!
Is dragging an unconscious wombat horizontally easier than hauling a semiconscious human teenage girl vertically? Arguable …
😉
So cuuuuuuuuuuuuuute.
“…in other news, nearly six dozen beggars died last week in the ‘I wish all this gold was less heavy’ debacle, and on a lighter note, this little mole finally found a home in time for the harvest festival…”
I have a couple of problems with the two stone 20 argument. First, practicaly speaking, Ursala is American. Given we’re already had units of measure in straight pounds it strikes me as highly unlikly she’d switch just for Digger’s self measure. If the whole comic ran that way I’d buy it. Second, and this may be as someone who’s not familiar with the system, why wouldn’t you reduce numbers? As a math specialist 2-20 makes my palms itch. It would be Three Stone n Six wouldn’t it?
I honestly think it’s either a Wombat specific measurment, or was a number Ursala came up with off the top of her head and may not fit well technical detail wise. Digger looks wider then a normal wombat to me so I’m not sure using our critters as a target range is accurate, and as others have pointed out the density to put 220lb in that short frame is… pretty epic.
1.) the shadowchild is *not* helping. being shorter than grimeyes, it wouldn’t be able to add any force to the rope in a productive direction. if it is exerting much at all from that angle, it’s pulling the rope right out of grimeyes’ paws. more like it’s not doing much of anything.
2.) @TekServer, in my experience dragging something is almost always easier than hauling it straight up. friction is easier to fight than falling.