ShadeZ
Maester
I need them to be giving enough to easily life several men off the ground at a time and be a threat to dragons but not so huge they are bigger than a castle.
-
Welcome to the Fantasy Writing Forums. Register Now to join us!
How Big Should a Roc Be?
- Thread starter ShadeZ
- Start date
Orc Knight
Auror
So, that description rules out the mythical version, which was said to be able to lift up elephants in one or both it's claws.
Picture probably not needed, but cool anyways. But that thing would be a decent threat to a dragon. Still, figure maybe a twenty or thirty foot tall birdy to get at least a couple people on it or to hold. So, more or less the Eagles from LotR size or a bit bigger.
Picture probably not needed, but cool anyways. But that thing would be a decent threat to a dragon. Still, figure maybe a twenty or thirty foot tall birdy to get at least a couple people on it or to hold. So, more or less the Eagles from LotR size or a bit bigger.
Logomancer
Scribe
Maybe they could be the size of pterosaurs such as Quetzalcoatlus or Hatzegopteryx.
Gurkhal
Auror
A relevant piece of information is what kind of dragons do you have in your world/story and what can the dragons do to fight with a roc? The stronger and larger you dragons are, the same goes for the roc if its supposed to be able to be threat to them.
Insolent Lad
Maester
If rocs fly 'naturally,' their size would certainly be restricted by physics (of course, they could be larger in a world with lower gravity). I've kept my flying dragons and griffins reasonably small for this reason. If magic (or some unknown science) keeps them aloft, I guess they could be made as large as fits your story needs.
pmmg
Myth Weaver
20-30’ plus wingspan.
Queshire
Istar
I favor avoiding hard numbers personally. Have a shadow flash over the sun then screams as men & horse plucked out of a marching army or a flock of them swarming around a dragon like wolves taking down a bear. The reader's imagination will fill in the rest.
Demesnedenoir
Myth Weaver
First, it's suggested that a typical European Roc weighs 500 pounds and must beat its wings 27 times per second in order to maintain airspeed velocity. This is given as evidence that the bird could not, in fact, carry three grown men. At least not without a partner and a long rope or chain.
Oh, wait... that was a European swallow and a coconut. My bad.
Oh, wait... that was a European swallow and a coconut. My bad.
pmmg
Myth Weaver
But what about an African one?
Demesnedenoir
Myth Weaver
I assume an African Roc is bigger if collecting elephants and all. Or is that the Indian Roc... Damn, it's all so confusing, heh heh.
Demesnedenoir
Myth Weaver
On a more realistic note, I recall seeing a video of a harpy eagle fly upside down–or damn close to it—to take a ~20 pound sloth off of a tree limb and fly away while making it look easy. On the other hand, I had a bald eagle in my front pasture a few months back struggling to haul off a possum. He'd fly about 50 feet and land... wait, fly 50 feet... Possum coulda been fighting, I'm not sure.
Ned Marcus
Maester
As big as you want really. My rocs were about the size of very large horse.
The Dark One
Auror
Igneous or sedimentary?
- Thread starter
- #14
ShadeZ
Maester
The idea is they live as long as the rider and the riders are elven so a few hundred. By the time they are in their last 10% or so of life span they hit a growth spurt that makes them the biggest creature in existence (but these are very rare there are 2 in the span of the books and they are only that old because they had 2 riders not 1).So, that description rules out the mythical version, which was said to be able to lift up elephants in one or both it's claws.
Picture probably not needed, but cool anyways. But that thing would be a decent threat to a dragon. Still, figure maybe a twenty or thirty foot tall birdy to get at least a couple people on it or to hold. So, more or less the Eagles from LotR size or a bit bigger.
- Thread starter
- #15
ShadeZ
Maester
My dragons resemble the ones in Last Airbender serpentine but with 4 legs and huge wings. They can breath fire and are capable of speech. Generally they are wild and almost never seen. The older they get the more power they aquire (there is one who is a thousand years old who can change colors like a cuddle fish, and manipulate water but can't breath fire) the most common are fire breathing dragons but you have a few elemental dragons such as the one above which is a water dragon.
Roc have a bigger size than dragons are resilient against flames and can manipulate wind to incredible degrees usually (so no oxygen no fire)
- Thread starter
- #16
ShadeZ
Maester
A mix of naturally via bird anatomy and wind manipulation.
- Thread starter
- #17
ShadeZ
Maester
Lol. Probably cause a bald eagle should be able to carry a goat fairly easily for some distance lol
- Thread starter
- #18
ShadeZ
Maester
I will probably make adolescents this big.
You are writing fantasy. Make your own roc. Physics don't have to come into it, unless you want it to.
I once wrote a sort of a fairy tale story with a roc playing a minor part (it was published). This was what I said about the roc of my own creation.
They were picking their way through a boulder-strewn valley when a massive shadow streaked across the land... A huge roc, red and gold feathers swirling, landed on a towering boulder before them. She opened her curved beak, baring a cavernous mouth lined with serrated teeth. Her sharp voice filled the air and echoed off the valley walls.
My suggestion is make your roc whatever you want it to be.
I once wrote a sort of a fairy tale story with a roc playing a minor part (it was published). This was what I said about the roc of my own creation.
They were picking their way through a boulder-strewn valley when a massive shadow streaked across the land... A huge roc, red and gold feathers swirling, landed on a towering boulder before them. She opened her curved beak, baring a cavernous mouth lined with serrated teeth. Her sharp voice filled the air and echoed off the valley walls.
My suggestion is make your roc whatever you want it to be.
Ned Marcus
Maester
Don't mess with a roc!
