Size

Version 0.21: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

Crawl uses a discrete system of sizes to decide how large or small a monster is. There are seven categories, as follows from smallest to largest:

• Tiny (bat-sized)
• Little (spriggan-sized)
• Small (kobold-sized)
• Medium (human-sized)
• Large (ogre-sized)
• Big (yaktaur-sized)
• Giant (giant/dragon-sized)

Player Sizes

Player size mostly affects which weapons and armour can be used, how bad the penalties are for using shields, and how evasive you are. Less dramatically, it also affects your odds of falling down shafts accidentally, being pushed around by monsters with trample attacks, and being captured by monsters with constriction attacks. While monsters also use these sizes, it is best to treat them separately as player species tend to differ a little from monster species of the same kind.

Bear in mind that some species have specific restrictions above and beyond those listed below, and that certain species (felids and octopodes) simply cannot wear armour at all.

Medium

The majority of player species are medium, and can wear almost any item. Only giant clubs, giant spiked clubs, and species-specific barding are not available.

• Barachi
• Deep dwarf
• Deep elf
• Demigod
• Demonspawn
• Draconian
• Formicid
• Gargoyle
• Ghoul
• Hill orc
• Human
• Merfolk
• Minotaur
• Mummy
• Octopode
• Tengu
• Vampire
• Vine Stalker

Small

Along with the item restrictions medium species face, small characters cannot use the following: bardiches, battleaxes, dire flails, executioner's axes, glaives, great maces, great swords, halberds, large shields, longbows, scythes, or triple swords. Furthermore, broad axes, double swords, magical staves, tridents, and demon tridents are treated as two-handed weapons, all shield penalties are harder to overcome, and javelins are only usable with significant penalties ("Unfortunately, it is too long and awkward for you to use").

Two player species are small:

• Halfling
• Kobold

Little

Little players cannot wield anything that small players cannot, and are also prevented from wearing the following:

• Any body armour but robes, hides, troll leather armour, or any kind of dragon armour
• Any gloves
• Any boots
• Helmets
• Shields

Two player species are little:

• Felid
• Spriggan

Hybrids

The hybrid races have large bodies but medium torsos, and may wear anything medium-sized characters wear except for boots. Instead, they may wear their species' bardings. Their larger-than-average mass lets them carry shields more easily, but their unusual frames cause body armour to grant half the normal base AC bonus. Additionally, they don't suffer from melee penalties while wading through shallow water, although they still get the normal movement penalties.

• Centaur
• Naga

Large

Large species are subject to all the same restrictions as little species, except that they can use shields and large shields but can't use bucklers. They have a much easier time with weapons, however. They can use any weapon they find, including giant clubs and giant spiked clubs, two of the most devastating weapons in the game. Like hybrids, they have an easier time wielding shields than medium or smaller races, and they can melee without a penalty when in shallow water.

• Ogre
• Troll

Other sizes

Giant and huge creatures have a quality known as "fake amphibious": they can move through deep water without drowning. (Apparently, they are tall enough that their heads stay above water.) Unlike creatures that are truly amphibious or native to water, they get penalties to fighting when standing in water. They are also too large to be trapped in throwing nets or webs.