Quick Question: Can Golarion elven males grow beards?


Lost Omens Campaign Setting General Discussion

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KaeYoss wrote:
What's next? Armpit wigs?

yes, that is next

Silver Crusade

Quote:
Do Golarion elves have the physical ability to grow beard?

I just don't get the whole elves and no beards thing. Is this some off-shoot from Tolkien or something? I can't remember elves having beards in his work, but why can't other fantasy worlds have bearded elves for a change?

Silver Crusade

The 8th Dwarf wrote:


I play beyond the stereo-types, sometimes it is difficult as some settings offer no alternatives, so for people starting out all they see is the Pseudo Gaelic/Norse, gruff, attack head on, titanium exterior but deeply caring on the inside, beer drinking, rowdy, axe wielding homicidal maniac.

In our current campaign the Dwarf (not played by me), is a friendly smiling chap, who prefers to stab you in the back with a poison dagger while he is robbing you blind. He does not drink but he will sell you what he has stolen at a discount. He avoids head on combat and is willing do sell to or deal with anybody, orc, human or elf it doesn't matter (He does believe in customer service).

That is because you and I are living stereotypes, Mr. Dwarf!

Osric (the dwarf mentioned above) would have made a great addition to A Clockwork Orange. It is great to see someone not playing a stereotype dwarf, the whole Gaelic/Norse look is just weird for a subterranean race.

Actually, no one is our group is really playing a stereotype at the moment. Our wizard is probably the closest to one. She is a rebellious female aristocrat who has gone against her family's wishes to study magic in secret.

Shadow Lodge Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 8

Chubbs McGee wrote:
Quote:
Do Golarion elves have the physical ability to grow beard?
I just don't get the whole elves and no beards thing. Is this some off-shoot from Tolkien or something? I can't remember elves having beards in his work, but why can't other fantasy worlds have bearded elves for a change?

Who says they can't? You want bearded elves, stick beards on the guys, I wouldn't mind it myself either way.

If the question is why didn't paizo put beards on their elves, I'd say its because when they built their world, they were trying to breathe new life into traditional fantasy tropes, not invent new ones whole cloth. The design task was to make elves an interesting and compelling race while still keeping them elves in the classic vein, and that generally precludes giving them all great big bushy beards. Doesn't mean that there's anything wrong with bearded elves, just wasn't the kind of elves they wanted to make.

At least I think remember someone saying something along those lines about Golarion in general once maybe, I may not know what the hell I'm talking about.


Chubbs McGee wrote:
Quote:
Do Golarion elves have the physical ability to grow beard?
I just don't get the whole elves and no beards thing. Is this some off-shoot from Tolkien or something? I can't remember elves having beards in his work, but why can't other fantasy worlds have bearded elves for a change?

Because they're elves.

Out of all the fantasy worlds out there that have elves alike to Tolkien's (i.e. pointy ears, about as tall as a human, slender; not the fairy type, not the Santa's helper type, not the cookie baker type), I'd say one in a million has bearded elves.

It's one of those fundamental things about elves - no beards.

If we're going the Exxxtreme!!! path, we can have bearded elves, and dwarves without beards, and halflings with 10-foot-swords and gnomes with laser rifles, but Pathfinder does not go there.

If you want that sort of stuff, houserule it.


Chubbs McGee wrote:
Quote:
Do Golarion elves have the physical ability to grow beard?
I just don't get the whole elves and no beards thing. Is this some off-shoot from Tolkien or something? I can't remember elves having beards in his work, but why can't other fantasy worlds have bearded elves for a change?

Cirdan the Shipwright at the Grey Heavens is described as having a long beard. So I guess even Tolkien's Elves can grow beard, if they are really, really, and I mean really old...

Liberty's Edge

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KaeYoss wrote:
If you want that sort of stuff, houserule it.

I wish more people said this about things.


The Eldritch Mr. Shiny wrote:
KaeYoss wrote:
If you want that sort of stuff, houserule it.
I wish more people said this about things.

Well, houserule it.

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder PF Special Edition, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
ulgulanoth wrote:
well talking about magic, surely an elf who desperetly wanted a beards could just use a spell or other and have one no? alter-self anyone?

Now why would an elf want so despearately a Human or Dwarven trait?

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder PF Special Edition, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
The Eldritch Mr. Shiny wrote:
KaeYoss wrote:
If you want that sort of stuff, houserule it.
I wish more people said this about things.

They could... but the Internet seems to have created a need for deeper kinds of vindication.

Houseruling isn't enough I want my rule to be THE LAW OF THE LAND!


LazarX wrote:
The Eldritch Mr. Shiny wrote:
KaeYoss wrote:
If you want that sort of stuff, houserule it.
I wish more people said this about things.

They could... but the Internet seems to have created a need for deeper kinds of vindication.

Houseruling isn't enough I want my rule to be THE LAW OF THE LAND!

Take over the world then.


LazarX wrote:
ulgulanoth wrote:
well talking about magic, surely an elf who desperetly wanted a beards could just use a spell or other and have one no? alter-self anyone?
Now why would an elf want so despearately a Human or Dwarven trait?

Maybe to stand out from the crowd, the crowd consisting of all those humans and dwarves who desperately try to copy the elven ideal of beauty (often with fatal results - battleaxes might be great ancestral weapons and your dwarven craftsmanship means they remain sharp even after centuries, but for heavens' sake, don't use it to trim your bikini area!)

They are made even more powerful than before with PF, but their charisma-penalty-induced insecurity still means that more dwarves die from self-inflicted, beautifying-related wounds.

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder PF Special Edition, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Chubbs McGee wrote:
Quote:
Do Golarion elves have the physical ability to grow beard?
I just don't get the whole elves and no beards thing. Is this some off-shoot from Tolkien or something? I can't remember elves having beards in his work, but why can't other fantasy worlds have bearded elves for a change?

I myself don't get the elves and pointed ears schtick either. I want my elf to have a beard and round ears dammit! And none of this tree hugging or magic stuff either. He's either going to be a teamster or a blacksmith!

RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32

LazarX wrote:
Chubbs McGee wrote:
Quote:
Do Golarion elves have the physical ability to grow beard?
I just don't get the whole elves and no beards thing. Is this some off-shoot from Tolkien or something? I can't remember elves having beards in his work, but why can't other fantasy worlds have bearded elves for a change?
I myself don't get the elves and pointed ears schtick either. I want my elf to have a beard and round ears dammit! And none of this tree hugging or magic stuff either. He's either going to be a teamster or a blacksmith!

That is a human. (... or a dwarf, if you want to be steriotypical.)


Personally, I like my elves beardless and with pointy ears...

That being said, regardless of what their physical features are, I strongly feel that they should be different enough from those of humans to deserve being a race (or specie?) in their own right, not merely a human sub-culture with +2 Dex and +2 Int.

Actually, I feel that humans should be described with physical features that are not common in other races, not the default "absence of distinctive features" that most games attribute to humans.

'findel

Paizo Employee Creative Director

1 person marked this as a favorite.
LazarX wrote:
I myself don't get the elves and pointed ears schtick either. I want my elf to have a beard and round ears dammit! And none of this tree hugging or magic stuff either. He's either going to be a teamster or a blacksmith!

Maybe you should try playing a human character?


LazarX wrote:
Chubbs McGee wrote:
Quote:
Do Golarion elves have the physical ability to grow beard?
I just don't get the whole elves and no beards thing. Is this some off-shoot from Tolkien or something? I can't remember elves having beards in his work, but why can't other fantasy worlds have bearded elves for a change?
I myself don't get the elves and pointed ears schtick either. I want my elf to have a beard and round ears dammit! And none of this tree hugging or magic stuff either. He's either going to be a teamster or a blacksmith!

Umm isnt that dwarf!

The Exchange

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber
ulgulanoth wrote:
well talking about magic, surely an elf who desperetly wanted a beards could just use a spell or other and have one no? alter-self anyone?

Sweet Sarenrae, that was what led to the Taershanian Whisker Heresy and the bloodbath of the Barber Jihad!

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder PF Special Edition, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
James Jacobs wrote:
LazarX wrote:
I myself don't get the elves and pointed ears schtick either. I want my elf to have a beard and round ears dammit! And none of this tree hugging or magic stuff either. He's either going to be a teamster or a blacksmith!
Maybe you should try playing a human character?

Text apparantly fails at portraying sarcasm without help, even with context. That was kind of my point.


delabarre wrote:


Sweet Sarenrae, that was what led to the Taershanian Whisker Heresy and the bloodbath of the Barber Jihad!

And that's why elves are better than humans and dwarves both: No hair, no bloodshed!


KaeYoss wrote:
delabarre wrote:


Sweet Sarenrae, that was what led to the Taershanian Whisker Heresy and the bloodbath of the Barber Jihad!
And that's why elves are better than humans and dwarves both: No hair, no bloodshed!

Ahh the lack of Testosterone... Teen angst is probably less of an issue for elves too. Although they are going through puberty for about 30 years ugh!

Between the extra testosterone and the long lives I am truly glad I'm not the parent of a Dwarven boy. That must truly be horrifying.


Evil Lincoln wrote:
In my dimension of origin, everyone has a goatee. Even elves.

And the women?

Piety Godfury wrote:


Ahh the lack of Testosterone... Teen angst is probably less of an issue for elves too. Although they are going through puberty for about 30 years ugh!

Between the extra testosterone and the long lives I am truly glad I'm not the parent of a Dwarven boy. That must truly be horrifying.

Why do you think they're all such good blacksmiths?? TESTOSTERONE...what better way to bleed it off than having them work at a hot forge for hours on end?


Xaaon of Korvosa wrote:


Why do you think they're all such good blacksmiths?? TESTOSTERONE...what better way to bleed it off than having them work at a hot forge for hours on end?

See, the gnomes probably invented the "Cold Shower", but didn't share because the dwarven stuff was too good to miss out, so they let the beardy-boys sweat.


KaeYoss wrote:
Xaaon of Korvosa wrote:


Why do you think they're all such good blacksmiths?? TESTOSTERONE...what better way to bleed it off than having them work at a hot forge for hours on end?
See, the gnomes probably invented the "Cold Shower", but didn't share because the dwarven stuff was too good to miss out, so they let the beardy-boys sweat.

Wispers : I heard it was because of the smell.

Shadow Lodge

Beards? What about a mustache?

For the record, all my characters have facial hair, including the most recent one, even though he's a cleric of a pansy eastern god of forgiveness and happy-happy light. And it also grows back every time he burns something for Sarenrae's sake and it gets caught in the conflagration. Beards are just that manly, so even the mighty Dawnflower has to suck it up and divinily regrow the status symbol. Therefore, if I ever get to play another AP in Golarion, the character will be a bearded half-elven fighter/rogue, just because. Nothing better to make elves manlier than some good old human ancestry to offset that lithe feminity.

That's where the fighter class level are coming from as well, naturally!


Piety Godfury wrote:


Ahh the lack of Testosterone... Teen angst is probably less of an issue for elves too. Although they are going through puberty for about 30 years ugh!

Three decades of awkwardness and zits? Teen angst? Hmmmm... That might explain their rarity,...teen suicide!


Chubbs McGee wrote:
Quote:
Do Golarion elves have the physical ability to grow beard?
I just don't get the whole elves and no beards thing. Is this some off-shoot from Tolkien or something? I can't remember elves having beards in his work, but why can't other fantasy worlds have bearded elves for a change?

Holy thread revival, Batman!

Actually, I just wanted to answer this question. It's not Tolkien... it's Hickman and Weis. In Dragonlance (circa 1984-ish), it was decided that elves could not grow beards, and it even became a plot point that one of the primary characters in the series COULD grow a beard. To quote from Tanis Half-Elven's wikipedia page:

His red beard is a cause, initially, of enmity between him and Gilthanas Kanan, who claims Tanis is "flaunting his human heritage".

Tanis is a half-elf, a curse and a blessing. He can grow his beard and hide his ears in order to pass off as human, or shave and allow his ears to be seen to pass as an elf. However, those elves that know the truth about him call him "half-breed" and believe him to be less. A few elves don't care, among them Laurana. Humans who know of the half-elf heritage (few outside of the companions) seem to care much less than elves. Tanis states, "According to humans, half an elf is but part of a whole being. Half a man is a cripple."

Scarab Sages

James Jacobs wrote:
Lord Fyre wrote:

This is not a question about Elven culture, but this would have more to do with Forlorn elves.

Do Golarion elves have the physical ability to grow beards?

Nope. Some half-elves can grow beards, but full elves cannot.

This thin, long-haired, fey-featured, Bay Area-bred, androgynous transhumanist approves!

Oh, and bugger pupils and sclere, too! Who needs 'em?

Scarab Sages

Lord Fyre wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:
Lord Fyre wrote:

This is not a question about Elven culture, but this would have more to do with Forlorn elves.

Do Golarion elves have the physical ability to grow beards?

Nope. Some half-elves can grow beards, but full elves cannot.

Darn. :(

Well, that simplifies my racial choice for the Legacy of Fire. ;)

It even motivated me to change my Avatar back to Harsk.

Yes, a proper beard is that important! :D

You can wear a chin-wig (as popularised in ancient Egypt)

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