Seriously, I've never heard or seen a dipiction of an Elf PC or NPC described as fat or even plump.
Can elves get fat?
Normally, you only see fat elves at LARPs :-)
Stefan
Normally, you only see fat elves at LARPs :-)
Stefan
OOH BURN!
I had a player in my group play a fat elvin Samurai character, and several of my other (socially-not-quite-so-gifted) players got quite upset about it. Humorous.
The first D&D movie proves definitively that Elves do indeed get fat.
In seriousness, I'd purport that elves can and do get fat. But their pride and desire for self-sufficiency (ala Races of the Wild) makes porky elves the radical exception, rather than a moderate minority as in other races.
Also consider that in a world like D&D where you have to work hard or fight hard to make your way in the world, only the rich have the capability of getting fat, much less the motivation.
Seriously, I've never heard or seen a dipiction of an Elf PC or NPC described as fat or even plump.
Can elves get fat?
Yes they can. Orcs call them "Dinner". Nuthin' like a good ole-fashioned elf-pickin'.
Wow.
What a great idea - Elf farms. Were you fatten them up for the slaughter. I want to start one - anyone know a place where I can get me a couple of breeding Elves? Preferbly not to pricey as I'm a little shy on the hard coin.
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OK, so here's an off-shoot from the original question. In a world of magic where mystical forces can cure plagues, blindness, bring people back from the dead, etc., why is there no magic to help folks lose weight? Or would that be what a Polymorph Other spell would be considered; the magical version of plastic surgery?
An odd thread. I would say that Elves could get fat but would almost never allow themselves to gain weight. I would also guess that they had a higher metabolism.
Well I was discussing what a Tolkien Elf (Immortal) could do with it's lifetime and a friend of mine (who is not fat but loves to eat) says "I would probably just eat all the time".
I looked at him and said "you would be the fattest elf ever". And I could not for the life of me make that statement sound right just cause I've never heard of a fat elf. So I decided to throw it upon paizo to see if anyone else found it hard to contemplate.
I guess the core of my trouble was not that I could not visualize a portly elf. It just surprized me that of all my character and NPC concepts and ones that I had come across this combination never made it into the light. I'm pretty sure my subconsious had found it appropriate to outlaw images of chunky elves..... to be quite frank it still bugs me a little
I guess the core of my trouble was not that I could not visualize a portly elf. It just surprized me that of all my character and NPC concepts and ones that I had come across this combination never made it into the light. I'm pretty sure my subconsious had found it appropriate to outlaw images of chunky elves..... to be quite frank it still bugs me a little
If you've ever played Ocarina of Time, the shopkeep at Hyrule castle is a beefy dude. Not technically an elf, but it's a race of spiritually gifted long eared folk... close enough in my opinion. Also the characters in the Jak series of games - one of them is too obese to even walk (he has a floaty chair that propels him around).
Normally, you only see fat elves at LARPs :-)
Stefan
So, So, So true.
You only ever really meet tall skinny dwarves too!
Odd world.
But in answer to the OP: Sure why not, the stereotype goes against this, but I can't see any real reason why to not have Larger Elves, in fact I'd actively encourage it!
Gives me an idea of making a Morningstar Large meated elf, but I can't play and Elf, its sheer heresy.
They don't even get split ends. It's actually quite insipid.
How could they? They only eat fruits and grass, those damn sly, cocky, veagans!!
Dragon used to make a page called PC portrait or something like that. It was a page of portraits of fantasy characters, in ione thier was a portrait of a fat elf.
I could have sworn at least one senator in the DragonLance books, either Qualinesti or Silvanesti, was described as being overweight, and I also seem to remember one of the female elves in Elminster in Myth Drannor being described as a bit portly as well.
I would say as a race, it's not the norm, but is certainly possibly. For that matter, you could have anorexic dwarves, again not the norm, but possible.
I have a fat elf in my campaign, he's a bard/historian and loves to eat. Not big on the exercise, that guy.
OK, so here's an off-shoot from the original question. In a world of magic where mystical forces can cure plagues, blindness, bring people back from the dead, etc., why is there no magic to help folks lose weight? Or would that be what a Polymorph Other spell would be considered; the magical version of plastic surgery?
Hello? Alter Self?
We have an OBESE character in the main campaign I play in, no- he isn't an elf, but we don't pull any punches in our game...
I play buff or otherwise tall or larger elves...which perhaps deviates from the racial guidelines. But even my 10th level nobleman elf fighter/urban ranger isn't fat, he's got 18 str and 18 dex though...but neither him nor my 19 str/18 dex 4th level Barbarian Wood Elf has a Con over 14- as per the expectations of the racial penalty. Which again, might help explain the lack of pudgy elves.
Again, Elves are like nigh immortal, typically portrayed as Lithe creatures. While my vision of them leans toward exceptions that focus on martial or even intellectual pursuits outside Wizardry. I mean, if I were to live for a hundred and twenty or so years before I even reached viable MATURITY?! How would I expect to spend that study? especially considering the racial proficiencies...
I certainly wouldn't be so likely to let myself go and get fat. Though one might interpret the Con penalty as something other than just a lack of stoutness and hardiness.
I might view elven physique as being one dependent on environmental factors, again only the rich in D&D can afford to get fat (all the more reason for say the nobleman cleric to be a fat bastard in our campaign), but an Elf, especially a ranger-like all woodsy elf with poetry, dance, swordplay and physical pursuits that enhance dexterity...well yeah, thinness barely short of the unrealistic supermodel image (except an elf wouldn't be in as dire straights maintaining such a physique).
To put it in terms I understand and can explain, think of Elves, wood-elves especially, as being like the idyllic view of native peoples of say the North American continent. Parting from that, there is the idea in Anthropology of the "Thrifty Genotype" so adding a little bit of social, biological, even medical science to D&D, take this idea and run with it.
Traditionally, in a subsistence society, the peoples are active, very active- all the time, not necessarily spending more energy getting food than a more sedentary populace, just being more physical and consistently in motion or rather even just in a state of dietary fluctuation that they actually may go through times of feast an famine. For Elves, this might seem to happen on a grand and idyllic scale.
This said, what effect does the "Thrifty Genotype" have if people who have a genetic proclivity towards this efficient operation of energy use and consumption that is supposedly optimum for a hearty lifestyle? Well, actual modern examples suggest rather NEGATIVE side-effects with a shift in life-style, living habits, sedentary behavior and diet.
Samoans, now seen as- such as in Pulp Fiction- unavoidably fat, weren't always so. Though they certainly valued the opportunity to be so, see such as being GOOD or a sign of strength and wealth, status, etc. At least they weren't UNHEALTHY for it. NOW, however they eat like other Americans stereotypically do, but worse. Some portion sizes with their culture is recorded as being some what...gross. and I don't mean that as just disgusting, I mean the serving size for beer isn't by the can...it is by the six pack. This doesn't make the Super Size culture Anglo-Americans have cultivated any less disgusting, it is just a matter of fact.
But to the point, American Indians, Samoans and other groups (say Micronesians) who have experienced this sudden, extreme or even moderately recent shift in lifestyle, economic status and so forth- exhibit high levels of obesity, diabetes, and other ill-health effects.
Naturally, things like this are rarely discussed OUTSIDE of the D&D game-worlds. But it is something to note.
My Nobleman elf is an interesting twist I think, he isn't FAT per say, but he is stout or stalky for an elf (not just stealthy, but stalky too, however you spell it I really mean wider, more muscular and with body fat). He is also a borderline or even a full-blown alcoholic, drinking far more heavily than his race has been known to do. Though still favoring wines and foods that his people would be more likely to eat (favoring fish and poultry or game as opposed to domesticated meat beasts).
Of course it is also part of his inner-conflict concerning alignment (he wants to be lawful good, I started him out- unwisely- as being chaotic good, but he's currently- at best either neutral good or lawful neutral leaning towards good.)
But that's a whole 'nother deal.
I think body type should be a bit more up to players than by random dice rolls- perhaps within reason.
I don't think an Elven Sumo wrestler is likely to exist even in my friend's game world where there is another continent ruled by Elves- who coexist with the main continent's French-like elves- called Akita, which is clearly a Japanese emulation to some extent.
I do have a player who seriously wanted the tallest human character one could even conceive of, but I've talked him down to 6 foot 1 (seriously he thought he could get a bonus on his reach).
But again, the most extreme I've done is a 6 foot elf, since then I've even shortened Gregal the Sylvan Elf Berserker, but I still play taller Elves, elves more my own height or taller (It makes sense to me as they are medium creatures, but then dwarves are too, but very stout and short ones).
I will say playing a fat elf would be like playing a tall halfling or a thin dwarf...but hey- it happens.
Human Variation is large enough, why couldn't demi-human variation be almost as large? (what would a midget dwarf look like? How about a halfling or even a half-elf with gigantism. Though optimally the demi-human races are more...perfect in a way, or less faulty than their more mortal human counterparts.)
Normally, you only see fat elves at LARPs :-)
We are being a bit mean? :)
For original question, there are of course issues like culture, different metabolism, diet consisting of lots of fibres...one must consider also that elves are typically portrayed as rather slender if still quite tall humanoids so it might be that adverse effects of overweight show up earlier and in more drastic manner on slender elven bodyframe than that of human, halfling or dwarf. Bad knees, apnea, you name it. Thus overweight elves tend to be more sickly than other humanoids and that weeds them out or just forces them on diet.
On related note, Enlarge spell might have some adverse effects when cast on elves...
Same effect, probably even stronger, comes to avian-styled races with even more slender bodyframes and skeletons.