Obese Elf [Archive] - Wizards Community - Pages Merged by Solauren

Obese Elf [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Herr Doktor
02-09-04, 01:37 PM My group has just begun setting up for a new campaign I plan on running set in the Forgotten Realms.

I've decided that for this campaign I'd like to try for more "organic" characters; meaning that we're using the organic characters variant for rolling ability scores as described in the DMG as well as randomly rolling height, weight, and age. PCs might end up with some weaknesses or physical qualities that they'd not like... I wish to discuss such an instance.

One of the players has decided on a moon elf character, he has the typical moon elf silvery-white hair and blue tinted skin. Elves in Faerūn are as tall as humans but generally ten pounds lighter. He rolled 6'2" for starting height and ended up with a weight of 218 pounds! He is nearly obese!

He's having trouble figuring out this character, and so am I. I can't really even imagine an overweight elf. Why is he overweight? We're trying to come up with a reason... And "Being lazy and eating overly much," doesn't seem feasible in this case. Why have we never heard of a fat elf before?

Any suggestions?
Morka
02-09-04, 01:56 PM 218 pounds is not that much for a 6'2" character. At least, for a human character. A tall elf would still be very slim. But this one is heavy, strong and almost obese.

It could be as simple as the woodman working hard, but eating harder. But it's not typical to an elf to work "that" hard. An individual living thousands years has the freedom to use a week to do what a human must do in a day.

Perhaps does he have some human ancestors, or weirder ancestors even. Perhaps was he injured, and couldn't move for a while.
Herr Doktor
02-09-04, 02:15 PM Acording to the standard system of measurement for Body Mass Index 218 pounds is nearly obese for a human who is 6'2".
niesl
02-09-04, 03:28 PM A fat elf? It sounds a bit weird...

But if there are overweighted humans, why wouldn't there be overweighted elves?

This elf could be a noble or some other rich guy who spends his day with visiting other important people for diplomatic conversations while dinering and drinking. Since he/she gets carried around all day he/she hasn't got much time to exercise, so he/she has gained some weight.

Another reason coulb be that he is a cook and he has the habit to 'taste' a lot of his food. (There are may heavy cooks) :)

Hopefully this helps,

niesl
Crinos
02-09-04, 04:01 PM well, In my campaign world (which Im working on, honest!) elves have a metabolism which is slow when compared to gnomes and dwarves (which live longer than humans but not as long as elves) and positively glacial compared to humans and halflings.

This explains why elves live so long, and also why they tend to only eat lean meats, nuts and berries.

When an elf eats human food on a regular basis, they tend to pack on the pounds rather easily.

That may not be the way it is in Faerun, but I hope I gave you some useful info.
SoulLord
02-09-04, 06:27 PM An easy suggestion is a disease that causes him to retain
much more water than usual

No one knows why hes the only one affected so far
even tough he works out much harder than the other elves

wich mock him constantly with songs about his weight

wich is one of the primary reasons to leave on adventure
perhaps on his travels hell find a cure and so become a lean elf

(this way he can stop being fat when he gets tired of it)

SoulLord
WarDragon
02-09-04, 09:02 PM I have a question; what is this character's Strength score? Maybe, instead of being fat, he's extremely muscular; an Elven Schwarzenegger, if you will.
Herr Doktor
02-09-04, 09:27 PM His Strength score is 14, his Dexterity is 16, his Constiution is 6, his Intelligence is 15, and his Wisom and Charisma are 12.

He is a 1st level rogue and is Lawful Neutral.
Crinos
02-10-04, 12:11 PM thats awfully low, even for an elf.

maybe thats how you can explain his obesity, he's just very unhealthy.
Morka
02-10-04, 01:47 PM Originally posted by niesl

But if there are overweighted humans, why wouldn't there be overweighted elves?

In D&D, the racial characteristic of elves is their natural grace, for dwarves, it's their constitution and stability, for halflings, their short height and dexterity. For humans, it's their diversity, polyvalence, and adaptability. That's why we can see any kind of humans, but the other races are more of the same mold. That's also true for the alignments. And that's also the reason why there is so much half-human/half-anything else, while it's almost unseen in other humanoļd races.
Citizen Philip
02-11-04, 08:55 PM You have a fat elf. I don't really see a problem. What I see is a genre that only chooses to portray demi-races in artwork as nothing but their 'ideal' form.

His Strength score is 14, his Dexterity is 16, his Constiution is 6, his Intelligence is 15, and his Wisdom and Charisma are 12.

Endomorphic nomenclature with ectomorphic qualities. -if your not familiar with body types:

Mesomorph: The Athlete
Muscular, reacts mostly physically
"I have been attacked, I will fight back."

Ectomorph: The Thinker
Thin, reacts mostly intellectually
"They are about to attack, why?"

Endomorph: The Converser
Overweight, reacts conversationally
"There is no need for conflict, surely we can speak?"

You've got a large male with mass and a reasonable strength for their girth, remarkably agile for their size, a great thinker, but despite their size they are no tough, and prone to being hurt easily.

Physically your elf would have a very similar size and general shape as a reasonably fit large human, most of this weight could be carried in the shoulders and upper arms and particuarlly in the legs (thick thighs and calves). The elven heritage would still create an illusion of a "stream-lined" or idealized figure (for a human at least). Fellow elves might consider you a 'patron of the arts' particuarlly cullinary and reading, but your quick reflexes would definitely stop any casual criticism from getting mean, your larger size might make some think you a stronger and tougher than you really are.

Using the stats you gave combined with an Elven heritage. The character could be prone to more intellectual pursuits, or perhaps music. Your easy to get along with and know better than to get too 'theoretical', your a great shot with an elven longbow, but your not fond of physical activity.

Just a few thoughts,

CP
Finnigan
02-11-04, 09:47 PM The great shot with a longbow was a good idea, I think, and the human food is another explanation.

How about an elf that befriended a dwarf (a la Legolas and Gimli) formed a truly close relationship. The Elf raises his family within a clan of Dwarves and becomes acustomed to eating Dwarven cuisine (Roaring fires, malt beer, raw meat off the bone). This would definitely explain the 6 constitution.

The simple explanation is it's a congenital condition, you know fat genes.

Sounds interesting to play though.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Herr Doktor 02-09-04, 01:37 PM	My group has just begun setting up for a new campaign I plan on running set in the Forgotten Realms. I've decided that for this campaign I'd like to try for more "organic" characters; meaning that we're using the organic characters variant for rolling ability scores as described in the DMG as well as randomly rolling height, weight, and age. PCs might end up with some weaknesses or physical qualities that they'd not like... I wish to discuss such an instance. One of the players has decided on a moon elf character, he has the typical moon elf silvery-white hair and blue tinted skin. Elves in Faerūn are as tall as humans but generally ten pounds lighter. He rolled 6'2" for starting height and ended up with a weight of 218 pounds! He is nearly obese! He's having trouble figuring out this character, and so am I. I can't really even imagine an overweight elf. Why is he overweight? We're trying to come up with a reason... And "Being lazy and eating overly much," doesn't seem feasible in this case. Why have we never heard of a fat elf before? Any suggestions?
Morka 02-09-04, 01:56 PM	218 pounds is not that much for a 6'2" character. At least, for a human character. A tall elf would still be very slim. But this one is heavy, strong and almost obese. It could be as simple as the woodman working hard, but eating harder. But it's not typical to an elf to work "that" hard. An individual living thousands years has the freedom to use a week to do what a human must do in a day. Perhaps does he have some human ancestors, or weirder ancestors even. Perhaps was he injured, and couldn't move for a while.
Herr Doktor 02-09-04, 02:15 PM	Acording to the standard system of measurement for Body Mass Index 218 pounds is nearly obese for a human who is 6'2".
niesl 02-09-04, 03:28 PM	A fat elf? It sounds a bit weird... But if there are overweighted humans, why wouldn't there be overweighted elves? This elf could be a noble or some other rich guy who spends his day with visiting other important people for diplomatic conversations while dinering and drinking. Since he/she gets carried around all day he/she hasn't got much time to exercise, so he/she has gained some weight. Another reason coulb be that he is a cook and he has the habit to 'taste' a lot of his food. (There are may heavy cooks) :) Hopefully this helps, niesl
Crinos 02-09-04, 04:01 PM	well, In my campaign world (which Im working on, honest!) elves have a metabolism which is slow when compared to gnomes and dwarves (which live longer than humans but not as long as elves) and positively glacial compared to humans and halflings. This explains why elves live so long, and also why they tend to only eat lean meats, nuts and berries. When an elf eats human food on a regular basis, they tend to pack on the pounds rather easily. That may not be the way it is in Faerun, but I hope I gave you some useful info.
SoulLord 02-09-04, 06:27 PM	An easy suggestion is a disease that causes him to retain much more water than usual No one knows why hes the only one affected so far even tough he works out much harder than the other elves wich mock him constantly with songs about his weight wich is one of the primary reasons to leave on adventure perhaps on his travels hell find a cure and so become a lean elf (this way he can stop being fat when he gets tired of it) SoulLord
WarDragon 02-09-04, 09:02 PM	I have a question; what is this character's Strength score? Maybe, instead of being fat, he's extremely muscular; an Elven Schwarzenegger, if you will.
Herr Doktor 02-09-04, 09:27 PM	His Strength score is 14, his Dexterity is 16, his Constiution is 6, his Intelligence is 15, and his Wisom and Charisma are 12. He is a 1st level rogue and is Lawful Neutral.
Crinos 02-10-04, 12:11 PM	thats awfully low, even for an elf. maybe thats how you can explain his obesity, he's just very unhealthy.
Morka 02-10-04, 01:47 PM	Originally posted by niesl But if there are overweighted humans, why wouldn't there be overweighted elves? In D&D, the racial characteristic of elves is their natural grace, for dwarves, it's their constitution and stability, for halflings, their short height and dexterity. For humans, it's their diversity, polyvalence, and adaptability. That's why we can see any kind of humans, but the other races are more of the same mold. That's also true for the alignments. And that's also the reason why there is so much half-human/half-anything else, while it's almost unseen in other humanoļd races.
Citizen Philip 02-11-04, 08:55 PM	You have a fat elf. I don't really see a problem. What I see is a genre that only chooses to portray demi-races in artwork as nothing but their 'ideal' form. His Strength score is 14, his Dexterity is 16, his Constiution is 6, his Intelligence is 15, and his Wisdom and Charisma are 12. Endomorphic nomenclature with ectomorphic qualities. -if your not familiar with body types: Mesomorph: The Athlete Muscular, reacts mostly physically "I have been attacked, I will fight back." Ectomorph: The Thinker Thin, reacts mostly intellectually "They are about to attack, why?" Endomorph: The Converser Overweight, reacts conversationally "There is no need for conflict, surely we can speak?" You've got a large male with mass and a reasonable strength for their girth, remarkably agile for their size, a great thinker, but despite their size they are no tough, and prone to being hurt easily. Physically your elf would have a very similar size and general shape as a reasonably fit large human, most of this weight could be carried in the shoulders and upper arms and particuarlly in the legs (thick thighs and calves). The elven heritage would still create an illusion of a "stream-lined" or idealized figure (for a human at least). Fellow elves might consider you a 'patron of the arts' particuarlly cullinary and reading, but your quick reflexes would definitely stop any casual criticism from getting mean, your larger size might make some think you a stronger and tougher than you really are. Using the stats you gave combined with an Elven heritage. The character could be prone to more intellectual pursuits, or perhaps music. Your easy to get along with and know better than to get too 'theoretical', your a great shot with an elven longbow, but your not fond of physical activity. Just a few thoughts, CP
Finnigan 02-11-04, 09:47 PM	The great shot with a longbow was a good idea, I think, and the human food is another explanation. How about an elf that befriended a dwarf (a la Legolas and Gimli) formed a truly close relationship. The Elf raises his family within a clan of Dwarves and becomes acustomed to eating Dwarven cuisine (Roaring fires, malt beer, raw meat off the bone). This would definitely explain the 6 constitution. The simple explanation is it's a congenital condition, you know fat genes. Sounds interesting to play though.