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Eilserus
Master of Realmslore
USA
1446 Posts |
 Posted - 06 Jan 2012 : 19:45:15
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Somewhat of a strange question, but the subject line says it all, do elves ever get fat? I was reading through a the old city section of Menzoberranzan and on page 41, it mentions a Baelaskros Do'Ilisharr as a grossly fat merchant. And again on page 48, "the fat, affable Vhurn (an old, scarred drow warrior) and also on page 39 "the fat, gluttonous drow male warrior Ologh "Gathergold" Ilyri".
I don't recall ever reading about a fat surface elf, only drow. Drow of the Underdark (2E) mentions drow can vary in shape, features and hair color as much as humans do (page 5). Granted a fat elf is probably not Mirt the Moneylender fat, but still I think it does make things a bit more interesting. On the other hand, you'd think drow would kill fat members of their kind viewing them as some sort of deformed monster, but who knows.
At any rate, what do you all think? Can elves, drow or not, be fat? It makes them a little more interesting, but at the same time seems wrong.
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Artemas Entreri
Great Reader
USA
3131 Posts |
Posted - 06 Jan 2012 : 20:16:40
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Along the same lines: Can Halflings ever be skinny?  |
Some people have a way with words, and other people...oh, uh, not have way. -Steve Martin
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Seravin
Master of Realmslore
Canada
1265 Posts |
Posted - 06 Jan 2012 : 20:28:43
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Good question for Ed!
Personally I think Realms elves (or D&D surface elves in general) are physiologically capable of putting on extra weight just like any mammals; but their society is based on activity and frowns on over indulgences. I think a city elf that grew up around humans would be most likely to be fat; rather than a wild elf who grew up in the forest or in Evermeet. |
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Charles Phipps
Master of Realmslore
1419 Posts |
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Kentinal
Great Reader
4685 Posts |
Posted - 06 Jan 2012 : 20:45:26
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| Variance from normal clearly happens. A fat elf would still likely weight less then a normal human, however be considered overweight for the race. |
"Small beings can have small wisdom," the dragon said. "And small wise beings are better than small fools. Listen: Wisdom is caring for afterwards."
"Caring for afterwards ...? Ker repeated this without understanding.
"After action, afterwards," the dragon said. "Choose the afterwards first, then the action. Fools choose action first."
"Judgement" copyright 2003 by Elizabeth Moon |
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Eilserus
Master of Realmslore
USA
1446 Posts |
Posted - 06 Jan 2012 : 21:20:56
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| Thanks for the replies all. I'm just trying to picture an elf with a pot belly. Makes sense that it would follow within a racial context. As in no 400 pound elf walking around. I wonder what would be considered grossly overweight. 200 pounds? |
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Kentinal
Great Reader
4685 Posts |
Posted - 06 Jan 2012 : 21:46:37
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quote:
Originally posted by Eilserus
Thanks for the replies all. I'm just trying to picture an elf with a pot belly. Makes sense that it would follow within a racial context. As in no 400 pound elf walking around. I wonder what would be considered grossly overweight. 200 pounds?
Well you might consider this as a guideline http://www.d20srd.org/srd/description.htm#heightAndWeight
An elf over 100 would likely be considered fat, if not grossly fat. Oh using another edition the weight values likely sightly different. |
"Small beings can have small wisdom," the dragon said. "And small wise beings are better than small fools. Listen: Wisdom is caring for afterwards."
"Caring for afterwards ...? Ker repeated this without understanding.
"After action, afterwards," the dragon said. "Choose the afterwards first, then the action. Fools choose action first."
"Judgement" copyright 2003 by Elizabeth Moon |
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Old Man Harpell
Senior Scribe
USA
495 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jan 2012 : 02:05:50
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In his book Dark Warrior Rising, Ed describes a nifl (the world's term for a drow) raider named Old Bloodblade as being overweight. Whether this is actually porky, or simply by racial standards isn't made clear, but Bloodblade's weight doesn't slow him down one bit (he is, in fact, one of my favorite characters in the book).
You come away from the book with the impression that the nifl, as presented, were how Ed would have wanted to present dark elves in the Realms. At least I did. And I doubt very much that Bloodblade was unique in packing around a few extra pounds. |
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Eilserus
Master of Realmslore
USA
1446 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jan 2012 : 02:45:17
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| Interesting. I just might have to hit up B&N in a week or two and snag myself a copy. I'm always curious as to what the differences are between published Realms work and what is in Ed's home game. |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
7969 Posts |
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MrHedgehog
Senior Scribe
688 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jan 2012 : 10:00:28
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All humanoids have metabolisms. I don't consider elves HAVING to be slender. Artists just don't like drawing fat characters. (nor do consumers like seeing them, I would guess) We just choose to imagine them conforming to our ideals of elven beauty.
I don't think anyone with 18 strength or 16 constitution could really be slender.
EDIT: Wasn't Shakti Hunzrin portly? (In Daughter of the Drow by Elaine Cunningham) |
Edited by - MrHedgehog on 07 Jan 2012 10:01:33 |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
7969 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jan 2012 : 13:26:04
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| Perhaps they're all slender because they're expected to wear chainmail bikinis? |
[/Ayrik] |
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BEAST
Master of Realmslore
USA
1714 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jan 2012 : 16:29:14
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| The priestess Kaer'lic Sun Wett, who had been living for years on the surface as an evil outcast, was also described as most strikingly "heavyset" in "The Hunter's Blades Trilogy". She had clearly taken to a lifestyle of opportunistic hedonism as part of a small rogue party, so she no longer needed to submit to any drow societal weight or fitness standards or to appease a matron mother. |
"'You don't know my history,' he said dryly."
--Drizzt Do'Urden (The Pirate King, Part 1: Chapter 2)
<"Comprehensive Chronology of R.A. Salvatore Forgotten Realms Works"> |
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Eilserus
Master of Realmslore
USA
1446 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jan 2012 : 18:17:53
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@MrHedgehog Good point, I think Shakti was described as plodding and portly. I know Briza Do'Urden was supposedly huge, barely held any family resemblance with her wide hips and shoulders.
@Beast I guess I didn't remember that, maybe I'll have to read that set again. ;)
On another note. Elven age was another deal that always interested me too. Like Elminster in Myth Drannor we see tons of elves who are thousands of years old, yet by and large we never see those elsewhere or in drow. I'm guessing most drow end up dead instead of living to old age though. Like Mythanthor? Wasn't he 3 or 4000 years old? I liked him, he totally gave off that Yoda vibe. Hmm, wonder if he's ever been stat'd up, I was guessing 40th level. |
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Lady Shadowflame
Learned Scribe
115 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jan 2012 : 13:30:46
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quote:
Originally posted by Kentinal
quote:
Originally posted by Eilserus
Thanks for the replies all. I'm just trying to picture an elf with a pot belly. Makes sense that it would follow within a racial context. As in no 400 pound elf walking around. I wonder what would be considered grossly overweight. 200 pounds?
Well you might consider this as a guideline http://www.d20srd.org/srd/description.htm#heightAndWeight
An elf over 100 would likely be considered fat, if not grossly fat. Oh using another edition the weight values likely sightly different.
Either the table has been misread, or we've just run into the 'stat-makers have no sense of proportion' problem...
Only things I can recall that ever gave a specific weight for an elven character included the Villains' Lorebook, in which Jander Sunstar is placed at 5'9" and 'only 130 pounds.' If you take into account that he's a vampire, you get a pretty good sense that elves are not actually bundles of twigs weight-wise. The other one was stuff about Uthegental of the drow House Barrison Del'Armgo; he's near to six feet tall, weighs about 200lbs, and is considered one of the largest drow ever seen in Menzoberranzan. He's very heavily muscled, not fat. Jarlaxle harbours a private doubt that he's even a real drow, with that kind of fearsome build. |
Save a lizard... Ride a drow.
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Seravin
Master of Realmslore
Canada
1265 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jan 2012 : 20:32:30
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I think the table gives a base, then you're supposed to add an extra to that for height and correspondingly add pounds for every extra inch.
So a human male at 4'10" (very short) would be 120lbs but add 12 inches so he's 5'10" and you add 12x2d4 lbs, and he'd be average 12x5lbs heavier, so 180lbs. Which is about right for a fit individual at 5'10"? |
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Kentinal
Great Reader
4685 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jan 2012 : 03:36:20
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quote:
Originally posted by Seravin
I think the table gives a base, then you're supposed to add an extra to that for height and correspondingly add pounds for every extra inch.
So a human male at 4'10" (very short) would be 120lbs but add 12 inches so he's 5'10" and you add 12x2d4 lbs, and he'd be average 12x5lbs heavier, so 180lbs. Which is about right for a fit individual at 5'10"?
*Blink* you mean I need to add 50 pounds to my weight to be normal?
The weight and height guides do not mean an inch tall pounds heavy. Some humans are tall and thin, some are short and fat.
The guidelines are of standard variation, some will be taller and weigh more, and so on. |
"Small beings can have small wisdom," the dragon said. "And small wise beings are better than small fools. Listen: Wisdom is caring for afterwards."
"Caring for afterwards ...? Ker repeated this without understanding.
"After action, afterwards," the dragon said. "Choose the afterwards first, then the action. Fools choose action first."
"Judgement" copyright 2003 by Elizabeth Moon |
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Charles Phipps
Master of Realmslore
1419 Posts |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
7969 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jan 2012 : 06:04:06
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| Fat or thin ... elven metabolism is able to maintain a finely-tuned equilibrium for centuries or even millennia, elves not only live a long time but they retain their youthful vigour through most of it and aging is generally only apparent during a very brief period of elderly senescence. I would argue that less body mass (ie: slender builds) require less energy and consequently helps explain elven preferences for foraging nuts and berries instead of hunting for meat. Smaller frames also help explain the elven "instincts" towards moving with stealth and fighting at long range (with bows and magic), and their physical displays of grace and agility. In comparison, human "instincts" are to circle towards things, fight by pummelling and grappling (with or without any weapons), and display strength more than other physical qualities. Dwarves just stomp right up, pound and chop away, and favour displaying their endurance and constitution. |
[/Ayrik] |
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MrHedgehog
Senior Scribe
688 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jan 2012 : 07:05:42
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| If you intake more calories than you burn off through activity or exorcize you get fat. I don't think what race you are matters. |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
7969 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jan 2012 : 08:17:53
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| Metabolic efficiency is important though. More energy extracted from the same food, therefore less food needed to maintain same energy levels. Also less energy is "wasted" (through heat) to maintain the same level of exertion. Elves seemingly eat very little compared to humans, yet spend most of their time (and lifetimes) being energetic and lively. |
[/Ayrik] |
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MrHedgehog
Senior Scribe
688 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jan 2012 : 09:21:04
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The question is do they EVER get fat not whether they are less prone to weight gain, though.
I would also assume that the personality characteristics of Elves are as diverse as humans, dwarves, gnomes and all other races so it would not be fair to say they are "energetic and lively" as a matter of their being an elf. That could be a cultural trait, but not a universal trait inherit to Elfishness in my opinion. |
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Do elves ever get fat?
