chubby adventuring?

[CyberThread]

What sort of classes do you think should be looked at, if your wanting to be less then muscular, and outright chubby or even fat without getting into the lazy spellcaster or sumo fighter stereotypes?

[Juntao112]

Rogue or bard

[mistformsquirrl]

You can always be a heavy fighter or barbarian. Just because you've got muscle under it doesn't mean you don't look kinda pear shaped after all <. .> Or you could be a jovial bard who loves food and drink as much as performing.

Even Rogue could work if you were going for someone who preferred not to fight but was an expert with locks and traps.

[BowStreetRunner]

Honestly, you could do this with absolutely any class in the game. You also have the option to go for the very large, but still quite strong type character (Kingpin from Marvel Comics anyone?) to one who is large and less-than athletic. For the latter, just focus on less physical skills and feats.

Just for example, take a Knight from PH2, make Charisma your highest stat with Constitution second for HP. Pick up the Leadership feat and other feats that emphasize your role as a great leader more than your role as a physically powerful combatant.

[headwarpage]

Ninja. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beverly_Hills_Ninja)

On a more serious note, anything you want. Weight doesn't really limit what a person can do, until you get seriously obese. In a world where Pablo Sandoval can play a credible third base, anything is possible.

[Mithril Leaf]

I'd advise Dragonfire Adept. It just seems to mesh well with being a big dude in my mind for whatever reason.

[Rhynn]

Any? What kind of a question is this, anyway? I can't imagine why being chubby would in any way affect your class choice, especially when there's no rules for it. Even the most famous thief of Faerûn is corpulent old man.

[ddude987]

I always think of the drunken master (I think that's it) as a big fatso.

[Juntao112]

Ninja. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beverly_Hills_Ninja)

On a more serious note, anything you want. Weight doesn't really limit what a person can do, until you get seriously obese. In a world where Pablo Sandoval can play a credible third base, anything is possible.

Babe Ruth himself was rather pudgy.

http://www.brmstore.org/images/Babe%20Ruth%20Never%20Fear.jpg

[inuyasha]

well i do know a feat...willing deformity (obese)

But I like the idea of a fat barbarian whos angry he cant reach the chips :smallcool:

[ArcturusV]

Typically when I think of the various DnD Novels, the fat "Adventurers" tended to be Clerics. And I admit that's the first thing that jumped to mind admittedly. Oddly enough most of the fat characters were good aligned, which seems weird that Willing Deformity->Obese is actually Vile.

As for what I'd find interesting? Obese Maho-Tsukai. The Taint is mentioned as corrupting your insides. So I'd just wait for someone to actually cut open my Maho-Tsukai for the various wave of oddities that would come flooding out.

Yes, weird and gross I admit. But funny.

[Slipperychicken]

What sort of classes do you think should be looked at, if your wanting to be less then muscular, and outright chubby or even fat without getting into the lazy spellcaster or sumo fighter stereotypes?

Barbarians could very easily be fat. Gladiators would actually put on weight so that blades couldn't reach their veins as easily. Now you know where those extra hit points came from. Additionally, it serves to hide your muscles, giving everyone a big surprise when you start busting heads with that greatsword. You don't have to be a sumo, just a big guy.

Also, Bard. Just because you're heavy, doesn't mean you can't be inspiring, funny, and get more tail than the rest of the party combined :smallbiggrin:

You could be a Sorcerer or Wizard trying to lose weight by cutting down on all the Overland Flight and Phantom Steed spells.

No reason a Factotum couldn't be wide. Even if it did penalize physical stats (Willing Deformity (Obese) gives -2 Dex, +2 Con IIRC), they're based off Intelligence so it doesn't matter.

Clerics and other priestly classes could do it. No real problems, and it could even be part of his beliefs if he takes the Sloth Domain.

...

Yeah, you could be fat and rock any class, no problem.

[graymachine]

What sort of classes do you think should be looked at, if your wanting to be less then muscular, and outright chubby or even fat without getting into the lazy spellcaster or sumo fighter stereotypes?

Ok, I have to ask: why this question and where did you get the idea that weight had any impact?

[Slipperychicken]

where did you get the idea that weight had any impact?

Cultural bias?

In D&D, weight is a fluff detail. A Dragon Magazine flaw does exist for obesity, as does the Willing Deformity (Obese) feat, but those seem intended to represent truly extreme and unhealthy weights.

[graymachine]

Cultural bias?

In D&D, weight is a fluff detail. A Dragon Magazine flaw does exist for obesity, as does the Willing Deformity (Obese) feat, but those seem intended to represent truly extreme and unhealthy weights.

Sure, I can see it being a flaw if you are overweight to a point where it is causing health issues, especially in a world that isn't as sedentary as modern life, but this OP is asking about being chubby. I, for instance, never thought of a dwarf as cut regardless of their class; always stout at least.

[BowStreetRunner]

Sure, I can see it being a flaw if you are overweight to a point where it is causing health issues, especially in a world that isn't as sedentary as modern life, but this OP is asking about being chubby. I, for instance, never thought of a dwarf as cut regardless of their class; always stout at least.

Unlike hobbits, who are always so svelte!

[Telonius]

One of my favorite characters was a bit on the pudgy side: a middle-aged Shifter, Rogue/Wizard/Arcane Trickster. He lived in Sharn, and was a very social character, total scoundrel and con-man. Kind of like that one relative who's always up to some scheme that's just on the line of being illegal.

[PlusSixPelican]

Also, Bard. Just because you're heavy, doesn't mean you can't be inspiring, funny, and get more tail than the rest of the party combined :smallbiggrin:

I've played a "curvy" bard, in that she was a bit heavy, bottomheavy specifically, and she had NPCs commenting on/staring at her butt all the time. It even helped distract the enemy once when I decided to get cheeky, until I got stabbed in the ass. Joke was on them, though, they got torn pretty much in half when their back was turned to the party Barbarian.

Thinking about it, Falstaff (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falstaff) is probably a fat Bard.

Wizards should need to, probably from a fluff perspective, need to make effort to AVOID getting chubby, since they sit on their hams reading books all day, and cheat at movement at every level.

Also, once anyone gets a Ring of Sustenance, if they eat on top of that, they would probably get chubby.

Sorceresses and Sorcerers can not only be big, but work it, since they've got all that Charisma. Same goes for Oracles, Bards, Paladins, and anyone else with Charisma as a primary/secondary stat.


Clerics and other priestly classes could do it. No real problems, and it could even be part of his beliefs if he takes the Sloth Domain.

I played an Advanced Human Cleric who was somewhat squishy, and not in the 'easy to kill' way. It was puppy fat, but she was self-conscious enough about to hide once she got herself a Hat of Disguise. She was still tough enough to scrap with a sword and shield like a knight, though.


Yeah, you could be fat and rock any class, no problem.

Play anything you want as a heavier character. You probably won't even need to explain it.

[Hand_of_Vecna]

I'd advise Dragonfire Adept. It just seems to mesh well with being a big dude in my mind for whatever reason.

Seems about right all they do is sit around boosting the party with auras and breathing heavily on things.

[ericp65]

Any? What kind of a question is this, anyway? I can't imagine why being chubby would in any way affect your class choice, especially when there's no rules for it. Even the most famous thief of Faerûn is corpulent old man.

Who is that?

[Rhynn]

Who is that?

Mirt the Moneylender, of course, who's old and fat in the very first story he's in.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by headwarpage
Weight doesn't really limit what a person can do....

More than once, I've tried to go hiking with people who were overweight. It was frustrating for everyone, because even when I was dawdling they couldn't keep up. Absolutely their weight limited them.

That said, I would agree with most of the others here on the narrow point that in-game weight doesn't necessarily restrict you to, or from, any particular class, and it can lead to some interesting roleplaying. I had a player in one campaign who took the hobbit-gourmand concept and ran with it...or trotted, anyway. His character was a wizard, essentially a foodie in our terminology, and dedicated to comfort and wild mushrooms. One of the best-played characters I've ever seen, with the weight as just one aspect.

To carry along the hobbit example, though--remember that Frodo, by the time he reached Rivendell, had lost a good deal of weight and toughened up considerably, and not only from the Morgul-knife. I think it's fair to assume that any group of adventurers who are going overland by foot will soon lean out, if they haven't already.

[Zombulian]

Yea, there's nothing in D&D that makes weight matter all that much (besides the Flaw and Feat already mentioned). There's even a pre-written npc in the MM5 named "Singh the Immense." He's basically an extreme-mobility rogue/shadowdancer, who is also supah fat.

[Xervous]

Makes me think of dark souls fat rolling...

amazing likeness (http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/5297359104/h457058E1/&imgrefurl=http://memebase.cheezburger.com/senorgif/tag/clumsy&h=200&w=268&sz=1228&tbnid=3_YmFjRAk0Zf5M:&tbnh=99&tbnw=132&zoom=1&usg=__DbEVCY3vTOZGGa-cLI943wAuxi4=&docid=LL2a6UTJAZDyDM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=7ySkUcfTO5be4APkl4DIBA&ved=0CDwQ9QEwAg&dur=389)

[Slipperychicken]

Wizards should need to, probably from a fluff perspective, need to make effort to AVOID getting chubby, since they sit on their hams reading books all day, and cheat at movement at every level.


Shouldn't be much harder on them than us 1st-worlders IRL, what with our fancy cars and service jobs. However, the majority of dnd adventurers are young, exceptionally-healthy guys and girls doing a lot of extreme physical activity on the bare minimum of trail rations, only pausing to hammer out their 8 hours of sleep a night, prepare spells, and bolt down a meal before picking right back up.

Besides, in the medieval era, being fat was a sign of opulence and prosperity. It means you can feed yourself and your kids much more than they need to, while hardly working at all. In contrast, the poor had to do intense slavelike labor on less fatty/sugary foods.

[Kudaku]

Coincidentally, Chubby Adventuring would be an awesome website name for an online dating service catering specifically to RPG players.

[TaiLiu]

Seems about right all they do is sit around boosting the party with auras and breathing heavily on things.
"Auras?" I think you're speaking of Dragon Shamans, Comrade.

[Ravens_cry]

Ancient Gladiators may have had a definite level of 'padding', because, it made for more spectacular fights, lots of wonderful messy bleeding, without making debilitating wounds. Cut a really lean guy, and you are almost certainly going to hit something vital. In fact, the barbarian DR could easily be fluffed this way as much as the more typical 'layer and layer of scar tissue'. But, seriously, fluff this however the heck you want. I had an Aasimar cleric archer who I fluffed as rather cherubic faced and portly in build.
I don't think the rules really have enough granularity to make this an issue of anything but fluff in all but the most morbidly obese of instances..

[gurgleflep]

What sort of classes do you think should be looked at, if your wanting to be less then muscular, and outright chubby or even fat without getting into the lazy spellcaster or sumo fighter stereotypes?

For a straight-up sumo wrestler, I'd have to say monk. In this particular situation, I'll point you towards two (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=284522) threads (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=284658) I've participated in on the subject.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Slipperychicken
Besides, in the medieval era, being fat was a sign of opulence and prosperity.

Very true, and not just in medieval times. This attitude was present in the early cities of Mesopotamia, and probably goes back to the origins of agriculture, when food could be hoarded and controlled on a large scale.

[Chained Birds]

I always weighed my characters based on their Con scores. Normally the added weight would mean extra muscular growth (Barbarians for example), but I've always had a Dragonfire Inspiration Bard who was on the heavy side due to his massive 18 Con score. Normally I would say the added weight was muscles, but with a strength score of 8, I really can't justify the 200+ weight of a 5'7'' Human (Well, before the dragon stuff). Maybe the scales add a few pounds I guess?

Oh, and the bard's instrument was a pair of large drums strapped to either side of his body. He actually had a fairly interesting look going on, but too bad I haven't got to use him much.

[Zombulian]

Coincidentally, Chubby Adventuring would be an awesome website name for an online dating service catering specifically to RPG players.

I am completely against dating sites and all their kith, but I would make an account on that site SO HARD.


For a straight-up sumo wrestler, I'd have to say monk. In this particular situation, I'll point you towards two (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=284522) threads (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=284658) I've participated in on the subject.

Hey... Hey dood... Read the couple words before what you bolded. OP said *without* going towards sumo.

[gurgleflep]

I always weighed my characters based on their Con scores. Normally the added weight would mean extra muscular growth (Barbarians for example), but I've always had a Dragonfire Inspiration Bard who was on the heavy side due to his massive 18 Con score. Normally I would say the added weight was muscles, but with a strength score of 8, I really can't justify the 200+ weight of a 5'7'' Human (Well, before the dragon stuff). Maybe the scales add a few pounds I guess?

Of, and the bard's instrument was a pair of large drums strapped to either side of his body. He actually had a fairly interesting look going on, but too bad I haven't got to use him much.

Was there any method behind this mathematically? I like the idea behind the Con = Weight idea.


Hey... Hey dood... Read the couple words before what you bolded. OP said *without* going towards sumo.

Ah, poo-poo, I hadn't noticed that. I saw sumo and got excited.

[Ravens_cry]

Very true, and not just in medieval times. This attitude was present in the early cities of Mesopotamia, and probably goes back to the origins of agriculture, when food could be hoarded and controlled on a large scale.Probably older than that. If anything, in a pre-agricultural society being fat meant you had enough influence that others brought you food as tribute.
Animal husbandry would also allow fatness to be sign of wealth, as it meant you had many cattle to convert indigestible grass into milk and meat.

[Chained Birds]

Was there any method behind this mathematically? I like the idea behind the Con = Weight idea.

Not really. I sort of generalize how heavy the character is by taking the average weight (Let's say 175lbs for a Male Human) and 10lbs for each Con point higher than 14, as 14 seems to be a Con score every PC should have at least.

If the race is Small, then I add 5lbs. If the race starts out large or is supposed to be pretty big compared to the common races (Like Half-Giants or Orcs), then I'd add 20lbs. The weight changes also vary by sex as female Medium sized creatures gain 7.5lbs, Small gain 3.5lbs, and Large gain 15lbs.

So a Male Human with 18 Con would weigh around 215lbs. If the character also had a good strength score, you could imagine that most of the weight came from being buff. Though if the character were a Wizard with an 8 in strength, then he'd probably appear fairly pudgy.

I haven't really had the chance to play too many characters in the extremes of size, so I really don't know what a Collosal Human would weigh.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Ravens_cry
If anything, in a pre-agricultural society being fat meant you had enough influence that others brought you food as tribute.

...Possibly. It might have happened somewhere, under certain circumstances, but I doubt it would be the general rule. Hunter-gatherers very often have what we would call an egalitarian approach to food-sharing, and hoarding would be contrary to the social norms. In a foraging band, if you have something, you're expected to share.

Also, foragers tend to be active people, always roaming the land. Agricultural settlements tend to be, well, settled, allowing for a much more sedentary lifestyle, and the development of social structures based on sites of food storage and patterns of food distribution.

[PlusSixPelican]

Shouldn't be much harder on them than us 1st-worlders IRL, what with our fancy cars and service jobs. However, the majority of dnd adventurers are young, exceptionally-healthy guys and girls doing a lot of extreme physical activity on the bare minimum of trail rations, only pausing to hammer out their 8 hours of sleep a night, prepare spells, and bolt down a meal before picking right back up.

And how many first-worlders are at least a bit chunky? Exactly. If you had a Ring of Sustenance, I would imagine it doesn't curb the -instinct- to eat, so unless you're disciplining yourself, it's a risk. Besides, since when was health tied to skinniness? By the then-time standards, a bit of pudge was a good sign, not a bad one.

[stack]

Fluffed my half-orc scarred witch doctor (pathfinder witch archetype)as being large. His name is Fat Davor, CON is very high as it is his casting stat. Fun archetype.

[graymachine]

I would say that the fruits of mechanized farming have skewed our perceptions of what constitutes plentiful food in regards to pre-industrialization life. I suspect that eating what we consider a full meal once a day would be considered plentiful; this is why so much of pre-industrial society is based around the distribution and control of food, and societal events focus on food (feasts.) I would say that any class that doesn't lend itself to vigorous physical activity is going to lean toward corpulence since adventurers can so easily afford to eat whenever they are hungry.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by graymachine
I would say that any class that doesn't lend itself to vigorous physical activity is going to lean toward corpulence since adventurers can so easily afford to eat whenever they are hungry.

This is an interesting idea, and the latter phrase is a good point, but it's heavily (so to speak) campaign- and world-dependent. A lot of it would depend on the standards of living in the culture(s) where the campaign is taking place.

Faerûn, for instance, has an annoyingly cozy-cotton atmosphere in which everyone is healthy, well-fed, fair-minded and generally living according to 20th-century ideals. Eating well would probably be common there.

Dark Sun? Probably not.

Also, what the characters have been doing in the campaign would be an important factor. I tend to run wilderness campaigns, and my parties are usually doing a lot of overland hiking. A city-based campaign, or one in which the characters are relying on magic to get around, might have other effects.

[graymachine]

This is an interesting idea, and the latter phrase is a good point, but it's heavily (so to speak) campaign- and world-dependent. A lot of it would depend on the standards of living in the culture(s) where the campaign is taking place.

Faerûn, for instance, has an annoyingly cozy-cotton atmosphere in which everyone is healthy, well-fed, fair-minded and generally living according to 20th-century ideals. Eating well would probably be common there.

Dark Sun? Probably not.

Also, what the characters have been doing in the campaign would be an important factor. I tend to run wilderness campaigns, and my parties are usually doing a lot of overland hiking. A city-based campaign, or one in which the characters are relying on magic to get around, might have other effects.

Sure, and that's a fair interpretation to run with; since this has no mechanical impact, one can tune it to how gritty-realistic or idealized-fantasy as suits their group. I would make the point, though, that it still gets down to an issue of nutrition access; most Special Forces I've seen, for example, could easily be described as husky, perhaps even overweight, but they are by no means unfit. These people are near the extreme end of human physical performance and yet have a good layer of padding; presumably it would be a good idea to have stored calories in abundance when you head off into the wilds for undefined lengths of time.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by graymachine
...most Special Forces I've seen, for example, could easily be described as husky, perhaps even overweight, but they are by no means unfit. These people are near the extreme end of human physical performance and yet have a good layer of padding....

Very interesting that you mention this, since I was thinking about exactly this point yesterday.

I live near an installation where some of these units are based, and I see them out on training runs on a near-daily basis. I don't know what service you're looking at, but these guys (and occasionally femmes) are severely cut. The only ones with any padding are the new guys huffing along far, far behind, wondering what in the world they've gotten themselves into.

:smalltongue:

[Ravens_cry]

...Possibly. It might have happened somewhere, under certain circumstances, but I doubt it would be the general rule. Hunter-gatherers very often have what we would call an egalitarian approach to food-sharing, and hoarding would be contrary to the social norms. In a foraging band, if you have something, you're expected to share.

Depends on the culture. This is actually rarer than often thought, though agriculture would certainly allow it to achieve new heights.
Animal husbandry would certainly allow it, which can predate agriculture.

[Volos]

IMHO roleplaying tends to bring out what someone wants to be. Anyone who wants to be chubby might want to talk to their heath care provider. NPCs being chubby, however, makes sense. Expert (merchant) and Aristocrat (Aristobrat) would be fine examples of chubby in RPGs.

[ericp65]

Depending on the culture(s) involved, a CHA penalty would be appropriate.

[ericp65]

Mirt the Moneylender, of course, who's old and fat in the very first story he's in.

Never thought of him as old (middle-aged, maybe), and I forgot that he was a thief.

[PlusSixPelican]

Depending on the culture(s) involved, a CHA penalty would be appropriate.

Really? That seems a little biased, especially with no mention of a CHA bonus.

[Zombulian]

Really? That seems a little biased, especially with no mention of a CHA bonus.

I'd say less a Cha bonus or penalty, and more Circumstance bonuses/penalties to Diplomacy and Bluff.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Ravens_cry
Depends on the culture.

Very true indeed, and not easy to generalize without getting oneself into trouble of one sort or another.


Originally Posted by ericp65
Depending on the culture(s) involved, a CHA penalty would be appropriate.

Or a bonus to charisma-dependent skills, for some of the reasons mentioned above. Depending on the society, projecting wealth and status could certainly involve a bonus to social skills...and depending on the situation, possibly to Intimidate as well.

[Kaeso]

Why not take a monk or unarmed swordsage? You can KILL LITTLE BABY MEN WITH FISTS OF STEEL (http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs34/f/2008/238/9/d/Heavy_Weapons_Guy_by_spankwagon.jpg).

On a more serious note, it could work if you interpret "chubby" as built like a bear. You'd end up with a character who's quite muscular but ends up with a tad bit more of a gut than would be considered ideal. Such a build is a boon when it comes to grappling and other forms of unarmed combat.

[Slipperychicken]

I wasn't the first to realize it, but an obese Illithid Savant could be Kirby.

[Xervous]

Why not take a monk or unarmed swordsage? You can KILL LITTLE BABY MEN WITH FISTS OF STEEL (http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs34/f/2008/238/9/d/Heavy_Weapons_Guy_by_spankwagon.jpg).

On a more serious note, it could work if you interpret "chubby" as built like a bear. You'd end up with a character who's quite muscular but ends up with a tad bit more of a gut than would be considered ideal. Such a build is a boon when it comes to grappling and other forms of unarmed combat.

Name the character P. Otis Spencer, give him a monocle and a ridiculous magical hat with continual flame cast on it, and deli-flavored potions of cure serious wounds.

[Ravens_cry]

Why not take a monk or unarmed swordsage? You can KILL LITTLE BABY MEN WITH FISTS OF STEEL (http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs34/f/2008/238/9/d/Heavy_Weapons_Guy_by_spankwagon.jpg).

On a more serious note, it could work if you interpret "chubby" as built like a bear. You'd end up with a character who's quite muscular but ends up with a tad bit more of a gut than would be considered ideal. Such a build is a boon when it comes to grappling and other forms of unarmed combat.
Power lifters, as opposed to body builders, do tend to be more bearish in build. Louis Cyr, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Cyr) who may be the stongest man who ever lived, was not built like, say, Superman.

[tadkins]

I'm playing a druid in a PF game right now who is a bit stocky. Crazy forest hermit who drinks a lot and does his own homebrewing (+10 ranks in Profession: Brewing). He doesn't even need to walk everywhere as his animal companion is a horse.

Gave him a good deal of CON and WIS.

[Anderlith]

You could always roll a fat monk, tons of points in tumble & jump....

[graymachine]

Very interesting that you mention this, since I was thinking about exactly this point yesterday.

I live near an installation where some of these units are based, and I see them out on training runs on a near-daily basis. I don't know what service you're looking at, but these guys (and occasionally femmes) are severely cut. The only ones with any padding are the new guys huffing along far, far behind, wondering what in the world they've gotten themselves into.

:smalltongue:

Fair enough; I'm thinking back to interviews with Special Forces (Seals, specifically.) I'm not saying that they are obese, per se, and they obviously have a great deal of muscle mass; I suppose the best descriptor I could put to them is solid.

[Hand_of_Vecna]

More than once, I've tried to go hiking with people who were overweight. It was frustrating for everyone, because even when I was dawdling they couldn't keep up. Absolutely their weight limited them.

You went hiking with out of shape people. I'm overweight and I can out hike many lower BMI people while carrying their pack for them.

[ericp65]

I can't see being rotund as a sign of affluence, in and of itself, but there are too many factors that aren't worth bringing into the game, IMHO.

[Zombulian]

You went hiking with out of shape people. I'm overweight and I can out hike many lower BMI people while carrying their pack for them.

There is definitely a difference between out of shape people and overweight people. Especially if you're using the BMI charts. I had a friend who played football and went to the weight room every day, he could probably outrun all of us if in a continual running contest, and could bench his own weight. The BMI chart said he was morbidly obese. Like the kind of obese where you can drop dead any second.

[Urpriest]

Go for a Eunuch Warlock, the best obscure PrC ever.

[Zombulian]

Go for a Eunuch Warlock, the best obscure PrC ever.

The updated one from Dragon 318 or straight from OA?

[OverdrivePrime]

Another vote for monk. Sammo Frickin' Hung (http://youtu.be/o_TrMahkuvo) is a well-fed kung fu genius!


I've played a "curvy" bard, in that she was a bit heavy, bottomheavy specifically, and she had NPCs commenting on/staring at her butt all the time. It even helped distract the enemy once when I decided to get cheeky, until I got stabbed in the ass. Joke was on them, though, they got torn pretty much in half when their back was turned to the party Barbarian.

That's reminds me of one of my favorite characters - a bard whose repertoire consisted mostly of (setting-adjusted) Queen songs. His favorite to sing (and sing to) was Fat Bottomed Girls.

[vartan]

Never thought of him as old (middle-aged, maybe), and I forgot that he was a thief.

Too caught up in the fact that he's the Open Lord?

If Faerunian illustrations are to be believed (and if memory serves) Elminster and Halaster look a little chubby too- though OP said to exclude the wizardry types.

Aren't there some terrible feats and flaws about obesity?

[The Glyphstone]

I'm pretty sure I saw a half-joking character build once that involved playing a morbidly obese wizard who memorized lots of short-ranged teleports, then spent fights dropping himself on people's heads using the damage-by-weight tables for falling objects (and I think ranks in Tumble to reduce his own falling damage, which was based on distance instead of weight).

[graymachine]

There is definitely a difference between out of shape people and overweight people. Especially if you're using the BMI charts. I had a friend who played football and went to the weight room every day, he could probably outrun all of us if in a continual running contest, and could bench his own weight. The BMI chart said he was morbidly obese. Like the kind of obese where you can drop dead any second.

This point seems to fade, though, when one considers that what would be thought of as obese today would have been considered appealing at a different time.

[Ravens_cry]

This point seems to fade, though, when one considers that what would be thought of as obese today would have been considered appealing at a different time.
Obese is obese, it has a medical, objective, definition. Whether the majority consider some said obesity to be attractive is a different question.

[Zombulian]

The updated one from Dragon 318 or straight from OA?

Nevermind that's a silly question.

[graymachine]

Obese is obese, it has a medical, objective, definition. Whether the majority consider some said obesity to be attractive is a different question.

Sure. I wasn't really challenging 'obese' as a medical definition, nor was I claiming that popular opinion has some magical power of truthiness. My point was that, at a different time, what we would call an obviously obese woman was a great marriage potential because connections to her family meant that the constant threat of starvation was off the table.

[ArcturusV]

That and the silliness of things like people I know who can run an 8 minute mile (So moderately in shape to say the least) who are being counted as morbidly obese by definition.

Eunich Warlock would be neat for an obese character. Now if only I could get someone to actually take it. Even if the game has never involved anything even remotely sexual? I still have players balk at the idea of being castrated for power.

[Zubrowka74]

A monk à la Friar Tuck, especially if it's the one from Rocket Robin Hood (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocket_Robin_Hood).

[Hand_of_Vecna]

Obese is obese, it has a medical, objective, definition. Whether the majority consider some said obesity to be attractive is a different question.

Yes and no, Obese is supposed to mean "excessive body fat". The BMI scale is BS and is in no way an accurate measure of body fat. Some doctors follow it as gospel and tell people that don't have 20 pounds of body fat that they need to lose 25 pounds of fat. They are objectively wrong.

I'm not trying to trivialize the fact that there are in fact tons of very unhealthy very overweight people out there and that many of them try to hide behind claims of the BMI scale being bogus when it's accurate enough in their case.

[Zombulian]

That and the silliness of things like people I know who can run an 8 minute mile (So moderately in shape to say the least) who are being counted as morbidly obese by definition.

Eunich Warlock would be neat for an obese character. Now if only I could get someone to actually take it. Even if the game has never involved anything even remotely sexual? I still have players balk at the idea of being castrated for power.

Does being a Eunich have ties to obesity? I'm confused.

[ArcturusV]

Only a little. The lack of testosterone creating a lack of drive, which leads to laziness and putting on weight.

Least it works out that way for animals. Never seen it happen to a human to know.

[Zombulian]

Only a little. The lack of testosterone creating a lack of drive, which leads to laziness and putting on weight.

Least it works out that way for animals. Never seen it happen to a human to know.

Mm yea, only Eunuchs I can think of are the Queen's Guards in "History of the World Part I" and Varys from Game of Thrones. In both instances they seem obese, though I was never sure if it was just coincidence.

[Hand_of_Vecna]

In "History of the World part I" they actually mention eunucks plumping up in the dialog, also see "Bob" in "Fight Club" the effects of castration are explained there too.

Oh, is the Dragon 318 Eunuck playable as opposed to the 2/10 casting original? I always thought it would make an interesting Gestalt though.

[Zombulian]

In "History of the World part I" they actually mention eunucks plumping up in the dialog, also see "Bob" in "Fight Club" the effects of castration are explained there too.

Oh, is the Dragon 318 Eunuck playable as opposed to the 2/10 casting original? I always thought it would make an interesting Gestalt though.

Yea 318 changes up the Focused Spell ability, and gives 9/10 casting instead of the weird extra spells system they had before.

[ArcturusV]

Certainly more playable in general then. Though I had heard that the "Spells Added" stuff like that and theWonderworker were better for Epic Levels.

[Cerlis]

More than once, I've tried to go hiking with people who were overweight. It was frustrating for everyone, because even when I was dawdling they couldn't keep up. Absolutely their weight limited them.


Well you know more about your situation than others, but with other situations its a matter of being in shape. You can be fat and in shape, and you can be skinny and not. And being in shape is what determines your muscle capacity and endurance.

There is a reason some professional athletes are twice as big as others. I'd much rather fight a Gold Medalist swimmer than the Big Show. And the former would probably be more exhausted at the end of a hike with everyone caring a medium load of gear.

[Crasical]

I've played a "curvy" bard, in that she was a bit heavy, bottomheavy specifically, and she had NPCs commenting on/staring at her butt all the time. It even helped distract the enemy once when I decided to get cheeky, until I got stabbed in the ass. Joke was on them, though, they got torn pretty much in half when their back was turned to the party Barbarian.

I always assumed that this was the default body shape for female halflings. :smallbiggrin:


Name the character P. Otis Spencer, give him a monocle and a ridiculous magical hat with continual flame cast on it, and deli-flavored potions of cure serious wounds.

There are potion-equivalents in the Complete Arcane for both fruit and bread, so there's no reason not to have actual sandwiches for your healing potions.