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CrackedChair
2017-06-26, 02:16 PM
So my high elf wizard, I decided will be borderline obese, but I don't plan on using it for comedy, but rather I decided I'd play it to see how it goes.

So she is around 4' 6" and weighs around 202 lbs which would equate to a BMI of 48, which is decidedly obese, but I need to come up with plans on how to roleplay this type of character.

She'd be tired more likely, but I think I can do more than that, as long as I avoid offending anybody at the table. Can anybody point to how I can play this out?

Jama7301
2017-06-26, 02:23 PM
Have them use something like Tenser's Floating Disk or another levitate-like spell, so they don't exert effort unless needed.

Keep stockpiled on snacks and non-ration food and drink.

CharonsHelper
2017-06-26, 02:33 PM
So she is around 4' 6" and weighs around 202 lbs which would equate to a BMI of 48, which is decidedly obese,

If you actually want to play it that way, you'd probably have to slow your movement etc.

Frankly - I can't see someone in that sort of shape becoming an adventurer and maintaining that sort of shape for long if they did.

Esprit15
2017-06-26, 02:39 PM
Any spells that let you move effortlessly would be my suggestion.

RazorChain
2017-06-26, 02:57 PM
If you actually want to play it that way, you'd probably have to slow your movement etc.

Frankly - I can't see someone in that sort of shape becoming an adventurer and maintaining that sort of shape for long if they did.

This^

Active lifestyle will trim her. Roman officers wanted their soldiers to fatten up when they had leave, when they marched to war they would be lean and hungry when they arrived at their destination.

dps
2017-06-26, 05:45 PM
There's not necessarily any reason an obese person would have any personality differences from the same person except not obese. Over the course of my adult life (I'm 55), I've fluctuated between being badly overweight and being in good shape, and my personality has been consistent throughout those fluctuations.

Anonymouswizard
2017-06-26, 06:45 PM
Alright, I'm obese (my BMI is in the low 40s, I have trouble convincing people of this), as are a few other people I know or have known. And it really depends. I walked over ten miles today because I couldn't find the supermarket, occasionally burst into a run for no reason, and generally am for that you'd assume for my weight. I'm rubbish at climbing, can run out of breath easily, and can occasionally get too warm. However I know people even worse than me, and they can have trouble walking for more than half an hour (sometimes less), resistant m especially in the countryside where there's more going uphill. With again, the are people at my level with less mobility and people heavier than me with more (although heavier=less mobile works as a very loose rule of thumb, due to the latter sometimes causing the former).

High 40s might be problematic, but I can see an adventuring wizard having a weight problem putting themselves into the 30s (not so much fighters and rogues). In certain campaigns, mainly those confined to cities, it might not truly be a problem to be even heavier as you rarely have to walk for longer than it takes to get a cab. But a BMI in the 35-40 range for a wizard is certainly believable.

As for affecting personality, it depends. My brain's not normal anyway with my autism, and I'm desperately hoping I haven't inherited depression (looking like I haven't, but my mental state had generally been going down for the better part of a year at least), so I couldn't tell you how my weight had affected my personality. Lots of young people with a BMI in the 30s will injuries m insist that they aren't significantly overweight, which is a thing to consider.

CharonsHelper
2017-06-26, 07:00 PM
but I can see an adventuring wizard having a weight problem putting themselves into the 30s (not so much fighters and rogues).

Actually - if they're ripped, a lot of fighters & barbarians are probably in the low-mid 30's. I know that Arnold was back when he played Conan.

BMI isn't really a very good measure. (It was invented in the 1840's specifically for Belgium and wasn't ever intended to be used at the individual level but instead for broader measures of population.) I

My above post was specifically about someone who is 4.5 feet tall and over 200lbs. Those proportions are likely much worse than someone of equal BMI but over 6ft tall.

S@tanicoaldo
2017-06-26, 07:57 PM
Make her use a spider golem as a chair, to move around:
https://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/oblivion/images/8/8b/Yagrum_Bagarn.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20070701001617

goto124
2017-06-27, 04:23 AM
I'll admit, I thought overweight meant overburdened with equipment and loot, or something to that effect. Not literally overweight.

Anonymouswizard
2017-06-27, 07:33 AM
Actually - if they're ripped, a lot of fighters & barbarians are probably in the low-mid 30's. I know that Arnold was back when he played Conan.

BMI isn't really a very good measure. (It was invented in the 1840's specifically for Belgium and wasn't ever intended to be used at the individual level but instead for broader measures of population.) I

My above post was specifically about someone who is 4.5 feet tall and over 200lbs. Those proportions are likely much worse than someone of equal BMI but over 6ft tall.

True, but as I said, I was entirely showing from personal experience (and should have mentioned I was thinking cost to 38 instead of low-mid thirties, my bad). I know the problems with BMI.

Jama7301
2017-06-27, 10:42 AM
You could also go full hedonist in town between adventures. Spend your money on extravagant feasts and parties. You adventure to live it up. Each mission is a means to an end of having a good time. Let the food and drink flow!

Storm_Of_Snow
2017-06-27, 10:49 AM
One option would be playing her up as someone who's been forced into adventuring from a sedentary life - as an example, if she was a minor court mage and the previous ruler was overthrown or otherwise usurped, she might have to get out of town extremely quickly to avoid meeting a similar fate, but wouldn't have been important/ well known enough for people to hunt for her immediately. It would also explain her weight - plenty of good food and very little exercise.

Initial spell list would be mostly courtly utility spells with some defence/offense - using the 3.5 SRD, maybe take Divination as her school, with something like Comprehend Languages as one her 1st level spells, and the same for skills - diplomacy, speak language and so on.

Of course, as she survives, she might well take more useful skills/spells, and the extra weight wouldn't remain a problem for too long.

Aliquid
2017-06-27, 10:57 AM
If you actually want to play it that way, you'd probably have to slow your movement etc.

Frankly - I can't see someone in that sort of shape becoming an adventurer and maintaining that sort of shape for long if they did.It is possible. I've seen borderline obese people run marathons regularly...

A Wizard that doesn't carry too much gear could easily burn substantially less calories than the fighter who is lugging heavy armor and weapons etc. That's just while walking around. The fighter would get quite the workout during combat, where as the wizard could just sit in one place and sling spells.

It wouldn't be that much of a stretch to say that if the fighter and the wizard ate the exact same amount of food, the wizard would be larger. Especially if the wizard happened to have a body type/metabolism/etc that contributed to easy weight gain.

GungHo
2017-06-27, 11:38 AM
I think you should ban Summon Hot Pocket.

CharonsHelper
2017-06-27, 11:49 AM
It is possible. I've seen borderline obese people run marathons regularly...


The heaviest person to ever complete a marathon was about 400lbs, and at 6ft, he had a 54ish BMI. (Which - as I said above, at 6ft he's probably actually better shape than being 4.5 ft with a 49 BMI as the wizard in the OP is.)

But it took him just under 10 hours to do. That's not running a marathon. That's a slower than an average walk - which is 3.1mph.

And he was a 5x US champ sumo wrestler, and sumos are basically the fittest fat guys in existence, and doubtless a good chunk of that weight is muscle. I doubt that this wizard is intended to be in sumo athlete level shape.

Slipperychicken
2017-06-27, 11:54 AM
If it really matters that much to you, just allocate your PC's stats to reflect what you imagine to be the effects of his or her obesity. Maybe take a flaw or something if your system allows you to.

That said, there are a lot of different ways it can play out. I'm a few pounds under obesity (it isn't muscle, trust me) and I can just get up and crank out 150 jumping jacks when I want to.

And just to further muddy the matter: Shouldn't elves and half-elves have different weight and BMI thresholds from humans?

Spiryt
2017-06-27, 11:55 AM
If you actually want to play it that way, you'd probably have to slow your movement etc.

Frankly - I can't see someone in that sort of shape becoming an adventurer and maintaining that sort of shape for long if they did.

Depends on what of shape exactly.

There are plenty of people who are in good shape and obese.

Doesn't matter how much adventure you are going trough, if you eat enough, you won't lose that much fat.

So if you eat a lot and eat crap, you will be fat even with a lot of exercise.

Look up Roy Nelson.

http://www.mmasucka.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/roynelson.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Nelson_(fighter)


MMA fighter, grappler able to hang at high level with his huge spare tire, and perform pretty well.

Of course, he is squandering his opportunities, because he would move and fight much better with reasonable level of body fat. He is just addicted/likes eating too much, I guess, but that's different issue.


As far as OP goes, honestly, elf woman of 4'6'' and 202.... Sounds like morbidly, morbidly obese, so I would say that it's exaggeration, and she would need some surgery to start losing weight.

But D&D world has magic, but we are getting into some very tricky questions here.

Would "Heal" spell help?

Person that obese is going to have many metabolic diseases, after all.:smallamused:

Anonymouswizard
2017-06-27, 12:34 PM
That said, there are a lot of different ways it can play out. I'm a few pounds under obesity (it isn't muscle, trust me) and I can just get up and crank out 150 jumping jacks when I want to.

Heck, I'm morbidly obese and I could probably do it. Wouldn't enjoy it, I'd much prefer running for ten minutes, but I could do it. It really does depend.


As far as OP goes, honestly, elf woman of 4'6'' and 202.... Sounds like morbidly, morbidly obese, so I would say that it's exaggeration, and she would need some surgery to start losing weight.

The BMI given by the OP makes morbidly morbidly obese clear. While I'd prefer to keep my height and weight private, I'm morbidly obese and probably around 41 BMI (yes, I know it's a poor measure for individuals, but at that level of high I'm willing to except I'm morbidly obese). I'm not going to be running any marathons soon, heck I tire easily, bit of be fine for any job that required me to walk all day as that has no impact on how exhausted I am.

So yeah, OP's character is probably too heavy to be an adventurer, but the idea of an obese adventuring spellcaster (or potentially warrior) is in and of itself sound.

CrackedChair
2017-06-27, 02:16 PM
Well, I planned on her being escorted to another town by the actual adventuring party. They were paid to do so, but when they get there, they realize her noble house is taken over by a hostile force. Hence why she is going into adventuring.

I used a BMI visualizer to see the shape she'd be I. And it looked rather round, but nothing too crippling. Granted, carrying that around would be very tiring, but it's not going to inhibit her much, I think.

I could see if she can lose the weight as she goes on, but still go on eating good food like she did back in her manse. I could also take Disguise self or Alter self to justify her not really liking her shape that much. But that is just me.

Slipperychicken
2017-06-27, 03:52 PM
I think it also bears mentioning that you're playing a fantasy game which sharply diverges from realistic physics and biology in countless ways, and that within this imaginary world your character is exceptional even after considering that she has magical powers and is not a human being.

You have a lot more wiggle room than you think.

CrackedChair
2017-06-27, 04:01 PM
Well, alright. I'll take your word for it that I got some 'wiggle' room.

Still, I might try to get Disguise self later.

Random Sanity
2017-06-27, 04:08 PM
Even if a "chunky" character becomes physically fit through exercise, there's no reason to assume they'll slim down. The body is hardwired NOT to lose weight if at all possible. Those crazy success stories you see on TV of people dropping double-or-triple-digit pound counts? Most of them don't stick; many are back where they started inside of a year.

You can be both overweight and athletic simultaneously - in fact prior to the whole bodybuilding thing becoming popular a large waistline was the norm for strong people. It still is the norm for those who focus on maximizing strength without concern for sculpting themselves a "beach body".

Grod_The_Giant
2017-06-27, 04:11 PM
Just play them like a normal person. "Fatty comic relief" isn't very funny. Or appropriate, generally speaking. As people have mentioned, it's not unreasonable to have someone who's both big and fit.

jayem
2017-06-27, 04:41 PM
Noting the observations on the beefcake version. There's also precedents for the other variants (you could argue that Bilbo is one).

If the other players are happy, you could probably get some interesting variations and strategies, by in advance, trading prolonged running for something else (the logical assumption is that you spent the time when others were exercising studying), but even walking further would be a possibility.

Braininthejar2
2017-06-27, 05:50 PM
Get her some custom levitation items and float like baron Harkonnen.

Guizonde
2017-06-27, 08:35 PM
as someone who is malnourished (i don't feel hunger and forget to eat), i'd say apply massive penalties to hide, acrobatics, and other skill checks where armor penalties apply. lugging around 100 lbs of excess body, i'd say that counts as wearing heavy armor. fat may float, but i'd rather try and sneak or swim with my 15-16 bmi than lugging around 80+ more lbs of flesh, not counting gear. the floating disk is a good idea, i'd add a horse-drawn cart when it's not applicable, and wands: that kind of debauchery of the waistline is stupendously rare in dnd, so i'd see a very pretentious wizard (even more so than a regular elf), proud of their wealth to the point of being a showoff, using wands ad nauseam to save on effort (when you're so rich you can afford to get fat, you can afford to not cast your own spells).

until the 19th century, a large waistline was a sign of wealth (and still is in some cultures). i'd say go with "rich and presumptuous bastard". if i may recommend instakill spells and large fireballs? a character who's foregone walking will probably be lacking patience or subtlety.

a fighter with 30+bmi of pure muscle i can imagine. a very dexter rogue, i wouldn't see over 20 bmi. being rake-thin is very helpful when sneaking and climbing: you've got less weight to lug, and less matter to hide. a wizard? who cares?! you see a problem: either you burn it, you destroy it, you dominate it or (in the case of the op's elf) you eat it! this can of course add massive points to intimidation: who're you gonna be more afraid of? a 5'10" 120lb character or a 4'6" 200lb character who walks around like they own the place?

if there are any cannibal/ energy eating perks, you might want to look into it. could be awesome being a spell-eater. like a spellbreaker or a mirror-wizard, but more eating and more reflecting of incoming energy.

Lvl 2 Expert
2017-06-28, 03:01 AM
Even if a "chunky" character becomes physically fit through exercise, there's no reason to assume they'll slim down. The body is hardwired NOT to lose weight if at all possible. Those crazy success stories you see on TV of people dropping double-or-triple-digit pound counts? Most of them don't stick; many are back where they started inside of a year.

You can be both overweight and athletic simultaneously - in fact prior to the whole bodybuilding thing becoming popular a large waistline was the norm for strong people. It still is the norm for those who focus on maximizing strength without concern for sculpting themselves a "beach body".

This is going of a tangent a little bit, but I think a good example of the diversity in strong peoples bodies are strong man competitions (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueHc1X6FSmw). You'll see some real body builder like bodies in there, but also more body types that veer more towards a caricature of a lumberjack or even occasionally a moderately successful sumo wrestler. They also have different events that suit some body styles more than others. In pulling a truck it can help to have some extra weight to throw forwards, in throwing a weight over a high bar you could argue it may give a little stability to the throw (although probably not, active stability generally beats passive stability), in events where you have to lift stuff up and put it down somewhere else every pound you're already carrying extra is going to be a penalty.

I honestly thing "massive penalties" to pretty much any skill check are not the way to go. The first reason for that is that I think it's not something you should even try to model, just like you don't model the chance of extremely light or anorexic characters becoming infertile, or how you don't model the base stat differences between men and women or whatever difference you'd want to model between black people and white people. These things have too many real life ties and implications too reduce the whole thing to a simple set of RPG mechanics that are just going to comically enlarge the main stereotypes. The second reason is I think the real life difference weight makes is relatively small. I mean that like this: One day I meet me without the belly. This me light edition weights let's say 20kg less than me, making him a pretty athletic looking muscle bound half orc of a man. I, the standard fatter me, am comfortable backpacking with a load of up to around 30kg. I honestly don't think lean me would still be happy with 50kg on his back. In fact, his limit would probably be pretty close to mine (even if his knees are going to hold out a few years longer in the end, assuming he didn't get lean by running in which case my knees probably win). The weight of being fat is distributed in such a way that it's relatively easy to deal with, which is why there are people who weight several hundred kilo's who can still move around. And in some ways that's similar to armor. The weight of a set of armor is also pretty much distributed across the body, if well tailored. This is why the stories about how knights couldn't get up after falling and such are bull****. But armor is not form fitting in the same way that excess fat is, and for a move silently check for instance fat doesn't clank the way plate armor does.

Should I aspire to be more like me without the belly? Yes, good idea. Is it going to make a difference that can easily be modeled by treating current me like I'm wearing armor? Probably not.

Anonymouswizard
2017-06-28, 03:33 AM
Even if a "chunky" character becomes physically fit through exercise, there's no reason to assume they'll slim down. The body is hardwired NOT to lose weight if at all possible. Those crazy success stories you see on TV of people dropping double-or-triple-digit pound counts? Most of them don't stick; many are back where they started inside of a year.

You can be both overweight and athletic simultaneously - in fact prior to the whole bodybuilding thing becoming popular a large waistline was the norm for strong people. It still is the norm for those who focus on maximizing strength without concern for sculpting themselves a "beach body".

On the weight loss front, I've been advised to do no more than two pounds/one kilo a week, barring the first week or two. Even that I struggle with, my weight is currently yo-yoing around a one stone range. I'm always suspicious of hearing people so a stone or more in a month, thinking they'll likely put it back on later.


Get her some custom levitation items and float like baron Harkonnen.

He walked! He used anti-gravity to walk!

Storm_Of_Snow
2017-06-28, 04:11 AM
as someone who is malnourished (i don't feel hunger and forget to eat), i'd say apply massive penalties to hide, acrobatics, and other skill checks where armor penalties apply.

That's a good point, and her Dex would also be quite low - although whether that's naturally or whether you agree with the DM to apply a penalty on the stat.



a fighter with 30+bmi of pure muscle i can imagine. a very dexter rogue, i wouldn't see over 20 bmi. being rake-thin is very helpful when sneaking and climbing: you've got less weight to lug, and less matter to hide. a wizard? who cares?! you see a problem: either you burn it, you destroy it, you dominate it or (in the case of the op's elf) you eat it!

Or turn yourself invisible and hide from it.

As an aside to dealing with a problem by eating it, I did think of mining communities using a variant of Stone to Flesh to turn mining spoil into joints of meat to deal with both getting rid of mining waste products and feeding themselves - let the biological wastes turn into fertiliser and they can also grow crops. :smallamused:


This is going of a tangent a little bit, but I think a good example of the diversity in strong peoples bodies are strong man competitions (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueHc1X6FSmw). You'll see some real body builder like bodies in there, but also more body types that veer more towards a caricature of a lumberjack or even occasionally a moderately successful sumo wrestler. They also have different events that suit some body styles more than others. In pulling a truck it can help to have some extra weight to throw forwards, in throwing a weight over a high bar you could argue it may give a little stability to the throw (although probably not, active stability generally beats passive stability), in events where you have to lift stuff up and put it down somewhere else every pound you're already carrying extra is going to be a penalty.

There's also endurance - some of the bigger guys are severely limited in those strongman events because they can't get oxygen into their muscles and lactic acid out quickly enough.

Another example of diversity would be NFL linemen - some are fast and athletic, while others are more along the lines of the immovable object.

goto124
2017-06-28, 04:46 AM
Clearly, you must ask the DM if she gets extra HP for being overweight.

If you really want her overweight-ness to be an issue, it could be largely roleplay ones. Maybe she isn't taken as seriously by her wizard peers due to her appearance. Maybe she have difficulty fitting into clothes that aren't loose robes, and gets self-conscious about her appearance. What if she lags behind aforementioned wizard peers because she can't wear many magic items? Wait, no, scratch that, you want your PC to be able to wear magic items.

Alternatively, don't focus on literal weight or fat. Strongmen, fat or not, all took time to exercise, build their strength, and practice in whatever sports they excel at. This high-elf wizard is probably a paper-pusher who stays all her time sitting on a chair, with little in the way of outdoor activities. When she's suddenly forced to go outside and do physical stuff, she'll tire easily on long treks due to lack of endurance, or move slowly, or be unable to carry not-that-heavy loads. Although all these may already be modeled by her stats. *looks over to the 4 Dex thread*

The wizard doesn't even need to be overweight in the technical sense for this to work. A person who stays thin despite lack of exercise may just be lucky enough to have a high metabolism. That person will still have the problems stated above. Source: me. I need to exercise more, it really isn't healthy.

Spore
2017-06-28, 05:29 AM
So she is around 4' 6" and weighs around 202 lbs which would equate to a BMI of 48, which is decidedly obese, but I need to come up with plans on how to roleplay this type of character.

Seriously I would tweak those numbers a bit. Seems like she would go into cardiac arrest at the start of the first encounter and die on the spot.

Spiryt
2017-06-28, 06:49 AM
I used a BMI visualizer to see the shape she'd be I. And it looked rather round, but nothing too crippling. Granted, carrying that around would be very tiring, but it's not going to inhibit her much, I think.


That was some crappy 'vizualizer' I would say.

4'6'' is seriously tiny, and elves, by most lore are supposed to have lighter skeleton, and build than humans.


54 inches is an average height for 10 years old child. Average weight then is around 70 - 90 pounds. Those are just statistics, you have to keep in mind that many modern children already have a bit trouble with excess fat.

You are planning something 2.5 heavier.

I am no anthropology expert, but I really am under impression, that you're thinking about someone bedridden due to obesity.

I would think BMI simply doesn't work here anymore, because it was developed for people being a bit shorter than 5 feet at most.

With height dropping by another half a foot it's usefulness goes firmly to hell.

BMI has height squared in it's calculations, while body is of course 3 dimensional.


Think about it in more practical way - body fat percentage.

Average 10 year old girl, about 4'6'' and 90 pounds going by centile charts.

Assuming that she's has about 25% of body fat percentage, fairly ordinary for a woman, then the fat in her body makes up about 22.5 pounds.

So 22.5 lbs of fat to 67.5 lbs of skeleton, organs, muscle.

At 202 pounds, her body fat percentage would be around 65%. Assuming that that rest of her body.

That would mean that there's about two times more fat on her than anything else.

I can't even find pictures of people over 50%, those people probably don't do fitness/measuring your BF because they have other problems.

But this chart is decent:

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/64/f6/a5/64f6a50f0eab3625cd90deb9af94eabd.jpg


The 'solution' to make her not so morbidly obese would be to tweak the weight of the rest of the body of course. Increasing the weight of skeleton/muscle/tendons.

That would make her of powerful stature for 4' 6'', while still obese.

CrackedChair
2017-06-28, 06:55 AM
That was some crappy 'vizualizer' I would say.

4'6'' is seriously tiny, and elves, by most lore are supposed to have lighter skeleton, and build than humans.


54 inches is an average height for 10 years old child. Average weight then is around 70 - 90 pounds. Those are just statistics, you have to keep in mind that many modern children already have a bit trouble with excess fat.

You are planning something 2.5 heavier.

I am no anthropology expert, but I really am under impression, that you're thinking about someone bedridden due to obesity.

I would think BMI simply doesn't work here anymore, because it was developed for people being a bit shorter than 5 feet at most.

With height dropping by another half a foot it's usefulness goes firmly to hell.

BMI has height squared in it's calculations, while body is of course 3 dimensional.


Think about it in more practical way - body fat percentage.

Average 10 year old girl, about 4'6'' and 90 pounds going by centile charts.

Assuming that she's has about 25% of body fat percentage, fairly ordinary for a woman, then the fat in her body makes up about 22.5 pounds.

So 22.5 lbs of fat to 67.5 lbs of skeleton, organs, muscle.

At 202 pounds, her body fat percentage would be around 65%. Assuming that that rest of her body.

That would mean that there's about two times more fat on her than anything else.

I can't even find pictures of people over 50%, those people probably don't do fitness/measuring your BF because they have other problems.

But this chart is decent:

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/64/f6/a5/64f6a50f0eab3625cd90deb9af94eabd.jpg


The 'solution' to make her not so morbidly obese would be to tweak the weight of the rest of the body of course. Increasing the weight of skeleton/muscle/tendons.

That would make her of powerful stature for 4' 6'', while still obese.

Well, what would be an appropriate weight then? I thought 176 lbs would be a bit better, but I am no expert on the matter.

Vinyadan
2017-06-28, 08:05 AM
Can you use the weight incumbrance rules for your fat? It looks like the easiest way.

I agree on the fact that the character will slim down pretty fast while traveling. If it's on foot, the party will be slowed down and someone will want to do something about that. By horse, you will be a danger to yourself and its back, and tire it quickly. Carriages become the only way, but you need decent roads to use them. And I don't want to imagine what happens when you want to cross a river ford.

Spiryt
2017-06-28, 08:28 AM
Well, what would be an appropriate weight then? I thought 176 lbs would be a bit better, but I am no expert on the matter.

No expert of any kind either, and I can't find any sensible stats about weights of 4'6'' people who are not children....

But 160-170 does sound better.

Still very obese, likely, but more manageable.



I agree on the fact that the character will slim down pretty fast while traveling. If it's on foot, the party will be slowed down and someone will want to do something about that. By horse, you will be a danger to yourself and its back, and tire it quickly. C

She won't be danger and tire the horse though, because 200 pounds is still perfectly ordinary human weight, horses have been carrying that for millenia now.:smallwink:

It's that 200 pounds is a lot of weight for someone human shaped who is 4'6'', not that it's a lot of weight.

Lvl 2 Expert
2017-06-28, 09:39 AM
Oh right, she's only 1.35m. Pounds interpret pretty well for me, but unfamiliar lengths in feet get me every time if I don't consciously convert them.

Yeah, okay, then the original number might have been a little high. My personal experiences mostly take place closer to the other end of the human size scale.

Guizonde
2017-06-28, 02:51 PM
That's a good point, and her Dex would also be quite low - although whether that's naturally or whether you agree with the DM to apply a penalty on the stat.


Or turn yourself invisible and hide from it.

As an aside to dealing with a problem by eating it, I did think of mining communities using a variant of Stone to Flesh to turn mining spoil into joints of meat to deal with both getting rid of mining waste products and feeding themselves - let the biological wastes turn into fertiliser and they can also grow crops. :smallamused:



There's also endurance - some of the bigger guys are severely limited in those strongman events because they can't get oxygen into their muscles and lactic acid out quickly enough.

Another example of diversity would be NFL linemen - some are fast and athletic, while others are more along the lines of the immovable object.

i was dog-tired when i wrote that, and i apologize if i came off as insensitive. i also assumed that the elf would not be your "chunkster beefcake", but rather the
pilsbury doughboy in terms of body build. firstly, because elves are lithe, and iirc have trouble developping muscle mass (or at least it's a telltale sign of crossbreeding with humans, according to pf), it seems logical to have a marshmallow character (i'm sorry, but those proportions leave "morbidly obese" in the dust and settle firmly into "comically fat"). on the other hand, i've no idea where i could get info about elven body mass outside of the boef, and i kinda-sorta don't wanna look at that book.

secondly, how about applying the penalties of dwarves to the elf? fixed movement speed to represent being out of shape, but throwing a bit more constitution to the build? the penalty to dex should not apply to aiming wands or spells, but most definitely in the agility department. i'll stop overthinking it because i feel a rant coming about what constitutes or not "dexterity".

... overthinking it a bit more, that does make a twisted kind of sense: +2 con for being beefier, -2 cha for being either repulsive in looks/manners or having an abrasive personality (*cough* wizard *cough*), +2 in int (because elf), and -2 in dex for being out of shape. that way, no need to apply too many houserules to skill checks, and it's tailor-made for the op's wizard.

i'll follow the suggestion and reduce the weight to something like 150lbs. i'm 5'10", and weigh about 115lbs. on a bad day, i look like a lich, and i'm a human, not a hollow-boned elf. so something that is 18in smaller than me weighing nearly twice my body weight makes me think more "beach ball" than anything else. those proportions enter cubic meter territory, which are reserved to dwarven fighters in full plate armor. as an aside, that weight on such a small structure makes me fear for the structural integrity of said wizards leg joints.

Spiryt
2017-06-28, 03:33 PM
... overthinking it a bit more, that does make a twisted kind of sense: +2 con for being beefier, -2 cha for being either repulsive in looks/manners or having an abrasive personality (*cough* wizard *cough*), +2 in int (because elf), and -2 in dex for being out of shape. that way, no need to apply too many houserules to skill checks, and it's tailor-made for the op's wizard.



Constitution involves all kind of Endurance tests, and being healthy in general...

So it doesn't really make sense.

Only points out that D&D concepts like 'Constitution' involve a lot of mutually exclusive traits, I guess.

Because someone very heavy should resist poison and stuff a bit better, but on the other hand his endurance WOULD suffer.


It is a candidate for a Character Flaw, if anything, no point in giving bonuses.

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/buildingCharacters/characterFlaws.htm

I'm pretty sure that some kind of 3.5 material had an "Obesity" flaw, anyway.

tensai_oni
2017-06-28, 03:41 PM
Don't do any houserules here. It's opening a can of worms and asking for trouble. Low physical scores (dex in particular) and roleplaying should handle it all.

And I second Grod here. Make your character an actual character and not just fatty comic relief. "Lol so overweight, can't stop eating all the time and/or needs magic to move" - anyone who suggested this, shame on you.

goto124
2017-06-29, 01:03 AM
1.35 m is literally the height of a DnD dwarf, at least according to a quick Google search. Aren't elves usually 1.6 – 1.8 m tall?

Unless OP plans to play the unusually short height as well, there's probably a need to tweak the height as well.

8BitNinja
2017-06-29, 02:03 PM
So my high elf wizard, I decided will be borderline obese, but I don't plan on using it for comedy, but rather I decided I'd play it to see how it goes.

So she is around 4' 6" and weighs around 202 lbs which would equate to a BMI of 48, which is decidedly obese, but I need to come up with plans on how to roleplay this type of character.

She'd be tired more likely, but I think I can do more than that, as long as I avoid offending anybody at the table. Can anybody point to how I can play this out?

So here is a question.

Your character is existing in a D&D world. Most D&D games take place in a fantasy version of the middle ages. So how in a world of everything done manually and rampant war, disease, and famine is a character able to be morbidly obese? (I checked the BMI scale, and your character is literally off the chart.)

I'm not saying it's a problem, but how many times a day does your character cast create food? And an elf too. I'm no expert, but it seems pretty hard to get incredibly fat on salad.

goto124
2017-06-29, 02:55 PM
I'm no expert, but it seems pretty hard to get incredibly fat on salad.

It's the caesar dressing.

Vinyadan
2017-06-29, 04:11 PM
So here is a question.

Your character is existing in a D&D world. Most D&D games take place in a fantasy version of the middle ages. So how in a world of everything done manually and rampant war, disease, and famine is a character able to be morbidly obese? (I checked the BMI scale, and your character is literally off the chart.)

I'm not saying it's a problem, but how many times a day does your character cast create food? And an elf too. I'm no expert, but it seems pretty hard to get incredibly fat on salad.

I can't talk for elves or salad, but St. Thomas Aquinas was so fat, they had to cut away a slab from the table so that he could sit there. He was estimated around 140 kg (300 lbs), and lived in the XIII century.
Dropsy (hydropsy, edema) also was a thing, and more frequent than today among rich people, at younger ages. Of course, I don't think a person with edema would fare even remotely well on the road, not to say in combat.

Interestingly, the "fat = dumb" thing seems to come from post-medieval physicians trying to caution their public against getting fat by adding disgusting details, physical and mental, to the description of morbidly fat people.

Anonymouswizard
2017-06-29, 04:44 PM
It's the caesar dressing.

I don't care what the emperor is up to, what's the salad doing?

CrackedChair
2017-06-29, 10:44 PM
Well, to be honest, I don't think being 4'6'' and 202 lbs would inhibit somebody as much as some people think. It'd be rather hard to carry around, sure, but I don't think it's really all that bad.

Then again, the fact she is an Elf and probably is expected to be lithe is another thing entirely. A life of nobility is one thing that could invoke a sedentary lifestyle, but being a Wizard, a class that really does not expect you to force things is another thing, due to magic doing some of the work for you.

But that's not to say she isn't capable. She might be winded, but it's not going to affect anything mechanically, unless with a devious DM that thinks you should be pentalized for your character choice, which is ridiculous, but eh, it is your DM.

What does beg the question is however... due to an elf's long lifespan and their view on them pursuing joy due to their chaotic blend, would they really see being fat as a problem? I can remember some rather pudgy drow, and maybe some rather muscled up Wood elf, but High elves just really seem like the race that stays the same through their long years.

AMFV
2017-06-29, 10:58 PM
Well, to be honest, I don't think being 4'6'' and 202 lbs would inhibit somebody as much as some people think. It'd be rather hard to carry around, sure, but I don't think it's really all that bad.

That's equivalent to being 360 lbs at 6', pretty roughly. That's certainly not bedridden although it probably would be very uncomfortable for trail marching which tends to be a thing in D&D. That's where I imagine the weight loss would come, from trail marching and limited rations in the field. The same reason that civil war soldiers in photos look as thin as they do.




Then again, the fact she is an Elf and probably is expected to be lithe is another thing entirely. A life of nobility is one thing that could invoke a sedentary lifestyle, but being a Wizard, a class that really does not expect you to force things is another thing, due to magic doing some of the work for you.

That's certainly a good explanation of the cause of it, but now she's an adventurer. She's going to be losing weight, hand over fist, even if it's just from walking miles everyday. So that's something you should probably factor in. She's not going to be able to just kick back and not do work to do things. Like there are fundamental things you have to do, like digging a latrine or a slit trench. Caring for animals, hauling water. That's going to take a toll on her.



But that's not to say she isn't capable. She might be winded, but it's not going to affect anything mechanically, unless with a devious DM that thinks you should be pentalized for your character choice, which is ridiculous, but eh, it is your DM.

I don't think I would penalize somebody for that unless they were getting some kind of mechanical benefit from it. I would probably talk to them and see if they felt that they would have more fun if there was a mechanical component or if they'd enjoy the whole thing more as a fluff aspect. That's a conversation you should probably have with your DM.



What does beg the question is however... due to an elf's long lifespan and their view on them pursuing joy due to their chaotic blend, would they really see being fat as a problem? I can remember some rather pudgy drow, and maybe some rather muscled up Wood elf, but High elves just really seem like the race that stays the same through their long years.

I think that principally their diet is probably the limiting factor on being fat, and their metabolism. So a large elf might be very unusual, or have some kind of metabolic issue. Or it could be that most elves just don't have a substantial appetite. In any case I would figure out why she's fat before like worrying about how other elves have perceived her for being so.

Vinyadan
2017-06-30, 07:10 AM
Maybe Elves just come from areas where food is scarce, or are culturally brought to being vegetarians without actually needing it. Maybe they would all get enormously fat if they started having the protein intake of a man who eats a complete diet.
There are such differences for example in livestock, some types of animal simply are better at absorbing nutrients and get fat much faster than others, and then are hard to get slim again.
So an Elf who really enjoys foreign food may end up turning into a Zeppelin faster than he'd expect.

ahyangyi
2017-06-30, 07:37 AM
What about calculating the part of weight over the obesity line (which is about 125 lbs for a 4'6" human, but maybe larger for a dwarf or a half-orc I guess) as "extra" weight she carries like items. So she has about extra 75 lbs in item weights. If she is strong enough, good for her. Not strong enough, she'll encumber herself.

For a strength 10 person, 75 lbs puts her in the heavy load category, but she can still move around and fight normally. For a strength 7 person, 75 lbs alone is over heavy load, she can only literally drag herself around. But if she is super strong, like with strength 18, then she is really just very muscular instead of fat.

There is already a system to represent encumbrance. And I believe The Dragon's Demand models an NPC's pregnancy by declaring her as always under medium load. That's a subsystem that's relatively realistic and deserve reusing.

Stealth Marmot
2017-06-30, 07:40 AM
Want to hear something crazy? I know someone who actually fits your exact description exactly.

She is 4'8" and 5 years ago she was a waify 100 pounds or so, but due to health problems (Thyroid cancer) she ended up gaining 150 pounds.

Currently she has managed to work a lot of it off after her thyroid was removed (she is an incredible woman), but I can relay the sorts of health issues she had, and continues to have.

She has a particular issue that your elf most likely would have: Her frame is too small for the amount of weight carried. Because of this, it limits her mobility, making it pretty much impossible for her to run. She can and did still walk, but needed to be quite careful about it. This could be represented by a lowered movement speed and an inability to run or charge. They both have bones that would be likely to crack if they tried to run much. (Or at the very least could end in irreparable "chipping" of the bones).

Despite all of this, she was still capable of working full shifts at target and generally refused disability benefits despite qualifying and defending herself from an attempted assailant. (She's former military)

So while your character would be limited in mobility, particularly jerky in combat mobility, they would still be capable of defending themselves and doing work, and be able to do overland movement (She walked to work everyday, which was like 2 miles back and forth and still put in a full shift). They would also probably be unable to climb or do acrobatics, but aside from that they would be able to do most everything else.

This is not an untenable character, it would just be as disabling as having a character who say, had a missing leg.

Fey
2017-06-30, 10:35 AM
Have them use something like Tenser's Floating Disk or another levitate-like spell, so they don't exert effort unless needed.

Keep stockpiled on snacks and non-ration food and drink.


If you actually want to play it that way, you'd probably have to slow your movement etc.

Frankly - I can't see someone in that sort of shape becoming an adventurer and maintaining that sort of shape for long if they did.


Make her use a spider golem as a chair, to move around:
https://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/oblivion/images/8/8b/Yagrum_Bagarn.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20070701001617


You could also go full hedonist in town between adventures. Spend your money on extravagant feasts and parties. You adventure to live it up. Each mission is a means to an end of having a good time. Let the food and drink flow!


I think you should ban Summon Hot Pocket.


So here is a question.

Your character is existing in a D&D world. Most D&D games take place in a fantasy version of the middle ages. So how in a world of everything done manually and rampant war, disease, and famine is a character able to be morbidly obese? (I checked the BMI scale, and your character is literally off the chart.)

I'm not saying it's a problem, but how many times a day does your character cast create food? And an elf too. I'm no expert, but it seems pretty hard to get incredibly fat on salad.


This entire thread is disgusting and offensive and you should be ashamed of yourselves. All of you.

Overweight people are not your punchline. We don't obsess over food. You can eat salad every day and still be fat. You can avoid snacks and still be fat. You can be physically active every day and still be fat. If you don't understand that, then you're probably not fat. I am, and I'm telling you from personal experience that everything you're saying here is wrong, and it's insulting.

You people need to grow up and think about how your words can hurt people. What is wrong with all of you?

I'm reporting all of you for your derogatory comments and I hope maybe next time you stop to think about people's feelings before you start cracking fat jokes.


That's equivalent to being 360 lbs at 6', pretty roughly. That's certainly not bedridden although it probably would be very uncomfortable for trail marching which tends to be a thing in D&D. That's where I imagine the weight loss would come, from trail marching and limited rations in the field. The same reason that civil war soldiers in photos look as thin as they do.

I am literally 6' and 356 pounds and I can tell you your comments are completely inaccurate. My weight doesn't hamper my ability to walk all day long, or do heavy yard work, or carry heavy things. Sure, I get winded if I try to go running, but other than that, I get by just fine.

Anonymouswizard
2017-06-30, 11:10 AM
We don't obsess over food.

Well I kind of do. Generally tomatoes, love them, especially cherry tomatoes, but occasionally it's less healthy stuff.

I will admit that I got a bit offended by the 'hehe fat people can't/don't walk' posts, but I at the same time enjoyed the humour and realised that yes, some people can be like that. Others are not.

I'll also voice the opinion that trying to eat salad every day is likely to make you fat either through side effects of a nonvaried diet or the old 'no I'm definitely not eating a chocolate bar' situation (where you don't raise how much you're reading as your meals are all healthy, I struggle with this and try to eat healthy but filling meals).

S@tanicoaldo
2017-06-30, 11:48 AM
Hey now, Yagrum Bagarn is a very important and relevant character who happens to be obese, I fail to see how that's rude.

Guizonde
2017-06-30, 12:28 PM
This entire thread is disgusting and offensive and you should be ashamed of yourselves. All of you.

Overweight people are not your punchline. We don't obsess over food. You can eat salad every day and still be fat. You can avoid snacks and still be fat. You can be physically active every day and still be fat. If you don't understand that, then you're probably not fat. I am, and I'm telling you from personal experience that everything you're saying here is wrong, and it's insulting.

You people need to grow up and think about how your words can hurt people. What is wrong with all of you?

I'm reporting all of you for your derogatory comments and I hope maybe next time you stop to think about people's feelings before you start cracking fat jokes.

I am literally 6' and 356 pounds and I can tell you your comments are completely inaccurate. My weight doesn't hamper my ability to walk all day long, or do heavy yard work, or carry heavy things. Sure, I get winded if I try to go running, but other than that, I get by just fine.

well, sorry for hitting a sore spot, really i am. it's the internet, unfortunately, you'll find about 90% of idiocy on there for 10% intelligence. it's frustrating, it's annoying, it makes me want to hit people with a cluebat. i like to think most people know that you can get fat eating salad just as easily as eating junk (bad fats and bad sugars). judging by macdonald's caesar salad, people have no idea how nutrition actually works since their salad has more calories than their big mac. no offense was intended towards fat people by anyone in this thread, i hope. however, you're a bit off here, since despite tangents, we're talking about the biology of elves who're very rarely portrayed as anything but strict vegetarians (exceptions made to wood elves in warhammer, who're cannibals and anthropophagous). they're also pretty universally portrayed as lithe, elegant, and hollow-boned. iirc, an elf weighs 3/5-4/5 of a human of equal size. in the lord of the rings movie, it was even reinforced: where aragorn and gimli ploughed through a snowdrift, legolas walked on it without sinking (kit included). the problems arising from this discussion is not fat-shaming. we're part of a community universally derided for being overweight, slovenly nerds, so that'd be hypocritical at worst, self-deprecatory at best.

i struggle to stay above the "dangerously thin" line. i feel ok, i'm not lacking any essential vitamins and minerals, but i'm rake thin due to undernourishment. is it my fault i'm like this? maybe. does that make the bmi scale silly? most definitely. most high-end athletes in strength competitions are morbidly obese, being 300lbs of pure muscle. pretty much any jockey has to be borderline anorexic to keep their edge in races(i'm talking 90lbs for 5'6"+). this means that it rules out the bmi scale as valid to examine humans, let alone for our favorite pointy-eared punching bags elves.

if there are physiological consequences to humans for being overweight (usually tendons, joints, and bones), what indeed are the consequences for an elf that's about as wide as she is tall? in practice, how in the nine hells can a victim wizard elf get so large? it doesn't make sense in dnd, since it is an outdated system that wasn't meant to handle that. a half-ork will always be above 5'11" and never under 200lbs of muscle. an elf will rarely be above 5'6" and never beyond 120lbs. so instead of cherry-picking bell curves, how will that elf behave? once again, multiply the actual figure by a third. we're talking about an 8 year old human kid proportionately weighing 300lbs (thus the arguments to lower the weight somewhat).

as callous as it's gonna sound, we mustn't think of this topic as insensitive, since the context is different. were we making fat jokes for the sake of making fat jokes, yeah, i'd be with you. no, we're trying to work out the logistics of a morbidly obese elven wizard. if obese humans get access to wheelchairs, tenser's disk seems like a logical thing for that elf to summon. keep it in context, and it won't sting as much.

CrackedChair
2017-06-30, 01:55 PM
So uh, I think I will bump up the height to a 5' 4'', but I'll also make her around 440 Lbs to compensate, as well as giving her some points in strength just to justify her carrying all that around...

I found this picture here, http://www.mybodygallery.com/photos-53388-body-shape.htm?StartAt=1#.WVaabIzyuCg , which would probably be her general body shape. Yes, I know this really sounds weird, but I am deffinately not treating this whole obese thing as a joke. Granted, my PC really does not care one bit about her figure, probably due to the fact that maybe she was teased about this, but was still successful as a Wizard and Noblelady.

Any questions?

CharonsHelper
2017-06-30, 02:16 PM
So uh, I think I will bump up the height to a 5' 4'', but I'll also make her around 440 Lbs to compensate, as well as giving her some points in strength just to justify her carrying all that around...

Lol - you do realize that's far MORE extreme!?

While as I said above, BMI is only meaningful in the broadest terms, that BMI is nearly 80! (unless you made a typo and meant '240')

CrackedChair
2017-06-30, 02:24 PM
Lol - you do realize that's far MORE extreme!?

While as I said above, BMI is only meaningful in the broadest terms, that BMI is nearly 80! (unless you made a typo and meant '240')

Well this is a roleplaying game. Justifying why she is like that could be an interesting challenge.

8BitNinja
2017-06-30, 03:27 PM
I can't talk for elves or salad, but St. Thomas Aquinas was so fat, they had to cut away a slab from the table so that he could sit there. He was estimated around 140 kg (300 lbs), and lived in the XIII century.
Dropsy (hydropsy, edema) also was a thing, and more frequent than today among rich people, at younger ages. Of course, I don't think a person with edema would fare even remotely well on the road, not to say in combat.

Interestingly, the "fat = dumb" thing seems to come from post-medieval physicians trying to caution their public against getting fat by adding disgusting details, physical and mental, to the description of morbidly fat people.

Never mind, I stand corrected.

Lord Torath
2017-06-30, 03:27 PM
BMI goes as weight over height squared. A 3-foot, 25-lb halfling with the same build as a 6-foot, 200-lb human has half the BMI of the human. A 12-foot, 1600-lb half giant also has the same build as the human, but double the BMI.

To get the same BMI for the same build at different heights, you need to multiply the BMI by the ratio of the default height over the actual height. For a height-independant BMI, you then get this formula:

adjusted BMI = (weight in lbs) * 703 / (height in inches)2 * [(BMI height in inches) / (height in inches)]

or

adjusted BMI = (weight in lbs) * (BMI height in inches) * 703 / (height in inches)3.

If we let the "703" have the units of "in2/lb", the units all cancel. (An engineer? Why yes, I am. What gave it away?)

Did someone up-thread mention what height BMI was designed for?

Of course, this still ignores the differences between fat and muscle, and so is still only useful as a very general guideline. Also, a halfling is not just a scaled-down human, and the same goes for elves (although a half-giant pretty much is a scaled-up human).

AMFV
2017-06-30, 06:18 PM
I am literally 6' and 356 pounds and I can tell you your comments are completely inaccurate. My weight doesn't hamper my ability to walk all day long, or do heavy yard work, or carry heavy things. Sure, I get winded if I try to go running, but other than that, I get by just fine.

I didn't say that she would be unable to walk all day long or do heavy work. I said that walking all day long every day and doing heavy work all day, with limited would result in her losing weight. She'd probably have some difficulties particularly with really heavy walking at a fast pace with a load, or extremely strenuous work, but she'd get into shape based on how adventuring works, just like if you have a physical job that makes you in better shape, cause you have to be.

So again, if you'll reread my post with a little less heated, you'll see that I wasn't saying she'd be unable to do those things, I was saying that doing those things would cause her to lose weight particularly on restricted rations.

Zurvan
2017-06-30, 06:35 PM
So uh, I think I will bump up the height to a 5' 4'', but I'll also make her around 440 Lbs to compensate, as well as giving her some points in strength just to justify her carrying all that around...

I found this picture here, http://www.mybodygallery.com/photos-53388-body-shape.htm?StartAt=1#.WVaabIzyuCg , which would probably be her general body shape. Yes, I know this really sounds weird, but I am deffinately not treating this whole obese thing as a joke. Granted, my PC really does not care one bit about her figure, probably due to the fact that maybe she was teased about this, but was still successful as a Wizard and Noblelady.

Any questions?

I said to myself, I will regret clicking this link. And I did.

CrackedChair
2017-06-30, 07:25 PM
So the idea of a disease she has might be something to consider. What kind of diseases might be doable for someone her size?

ahyangyi
2017-06-30, 07:35 PM
Speaking with regards to weight and stuff, I think one thing the Pathfinder Advanced Race Guide has got wrong is the whole book is basically filled with nimble races. Fine, I always wanted to play a Sylph, so I like +dex races too, but basically *everyone* has +dex?

The only races in core plus features that don't have access to +dex are Dwarf, Aasimar, Orc and Oread. Orc is a bit hard to do in a all-good party. Aasimar has +dex variants in splatbooks. So we are left with Dwarf and Oreads, which are basically humanoid dwarves and elemental dwarves.

Absolutely everyone else is lithe, dexterous, nimble, "graceful". That's a bit too much, isn't it.

I roughly remember the 3R and the 4E both have more diversified races.

Koo Rehtorb
2017-06-30, 08:44 PM
Maybe she's literally magically cursed. That makes it more likely that she won't lose weight after adventuring too.

CrackedChair
2017-06-30, 09:42 PM
Maybe she's literally magically cursed. That makes it more likely that she won't lose weight after adventuring too.

But by what? She is not delving into too much magic, so what could curse her? I like the idea, it's just I dunno what to do with the execution.

AMFV
2017-06-30, 09:46 PM
But by what? She is not delving into too much magic, so what could curse her? I like the idea, it's just I dunno what to do with the execution.

Maybe it's a heritary curse, or something that her parents brought on her.

Koo Rehtorb
2017-06-30, 09:47 PM
But by what? She is not delving into too much magic, so what could curse her? I like the idea, it's just I dunno what to do with the execution.

Maybe an enemy. Maybe a mischievous fey creature. Maybe a cursed artifact she touched once. You know your game better than I do so you know what's more realistically possible.

Perhaps a rival bought a potion of fattening and spiked her drink with it once.

CharonsHelper
2017-06-30, 09:53 PM
But by what? She is not delving into too much magic, so what could curse her? I like the idea, it's just I dunno what to do with the execution.

Bloat mage?

CrackedChair
2017-06-30, 10:19 PM
Maybe an enemy. Maybe a mischievous fey creature. Maybe a cursed artifact she touched once. You know your game better than I do so you know what's more realistically possible.

Perhaps a rival bought a potion of fattening and spiked her drink with it once.

Maybe... she pissed off a Nymph and they cursed her to grow to that size. It probably was not effective though, since unlike some High Elf, she did not really give a rat's arse about weight or appearance.

I got myself a story!

Koo Rehtorb
2017-06-30, 10:21 PM
Maybe... she pissed off a Nymph and they cursed her to grow to that size. It probably was not effective though, since unlike some High Elf, she did not really give a rat's arse about weight or appearance.

I got myself a story!

There you go. Go forth and be fat. :smallsmile:

CrackedChair
2017-06-30, 10:32 PM
So uh, here is what I think will go down with my character.

She starts the adventure at the age of 21, but had a curse laid on her at 10. When she was on a walk in a forest with her family, she saw a Nymph bathing. She did not really had much common sense and called her out, and told her she was naked, and insulted her. The Nymph could not stand the slight and cursed her to fatten up at an alarming rate, thinking it'd teach her a lesson. Unfortunately for the nymph, she did not care and just saw the curse with little more than a curiosity.

90sMusic
2017-07-01, 07:04 PM
I'm more curious how this happened in the first place.
4'6" is incredibly short for a high elf. Like, REALLY short. And then obese on top of that... Threatens the suspension of disbelief honestly.

Maybe a half-elf with human components in their genetics but a full high elf? I can't see that happening.

You're going to run out of breath and need to make frequent stops if you're that out of shape.

Couple of months of the hard adventuring life of living on nothing but rations, walking and/or fighting basically all day every day, you're going to lose that weight. You can't stay fat living on that kind of diet and exercise regiment.

Vinyadan
2017-07-01, 08:46 PM
So uh, here is what I think will go down with my character.

She starts the adventure at the age of 21, but had a curse laid on her at 10. When she was on a walk in a forest with her family, she saw a Nymph bathing. She did not really had much common sense and called her out, and told her she was naked, and insulted her. The Nymph could not stand the slight and cursed her to fatten up at an alarming rate, thinking it'd teach her a lesson. Unfortunately for the nymph, she did not care and just saw the curse with little more than a curiosity.

I have this ridiculous image of a kid shouting to a nymph, "Look at that, bathing naked! Strumpet!", and the nymph thinking, "How the hell do people bathe around here?!"

goto124
2017-07-02, 07:00 AM
She starts the adventure at the age of 21, but had a curse laid on her at 10. When she was on a walk in a forest with her family, she saw a Nymph bathing. She did not really had much common sense and called her out, and told her she was naked, and insulted her. The Nymph could not stand the slight and cursed her to fatten up at an alarming rate, thinking it'd teach her a lesson. Unfortunately for the nymph, she did not care and just saw the curse with little more than a curiosity.

I love this entirely non-sexual interaction with a Nymph.

CrackedChair
2017-07-02, 10:22 AM
I love this entirely non-sexual interaction with a Nymph.

Only question is; are nymphs capable of laying curses? Or shall I just try to make up something more likely, like a green Hag?

Anonymouswizard
2017-07-02, 10:29 AM
Only question is; are nymphs capable of laying curses? Or shall I just try to make up something more likely, like a green Hag?

They can if the GM agrees, that's the basic rules.

CrackedChair
2017-07-02, 11:43 AM
Shall I just say it' a 'powerful fey creature' just to allow the DM to state what cursed me?

AMFV
2017-07-02, 12:51 PM
Shall I just say it' a 'powerful fey creature' just to allow the DM to state what cursed me?

Well it depends on how much you want the fact that it's a curse to factor into the story, if your character still resents it, then it'll be important. Otherwise it's mostly just background fluff, so I mean you probably have a lot of leeway there, I'd ask the DM though.

FreddyNoNose
2017-07-02, 01:17 PM
I think you should ban Summon Hot Pocket.

And get rid of Buckner's Everfull Larder.