How Tall do you Prefer your Elves?

[GenericGuy]

While on the Dragon Age forms the debate about elf height came up. In the first game Elves were on average a head shorter than humans much like in D&D , but some people object to this instead wishing elves were more Tolkien and being on average human height if not taller. This reminds me of the epic “war of bearded Dwarf Women” between the “Tolkienites” and the “we want sexy dwarf girlsians,” so I was curious what everyone else’s feelings are on this obviously important issue.

[icastflare!]

I prefer my elves tall. I grew up under an impression that elves thought they were better than regular humans and the whole height advantage allowed them to look down at their noses at others quite literally.

[BobVosh]

Taller than human, or shorter than dwarfs.
Basically I want the short ones to be quick, dexy people. The tall ones are fine with the Tolkien "I'm better than you. Period." type feel they seem to try for.

[Smeggedoff]

Same. I've always had the impression (though I don't know where from) that elves should be taller and mroe graceful than humans. I surprised me quite a bit when someone pointed out the height comparison in the players handbook.

[Melayl]

Short and riding wolves...

[TalonDemonKing]

I like my girls shorter than me

[Psyren]

Depends on subrace.

"High elves" (read: Grey, Sun, Star, Altmer, Eladrin, Calaquendi etc.) should be tall for maximum snootiness.

"Wood elves" (read: Wood/Copper, Wild, Laiquendi, 4e Elves, Bosmer etc.) should be the shortest, emphasizing spritely nature.

"Dark elves" (read: Drow, Dunmer, Moriquendi(?)) should be in between.

[pwykersotz]

It depends on the elves. High elves I always thought were a head taller. Wood elves feel a head less tall than humans. Half-elves, obviously same height.

Edit: Bah! Beaten to the punch!

[Lord Vampyre]

Typically I play grey elves at about 6' to 7' in height. I see them as being tall by human standards, with a fragile appearance.

Wood elves I've always played as being 5' to 6' in height. I've generally seen them to be about the same height as a human, only more agile.

The Keebler elves and the elves that work in Santa's workshop, I feel were actually gnomes that someone mistakenly attached the elven type to.

[Elfin]

I like my elves tall - but then, I am something of a Tolkien fanatic.

[Dr.Epic]

Slightly shorter than humans.

[Coidzor]

On average taller, but having less individuals of extremely tall heights. So, despite the fact that most elves would be around 5'11" to 6'1" with less sexual dimorphism in terms of height whereas humans would cluster around 5'6" to 5'10" as the normal range, there would be more 6'6" humans than 6'6" elves, in the same way that there would be more 5'2" humans than 5'6" elves. Humans having more extremes and all.

This mostly applies to high elf types, with more woodsy/wild/subterranean types being closer to the medeivalish human norms or slightly shorter.

I've no idea where the "slightly shorter than humans" thing came from, as the only sources that seem like they'd be old enough and strong in the collective consciousness are santa elves which are very, very short and tolkien's elves which are "tall and graceful."

[Gnorman]

I like them about a head shorter than everyone else...

Preferably done with a guillotine.

[Jack_Simth]

They need to be tall enough to reach the ground.

Usually.

[TheWhisper]

I don't like elves.

They're just "humans, but better"... no concept.

And worse yet, they're a watered down Tolkien version that prevents you from putting the real thing in your campaign.

You know, the Fair People. The Folk of the Air. The Tuatha de Danaan. The Sidhe. The Lords of the Hollow Hills.

Beautiful. Powerful. Dangerous. Capricious. Not entirely mortal, not entirely physical, not entirely sane, entirely not a PC race.

You give me my awesome antagonists, and keep your pansy "elves".

[Coidzor]

yeah, the web series they did on fey rather disappointed me with its emphasis on sparkly rainbow beams fairies as well.

[alchemyprime]

I like my elves like I like my coffee: Short, pale and sweet!

Wait. That's women. Woops.

Elves I had to refluff, but I like them as the exiled folks from an alternate Earth who cling to their old ways in a myriad of fashions. Aquatic elves and drow short, half-elves an half-drow normal, elves and avariel tall.

[Szilard]

I've always imagined them as tall, but I when I make an elf character I usually roll a random height from the PHB, or just assume it's in the higher end of the elf-height spectrum.

[dsmiles]

Short and riding wolves...

Ditto. My Elves are four-fingered wolf riders approximately the same height as a tall gnome.

[Lifeson]

I've always imagined my High/Surface Elves to be taller than humans, and quite like the "noodle-people" that's seen in CLAMP anime.

Drow and the like are shorter because that allows them to hit their heads on the top of cavern ceilings less. Something like that.

[Masaioh]

Shorter, because it fits their stats better. Taller people are less likely to have good Dex.

[Piedmon_Sama]

I like my Elves tall--5' 10" - 6' 0" perhaps in a world of medieval humans averaging 5' 5" to 5' 7". Makes them more ethreal, more regal. The puckish elves conjure an entirely different mode that I think gnomes already have cornered as far as the "trickster people" niche goes.

[Paseo H]

It varies.

Most recently, a new elf archmage 'friend' of another npc is about 4'5", in large part because I was inspired by Shiki from Black Cat.

[Remmirath]

In D&D, I like elves to be short, because that's how I always think of them in terms of D&D. (I usually go with typical elves and wood elves averaging 5'2", grey elves averaging 5' and drow averaging 4'10".)

In MERP, I clearly prefer them to be tall.

In things that are neither D&D nor Middle-earth related, I don't much care so long as they're interesting. I have some slight preference towards them being tall, I suppose - but in Dragon Age, I'd prefer that they stay the same height that they were. I don't like things getting changed up.

The one thing that I don't like my elves to be is silly or any of the other traits commonly associated with gnomes (no, I don't like gnomes). I prefer them to be more on the majestic and/or dangerous side regardless of their height.

[Laurellien]

Tall all the way.

[Optimator]

I like the Elf height as the D&D height.

[GenericGuy]

I just realized I never posted my preference. I like them shorter than humans, it makes more sense for me for them to be agile like Olympic gymnasts and therefore similar size, and I like the idea of elves being in some way different than the average humans physically besides just their ears.

[Innis Cabal]

Shorter, because it fits their stats better. Taller people are less likely to have good Dex.

That makes literally no sense. What so ever. Basketball players are plenty dexterous...and they're all fairly tall.

[Gensh]

Just a little bit shorter than human males, with no dimorphism. I was always big into fairy tales when I was a kid, so when I first read Tolkien and heard about tall, graceful elves, I had to stop and say lolwut. Of course, in D&D, my version of elves are apparently called gnomes, and my players expect the mass media version, so I give it to them. Still short; just not so much as before. Of course, I make up for how boring they are by playing up how lazy the god of elves is to the point that there are actually two separate races of dark elves because he didn't want to think of another curse.

[Coidzor]

I just realized I never posted my preference. I like them shorter than humans, it makes more sense for me for them to be agile like Olympic gymnasts and therefore similar size, and I like the idea of elves being in some way different than the average humans physically besides just their ears.

Only those which would be exceptional anyway are that agile, it's not like they have that much of an advantage relative to others in 3.X. Now a +6 I could see being argued, maybe even a +4.

Of course, I make up for how boring they are by playing up how lazy the god of elves is to the point that there are actually two separate races of dark elves because he didn't want to think of another curse.

Well that's handy. It even helps explain why the 100+ year old elf is as competent as the 20+ year old human.