In our 3.X campaign, the archetypal dwarf looks like . . .

[trancejeremy]

5' Tall Germans/Swiss (at least how they dress)

 

[shilsen]

Gold Gold Gold Gold Gold Gold!!

No, no - that's the second verse. The first verse goes "Gold Gold Gold Gold Gold Gold!!"

 

[Wombat]

No dwarves in the current campaign. No elves either. Or gnomes or half-elves or halflings or orcs.

I currently use AU.

In the last "real D&D" campaign I ran the dwarves were closer to Gimli a la LotR than anything else.

 

[orsal]

No option for "Gimli in the LoTR books?"

Well, the books weren't illustrated. So anybody who says "the dwarves in my campaign look just like in Tolkien", they mean, "the dwarves as I imagine them in my campaign look just like I imagine Tolkien's dwarves to look". Which doesn't answer the question, just forces it to be rephrased as "How do you imagine Tolkien's dwarves to look?"

 

[the Jester]

They look like Gimli. About half of 'em have breasts.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

In my homebrew Dwarves have a base height of 4' 8" + 3D4 (minus two inches for females), and have a weight of 140 x (2D8) +3 (minus 20 for females). The are about 25% broader than the average human, have no fear of horses or hihg places, as they have carved the sides and innards of many mountains to their suit their needs and females do not have the ability to grow facial hair.

 

[MonsterMash]

I voted like Gimli, but in reality more like the old Asgard Miniatures figures I have from 1980!
More or less like short and muscular vikings in many ways.

No option for like the Terry Pratchett books description?

 

[diaglo]

"She has a beard"

ditto.

but i can't tell if the PC is a male or a female.

 

[jinx crossbow]

Gimli. They all look like Gimli.

That wrong! Gimli just looks like an average Dwarf!
And YES, famale dwarves do have beards with braids!

 

[glass]

I voted other: A mixture of different influences (including all of the above except Disney's 7 Dwarves, which I think of more as being gnomes).

EDIT: IMC, dwarf women can grow beards, but whether they do depends on where they are from -conventions and fashions vary.


glass.