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

[JRRNeiklot]

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?"

Well, "Gimli in the LoTR movies" makes me think of an inept loser who keeps getting in the way of the elf, falling down, and generally making a nuisance of himself. As opposed to the REAL Gimli who was a noble warrior who could have broken said elf in half had he wished.

 

[orsal]

Well, "Gimli in the LoTR movies" makes me think of an inept loser who keeps getting in the way of the elf, falling down, and generally making a nuisance of himself. As opposed to the REAL Gimli who was a noble warrior who could have broken said elf in half had he wished.

An important distinction if the question were "How do dwarves in your campaign act?" But it isn't.

 

[Brakkart]

As I run my games in the Forgotten Realms, I tend to go by the FRCS & Races of Faerun depictions of what the various types of dwarves look like. I suppose thats more like Gimli than any of the other options on the poll. I do like the Warhammer dwarves though and tend to depict the Shield Dwarves more like them, as both races are hardened by near constant warfare and strife.

 

[wingsandsword]

Yeah, I think they got the dwarf look just about dead on with the movie Gimli. John Rhys-Davies with a huge beard and scaled down to about 4 feet tall.

The way I see a female dwarf, take a male dwarf, braid the beard (dwarven women who spend a lot of time around other races may shave their beard.) Add breasts, and change some other anatomy around that should probably never come up in an actual campaign. Same general build, same general appearance, and similar enough to confuse someone who isn't familiar with dwarves (unless the dwarven women are going out of their way to "blend in" with the humans/elves by shaving their beards and wearind dresses).

 

[eris404]

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

and those are just the men.

 

[Darkness]

Gold Gold Gold Gold Gold Gold!!

May everything you touch turn into glod.