S
Sunseeker
Guest
So, there were a lot of complaints of "bah! No anime ears" in the lat art thread, and I didn't feel like dredging the thread for a single question:
Should all elf races have the same ears? And I guess by extenstion, should we do more to physically differentiate them as well?(shorter, taller, stronger, more dexterous, etc...)
A "yes" or "no" answer is fine, but I'd certainly like to know why you think they should or shouldn't be, and specifically what types of ears are your favored flavor on an elf?
My issue with a standard shape for elf ears, and most problematically with small ones, is that it creates the same problem that Star Trek has. Being that everyone is essentially human. On some had funny ears or funny noses or funny foreheads....but wholly alien races are rare in Star Trek. If you want inhuman creatures, Star Wars is the place to be, though even the majority of those retain a basic humanoid structure(arms, usually 2, legs, usually 2, 1 head, but they certainly come in a lot more physical variety).
When different species are essentially all "funny humans" it leads to them demanding a higher level of specific cultural variety, which is harder to houserule away than physical differentiation. Abilities become tied to cultural expectations and norms, stats become tied to them as well. I mean there's a reason we have "evil elves who get bonuses to killing things", "Snotty magic elves with bonuses to magic" and "dirty hippie elves who love trees and bows".
I personally think that sub-races should be physically differentiated, and not just by height or weight. You should be able to look at a defining aspect of the creature(in this case, elf ears) and find out what kind of elf they are. Perhaps orcs of different races come in different colors, blues, reds, browns, all relative to their various heritage.
If there's going to be subraces at all that are worth giving anything more than slightly different cultural fluff to, they should have some physical backing to it. IMO.
Should all elf races have the same ears? And I guess by extenstion, should we do more to physically differentiate them as well?(shorter, taller, stronger, more dexterous, etc...)
A "yes" or "no" answer is fine, but I'd certainly like to know why you think they should or shouldn't be, and specifically what types of ears are your favored flavor on an elf?
My issue with a standard shape for elf ears, and most problematically with small ones, is that it creates the same problem that Star Trek has. Being that everyone is essentially human. On some had funny ears or funny noses or funny foreheads....but wholly alien races are rare in Star Trek. If you want inhuman creatures, Star Wars is the place to be, though even the majority of those retain a basic humanoid structure(arms, usually 2, legs, usually 2, 1 head, but they certainly come in a lot more physical variety).
When different species are essentially all "funny humans" it leads to them demanding a higher level of specific cultural variety, which is harder to houserule away than physical differentiation. Abilities become tied to cultural expectations and norms, stats become tied to them as well. I mean there's a reason we have "evil elves who get bonuses to killing things", "Snotty magic elves with bonuses to magic" and "dirty hippie elves who love trees and bows".
I personally think that sub-races should be physically differentiated, and not just by height or weight. You should be able to look at a defining aspect of the creature(in this case, elf ears) and find out what kind of elf they are. Perhaps orcs of different races come in different colors, blues, reds, browns, all relative to their various heritage.
If there's going to be subraces at all that are worth giving anything more than slightly different cultural fluff to, they should have some physical backing to it. IMO.
