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<blockquote data-quote="Phaeryx" data-source="post: 3953304" data-attributes="member: 55763">I wonder if the fact that the gnome and the half-orc are the least favorite has any bearing, psychologically, on the fact that they are two of the &quot;ugliest&quot; of the core races.This is arguable, but based solely on 3.5 depictions, these 2 races are physically less attractive than the others.&nbsp; With the half-orc it's obvious.&nbsp; Not so much with gnomes, but compare them with the depiction of 3.5 halflings:&nbsp; they're roughly the same height, but halflings retain the physical proportions and bodily dimensions of humans, while gnomes have oversized heads and are sometimes portrayed with bulbous noses, etc.&nbsp; I think there may be something to the desire for some, conscious or not, to involve a bit of fantasy-fulfillment in the physical appearance of their characters.&nbsp; I know I fall into that category.&nbsp; I think dwarves escape this stigma because of their masculine aura of strength and toughness.&nbsp; Now we're talking about fantasy races here, so I don't want to rankle anyone by making some sort of blanket statement about the measure of attractiveness of little people, but I think the notion of an ideal physical form or facial features, which undeniably exists in our culture, may play into the decisions of more people than just myself, whether or not that's a good thing.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Phaeryx, post: 3953304, member: 55763"] I wonder if the fact that the gnome and the half-orc are the least favorite has any bearing, psychologically, on the fact that they are two of the "ugliest" of the core races. This is arguable, but based solely on 3.5 depictions, these 2 races are physically less attractive than the others. With the half-orc it's obvious. Not so much with gnomes, but compare them with the depiction of 3.5 halflings: they're roughly the same height, but halflings retain the physical proportions and bodily dimensions of humans, while gnomes have oversized heads and are sometimes portrayed with bulbous noses, etc. I think there may be something to the desire for some, conscious or not, to involve a bit of fantasy-fulfillment in the physical appearance of their characters. I know I fall into that category. I think dwarves escape this stigma because of their masculine aura of strength and toughness. Now we're talking about fantasy races here, so I don't want to rankle anyone by making some sort of blanket statement about the measure of attractiveness of little people, but I think the notion of an ideal physical form or facial features, which undeniably exists in our culture, may play into the decisions of more people than just myself, whether or not that's a good thing. [/QUOTE]

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