Demihumans and Facial Hair

Libertad · November 12, 2012, 09:50:26 PM

Quote from: RPGPundit;5993341. Do your elves ever have beards?
2. Do your halflings?

3. Do your dwarves ever NOT have beards?
4. What about half-orcs?

1. Rarely, but it can happen with distant human ancestry. But then again, I've always liked Jak from Jak and Daxter, so the idea of an elf with facial hair doesn't faze me.

2. Yes.

3. Yes. But it's not something a lot of dwarves do; it's more like "why wouldn't you have a beard?"

4. Definitely.

Of course, we're all dancing around the real issue here: do dwarven women have beards, and what does Gary Gygax have to say on the matter?

RPGPundit · November 13, 2012, 03:10:56 PM

Just when I thought Drow couldn't get any more unappealing to me.. there we go: Drow Goatees.

RPGPundit

Silverlion · November 13, 2012, 03:57:51 PM

Quote from: RPGPundit;599748Just when I thought Drow couldn't get any more unappealing to me.. there we go: Drow Goatees.

RPGPundit

I don't know drow with mutton chops is even more frightening.

SirUriel · January 30, 2017, 09:27:00 PM

I usually use some The Elder Scrolls concepts, like bearded elves
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And I also like the long-bearded orcs (I dont work with half orcs) too
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as well they're concept of orcs
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Halflings I mostly do with sideburns,
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but sometimes a spruce moustache appears
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SirUriel · January 30, 2017, 09:31:59 PM

ALL my dwarves have beards
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Especially the female ones
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Gnomes for me can have facial hair too, thought is not common
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Tieflings also can be bearded
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Well, that is how I like to see those humanoid species

Tristram Evans · January 31, 2017, 01:02:45 AM

My setting doesnt have any dwarf females. They mate with females of other races, if at all. But they're born from rocks and turn back into rocks when they die (or get exposed to sunlight, unless they take the form of a toad), so no need to propagate the species.

Willie the Duck · January 31, 2017, 07:52:00 AM

I've never seen any reason to make hair anything more than stylistic. Each race's males can grow beards, and otherwise it is just a cultural tendency (and yes, most dwarves consider a full beard to be a sign of male adulthood).

I remember back in the heyday of 3.e the mature forum on the WotC forum (which I think was supposed to be for discussing Books of Vile Darkness an Exalted Deeds, but often turned "im-"mature) a long discussion on whether elves had pubic hair. Kinda made me worry about the kind of people the then-new edition was attracting.

Omega · January 31, 2017, 01:42:06 PM

Quote from: RPGPundit;599334Do your elves ever have beards?
Do your halflings?

Do your dwarves ever NOT have beards?
What about half-orcs?

RPGPundit

1: No.
2: Sideburns.
3: No. (Except maybee the females. Depends on the setting. Thats varies alot. I ran BX Karameikos as "no female dwarves don't." But might have some bitchin sideburns. Greyhawk was never sure on. Forgotten Realms seems to waffle back and fourth.
4: Yes. And regular orcs as some have been depicted with limited facial hair. Same for half elves.

5: Gnomes? Yes? No? Maybee?
6: Tieflings? Alot of depictions show them without. But not all.
7: Dragonborn? Depends on their origin?

In general though I go with the setting descriptions. If one says elves look like a tribble then Ok. If one says dwarves have no hair at all then Ok. Left to my own devices I'll base off what little info may be gleaned.

Omega · January 31, 2017, 01:50:37 PM

Quote from: Willie the Duck;943405I've never seen any reason to make hair anything more than stylistic. Each race's males can grow beards, and otherwise it is just a cultural tendency (and yes, most dwarves consider a full beard to be a sign of male adulthood).

That though contradicts the fact that even amongst humans there are some racial breeds that have little to no body hair. Some asian and native american tribes for example. So why wouldnt elves be naturally body hairless?

Willie the Duck · January 31, 2017, 03:08:12 PM

Quote from: Omega;943461That though contradicts the fact that even amongst humans there are some racial breeds that have little to no body hair. Some asian and native american tribes for example. So why wouldnt elves be naturally body hairless?

But why, specifically, would they? They certainly could be, if one desires. We're each the creator of our own game world, so we can do what we want, and you correctly point out that there are real world analogues. But why should it be that elves are incapable of growing beards? Why can't it just be that their culture promotes shaving?

RunningLaser · January 31, 2017, 03:23:07 PM

My guess is that beardless elves and elves in general having little body hair is to show how much more advanced than primitive hairy "manlings" they are.

Tod13 · January 31, 2017, 03:30:36 PM

Quote from: Piestrio;599365My evil elves take their cues from mirror universe Spock, so goatees are essential.

Van Dyke. A goatee is just a beard just on the chin with no other facial hair. A goatee plus mustache is a Van Dyke.

crkrueger · January 31, 2017, 03:38:59 PM

Quote from: Tod13;943497Van Dyke. A goatee is just a beard just on the chin with no other facial hair. A goatee plus mustache is a Van Dyke.

Congress needs to pass a law declaring the Van Dyke will now be called the Evil Spock.

Narmer · January 31, 2017, 06:56:14 PM

Quote from: CRKrueger;943500Congress needs to pass a law declaring the Van Dyke will now be called the Evil Spock.

Yep! Definitely!

Narmer · January 31, 2017, 06:57:36 PM

Elves - Nope
Halflings - Muttonchops
Dwarves - Yes. It's cultural but they're very hairy anyway.
Half-Orcs? The unnatural bastards don't exist.