They Don't Make Them Tall In The Iron Kingdoms!

[TimVanBoening]

So I'm reading the Iron Kingdoms Character Guide because I want to learn more about the world, and an interesting fact has come to my attention: The people of Western Immoren ARE SHORT!! In case you haven't read it, I'll explain...

I'll start with the Khards, it lists their base height for the men as 5'4" and women as 4'11"! I'm 5'7", so you're saying the Butcher is maybe an inch taller than me??

Ryn and Cygnarian men are 4'11" and women 4'5"!

No wonder Ogrun are seen as terrifying creatures at almost 8 feet tall! You'd crap yourself if a tan giant who was twice your size with a polearm and pistol came up to you!!

So I keep reading, surely the other non-human races will be taller...nope.

Trollkin males are somewhat taller at 5'11" for the males and 5'3" for the females.

Elves are like 5'3" for the males and 4'11" for the females!

That makes the gap between the heights of warjacks and people a lot larger. Very weird. I mean, I have no problem with everyone being significantly smaller than people in real life, it just seems weird. Matt Wilson is a normal-sized guy, so it isn't like he made up a world of little people for him to find comfort in. It just seems odd to me.

[PPS_Mod:Polar_Bear]

You realize that those "Base height" values are then supposed to be added to #d6 inches to create an actual height for your character, right?

PB

[TimVanBoening]

You realize that those "Base height" values are then supposed to be added to #d6 inches to create an actual height for your character, right?

PB

No.

I know nothing of the RPG world, and how you get heights and all that ballyhoo.

I was hoping the Iron Kingdoms wasn't populated with the Lollypop Guild.

That's good.

[Alekzander]

I actually giggled at the idea of the Khards being a small people.

[Ulf]

It would, though, help explain Kell Bailoch. ;)

[Mutton]

I always felt it was just set in an equivlent to our middle ages, where people were quite a bit smaller.

[thesavage]

I always felt it was just set in an equivlent to our middle ages, where people were quite a bit smaller.

Oh, people were short until very recently. Even cowboys in the late 19th century were considerably shorter than we are today. It has to do with diet. You don't get to eat much healthy food on the trail, and the food you do it is mostly jerky and stuff that doesn't immediately rot.

As for Warmachine, I imagine with what is basically a world war in the Iron Kingdoms, that #1 there is not a lot of farmland left that is not burned, #2 there was not much farmland to begin with, especially in Khador. Now perhaps the residents of the Iron Kingdoms have steam powered refrigerators, but I seriously doubt it.

Now I'm not quite sure how tall warjacks are supposed to be in real life, but if the models are to scale then it seems someone like Shaq will be eye-to-eye with them. Of course, they are made entirely of metal. Speaking of which, how funny would it be to watch a warjack play basketball. Or soccer. Oh wait, that's called Grind.

[bouncymischa]

I actually giggled at the idea of the Khards being a small people.

They're the horselords, right? Why wouldn't they be built like horse jockeys? :3

[Azurath]

Horse jockey's are only small because you wanna optimize the horse's speed.

Horse mounted warriors were typically normal sized, as tiny people don't have much benefit going for them in warfare. You usually wanna be able to actually carry your weapons/armor and be able to use them effectively, and thats rather difficult if it ways as much as you do.

[Whimper]

No.

I know nothing of the RPG world, and how you get heights and all that ballyhoo.

I was hoping the Iron Kingdoms wasn't populated with the Lollypop Guild.

That's good.

The formula is listed on the same page where you got your original numbers. It's base height plus 2d10 (or add roughly 11 inches to the base).


Women of the Iron Kingdoms
Kossites: 5'3" to 6'9" tall. Avg: 6'.
Umbreans: 5'1" to 6'7" tall. Avg: 5'10".
Khards: 5'1" to 6'7" tall. Avg: 5'10".
Thurians: 4'10" to 6'4" tall. Avg: 5'7".
Skirovs: 4'10" to 6'4" tall. Avg: 5'7".
Schardes: 4'10" to 6'4" tall. Avg: 5'7".
Idrians: 4'10" to 6'4" tall. Avg: 5'7".
Ryns: 4'7" to 6'1" tall. Avg: 5'4".
Tordorans: 4'7" to 6'1" tall. Avg: 5'4".
Caspians/Sulese: 4'7" to 6'1" tall. Avg: 5'4".
Midlunders: 4'8" to 6' tall. Avg: 5'3".
Morridanes: 4'3" to 5'9" tall. Avg: 5'.

Men of the Iron Kingdoms
Kossites: 5'9" to 7'3" tall. Avg: 6'6".
Khards: 5'6" to 7' tall. Avg: 6'3".
Umbreans: 5'5" to 6'11" tall. Avg: 6'2".
Thurians: 5'5" to 6'11" tall. Avg: 6'2".
Skirovs: 5'4" to 6'10" tall. Avg: 6'1".
Schardes: 5'4" to 6'10" tall. Avg: 6'1".
Midlunders: 5'2" to 6'8" tall. Avg: 5'11".
Ryns: 5'1" to 6'7" tall. Avg: 5'10".
Tordorans: 5'1" to 6'7" tall. Avg: 5'10".
Caspians/Sulese: 5'1" to 6'7" tall. Avg: 5'10".
Idrians: 5' to 6'6" tall. Avg: 5'9".
Morridanes: 4'9" to 6'3" tall. Avg: 5'7".

I'm a bit surprised that everyone is so tall, actually. Compare these numbers to the average heights of countries around the world from Wikipedia:

Men of the World
Dutch: 6'1"
Swedes: 6'0"
Germans: 5'11"
USA: 5'10"
Canada: 5'9"
Portuguese: 5'8"
Mainland Chinese: 5'7"
Mexican: 5'6"
Malaysia: 5'5"
India: 5'4"
Indonesia: 5'2"

Our world's tallest are on average 4 inches shorter than the IK's tallest. Our shortest are on average 5 inches shorter than the IK's shortest.

[Skarburn]

And all the Rynnish run away saying "YOU'LL NEVER GET ME LUCKY CHARMS!"

[Whimper]

At an average height of 5'10, they're not exactly leprechauns. And besides, it's the Thurians (tall as they are) that probably best fit that particular stereotype. You know, Gaelic and magical.

[megatron0]

so everyone is really tall? O.0 its like a land of Giants! xD

[Loot]

I cracked open that book a few weeks ago and was looking at the height chart. I got a little chuckle when I saw the kossites were supposed to be huge. The figures, art and stats made them seem like such small forest dwellers in my mind.

I want me some huge kossite fighters.

[Whimper]

Keep in mind that the Kossites you've seen so far in the game are ill-fed peasant folk. There are also a number of Kossites living uncomfortably in urban settings (or employed in the 3-square meals a day military) who are likelier much taller.

Heck, I betcha there are some huge Kossites we've seen but just didn't know about... like the Koldun Lord.

[phantem2]

You know why the people of Khador are taller? Because it is our fate to rule over all the rest of you short weak southerners! Yet another sign that it is our destiny to rule all of Immorian. There can be no other explanation!

Accept your fates and join the empire, we have fuzzy hats!

[Sabin]

The heights in the Iron Kingdoms appear to be based quite closely on real world ethnicities, something else to realise is that people now are on average taller than they were say 100 years ago due in part to growth hormones in food.

[Whimper]

The heights in the Iron Kingdoms appear to be based quite closely on real world ethnicities, something else to realise is that people now are on average taller than they were say 100 years ago due in part to growth hormones in food.

Really closely? I dropped in a list of real world heights, and the IK people are taller on average than any of them. Yes, northerners are taller than southerners, but there's a whole schwack of them that are all just 5'11" on average. GIANTS.

[admanb]

Methinks the IK height charts were written by a 5'6" male with a complex.

"Kossite women will be six feet tall. That'll show those dumb jocks!"

[TimVanBoening]

I am really happy the Butcher isn't comparable to Mickey Rooney.







"TAKE MICKEY ROONEY'S CRAZY PILLS!! POOP IN CHIMNEYS!!! SCREAM AT MICE!!"