Size Matters



Dezi as Hadasha, showing me her awesome Norn tatts

 I put in some feedback during the BWE about relative sizes of characters. When you're doing your character creation, you can choose the height of your character and it shows a shadowed outline of the shortest and tallest you can be for that race. However, it doesn't show your size relative to other races.

Perhaps this is intentional, but what ends up happening is you create what you think is an average sized Norn female, and end up towering over your not-so-tall human friends. You can see in the picture to the right, Dezi as the shortest possible Norn female still dwarfs me as an average human female. Yet she is perfectly proportioned and when she stands next to other Norns, she looks "normal".

But in hindsight, if you think about it, it's actually quite logical. You are constrained by the genetics of your race. Dezi said it best when we traveled back to Hoelbrak, the Norn capital, and she exclaimed in relief: "I feel normal again! I'm not an Amazon woman anymore." And there I was feeling like a teeny-person, like I'd been shrunk. I kept thinking I was finding a short Norn, only to run up to them and realize I barely reached their belt buckle! (Yes, dirty minds can snicker here.)

I think this is one of the shorter Norn males.
Poor guy! He must get teased all the time!

Of course the best place to admire the size differences is in Lion's Arch. All the races are there, mingling without prejudice: squat Asurans debating with slender Sylvari, bulky Norns menacing timid Skritt. It's the most impressive menagerie of races since the Star Wars Cantina!