Do any of you use fat adventurers?

[Koo Rehtorb]

Do fat paladins gain access to Squash Evil?

[AMFV]

"Working bulk" has little to do with morbid obesity.

Well that depends on what you are defining as "morbid obesity" if you're using "Obese by BMI" then there are a LOT of people in certain fields that are in that category and it helps their work. And they certainly aren't just slabs of muscle from what I've seen. I mean take pile drivers, I've seen some big dudes who were pile drivers, and I would bet you a silk pajama that they would be at least "Obese 2" by BMI if not heavier. And they probably would be a body fat percentage in the thirties. And they have an extremely physical and extremely active job.

So again, it really depends how you define morbid obesity. It's also worth noting that people who are active tend not to show all of the same symptoms of obesity that people who are not show.

So, thin & small thieves, burly fighters and frail mages are not only cliché, but make sense due to their "workouts"... huh.

Not necessarily "due to their workouts", but rather due to "what kind of body type is naturally best at this". People tend to gravitate towards work they're good at, and I suspect adventuring is no exception. Although to be fair an Elven Wizard has a lot of time to workout (four hours of non-strenuous mental activity worth every day), which might explain Elven Gishes.

Yeah, most knights would go adventuring with a squire, few servants, maybe even men-at-arms I assume, and enjoy their meal in pavilion tent...

...at least once I'd love to have a player who buys the damn pavilion tent

That sounds like an exciting adventure. I've wanted to do an adventure where the players were from various adventuring unions. And some of them probably require that their employer provides catering or food.

Yeah. Can't afford it with my current work/personal life schedule - but my colleagues are always bugging me to go with them.

Yeah, it is really time consuming.

But I meant including the goblin-fighting, dungeon delving and pavilion tents!

Well I guess you could do some hiking over flat terrain, some parkour (to simulate dungeons), and then pick a fight with a small dude in a bar, to simulate Goblin fighting.

I'm mostly just throwing shade at the inferior hiking trails flatlanders have access to, while living next to a mountain range.

Fair enough! Although there are some pretty nice hiking trails here on the East Coast and we're pretty bereft relatively in terms of "actual mountains" as compared to the west coast.

No, I don't. I don't like fat people. Why would I want to be fat when I can be anything I want? Not to demean obese people, but I don't like them because being obese comes with many problems that affect other people.

For example, your character might have trouble going through doors and dungeon entrances, takes up 3 seats in a caravan meant for 6 people when you're in a party of 5 or 6, being too heavy for a Carpet of Flying or Broom of Flying to lift, having to pay for all the beds and chairs you broke.... Why are you a wizard when your body slam do more damage than your fireball? And we haven't even get to the fitness problems that obese people usually have, like joint pains, shortness of breath etc. Luckily you're a wizard so you can use magic to solve those problems, right?

I just can't see a standard adventuring party allowing a morbidly obese person to travel with them. Adventurers have standards too you know. A bit plump and rotund is fine, but obese? I think I'd rather not have them in the party.

That depends, if Bobby the Heavy Fighter can lug an extra 100 lbs of **** with him, then he's already made himself pretty useful to the group regardless of his tendency to take up extra seats in a caravan. The same reason that Arty Cannoneers are sometimes given a little bit more slack on the taping in the military.

And again, just because you have a lot of fat doesn't mean you're not strong as an ox, that would be the sort of person who's likely to be a slightly overweight adventurer.

[Mr Blobby]

In RL history, it was actually a tactic for soldiers in some armies to start the campaign fat. Not disgustingly so, but definitely to be on the overfed side. The idea was their spare tyres and moobs would act as their 'energy reserve' in case they were unable to get enough food while in enemy territory. Plus; for battles fought in close combat with blades, an inch of padding in the gut area might be the difference between 'a flesh wound' and 'blade punctures your stomach and kills you'. So it is possible for a PC to be a 'veteran warrior' who takes any opportunity when 'not on campaign' to effectively fatten themselves up.

As a player, I've played large characters; either muscular, flabby or both. But nothing say 'John Candy' level. As a DM, I've done more, but NPC's don't really count much.

[Mr Beer]

People who train to get as strong as humanly possible tend to be fat, sometimes to the point where they might be morbidly obese. Powerlifters in the top weight category and strongmen often look squat and fat on a screen, at least until you see them next to normal people and you realise how huge they are. But they're usually carrying a lot of fat is my point - they need to eat enormous amounts of food and the flab doesn't really hinder performance so it makes sense.

[druid91]

I had a gnomish character who, due to the dice and a misunderstanding of the way height was handled in 5e, was morbidly thin.

He weighed like 20 lbs and was 5 feet tall. He was basically a skeleton with skin.

[Winter_Wolf]

@AMFV: no "actual mountains" on the east coast he says. Brother, I agree that the west coat has the higher mountains (and I'll even boast "better" because I like hiking the Brooks Range and possible getting mauled by a moose 'cause I'm crazy like that), but having had to spend a literal dark and stormy night in the Appalachians, they're "actual mountain" enough for me!

[GrayGriffin]

No, I don't. I don't like fat people. Why would I want to be fat when I can be anything I want? Not to demean obese people, but I don't like them because being obese comes with many problems that affect other people.

For example, your character might have trouble going through doors and dungeon entrances, takes up 3 seats in a caravan meant for 6 people when you're in a party of 5 or 6, being too heavy for a Carpet of Flying or Broom of Flying to lift, having to pay for all the beds and chairs you broke.... Why are you a wizard when your body slam do more damage than your fireball? And we haven't even get to the fitness problems that obese people usually have, like joint pains, shortness of breath etc. Luckily you're a wizard so you can use magic to solve those problems, right?

I just can't see a standard adventuring party allowing a morbidly obese person to travel with them. Adventurers have standards too you know. A bit plump and rotund is fine, but obese? I think I'd rather not have them in the party.

So you hate my dad, my grandmother, and my great-aunt, who you've never even met. Lovely.

I've made several chubby characters before, although I don't really use art so I'm not really sure where they fall on fat/obese.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

So you hate my dad, my grandmother, and my great-aunt, who you've never even met. Lovely.

I've made several chubby characters before, although I don't really use art so I'm not really sure where they fall on fat/obese.

in the context of an adventuring party on a critical and very dangerous mission. Being the kind of badass that handles that sort of stuff he wouldn't adventure with obese people just like he wouldn't form a party with people in a wheelchair, people who don't have enough valuable skills, people who don't bring the right equipment, who don't think fast enough, who start hyperventilating in stressful situations, who have severe hay fever, who are too dependent on medication for their continued functioning, who glow in the dark, who are too weak to properly swing a weapon, who charge in without discussing strategy, who seem to lose control every time a battle gets tough, who sing at enemies rather than attacking them or who keep killing important informants because they just happen to be chaotic neutral and are very proud of that. You know, the basic precautions we all take.

[Guizonde]

@AMFV: no "actual mountains" on the east coast he says. Brother, I agree that the west coat has the higher mountains (and I'll even boast "better" because I like hiking the Brooks Range and possible getting mauled by a moose 'cause I'm crazy like that), but having had to spend a literal dark and stormy night in the Appalachians, they're "actual mountain" enough for me!

if it comforts you, i live an hour's drive away from the pyrénées mountains. i spent a few summers in the appalachians and both ranges feel very similar (i lived in virginia, and headed west for hikes, skiing, and skeet shooting from age 9 up. love the states). sure, it's not the alps or the rockies, but both the appalachians and the pyrénées are real enough mountains. a dead slog across valleys will get you tired fast. plus you gotta deal with the terrain that is humid on my side (the north face of the range). once you hit the top of the valley, either in a cirque or a caldera, you get the sense you're on top of the world, even if you're only about 2,600m up. its high point is 3,400m at the pic d'aneto, but you can't go there and back again in a day-trip. it's a complicated hike due to all the woodlands and rivers. a big plus is that most waterways are perfectly safe to drink, although i prefer drinking "rock water", basically how you get evian water: purified through the ground and escaping from cleaved rocks. i'm a snob like that. (read: i'm too poor to afford water tablets, and too lazy to pack more than a couple liters of water).

here are the wiki pages in french and english for the associated pictures. i mostly go to the arriège parts of the mountain.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrenees
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrénées

[GrayGriffin]

in the context of an adventuring party on a critical and very dangerous mission. Being the kind of badass that handles that sort of stuff he wouldn't adventure with obese people just like he wouldn't form a party with people in a wheelchair, people who don't have enough valuable skills, people who don't bring the right equipment, who don't think fast enough, who start hyperventilating in stressful situations, who have severe hay fever, who are too dependent on medication for their continued functioning, who glow in the dark, who are too weak to properly swing a weapon, who charge in without discussing strategy, who seem to lose control every time a battle gets tough, who sing at enemies rather than attacking them or who keep killing important informants because they just happen to be chaotic neutral and are very proud of that. You know, the basic precautions we all take.

The very first line I quoted says "I don't like fat people." Not "I don't like fat characters," not "I don't want to adventure with fat people," just plain "I don't like fat people." So don't you dare talk to me about context. Or suggest that people in wheelchairs or who have panic attacks can't be badass. I've made plenty of disabled characters and they've been terrific help to their parties instead of the detriments you seem to think they automatically will be.

[Jerrykhor]

That depends, if Bobby the Heavy Fighter can lug an extra 100 lbs of **** with him, then he's already made himself pretty useful to the group regardless of his tendency to take up extra seats in a caravan. The same reason that Arty Cannoneers are sometimes given a little bit more slack on the taping in the military.

And again, just because you have a lot of fat doesn't mean you're not strong as an ox, that would be the sort of person who's likely to be a slightly overweight adventurer.

So Bobby is a pack mule for the team, how useful. In any case, nothing a Bag of Holding can't solve.

I don't think you can argue like that. More likely, being fat doesnt mean you are strong, especially for women. Not only that, being fat is a very inefficient use of energy, when most of it is spent moving your own weight around.

I probably feel quite strongly about this, but playing a morbidly obese character is quite selfish. Its not that you cannot RP whoever you want, but if I were to RP my character properly, my character would not have you in the party.

I don't hate obese people, I just think its illogical that they would be in party when they are totally unfit for the job. Its the same logic with most sports that require high athleticism. When you are 400 pounds and look like a mountain of fat, you don't need a tryout to know that this guy can't make it.

If your fellow players and DM don't mind having their immersion shattered in a million pieces, then sure, go ahead.

[Mr Beer]

"Fat characters ruin immersion" must be the most extreme case of badwrongfun I've seen to date. Not to mention that almost all of the real world strongest humans are visibly carrying excess fat and some are obese.

[Knaight]

Fair enough! Although there are some pretty nice hiking trails here on the East Coast and we're pretty bereft relatively in terms of "actual mountains" as compared to the west coast.

Neither of the coasts are particularly mountainous - although I say that as someone who lives by the Rockies, next to a bunch of 14000'+ mountains.

[AMFV]

So Bobby is a pack mule for the team, how useful. In any case, nothing a Bag of Holding can't solve.

Well Bobby can also wear heavier armor, move a ****load faster in said heavier armor, and hit like a truck. I mean there's a reason that you don't see skinny guys doing the work with a sledge most of the time in construction jobs. I mean there are definite advantages to being larger for a lot of things. Look at when (I believe the BBC) did a reconstruction on a medieval Knight's physical shape from his bones and he came out looking like a Rugby player.

I don't think you can argue like that. More likely, being fat doesnt mean you are strong, especially for women. Not only that, being fat is a very inefficient use of energy, when most of it is spent moving your own weight around.

Yes, but being bigger means that you have much greater potential for strength. For example 105 lb (48 Kg) women's record for the Olympic Snatch is 216 lbs (or 98 kg). Women's record for the 238+ (108+ kg) class is 452 lgs (205 kg). So that's more than double the amount of weight moved for that size increase.

Now admittedly Oly Lifting is one where weight helps a lot, since there's a lot of momentum, so let's take a look at some other lifting competitions.

The world record for the USAPL women's deadlift for the 97 lb weight class is 209.44 lbs. For the Superheavyweight (250+ weight class) that same lift is 551.15 lbs. The deadlift is often considered the clearest demonstration of pure physical strength because it involves so many different muscle groups.

In any case, you can see that even for women, being larger gives a LOT more potential strength, like a ton more. And more potential strength in explosive Olympic Lifts translates to... hitting things harder. Which if your job involves fighting Ogres it might actually be really handy to have somebody who can hit like a brick ****house, just sayin'.

I probably feel quite strongly about this, but playing a morbidly obese character is quite selfish. Its not that you cannot RP whoever you want, but if I were to RP my character properly, my character would not have you in the party.

Until I hit you in the head, then the party would probably take me over you. I'm in the National Guard, in a Combat Arms unit, training for actual freaking combat. My BMI is 38.3. My all time highest BMI was 43.3. I guarantee I could probably outperform you at combat related tasks. Actually scratch that, I definitely could. Now, I might not have the best build for running or doing well on the two mile, but I sure as all-get out make up for it in other areas.

I don't hate obese people, I just think its illogical that they would be in party when they are totally unfit for the job. Its the same logic with most sports that require high athleticism. When you are 400 pounds and look like a mountain of fat, you don't need a tryout to know that this guy can't make it.

Enclosed is a picture of at least one guy who is (significantly over) 400 lbs, and a few others who might not look quite as big, but they illustrate a similar point. In fact I would say that in terms of replicating medieval combat type stuff WSM is probably one of the best sorts of competitions, and Eddie just won that, so I think he's probably a pretty good indicator of what sort of thing you might see for that.

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If your fellow players and DM don't mind having their immersion shattered in a million pieces, then sure, go ahead.

Again, there's a lot of different types of jobs for adventurers. And sometimes being the guy who can hit things hard is what people need.

Neither of the coasts are particularly mountainous - although I say that as someone who lives by the Rockies, next to a bunch of 14000'+ mountains.

I count the Cascades, Sierra Nevadas, and the Rockies as part of the "Coast" because they're within like an hour's driving distance from it. (Depending on which section you're looking at and which roads, and a few of them are further out.

[Knaight]

Enclosed is a picture of at least one guy who is (significantly over) 400 lbs, and a few others who might not look quite as big, but they illustrate a similar point. In fact I would say that in terms of replicating medieval combat type stuff WSM is probably one of the best sorts of competitions, and Eddie just won that, so I think he's probably a pretty good indicator of what sort of thing you might see for that.

WSM is a pretty terrible competition for this - it's pretty much a measurement of pure strength, whereas medieval combat type stuff involves a fair amount of dodging, positioning, endurance, etc. WFC is a significantly closer match (and there are certainly heavy fighters in the WFC).

I count the Cascades, Sierra Nevadas, and the Rockies as part of the "Coast" because they're within like an hour's driving distance from it. (Depending on which section you're looking at and which roads, and a few of them are further out.

The rockies have a section that runs through New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana. These are not coastal states, and the coast is less of a one hour drive and more of a 15 hour drive from these places.

[AMFV]

WSM is a pretty terrible competition for this - it's pretty much a measurement of pure strength, whereas medieval combat type stuff involves a fair amount of dodging, positioning, endurance, etc. WFC is a significantly closer match (and there are certainly heavy fighters in the WFC).

Honestly you sound pretty unfamiliar with WSM if you think it's a measure of pure strength over endurance. There are plenty of endurance events. I mean you might not be looking at 12 rounds of boxing level of endurance. But real world fights tend to be explosive short bursts over long endurance things. I mean you could make that objection to like powerlifting or some of the static events.

I mean frankly throwing things, carrying huge weights, slamming things into things or the ground. Rapid sprinting type actions, that sounds a lot like combat to me. And of note, when the Marines developed their combat fitness test to better replicate combat, it included mostly very short very intense activities, which are like a lot of the events in WSM.

Like I mean, you could argue that a squat or a deadlift for max weight is probably not the best representation. But Loglift for time and reps, that's pretty close. Atlas Stones, that's pretty close, hell that's even what medieval fighters used to demonstrate their prowess is that particular feat, so that one seems to be pretty reasonable. Farmer's Walk, again that would replicate a lot of real type scenarios. Tire flips and drags.

I mean positioning and endurance are certainly major factors in WSM. I mean maybe not as much as combat sports, but I think that the chaotic different events they have are a pretty good representation of the kind of strength and fitness you would need to excel in that sort of combat.

The rockies have a section that runs through New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana. These are not coastal states, and the coast is less of a one hour drive and more of a 15 hour drive from these places.

True, my frame of reference is mostly living in Washington and being able to drive to actual mountains in that short span. Which you would have to drive a lot longer from my present location to reach.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

don't you dare talk to me about context. Or suggest that people in wheelchairs or who have panic attacks can't be badass. I've made plenty of disabled characters and they've been terrific help to their parties instead of the detriments you seem to think they automatically will be.

Please read that list again and note how it includes descriptions that boil down to "a bard", "a barbarian" and even "a PC". Now turn on your sarcasm detector. Thanks, good to have that cleared up.

[John Campbell]

WSM is a pretty terrible competition for this - it's pretty much a measurement of pure strength, whereas medieval combat type stuff involves a fair amount of dodging, positioning, endurance, etc. WFC is a significantly closer match (and there are certainly heavy fighters in the WFC).

I've been an SCA heavy fighter for 22 years. My BMI is 32, which is well into "obese". I don't know my body-fat percentage offhand, but I don't float in fresh water. I'm carrying a lot of dense fast-twitch muscle, and am built on a fairly tall and very broad-shouldered frame, none of which BMI deals at all well with. I'm heavier than I look, deceptively strong, and way faster than a guy my size has any right to be. I can sprint across a battlefield in forty pounds of steel armor and cut a hole in a shieldwall when I get there, dance with a group of attackers to get them tied in knots and stacked up in each other's way so I can kill them one at a time, or toss an armored fighter with my polearm to get them out at the range where I want them. But, yeah, "obese".

(BMI is a terrible, terrible metric.)


Also, I've actually played two characters recently who glowed in the dark.

One of them, as he weighed in at all of three pounds, was also too small and weak to properly wield a weapon. He was the most combat-effective PC in the party. Pixie rigger.

The other was only slightly more useful in a hand-to-hand fight... but was the party's contingency plan in case we had to fight Kryptonians.

My current character is an eight-year-old girl, who intimidates the rest of the party, including the ten-foot-tall, half-ton, cybernetically-enhanced troll gunbunny.

[Zombimode]

My newest Pathfinder character is modeled after Letho from Witcher2. If he counts as "fat" is up to you.

[kraftcheese]

My newest Pathfinder character is modeled after Letho from Witcher2. If he counts as "fat" is up to you.

Letho's definitely thick at the least; he's a real beefcake.

[Guizonde]

just remembered i did dm for a hulk of a beatstick. the guy was huge by any standards, a real giant in the post-apocalyptic universe in question. he was not fat at all, just a huge slab of muscle (the player modeled him after 80's action stars). so off the bat he's weighing in at 230lbs. then he gets his arm chopped off. so he gets a bionic replacement, adding another 100lbs of weight. seeing how his bionic arm outperformed his natural one, he got convinced by the party to get his natural arm "augmented" as well. by the end of the campaign he was half-machine, and came out weighing in the range of 450lbs. full kit (powered armor, pavise shield made from a blast door, power maul, the works), he was close to a ton in weight. he was also friggin' large. the rest of the team was pretty lithe, except for the doctor who was flabby (eating disorder, before you ask). it became a real hassle for the beatstick to move in confined areas or to move quickly. we ended up considering him a light vehicle for movement and area denial purposes. that meant he had a lot of trouble falling through weak floors, weaving through conduits, he was confined to walking in the middle of hallways. with that much armor on him, it didn't matter much, since he wanted to be the bullet-magnet. but it did teach us a valuable lesson about mobility and agility.

it also taught us that having a near-litteral afv as a pc was a bit on the "overkill game-breaking" side of things. on at least two occasions, the tech-savvy character rode the beatstick into battle firing off a laser canon mounted on the beatstick's shoulders, krootox style. those encounters didn't last long but were a lot of fun.

all in all, he was not fat, but he was huge and strong, enough to become an impediment in gameplay.

this universe does have game-breaker levels of technology, but we'd never played like this before. most pc's learn to duck and hide rather than wear truly heavy armor, so this player threw me a curveball. a fun experience, nevertheless. it just meant i had to break out anti-tank weaponry to put a dent in him, or force him to react to cornellian choices to keep the pressure on (destroy the bad guy or save the unconscious teammate, things like that).

[Ralanr]

I'm playing a chubby half-orc bloodrager in play by post game.

He used to be a baker and loves sweets.

[GrayGriffin]

Please read that list again and note how it includes descriptions that boil down to "a bard", "a barbarian" and even "a PC". Now turn on your sarcasm detector. Thanks, good to have that cleared up.

Oh, forgive me for assuming the person who wrote exactly like a bunch of ableist jerks I know is actually not being ableist after all.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

I tend to be a little more loose and blunt with a lot of subjects then some people, I figure it's no use trying desperately to not say anything that can be taken the wrong way.

If it makes you feel any better, my extreme sports RPG is totally going to have a category for wheelchairs. (Provided the concept ever goes somewhere.) Can't have a good skatepark without them.

(But seriously dude, stop glowing in the dark, they will see us!)

[John Campbell]

(But seriously dude, stop glowing in the dark, they will see us!)

And then they will know fear.


Oh, and I've been planning on introducing a morbidly obese speedster (called Greased Lightning) in the DC campaign I'm running. Speed Force doesn't care how fat you are!

[Psikerlord]

For example, your character might have trouble going through doors and dungeon entrances, takes up 3 seats in a caravan meant for 6 people when you're in a party of 5 or 6, being too heavy for a Carpet of Flying or Broom of Flying to lift, having to pay for all the beds and chairs you broke.... Why are you a wizard when your body slam do more damage than your fireball? And we haven't even get to the fitness problems that obese people usually have, like joint pains, shortness of breath etc.

This is actually all gold, roleplaying wise. I love that my sumo barb doesnt fit into normal chairs and has to squeeze his bulk through narrow doors. It's part of what makes him cool and different. People remember him wherever he goes (a good and bad thing, depending on your current objectives). Discarding the concept out of hand is a mistake imo.

[Fey]

No, I don't. I don't like fat people. Why would I want to be fat when I can be anything I want? Not to demean obese people, but I don't like them because being obese comes with many problems that affect other people.

For example, your character might have trouble going through doors and dungeon entrances, takes up 3 seats in a caravan meant for 6 people when you're in a party of 5 or 6, being too heavy for a Carpet of Flying or Broom of Flying to lift, having to pay for all the beds and chairs you broke.... Why are you a wizard when your body slam do more damage than your fireball? And we haven't even get to the fitness problems that obese people usually have, like joint pains, shortness of breath etc. Luckily you're a wizard so you can use magic to solve those problems, right?

I just can't see a standard adventuring party allowing a morbidly obese person to travel with them. Adventurers have standards too you know. A bit plump and rotund is fine, but obese? I think I'd rather not have them in the party.

Your comments are disgusting and offensive and you should be ashamed of yourself.

[CrackedChair]

This is actually all gold, roleplaying wise. I love that my sumo barb doesnt fit into normal chairs and has to squeeze his bulk through narrow doors. It's part of what makes him cool and different. People remember him wherever he goes (a good and bad thing, depending on your current objectives). Discarding the concept out of hand is a mistake imo.

True, True! Nobody is going to remember the Half-Orc fighter, but the 400+lbs Elf Wizard? Sure!

It's just since I've always been tiny, weight wise, I don't know what it is like to be severely obese like that. Being out of breath and not quite fitting doors is one thing I know would come alone, but other issues I am not sure about.

[Recherché]

True, True! Nobody is going to remember the Half-Orc fighter, but the 400+lbs Elf Wizard? Sure!

It's just since I've always been tiny, weight wise, I don't know what it is like to be severely obese like that. Being out of breath and not quite fitting doors is one thing I know would come alone, but other issues I am not sure about.

I dunno my most memorable characters have all been for something they did not a physical characteristic. For example the witch who collected the bones of her dead enemies and made jewelry out of them or the pacifist cleric that negotiated a cease fire with goblins. Acting out physical characteristics in tabletop games can be hard. Bringing to life actions and character quirks comes much more naturally.

No, I don't. I don't like fat people. Why would I want to be fat when I can be anything I want? Not to demean obese people, but I don't like them because being obese comes with many problems that affect other people.

It's good to know that my physical characteristics don't meet your seal of approval. I'll try to make sure never to repulse you with my presence.

[Mr Blobby]

It's all about perspective. A John Candy - sized Fighter may be simply too unfit [or at least appear to be] for a classic D&D adventure, but what about if he's a highly skilled Wizard who's general slowness and tendency to eat all the supplies is more than offset at the sheer power of his ranged attacks, protective spells and knowledge of the occult? These are the things that 'pay his way' in the adventure, like you put up with the thief's rather weedy direct combat skills 'cos they're vital when you're in that obligatory dungeon full of traps.

The time period also matters. Play in any game set in 1900 onwards being seriously overweight is not only easier to live with, but also more common. 'You're waay too lardy to cover 20 miles daily' becomes a much less of an issue when Lardy can reply 'that is why I own a car, mate'. Being too physically weak to survive in a melee battle isn't half as an issue when Lardy can bring a gun. Simply think how much easier it's become for someone in a wheelchair to live today than a century ago, for example.

Lastly, 'the Everyman factor'. I don't really like to play the snowflake hero; I much prefer everyday folk pitched into things they don't understand. In a modern-ish setting like Cthulhu, World of Darkness that person may be seriously over the hill, disabled and yes, overweight to the point of obesity. You can even have fun with this at times; like playing a fat old hag who's actually a vampire with enough power to punch people through walls...