Male Viera as a playable character! show your support

[Lauront]

In lalafell lore, it's specifically stated that they have the same strength as a midlander, I believe. It's biological. In the real world, we have little people and they are about just as strong as the rest of us. Some of them are stronger, some are weaker. It's how it is.

Which source states that, if you don't mind clarifying?

Both subraces are described as lacking in strength:

Dunesfolk

Dunesfolk miners also rival the Roegadyn in their numbers and accomplishments, making up for their lack of brute strength with resourcefulness and the ability to delve into the narrowest tunnels. [1]

Plainsfolk

What they lack in physical strength, however, they more than make up for in swiftness of reflexes and sharpness of mind.

Of course, I'd accept that as an explanation if it is the case, because we can't dissect a Lalafell, so I can buy differences between races where they're explicitly mentioned, but where these arguments run into murky territory is when you're making comparisons within a race, where it's unlikely that the differences in size between genders don't result in natural physical strength differentials.

We know nothing of viera's evolutionary history - particularly how it affected the males because we don't know what they look like. It's really up to the dev team to decide how they're going to write and design the males.

Yes, I'm willing to grant the point that we don't know enough about it. What I am arguing is that we shouldn't rush to specific outliers as being indicative of anything more than the fact that there are means within the world to augment oneself, and to further underscore that just because such means may be more relatively common now, it does not follow that they are universally so, or that they were during the evolutionary trajectories of these races.

Regarding squadron members, they're just RNG creations with a face stuck to them, but again if you want to take them as canon, they're basically individuals with enough means to train up in their classes/jobs and procure equipment, so probably adventurers, i.e. outliers. There is nothing, lorewise, to suggest that Lalafell recruit for DoW classes, much less jobs, in any great numbers, whatever the squadron lottery machine throws at you...

[Arngrim_Greyashe]

...

There's also nothing that says lalafell are particularly good at physical combat. As someone else stated, they are commonly known to be swallowed whole by enemies.

[Senn]

There's also nothing that says lalafell are particularly good at physical combat. As someone else stated, they are commonly known to be swallowed whole by enemies.

And yet it is not uncommon for them to be recruited for melee combat. No tiny person irl would be effective in melee combat. It's because this is a game this is possible. Like I said, I'd be able to 1 vs 1 a tiny person who can barely reach knee height irl

[Gwenorai]

Let's not forget that most prominent lala's tend to have a hand in magic as well. Black Mages. I remember back in the day if you wanted to be a BiS blackmage you had to be a lala. Anywho I think the Thaumaturge and Blackmage quests talk on this a little.

[Arngrim_Greyashe]

Which source states that, if you don't mind clarifying?

Both subraces are described as lacking in strength:

Dunesfolk



Plainsfolk



Of course, I'd accept that as an explanation if it is the case, because we can't dissect a Lalafell, so I can buy differences between races where they're explicitly mentioned, but where these arguments run into murky territory is when you're making comparisons within a race, where it's unlikely that the differences in size between a gender don't result in natural physical strength differentials.

I think it was in the lore book? I'm at work so my resources are limited.

[Gwenorai]

As for Pippin, he was adopted by Rauhban at the age of thirteen and trained since then - he's now twenty-five. He's had plenty of training. Twelve straight years of it. The source is here.

Anywho, I am fully expecting the male Viera to show their strength.

[Senn]

...

Ok, but male viera are also trained at a young age by their mentors who pick them up from the village. They also have plenty of training.

edit: hit post limit

man I just wrote up a response to you and it got deleted because of post limit

My argument here is if lalafell are often recruits for melee positions, then muscle mass really doesn't matter in this game. The same thing applies to male viera because it's just a game. So saying they must be muscular or bulky because they live in the jungle is not necessarily true. -and if you still want to pull real life examples, we've already established jungle people are pretty slim, actually.

[Gwenorai]

Ok, but male viera are also trained at a young age by their mentors who pick them up from the village. They also have plenty of training.

edit: hit post limit

man I just wrote up a response to you and it got deleted because of post limit

My argument here is if lalafell are often recruits for melee positions, then muscle mass really doesn't matter in this game. The same thing applies to male viera because it's just a game. So saying they must be muscular or bulky because they live in the jungle is not necessarily true. -and if you still want to pull real life examples, we've already established jungle people are pretty slim, actually.

The issue with this is that I don't want them to be overly muscular. If I want muscles I want defined muscles, not over the top bodybuilder. A man who is extremely slim and overly active is going to have very defined muscle development. That's the way of it. Elezen honestly should have the same thing, at least when they fold their arms you can see the biceps. It's very possible that they'll have the miqote body type where the arms are thick - which is similar to the female Viera who seemed to be using a mix of a female Miqote/Elezen model.

If they don't have a muscular slider I think it's more likely that they'd end up muscular by default, as in you can see the muscle development. And while they could be very slim with zero muscle development, I would think it unlikely - but anything is possible. Even a 5ft Viera male with zero muscle development, with zero body hair other than that on their heads. Or the other side, a slim and tall well-developed male.

Due to the respect, Yoshida has the Matsuno - I'm going to nod towards them being muscular where everything is defined. Speaking of which; he has been tweeting a lot of FF14 - has me excited that he has some pull and may have written the lore for the Viera in the villages. So be prepared to read lots of information about the males and their lifestyle - which Yoshida brought up during the live letter, he very much wants us to learn about them.



By minafumi
Note; as you can see the child isn't well developed. So that body was earned by lifestyle.

[FinnouTube]

By minafumi
Note; as you can see the child isn't well developed. So that body was earned by lifestyle.

I really like that artwork. It's like muscular and yet not too large and elegant. I still hope for muscle slider but a design like that would be great.

[Gwenorai]

Aye, exactly and they more than likely don't have the body type of potatoes where you can't even see any muscle development on them. Since Viera are close to elezen/hyur in body - a little boy trained from the same age for years upon years, constantly with no rest, unlike Pippin who could still come home now and then for some rest. A male Viera can't do that, they're in constant danger and have to be on high alert for the rest of their lives, and a long life they live. There's nothing stating that the males have a shorter life span compared to the females. So males can live up to 300+ years before they even show a hint of ageing.

In the end, a soldiers life where you can go home at the end of it and sleep in a protected city or camp is nothing compared to living a nomadic life in a woodland filled with beasties, imperials and other male viera. Have to remember that the male Viera complete with themselves. For space, for prey and more than likely for the right to have children.