Thread 96695460

Does the ear shape of a fantasy race actually impact their hearing ability?

>>96695460 (OP)
Ear points might actually improve the ability to hear high-pitches tones.

>>96695460 (OP)
I'd rule it would impact more than sound. Slight temperature variations and wind changes would be much more easily felt

>>96695460 (OP)
It could.
Whether or not it does depends on whoever's responsible for the work of fantasy.

>>96695460 (OP)
shape? maybe to funnel more sound into the ear.
However: pic related

>>96695460 (OP)
>kender
>good
Hahahaha fuck no
>but muh alignments
If kenders are considered good, the whole multiverse needs realigning.

>>96695957
Make a better argument.

>>96695460 (OP)
What evolutionary pressures might trigger such ears to evolve/what environments and circumstances would said ears be most suited for?

>>96696596
Nerds who got bullied by their ears being pulled mutated to just have long ears that are more resilient in taking the punishment

No, why would they? Most people designing fantasy races are simply operating under aesthetic concerns with anything actually biological or anatomical being largely a non factor.

>>96696596
If there is no clear environmental pressure for a given feature then it's almost certain you can explain it with social pressures.
Large ears can be used to help with body language and other forms of non-verbal communication.
Although, even with that in mind, for a feature like ears there will always be physical advantages to them. As a method for easily cooling off excessive body heat and obviously big ears will be better at hearing things. If the ear have fur or whiskers then they can also be used to feel air pressure changes. Like cats.

"Call me 'Spock' ONE. MORE. GODS-DAMNED. TIME......"

>>96695934
Or it could just tilt its head like a normal fucking creature to simulate the same effect
Owls are so dumb

>>96696596
>No dwarven ear
>dwarves have no ears
>dwarves use their beards to hear

>>96697149
>If the ear have fur or whiskers then they can also be used to feel air pressure changes. Like cats.
What practical functions does that serve? Estimating weather patterns?

>>96697683
In cats, their whiskers help them when hunting prey and navigating through the environment. For a fantasy race you could expand that into an ability to sense mana fluctuations or something similar.

>>96695460 (OP)
Ask the worldbuilding general.

>>96695460 (OP)
Traditional games?

>>96697293
When they're flying...? And fly all 'tarded and not a straight path?

>>96696596
>>96696596
This picture is trash. Super long world of warcraft elf ears are stupid, ugly, and so unrealistic it becomes idiotic. They are foolish clown ears for clown gamers. In addition, making every race have pointy ear defeats the novelty of the elven ear. This is a prime example of proto-woke slop where every race must be "unique & quirky" and thereby none are.

>>96696596
Don't forget that evolution works on "good enough". If the ear size doesn't prevent elves from procreation they can bear even disadvantageous mutations through thousands upon thousands of years without serious changes.

>>96696596
sexual selection. same way peacocks have all the fancy feathers on their tail. no i will not elaborate.

>>96695460 (OP)
Anons im trying to make a setting where Panotti are one of the dominant races in some parts of the world. I had everything down to various cultures' ear styles and them sometimes going naked and just wearing their ears as clothes like in the o.g pliny shit. But them actually being able to hear and stuff has been a roadblock for me, should i just ignore it? So far one of the earstyles is like 1 ear (thats mush shorter) wrapped around the shoulder like a cape and one ear cut into something vaguely naturally elf shaped.

>>96695460 (OP)
Yeah. There's a reason that animals in the real world have different ear shapes. Those shapes turned out to be effective from an evolutionary standpoint. This is why it's common to see things like "Elves get a bonus to Listening/Hearing."

>>96697149
These kinds of things, related to social pressures, are less common. Unless you can link it to instinctive behaviors, it would have needed to have become a social point so important to the species that it affected the passing of genes for an incredibly long period of time.

>>96695460 (OP)
No, it affects sexiness.

>>96699758
>goyslop
Kill yourself.

>>96699758
It's just a random image I found online, and most of them aren't even that long.

>>96698349
Just tilt like all the cool birds do.

ALL DWARFS have beards.
Dwarves live in the underground mines.
the mines have large airborne particles, like soot dust, mold,

a Dwarven beard acts like a natural dusk mask that absorbs all airborne contaminants..

if a Dworf's beard is cut. that Dworf will get laryngitis and become mute.

A mute Dworf will have to take dope for the Throat pain

In the games I run, I usually give elves animal ears and animal tails, and reserve the traditional pointy-eared look for half-elves.

Elves already have nature-themed associations, so I do not find this to be too great a stretch.

And yes, I often wind up giving them touches of East Asian culture, mostly China due to gacha brain rot.

>>96695934
now that you posted this, some poor GM somewhere will 100% get asked if their character can simulate this with surgery

>>96705069
Do they all have the same animal features, is it random, genetic, or what? Tell us more please.

>>96695460 (OP)
Yes, elves have more sensitive hearing which is why they don't use guns.

>>96697293
When hobbits tilt their heads they're not being cute, they're trying to determine how far they need to lunge at you.

>>96704957
ummm, guy, owls ARE the cool birds

>>96696596
Elf ears are erogenous zones. Longer ears more erogenous.

>>96696765
this

>>96695460 (OP)
You don't play games