Short People

Zaukrie · Nov 7, 2012

If the tall person was not in that picture, what would distinguish them from humans with hairy feet? That is the issue. How are they distinct on their own? I would lose hobbits from the game, frankly, because hobbits are LotR specific.

Klaus · Nov 7, 2012

Zaukrie said:
If the tall person was not in that picture, what would distinguish them from humans with hairy feet? That is the issue. How are they distinct on their own? I would lose hobbits from the game, frankly, because hobbits are LotR specific.

In the Jeff Dee picture, the halflings are 4 "heads" tall. That marks them as short, even to someone who knows nothing of proportions. They just "feel" short. The human, otoh, is between 6 (normal) and 8 (heroic) heads tall.

I'm A Banana · Nov 7, 2012

I really like these halflings, personally.

Of course, personally, I'm a big fan of DiTerlizzi's whimsical art, so it can't help but win me over that these halflings look exceptionally frickin' whimsical!

The only one that feels weird to me is the very first one, but I think something's up with her pose or her head or something.

WANT.

I've got no objection to more svelte or slick sub-races.

PS: The debate about what size halflings should be -- down to the inch! -- is consummate pointless dorkery. "Six inches shorter, and these fantasy creatures would be completely unbelievable!"

delericho · Nov 7, 2012

tuxgeo said:
I'd like to see halflings stand a couple of inches taller than that: 3'2" + (2d4)" for an average height of 3'7" (= 43"), with a height range from 3'4" to 3'10" -- still shorter than most dwarves, but not by a whole lot.

That wouldn't be too bad. However...

One edition's PHB (I forget which; was it 3E?) stated that halflings average about 75% of the average human height. I think an average halfling height of 43" would come fairly close to fulfilling that.

Halflings being three-quarters of the size of a human is just silly. They're not human, but it's pretty clear that why they were given that name - and it sure wasn't by ogres!

Libramarian · Nov 7, 2012

Yup, these are chibis.

And this is coming right on the heels of the abominable "cute" owlbears from last week's article.

Oh and take another look at the bookstand in this article. Apparently that's a "displacer kitty".

This is not good.

Kaodi · Nov 7, 2012

Tyrion Lannister is the Half-man, not the Half-Mountain, despite being closer to half the height of Gregor Clegane than half the height of the average man of Westeros. And I am pretty sure halflings would not really define themselves as half a human. It is best to assume it just a name, not a literal description.

Jeff Carlsen · Nov 7, 2012

I for one love these halflings. And not just a little. It has always bothered me to no end that D&D has been trying to pretend that halflings aren't hobbits. These look like the hobbits that I imagined when I was a child. Gold star.

Steely_Dan · Nov 7, 2012

Aside from the initial balloon-headed chick, I'm really digging these...though, the Disney buying D&D thing has me worried.

delericho · Nov 7, 2012

Kaodi said:
Tyrion Lannister is the Half-man, not the Half-Mountain, despite being closer to half the height of Gregor Clegane than half the height of the average man of Westeros.

Tyrion isn't a halfling. On the other hand, the hobbits from the LotR films stand around 3'6", as does Willow (from the film of the same name). That's closer to half my height than it is to three-quarters.

And I am pretty sure halflings would not really define themselves as half a human. It is best to assume it just a name, not a literal description.

Halfling is surely a name they were given, not one that they gave themselves. Indeed, the halflings in LotR actually object to being referred to by that name!

(But, to be completely honest, I really don't care all that much. YM apparently V, and that's fine. As long as 5e stays within touching distance of a sane range, I'm sure it'll be fine... and if it doesn't, house ruling it will be trivial.)