Short People

Chris_Nightwing · Nov 7, 2012

I'd hate to be a halfling giving birth.. the size of that head..

Zustiur · Nov 7, 2012

As someone has posted on the WotC page; they look like gnomes to me. Especially the coloured pictures.

Both races need to be considered together to ensure they both look short, without looking the same.

avin · Nov 7, 2012

Unfortunately there was no "Please remove hobbits from D&D" option...

Halflings are just a comic relief for D&D, in my opinion. If they are in DDN let them be like in that pictures. Using shoes, of course.

Jhaelen · Nov 7, 2012

Zustiur said:
As someone has posted on the WotC page; they look like gnomes to me. Especially the coloured pictures.

I agree. Let's just merge 'em. Who needs halflings and gnomes as separate races? I don't.

avin · Nov 7, 2012

Chris_Nightwing said:
I'd hate to be a halfling giving birth.. the size of that head..

Baby's head are large compared to adults, but their bones aren't solid yet. That won't be a problem for halflings, at all.

Zaukrie · Nov 7, 2012

It works for me, actually, but it did start to read like gnomes.....

TerraDave · Nov 7, 2012

I really liked it!

And gnomes have beards.

But aren't dwarves.

Everyone knows this.

DEFCON 1 · Nov 7, 2012

Droogie said:
I agree with the article on one thing: I was annoyed that halflings looked like small humans as well. But these designs are the opposite extreme. Seriously guys, can't we find a middle ground?

You can't have a middle ground until you've established both extremes first.

Hautamaki · Nov 7, 2012

I've never been able to take halflings seriously as a race that could compete 1 on 1 with humans, dwarves, and elves, in any kind of a combat type situation. Unfortunately nothing in that article changes my mind. Halflings need some kind of equalizer to make up for the fact that they are literally half the size of humans. Sure they get a minor dex bonus and a ranged attack bonus but its not enough imo. Don't get me wrong, mechanically, they are fairly balanced; what bothers me is that a race of skinny 3 foot 50 lb twerp have nearly the same average strength and constitution as 5-7 foot tall 120-220 lb humans. The mechanics and the fluff do not match. To me the concept of halflings lies a lot further away from humans than the mechanics represent. That is a much bigger issue than the art.

DEFCON 1 · Nov 7, 2012

The problem I suspect they are going to face going forward in the design of the halfling and gnome is that they don't have a "new" design option for wee folk yet.

With the exception of the AD&D 'hobbit'... every other version of the gnome and halfling has kind of been a small version of the human, elf or dwarf. AD&D gnomes were very dwarf-like in their big flat noses and long beards... 3&4E halflings were basically humans at half size... 4E gnomes became half-sized fey elves... and this current iteration of the halfling seems to be heading in 3E gnome territory (minus the facial hair)... which seemed like a merging of elf and dwarf together.

At least the 'hobbit' halfling was its own iconic image... short, roly-poly, curly hair, barefoot. It was not a miniature version of any of the 'big three'. The question becomes then... if you don't use that image... and you keep the gnome in 3E territory (in that middle state between elf and dwarf where it's thin and lithe like an elf, but retains the facial hair and kind of rugged look of the dwarf)... where do you take the halfling?

It seems as though, if Jon's column is any indication... that they'd prefer to keep the halfling as part of the 'big four', and as a result steal much of the iconography of the gnome for itself. But if that happens... you have only a couple choices with the gnome-- either ditch it as a main player race altogether or go back to the "garden gnome" style of AD&D. But I suspect that version of the gnome is not particularly popular and a rather unmodern image.