D&D General why do we have halflings and gnomes?

[Khelon Testudo]

I did like one of 4e's takes on halflings: itinerant boaters, who trade up and down rivers.

 

[Charlaquin]

My point is that halflings is the one of the 2 races in D&D that lorewise in 3 out of 5 editions has a culture of "we stay at home because it's nice and safe".
Therefore it has more cultural pressure to not become an adventurer than a human, elf, dwarf, dragonborn, or orc.

Just like a race that see the sea as an evil force will have few sailor than a race that has a nuetral attitude to the sea.

You have the normal "Adventurer is for crazy and desperate people" attitude to fight plus an additional racial "Let's stay home and eat and smoke. Where the heck are you going?" baggage.

Sure once a halfling decides to adventure (or if you are playing 3e or 4e), halflings rock at adventuring. But getting them to upgrade from travelling to dungeon delving is harder than most of the other races.

The percentage of halfling adventurers in Tolkien's works would not match D&D's. D&D's would be much lower. A lot lower.

Sure. Great. Halfling culture discourages adventuring even more than other cultures do. That doesn’t seem to me to be a problem at all. It doesn’t prevent halfling PCs, and in fact, it makes halfling PCs special in a way that is unique to halflings. Where’s the problem? I’m only seeing positives there.

 

[Charlaquin]

Thanks, (in no small part I think) to manga and anime, and maybe Darksun, I find that the; "exotic food experience" can, in fact be found in the dungeon.

Yes, I too like Dungeon Meshi.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Both elves and dwarves (as written in D&D) are culturally disinclined to become adventurers. Elves out of an aversion to mixing with "lesser" races, dwarves out of a strong culture of responsibility to family and clan. Indeed, the vast majority of the population of any fantasy world is disinclined to adventure - worlds have far more farmers than they do adventurers.

That means pretty much all* adventurers are misfits and outsiders, who band together because they have more in common with each other than with typical members of their own race.



*There are a smattering of exceptional races, such as tabaxi, for whom adventuring is normal, and some who, like half elves, half orcs and tieflings that are born outsiders and have little choice.

 

[Stormonu]

None of that is jumping into a dragons cave.

Like I said halfling probably travel to new cities a lot. But it's a big jump between visiting a far off city for new cuisine and entertainment and kicking down a vampire lord's castle doors. A typical halfling wants to go to the next city for pies and parties, not punch a orc chieftian and steal his magic axe.

Halfling make great adventurers. Halfling culture however is actively anti-adventuring.

Dwarven culture is even worse - keep your head down and work 24/7 in a mine. Elves? They're off laughing in forests.

I can easily see an Indiana Jone-like halfling, hat rippling in the wind as he laughs, racing the artifacts from a plundered mummy's tomb while dodging the goblin forces chasing him from warg-back.

Adventure? Excitement? A halfing craves these things - so long as he's back for elvensee's.

 

[Tonguez]

Every single culture actively discourages adventuring. It's an insanely dangerous thing to do. It's always been for mavericks, those with little to lose, or those who have a huge point to prove.

Not really, there were a number of real world cultures that encouraged young men to go out in the world and prove themselves, in the wilderness, in the military or in the diplomatic corps.
Then you have the whole Mercenary adventurer doing the round before returning home to settle. I‘d guess that in DnD Humans actively encourage what is referred to as adventuring, Even moreso in points of light settings when the peasant miltia has to go out and defend the village from bandits and marauding Orcs (standing armies and town guards were rare outside royal cities). Half-orcs are also active raiders and elves live in the forest doing stuff.

Halflings are specifically called out as homebodies who dont encourage those things

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Not really, there were a number of real world cultures that encouraged young men to go out in the world and prove themselves, in the wilderness, in the military or in the diplomatic corps.

That was a class thing. Since only the oldest son in a British upper class family could inherit younger sons where encouraged to go off and get themselves killed in the name of Empire.

The vast majority of the population, who were not upper class, where "encouraged" (as in required by law) to stay put.

 

[delph]

Stout Halflings are best fighters

• reroll ones so not much crit fails and advantage on them
• have advantage and ressistance on poisons - common dmg in game
• can't be feared

+2 dex +1 con are great
- second chance feat is nice too when you have odd Dex. Crit on you? Nope!

 

[Tonguez]

That was a class thing. Since only the oldest son in a British upper class family could inherit younger sons where encouraged to go off and get themselves killed in the name of Empire.

The vast majority of the population, who were not upper class, where "encouraged" (as in required by law) to stay put.

Thats one example, I was also thinking the rights of passage required of Spartan agoge/krypteia, Maasai Lion Hunting and Polynesian Poia (where young men were expected to sail around the neighbouring islands and contribute in battle)

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Thats one example, I was also thinking the rights of passage required of Spartan agoge/krypteia, Maasai Lion Hunting and Polynesian Poia (where young men were expected to sail around the neighbouring islands and contribute in battle)

They are broadly similar, and with similar class restrictions - Sparta Rome etc, it was only the ruling class. The agrarian class where slaves and not permitted adventure.