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

[Chaosmancer]

Why are you assuming they have no military or defenses? They aren't typically bent on conquest, there's nothing that says they don't defend themselves. It's not like the structure of military or defenses is spelled out for other races unless they are specifically militaristic like hobgoblins.

It's going to be campaign dependent. Some halflings may live in a dangerous area, others are going to be settled in a peaceful community.

Because that is kind of what Mordenkainen's tells us.

For the most part, halflings aren’t the targets of warring nations. Their villages are of little tactical value, nor are they likely to be coveted by evil wizards or to become the object of wrath for some dark force. The only enemies that a halfling village must watch for on an ongoing basis are roving bands of orcs or goblins, and the occasional hungry ogre or other solitary monster. And, as halfling luck would have it, these incidents are so rare that a single one might be talked about for generations. In one village, the story of the ogre that ate Farmer Keller’s billy goat is a cautionary tale that will be repeated and embellished for decades.

From time to time, halflings must fight to defend their friends or their village. In those moments, the tales of Arvoreen come to the fore in every halfling’s memory. Every youth hears over and over again the stories of the hero’s bravery and cunning, his clever tactics in battle, and his ability to use speed and smallness to defeat a much larger foe. The elders know that the world outside is dangerous and that their kin must understand how to deal with those dangers. Stories about Arvoreen are told in such a way that youngsters are inspired to act out his epic battles. In this way, the halflings get practical experience in executing measures that are designed to help the halflings defeat kobolds and goblin raiders, or even take down an ogre. When the time comes to put those tactics to use in earnest, everyone will be ready.


Cooperation is a fundamental principle in how halflings fend off their enemies. Every community practices its own version of Arvoreen’s favored tactics:


Scatterstrike. The halflings run in every direction as if in a panic, but then they regroup and circle back to attack with a concentrated effort.

Turtle Shell. Halflings cluster together and cover each other with shields, washtubs, wheelbarrows, coffer lids, or anything else that can deflect a blow.

Troll Knocker. A few halflings act as bait to lure a troll or other large creature into a clearing where the rest of the group can hurl stones at it from concealment to confuse the monster, persuading it to seek other prey.

Swarming Stickwhackers. Halflings rush an intruder in waves, swatting the enemy with sticks on all sides.

Fiddle and Crack. A halfling fiddler lures the monster into a trap, usually a net or a pit, followed by several burly halflings wielding large sticks and hitting the monster from a safe vantage.

Sure, the halflings have tactics, but read them. They are mostly "The entire village hits it with sticks and rocks". There is no mention of using bows, wearing actual armor or using actual shields. They... don't have a military defense. What they have is luck that just means these type of things never happen to them.

 

[Gammadoodler]

This is what the PHB says about dwarf adventurers:



Elves:


Halflings:


Two sentences. And the second one undercuts the first.

In fairness, you boil those down and a halfling is basically half elf and half dwarf. More chaotic than dwarves, homier than elves.

By itself that seems an ok niche, but to your point, i can see how it feels that the investment isn't proportional.

 

[Oofta]

Because that is kind of what Mordenkainen's tells us.





Sure, the halflings have tactics, but read them. They are mostly "The entire village hits it with sticks and rocks". There is no mention of using bows, wearing actual armor or using actual shields. They... don't have a military defense. What they have is luck that just means these type of things never happen to them.

They use different tactics that are appropriate to their stature and capabilities, that doesn't mean their tactics aren't effective. After all when you're a halfling you're going to use different tactics than a half orc more than twice your size. They don't care about kingdoms or conquering other lands.

None of which really affects whether or not a halfling will be an adventurer. In general they'll try to use clever tactics instead of brute strength whether defending their home or adventuring. To me that adds some cool flavor and is similar to how I'd run kobolds or goblins as adversaries.

 

[Chaosmancer]

Averaging 40 pounds, they burn significantly less calories than larger sized creatures. The many meals a day si not detailed in the PHB, just outside sources like Tolkien, and that also doesn't mean that those are large meals. One real world diet method is eating lots of small meals during the day in order not to feel hungry and binge.

Please, try to discuss in good faith. When there isn't any discussion about food consumption in general for the races, using weasel words of "I've seen nothing to state that" as a method of overruling both common sense and what we observe in the modern world of calorie consumption of smaller mammal bipeds - that's just trying to win an argument, not actually trying to be right.

But, the rules for starvation don't say that small characters eat less. So, it is fair to assume that they eat the exact same amount of food, just from a rules perspective

 

[Umbran]

2) What then would you recommend for civil defense? Or, better, what do you think DnD actually does in that regard?

I think I already laid that out - intelligence networks like the Harpers, and then dropping a Bag of Paladins^tm (or some other appropriate bunch of adventurers) on the problem.

 

[Gammadoodler]

I think I already laid that out - intelligence networks like the Harpers, and then dropping a Bag of Paladins^tm (or some other appropriate bunch of adventurers) on the problem.

Without knowing the intimate details of the setting, the promise of a disproportionate response can be an effective deterrent. If you know that raiding that village means that a force will be dispatched to kill you, your families, and salt the earth where you laid, you just might spend your time on targets where the reprisal is unlikely to be an existential threat to you and your way of life.

 

[Gammadoodler]

But, the rules for starvation don't say that small characters eat less. So, it is fair to assume that they eat the exact same amount of food, just from a rules perspective

Is there a rules reference for how much measurable quantity any particular PC is consuming beyond the carry weight of rations?

Seems to me that the most common unit of measurement for eating is a period of time (as in enough food for a day) rather than a physical measure.

 

[Minigiant]

I think I already laid that out - intelligence networks like the Harpers, and then dropping a Bag of Paladins^tm (or some other appropriate bunch of adventurers) on the problem.

Yeah ah..

the books kinda says halflings don't keep up politics of that level to have Harper or Paladin strike teams on call.

That's my point. The races is not written to match default D&D. It's like 3 of 5 editions just drops hobbits in the games, adds more Frodos and Pippens, scratches off the names, and does nothing else to fit the race in the game.

They leave making sense of halflings to DMs and worldbuilders rather than giving them a solid framework.

 

[Chaosmancer]

They use different tactics that are appropriate to their stature and capabilities, that doesn't mean their tactics aren't effective. After all when you're a halfling you're going to use different tactics than a half orc more than twice your size. They don't care about kingdoms or conquering other lands.

Sure, but "throw rocks and hit with sticks" isn't just different tactics, it fundamentally does not take advantage of halfling dexterity and size, and is highly ineffective.

I mean, Orcs wear hide armor. How many orcs are you going to drive away by throwing rocks and hitting them with sticks? I mean, if that was all it took, they wouldn't overrun human towns who have soldiers in steel armor with polearms and bows.

None of which really affects whether or not a halfling will be an adventurer. In general they'll try to use clever tactics instead of brute strength whether defending their home or adventuring. To me that adds some cool flavor and is similar to how I'd run kobolds or goblins as adversaries.

I'm not getting into the mess of whether or not halflings will be adventurers. That seems like a special kind of mess that comes down to pure preference for which traits you emphasize.

But, I did want to address how Halflings really don't seem to fit in DnD worlds as presented. They seem to rely almost solely on "we are lucky, so nothing bad happens to us" which is... very difficult from a world-building perspective.

 

[Chaosmancer]

I think I already laid that out - intelligence networks like the Harpers, and then dropping a Bag of Paladins^tm (or some other appropriate bunch of adventurers) on the problem.

And I laid out why that really doesn't work.

Unless they can send Paladins 44 hours before an attack happens, they are too far away. And how does that help towns even further into the wilderness or with no Bag of Paladin's nearby?