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

[doctorbadwolf]

Sure. But then the halflings need to trade with their neighbors to get those goods, don't they?

Sure. No one is saying they don’t trade.

 

[Gammadoodler]

Sure. No one is saying they don’t trade.

In fairness, a couple folks are saying they don't need to.

 

[Maxperson]

In fairness, a couple folks are saying they don't need to.

People are saying that they could easily be set up so that they don't need to. Those same people acknowledge the Halfling write-up that says that they do sometimes engage in trade, but not selling.

 

[Oofta]

In fairness, a couple folks are saying they don't need to.

They don't need to for survival, they're happy to trade when the opportunity presents itself according to MToF.

 

[Gammadoodler]

People are saying that they could easily be set up so that they don't need to. Those same people acknowledge the Halfling write-up that says that they do sometimes engage in trade, but not selling.

Sure. I'm one of the people who has said they wouldn't need to.

 

[Maxperson]

Sure. I'm one of the people who has said they wouldn't need to.

Fair enough.

 

[JiffyPopTart]

In fact, as tetrasodium helpfully points out, everyone is going to starve because there are no railroads, which is key to humanoid civilizations being able to get enough vital peppercorns to survive. Ah, the majestic roar of the mighty Egyptian steam engine...

Gotta say...the phrase "vital peppercorns" had me laughing. NPR just had a scientist on today that was talking about how one of the splits between neanderthals and homo sapiens was the discovery by the humans (who ranged farther southwards) of the peppercorn for flavoring. It was just as their rail systems started to come online when the neanderthals died out. True story, bro!

 

[Minigiant]

Sure, but they all get the bump to dex. And only one gnome subrace gets illusion magic, and only minor illusion, which lasts 1 minute at a time and only covers a 5ft cube, not their whole home or village. You see how this comparison is exactly equivalent?

Well any gnome can take the feat so there's that.

But since this is a general topic, there is a history to it. People buy the idea that gnomes hide their village with illusions, camoflauge, amd mechanical devices because the idea that gnomes are great illusionists, tinkers, and foresters for decades.

Where for halflings, nothing really stuck to halfling villages and halfling homelife outside of them being hobbit shires.

 

[Maxperson]

I like how the gods granting gnomes magical powers to hide their villages is okay and no gods will give their followers magical powers to find said villages, but the gods masking Halfling villages is bupkis because other gods would negate it.

 

[JiffyPopTart]

In fairness, a couple folks are saying they don't need to.

Able to trade =/= needs to trade