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

[Maxperson]

So does Chauntea for the humans.

False. She is a goddess of agriculture, but nowhere in her write-up does it say she does that same thing.

Oh, and Pelor

He makes light, dude. He doesn't inhabit the plants to make them better for humans.

Elebrin Liothel for the Elves, oh and Rillifane Rallathil

Sharindlar for the Dwarves according to some sources

Quote me where the deity spread him or herself out to inhabit the plants to make them better for their race. I quoted it for Halflings. Can you do so for any of these gods?

Dang, guess everyone has plant magic. Oh, wait, no. Halfling Dieties just actively interfere in the world more. Again.

Aaaaaaand another False Equivalence. I didn't just show a god with "plant magic." I quoted where she actually spread herself out into the plants of the Halflings specifically to provide more for the Halflings.

 

[Maxperson]

Are halflings perhaps known for their clever building techniques? Exceptional skill in woodworking?

What we are told is that halflings are farmers. And they live out of the way. That's it.

Nawp! We're also told that they have other crafts and help each other out with them. You keep repeating that as if it were true, despite being repeatedly told and shown differently. Why is that?

I'm not being disengenous to assume dwarves have master stonesmiths, they say that. Elves and gnomes are highly skilled in magic? We are told that. I don't know why you want to accuse me of some malfeasance for just acknowledging that the books provide us with answers for some races, and they don't give any of that for halflings.

But you are being disingenuous each and every time you say that Halflings are farmers and that's it.

 

[Maxperson]

And once they waged war over a single hog! The more you know...

How dare you call Helen a hog! Ready the fleet!

 

[Oofta]

Which is itself a straw man. Human villages did not defend themselves, if they where attacked the peasants ran away.

Yeah, if there's a large army approaching people are just going to flee like people everywhere always have. There is no way small villages have ever defended themselves against large forces.

Against small bands? An individual ogre? That's different. It's not even that they have to fight to the death, they just have to harass the invaders enough that it's not worth their while. Since halfling villages are small, have little material wealth and generally have little strategic value even making it annoying to attack them will often be enough.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Against small bands? An individual ogre? That's different. It's not even that they have to fight to the death, they just have to harass the invaders enough that it's not worth their while. Since halfling villages are small, have little material wealth and generally have little strategic value even making it annoying to attack them will often be enough.

Historically rare. Saxon villages might perhaps act like that, but feudal Norman peasants where not permitted to train with weapons and armour, so as to reduce the chance of revolt.

 

[Maxperson]

Historically rare. Saxon villages might perhaps act like that, but feudal Norman peasants where not permitted to train with weapons and armour, so as to reduce the chance of revolt.

Yes, here in the real world. In D&D commoners often fight.............................and in some editions lose to House Cats.

 

[Oofta]

Yes, here in the real world. In D&D commoners often fight.............................and in some editions lose to House Cats.

Hey, house cats can be vicious brutes!

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Yes, here in the real world. In D&D commoners often fight.............................and in some editions lose to House Cats.

Well, if there was ever a race of natural born psychotic killers...

 

[Minigiant]

It seems to me that at this point, the debate is between Team “Let’s replace their lore with something better (or possibly just remove them)” vs Team “Their lore is fine as is”.

Hope that clarifies things.

I'm more Team "Fill the missing official lore".

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Ok seriously. What is the issue? Why not just say the default halfling village is something that only exists in the parts of a setting that are very well settled and orderly.

It’s also worth noting that the PHB doesn’t even actually put all halflings in said village, but rather states that many of them live nomadically either in wagons or river boats.

Yeah. Just because halflings are peaceful and unwarlike now, doesn't mean they weren't very different a few generations back.

Nor does it mean they don’t fight when it makes sense to fight.

Historically rare. Saxon villages might perhaps act like that, but feudal Norman peasants where not permitted to train with weapons and armour, so as to reduce the chance of revolt.

Irrelevant. In D&D it is common.