D&D General My Problem(s) With Halflings, and How To Create Engaging/Interesting Fantasy Races

[Crimson Longinus]

One thing that I feel is hurting halflings is their competing dual influences of hobbits and kender, who are may ways complete opposite to each other and results the D&D halflings being in the middle and thus somewhat meh and undefined. I think they should commit to halflings either being mild-mannered homebodies or cheeky and inquisitive adventurers. You really can't do the middle ground of these two and have anything particularly coherent or compelling.

 

[Yaarel]

Why isn't that enough for halflings? Because they're not Top 5?

Because a Dragonborn is obviously not a Human (maybe not even Human enough!).

Oppositely, the Halfling is a Human. There is no need to list the Human lineage twice.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

I don't think I ever noticed that the 2e race book series combined Gnomes and Halflings.

It did? How was it handled?

 

[Vaalingrade]

Because a Dragonborn is obviously not a Human (maybe not even Human enough!).

Oppositely, the Halfling is a Human. There is no need to list the Human lineage twice.

Except D&D humans aren't really humans, so we still need humanlings.

 

[Cadence]

It did? How was it handled?

Wikipedia says they had 10 gnome kits and 18 halfling ones. The review quoted there says they were both treated at jokes too often :-(

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Because a Dragonborn is obviously not a Human (maybe not even Human enough!).

Oppositely, the Halfling is a Human. There is no need to list the Human lineage twice.

Halfling is not a human any more than a dwarf is. Sure, they are obviously hominids, and dragonborn are not, but a lot of fantasy creatures look like hominids.

 

[Yaarel]

Except D&D humans aren't really humans, so we still need humanlings.

In D&D 5e, the Human is diverse and includes official ethnic groups.

The Hin could easily be one more Human ethnic group.

 

[TwoSix]

Book contains Goliaths, Devas, shifter, Avengers, Barbarians, Bards, Druids, Invokers, and Sorcerers.

Honestly, looking back calling the gnome a low point might not be as much of an insult as I thought. PHB 2 kind of rocked all over the place.

PHB2 is my nominee for single best 4e book, with the possible exception of Neverwinter.

 

[Mind of tempest]

Agreed, although I don't see how getting rid of halfings serves the goal of bringing in the maximum number of customers. It is not as if under 20-somethings will open the book and see, "Gross, halflings! I'm out of here."

The big tent keeps everyone involved, but--at worse--is only neutral to newbies.

I suspect no is arguing for no halflings forever but moving them out of the big major book and down to where they fit better, ideally we put in something that people would like more, something inspiring.

Great book. Brought in some of the best things in 4e, including the Gnome, which was the high point of the book.

oddly we agree on this, 4e gnomes from what I read of them they rocked they had a point a basic story, need better hair cuts but that is livable.

Why isn't that enough for halflings? Because they're not Top 5?

because one went from nothing to the top five even with bad stats and people not having much lore for them clearly they have things going for them, possibly furry but that is unknown they still should have a tail and maybe something on the back for where wings should be.
halflings have been slowly going down per edition or something like that, they lack a compelling concept that can be put in most worlds and they do not have cool look or mechanics they just do not need to be.

find a role or move them down a place.

I don't think I ever noticed that the 2e race book series combined Gnomes and Halflings.


I'm really not a fan of Dragonborn or Tieflings being core personally, but I think whoever made that decision should be applauded.

they clearly had someone with the ability to see what players like.

It did? How was it handled?

it was in the same line as the complete book of elves so not great.

Except D&D humans aren't really humans, so we still need humanlings.

how, npc humans are definitely human and pc humans are just protagonists and thus fairly standard for that role.

 

[Cadence]

PHB2 is my nominee for single best 4e book, with the possible exception of Neverwinter.

* Checks the profile image and the pointy hat and beard are suggestive, but nothing really to give scale to be sure of a possibly obvious reason why *