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

[Paul Farquhar]

may I ask why they like halfings? are they just super into tolkien or is it something else?

No idea! I don't think any of the people who play them are super Tolkien fans. I suspect a couple of them have only seen the movie and not read the book.

An aversion to macho posturing characters (2/3rds of them are played by female players)? Identifying with short people (at least one of the players is short)? I can say that the "lucky" trait has a fun factor that outweighs it's power.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Given that you don't actually see the facial expressions of your character in a tabletop game this doesn't seem like much of an issue.

But you imagine them. This is not some conjecture, I am this sort of person and I've met many others. And it's not just the face, but I feel it has a lot to do with it. And I think it is a spectrum, other mammals (so tabaxi for example) are easier to relate to than reptiles or birds (dragonborn or kenku,) and in turn they're easier to relate to than insects (thri-kreen.)

 

[Paul Farquhar]

But you imagine them.

Maybe? When I'm roleplaying I tend to visualise the faces of the characters I am interacting with, not the character I am playing.

 

[Mind of tempest]

No idea! I don't think any of the people who play them are super Tolkien fans. I suspect a couple of them have only seen the movie and not read the book.

An aversion to macho posturing characters (2/3rds of them are played by female players)? Identifying with short people (at least one of the players is short)? I can say that the "lucky" trait has a fun factor that outweighs it's power.

could you perhaps ask them as their insight should be enlightening, I hate lucky because it is broken but I can see the appeal of it.

But you imagine them. This is not some conjecture, I am this sort of person and I've met many others. And it's not just the face, but I feel it has a lot to do with it. And I think it is a spectrum, other mammals (so tabaxi for example) are easier to relate to than reptiles or birds (dragonborn or kenku,) and in turn they're easier to relate to than insects (thri-kreen.)

identification is what your looking for it explains a lot of things in today's age.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

identification is what your looking for it explains a lot of things in today's age.

Yes.

 

[QuentinGeorge]

I meant halfling do not seek to become interesting they have no goal beyond getting back home or do what has to be done to get back home.

Why do you keep repeating this nonsense?

 

[Paul Farquhar]

could you perhaps ask them as their insight should be enlightening

It's a bit personal to interrogate players like that, and I doubt they have a clear idea themselves.

I mean, no one has reason to dislike halflings in the way some people seem to. Player characters are exceptional is a default assumption in our games.

 

[Mind of tempest]

Why do you keep repeating this nonsense?

it is literally in the text of the halfling so that is what they are beyond a dry stat block.

It's a bit personal to interrogate players like that, and I doubt they have a clear idea themselves.

I mean, no one has reason to dislike halflings in the way some people seem to. Player characters are exceptional is a default assumption in our games.

you do not ask your friends why they like things? most people I know love to talk about why X is good or what they like about it.
is that not common where you are from?

I can tell you why I dislike them easily I do not see why anyone would like that exact manifestation of I think one place called them the cute race this thing of niceness and cuteness being just fun personified that if you make really badly you end up with kender, gnomes are also considered to be in this slot.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

No, they're not. The people who don't want to play halflings and don't want them in anyone's PHB, for the most part wouldn't play kobolds instead. And the people who do want to play halflings -- the people on this thread who keep being told they're wrong to think that way -- wouldn't just shrug and say "well, I guess I'll play a kobold instead."

This thread boils down to "well, don't include them in your game" vs. "no, they should be excised from your game, too," which is a super-weird discussion to be having.

No it doesn't. That's nonsense. Halflings being in the PHB means excluding another race. Another race which would likely be more popular. As noted, I fully expect them to be there, to avoid "rocking the boat" too much with lineages already providing a lot of boat-rocking, but really, they're on the outs.

I forgot about LA. It is a solid idea, though, and I think would be necessary to really capture something like Irda. I also think more "monstrous" races like Minotaurs would work well with it, and if you really wanted Tolkien-style elves, they would need LA. Probably Dunedain too.

Yeah I think it's a pity 5E didn't embrace it, like if you're going to use 3E's godawful multiclassing system (and we are, apparently), why not use it to its fullest extent? If we used LA it would be trivial to include a bunch of cool stuff. You could basically have actual monster-races with LAs of +2 to +7, and +1 would be good for a lot overpowered stuff like Irda, yeah.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

it is literally in the text of the halfling so that is what they are beyond a dry stat block.

Every character is an individual. Saying "all halflings are like this" is no different to saying "all Scotsmen are belligerent ginger drunkards*". Do you not see that?

you do not ask your friends why they like things?

Certainly not! This is England, we don't talk about personal things!

I can tell you why I dislike them easily I do not see why anyone would like that exact manifestation of I think one place called them the cute race this thing of niceness and cuteness being just fun personified that if you make really badly you end up with kender, gnomes are also considered to be in this slot.

Nothing wrong with cuteness. But griefing kleptomaniac is not cute. Kender have a bad reputation because of griefing other players, not cuteness.


*Also see: Nac Mac Feegle