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

[Crimson Longinus]

Those remind me of nordic trolls, and they look awesome. Please tell me either you drew them or know the artist.

I drew them. I made some concept art for my new setting.

 

[Mind of tempest]

I drew them. I made some concept art for my new setting.

you are good a drawing, got any more?

 

[Crimson Longinus]

you are good a drawing, got any more?

Yes, but these are just sketches. I'll post the stuff for my setting somewhere if I ever get around inking and colouring them. It's kinda in WIP state right now.

 

[Faolyn]

I like recognisable tropes but you got to break a bit more than they did to make something that is not just a legally safe knock off.

plus the dino riding makes literal anything cool it just works that way.
the more divergent ones tend to lose the basic slot they where made to fill hence why I do not put darksun ones in everything

Wait, first you say that halflings have no basic slot to fill, now you say that they do have one and doing anything outside that slot makes them non-halflings? You say you like recognizable tropes, but you also don't like it when halflings fill their trope? And sure, don't put the Dark Sun halflings in a non-DS game... but why not put the mercantile halflings in a game, or the mafia halflings, or the sailor halflings, or the shadow-touched halflings?

So what, exactly, are you looking for here? Do you even know what it is? Or are you just saying that you hate halflings so much that you won't let them be cool or different, because then you might have to stop hating them?

 

[Mind of tempest]

Wait, first you say that halflings have no basic slot to fill, now you say that they do have one and doing anything outside that slot makes them non-halflings? You say you like recognizable tropes, but you also don't like it when halflings fill their trope? And sure, don't put the Dark Sun halflings in a non-DS game... but why not put the mercantile halflings in a game, or the mafia halflings, or the sailor halflings, or the shadow-touched halflings?

So what, exactly, are you looking for here? Do you even know what it is? Or are you just saying that you hate halflings so much that you won't let them be cool or different, because then you might have to stop hating them?

I only had that position in the last thread on this topic, my present position is halflings have no setting place and they are a bad implementation of a race slot, not that said slot does not exist, I know this can get confusing.

I hate bad executions of a trope more than not having it.

grafting dinosaurs onto them just is cheap as anyone riding a dinosaur is cool and a halfling mafia only works in Eberron.
mercantile I just do not see that is way more goblin, dwarf or minotaur thing.

sailor, I just do not get it and have no idea where you're coming from.
shadow touched could work but I would want more than one type for a major no human race, plus seems more gnome thing what with them hiding their stuff with illusions.

I have never in my life ever known what I want only what I do not.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

No more Half Orc. Just play Orc. Large size Orc even better.

No. Mixed-race characters have merit on their own.

 

[Yaarel]

But humans in fact cannot use large sized weapons without disadvantage in D&D.

Heh, some of the illustrations in D&D have humans with too-large swords.



Instead of sized weapons which are a problematic mechanic, I would rather larger creatures simply add a flat 1d6 per size increase, once per round (with the flavor of momentum).

Thus, a Large player character can add a 1d6 damage bonus to one attack per round. Meanwhile, a Large longsword deals the normal 1d8 damage, but has a Large size prereq to avoid disadvantage.

A Huge creature can add 2d6 per round, but even a Huge longsword only deals 1d8 damage but has a size prereq.

So, if a player wants a buster sword, a Large longsword, for flavor, it still only deals 1d8 damage.

What I dont want is the temptation of dealing more damage to encourage buster swords to become more prevalent.

 

[Faolyn]

I only had that position in the last thread on this topic, my present position is halflings have no setting place and they are a bad implementation of a race slot, not that said slot does not exist, I know this can get confusing.

You can't say that they both have and do not have a setting place.

There's also no such thing as a "race slot." You can have as many or as few races you want in any given world. The PH just includes the traditional ones, plus a few breakouts like dragonborn and tieflings. You could make a world with none of the traditional races, including no humans, if you really wanted to.

I have never in my life ever known what I want only what I do not.

Well, maybe you need to sit down and really think about it, rather then just reacting. But some effort into it.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

So, if a player wants a buster sword, a Large longsword, for flavor, it still only deals 1d8 damage.

I'd hate this. I want at least some sort of WYSIWYG. Probably beyond the topic of this thread though.

 

[Yaarel]

I'd hate this. I want at least some sort of WYSIWYG. Probably beyond the topic of this thread though.

"What you see is what you get."

When you see a Huge creature, the creature is going to hit harder, whether with a fist or a sword.

When you see a Medium creature trying to wield a Huge weapon, the Medium creature barely lifts it, let alone wields it effectively.

Adding a flat size damage bonus is WYSISWYG.