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

[Chaosmancer]

Ones with better things to do than harass farmers on the off chance their grandson will learn ultraviolence?

But they will harass human farmers, because no one underestimates or overlooks humans.

 

[Chaosmancer]

Why do Dwarves use Axes? Dwarves have short legs which limits their reach, yet they use weapons that by and large have short reach compared to other weapons like swords.

This makes absolutely no sense. Yet Dwarves are supposed to be extremely effective martial warriors. How can they have this reputation as warriors when they don't even choose the most effective weapons for their circumstances? Clearly they should be using spears or pole-arms. This completely kills my suspension of disbelief.

I demand that this be addressed forthwith. Clearly the design is objectively bad as I have just proven.

I need to watch more Skallagrim, I've heard good things about him.

Spears and polearms are the most effective weapons for about anyone. They are awesome

Nothing says dwarves aren't using something close the Dane Axe, there is also a massive advantage in using smaller weapons with a Phalanx style, which Dwarves massively improve by being far more heavily armored than the romans and still using big shields.

Though again, spears are one of the best weapons ever designed and deserve far more love.

 

[Vaalingrade]

But they will harass human farmers, because no one underestimates or overlooks humans.

No well written bad guys are going to go after an race writ large because 0.000001% of them could be a possible threat.

Not only would that be dumb but that's the exact kind of behavior that generates those heroes to come beat you to death and shove you in a can for future heroes to beat on.

So by your logic, this great evil should kill itself.

 

[Vaalingrade]

"The design of the game is already terribly unrealistic, therefore changing it is pointless"

The design of the game is already terribly realistic... and that's why I play it.

 

[Bardic Dave]

"The design of the game is already terribly unrealistic, therefore changing it is pointless"

Nope. Let me help you out:

“In-fiction justifications for narrative conceits are of tertiary importance, and are a moving target that not everyone can agree on anyway, so we might as well not worry too much about how the Dwarves of the Iron Mountains irrigate their mushroom crop, because doing so would be a waste of time, page-count, and money at the expense of things that are actually fun and important.”

There you go.

Which is not to say that some thought shouldn’t be given to these considerations (within reason) but as this thread clearly indicates, you can’t please everyone.

 

[Bardic Dave]

As I said to Bardic Dave "many things are broken so fixing any of them is a waste of time" is a poor argument.

Broken in your opinion, is the part you keep missing. I don’t think Halflings are broken. Not everything in the game is designed to cater to you.

 

[Don Durito]

As I said to Bardic Dave "many things are broken so fixing any of them is a waste of time" is a poor argument.

As for why I am discussing this particular issue? Because someone made a thread about it, and world-building is a passion of mine.

Seriously, do you guys think this is my only possible issue? Do you think that I find no fault with anything else in the game? I've said repeatedly that I do. That there are a lot of things that I work to fix. I've been toying with a way to make slot based magic make sense for years. The reason I'm talking about halflings in this thread is... this is a thread about halflings.

Yes. You have written tens of thousands of words on this issue over at least two threads. It beggars belief that this is not a major issue for you for some reason.

Edit:
One may write hundreds of letters to a politician about addressing poverty or climate change.
One may also write hundreds of letters about how one's driveway is unfairly small.
One doesn't write hundreds of letters about how someone else's driveway is unfairly small.

You have spent thousands of words trying to convince us that there is a real issue with halflings. If I squint I am sort of half convinced. Nevertheless even if real it seems incredibly trivial. Nothing that you have said seems to indicate that I, or really most people should view it as anything but trivial. Therefore, if it doesn't seem trivial to you, the obvious inference is because it is your driveway.

 

[Bardic Dave]

I need to watch more Skallagrim, I've heard good things about him.

Spears and polearms are the most effective weapons for about anyone. They are awesome

Nothing says dwarves aren't using something close the Dane Axe, there is also a massive advantage in using smaller weapons with a Phalanx style, which Dwarves massively improve by being far more heavily armored than the romans and still using big shields.

Though again, spears are one of the best weapons ever designed and deserve far more love.

I’m glad your explanation for why dwarves might use axes instead of polearms makes so much sense to you. To me it’s hogwash; pure conjecture that might be plausible but which just as easily could be total nonsense. Certainly, none of these rationalizations appear in any official printed material and they have absolutely nothing to do with why dwarves favour axes. It’s purely an aesthetic choice the designers made, probably because of Tolkien, that doesn’t need any in-fiction justification.

In other words, your rationalizations are completely irrelevant and beside the point; nobody cares enough about the plausibility of Dwarven weaponry to give it more than a passing thought—I doubt you’d given it any thought until Don Durito sardonically brought it up—and none of us particularly care if it makes sense as long as we find it aesthetically appealing. That’s the point. This all boils down to personal preference, and you appear to be in the minority in believing Halflings to be broken.

 

[Faolyn]

This makes absolutely no sense. Yet Dwarves are supposed to be extremely effective martial warriors. How can they have this reputation as warriors when they don't even choose the most effective weapons for their circumstances? Clearly they should be using spears or pole-arms. This completely kills my suspension of disbelief.

There's not a lot of room in cramped tunnels for either axes or polearms. Dwarfs should be using short, piercing weapons. They should be knife-fighters.

Halflings should get the polearms.

 

[Bardic Dave]

There's not a lot of room in cramped tunnels for either axes or polearms. Dwarfs should be using short, piercing weapons. They should be knife-fighters.

Halflings should get the polearms.

Hmm, that does make sense, given their status as farmers. Halflings really shouldn’t be wielding anything except scythes, rakes and hoes. Anything else would be unrealistic!